Northstars lose out in Oxford...

On Wednesday the Swindon Northstars played their first game on British soil this season and lost out to a single goal.

The northstars travelling with a limited bench and only 3 experienced players, held off the RAF Bluewings for most of the game with Player Coach Markus Lehmann getting a hat-trick.

Further details and statistics coming soon..



'4th Holland trip gives the Northstars 4th place..
The Swindon Northstars traveled to the Dutch city of Den Bosch for the 4th consecutive year and came away with a very respectable 4th place.

After a slow start, losing the first game, the Swindon Northstars came away with only 2 losses is the preliminary rounds including a 1-1 tie with the eventual winners, Utrecht Recreators.

The top 3 teams of the weekend all carried 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dutch division players, which showed, in the quality of the games.
However, the 'Stars did not let this phase them and put up an impressive display against all 3 of those teams losing 1-0 to the "Legends" and being at the wrong end of a 3-0 result against the Eindhoven side which was boosted with the Dutch international ladies goalie.

The play-offs saw a different format this year due to one team pulling out at the last minute.
The 3 game system saw the 'Stars being tied at one all after 2 games with the 3rd placed Legends, Lee Burden scoring with just seconds on the clock in the second game to break the stalemate.

The final encounter was a little one-sided when the Legends decided successfully to try and get away with cheap shots and continuous pressure. This pressure lead to an early defensive mistake and gave the Legends their go-ahead goal.
After being pinned in their own end for a considerable time, the 'Stars saw attempts by Burden, Markus Lehmann and Danny King all being turned away by an in-form Legends goalie.
The Legends then stepped up another gear and a screened shot from the point saw them double their lead midway through the game.
Seb Chiffers then took exception to the feisty nr 21 on the Legends team with a huge hit behind the 'Stars net. After a little scuffle, the 'Stars were two men down for a minute. This powerplay give the Legends the initiative to extend their lead to 3-0. Just a few minutes later the hitting score was leveled after Lee Burden got crushed by the Legends nr 21 at the Stars bench. This spurred on the 'Stars team and even with continued pressure, every effort on goal was turned away, the final score being 3-0 with the Stars remaining in 4th place.