Dec 18 2001

Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

FLINTSHIRE Freeze hope to welcome back Phil Brook, Dave Costello and Brian Jackson for tomorrow's trip to Basingstoke Buffalo.

The experienced duo, out through work commitments last weekend, were sorely missed as the Freeze lost their unbeaten ENHL Southern Conference record in an 11-3 defeat at Oxford City Stars.

But their expected return tomorrow means the Freeze will start as slight favourites against a Basingstoke side who lie just outside the play-off places in fifth.

'We didn't go to Oxford with the right attitude and we just weren't able to get anything going,' said Freeze player-coach Mark Stokes.

'It's hard to go to a place like Oxford and win without three of your best players and we were also a netminder down because Dave Clancy was unavailable. He's out of tomorrow's game too, so Matty Compton will be our only keeper.

'Our unbeaten record was becoming a bit of a hindrance and now that it's gone there won't be quite as much pressure on,' added the Canadian.

'It's hard to win every game in this league and the run had to end at some point.

'We're still well-placed in the league and should make the play-offs if we continue to pick up points. The championship also has to be an aim because, if we win our games in hand, we go top.'

The Freeze were never in the game at Oxford on Saturday and despite goals in each period from Steve Fellows, Pete Founds and Simon Wedd, they couldn't contain the Stars' lively attack.

* A supporters' coach for tomorrow's game leaves Deeside Leisure Centre at 11.30am. Tickets are £5.

The Freeze's next home match is against Invicta Mustangs on Sunday, December 23 (6.30pm).

Nov 30 2001

Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

FLINTSHIRE Freeze face another tough challenge this Sunday as they take on Chelmsford Chieftains.

Freeze can go top if they win at Deeside and as the team has yet to taste defeat in this campaign, coach Mark Stokes is confident.

'We can win this one,' he said. 'We have Simon Wedd and Phil Kennedy returning from injury, and in the last few games a number of players have shown me what they are capable of.

'We have beaten all of the big boys in this league so far, bar Telford, who held us to a tie, and have proved to ourselves that we are a good team.

'Flintshire Freeze is not in this league to make up the numbers. We have faced every obstacle and still won through.

'Many times this season we have turned out and it has been like facing two teams, as the referees have often been poor and have penalised us unfairly.

'But I don't want to dwell on that because, despite bad decisions which have punctuated this season, we still have still a 100% record. We are now two points off the top, in second, with four games in hand over an Oxford team we have already beat.

'Chelmsford dropped into our division to escape the costs of playing Premiership hockey, but they have found it is not such a breeze and have not run away with it as many thought they would.

'Our squad is capable of winning on Sunday and hopefully it will be an exciting game for the fans, who have been great to us.

'I hope we can repay them by doing well this year. We can win the title, as long as we don't let our success run away with us and we keep working hard.

'We are a good team, a good squad, and so far it has been our year. If we keep our feet on the ground, we should come out on top on Sunday and put ourselves in a great position to pull away at the top of the league.'

Nov 30 2001

Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

FLINTSHIRE Freeze silenced the doom-mongers on Sunday as they beat Oxford City Stars for the first time at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Last week player-coach Mark Stokes complained that Freeze always seem to make the Stars look better than they are, but it was the Deesiders who were impressive as they swept aside yet another of the Southern Division's big guns 6-5.

'We played really well,' said Stokes. 'We took a two-goal lead early on and that really helped us. We managed to keep our noses in front for the whole game.

'Two big goals and a big game from Aaron Davies, and top-quality performances from Dave Costello, Steven Fellows and Matt Compton in the net provided a solid base for the win.

'It was a big result for us and we now have four games in hand over Oxford, who lie in first, and we are just two points behind them in second. We took them down a peg or two and are in a good position now.'

The result means Freeze are still unbeaten this season and have defeated all the league's big guns bar Telford, with whom they tied, and Chelmsford, who they face on Sunday.

'I have a good squad now,' said Mark.

'We proved that on Sunday. As we came to the end of the game we were penalised a little too heavily, as we had throughout the game by the referee, and were reduced to three men against their five. But we still clung on to our lead and that is the kind of quality I have here at the moment.

'The squad has been together for three years now. I have refined it, adding players here and transferring them there, and now I think we have a talented, solid squad which is capable of winning this league if it maintains concentration and continues to work hard.

'It also helps that we have the support of the community. Over 500 people turned out to watch what was an exciting game on Sunday, and I hope it can continue because the players raise their game for a good crowd ­- and both fans and players enjoy the atmosphere.'

Nov 23 2001

Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

FLINTSHIRE Freeze cruised to a 6-2 ENHL Challenge Cup victory over Bracknell Hornets, despite player-coach Mark Stokes' squad experiments throughout the game.

Stokes started a number of young players and replaced them with other emerging stars as he used the match to assess the strength of his squad.

'The league is our main focus,' he said.

'By approaching games with that mentality I have been able to give some of our younger players valuable ice-time which will speed up their development.

'We played well but not brilliantly. But I made a lot of changes, even swapping our goaltender at half-time.

'Overall, it was a good solid performance against a team that is tough to beat, and there were a number of young players who showed me what they were capable of.'

Mark was also heartened by the continuing return to fitness of young star Steven Fellows ahead of Sunday's crunch game against Oxford City Stars.

'Steven looked strong and he is getting fitter all the time,' said Mark.

'He is a good player and hopefully he will be back with the first choice squad soon.

'It is good that we are through to the next round because it will give me another chance to blood some of our younger talents.

'We have a third goalie here just waiting for his chance and the more cup games we have, the better our young players will become, and the better the future will look for Flintshire Freeze.'

Sunday's game against Oxford is the next challenge for Freeze. And Stokes' men will be aiming to break the hoodoo the Stars have had over them for the past few seasons.

'I don't know why but every time we play them we don't just get beat, we make them look good,' said Mark.

'We haven't been able to beat them for a couple of seasons now but that is going to change on Sunday.

'We are playing well and with last week's performance I am in the enviable position of not actually knowing who will start the game.

'There were a number of players against Bracknell who have forced their way into my plans and I have a dilemma as to who to select for this crucial match.'

Nov 16 2001

CONFIDENCE couldn't be higher in the Flintshire Freeze camp ahead of this Sunday's English Cup clash with Bracknell Hornets at Deeside Leisure Centre (6.30pm face-off).

Mark Stokes' team maintained their unbeaten Southern Conference record at the weekend with back-to-back away wins over Invicta Mustangs (8-5) and Chelmsford Chieftains (8-3).

And the Freeze will start as firm favourites on Sunday against a Hornets side who were stung 6-4 at Deeside in the league in September.

Player-coach Stokes, who helped himself to nine goals over the weekend, said: 'Everything came right for us and I was delighted with the whole team.

'Sunday's win in front of 1,000 fans at Chelmsford was probably one of our best away performances of all time. They were in the British Premier League last season and they're one of my old teams, so the victory gave me extra satisfaction.'

Brian Jackson and Dave Costello are both unavailable this weekend through work commitments.

* Entry is £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children. Family tickets (two adults, two children) cost £10.

Nov 16 2001

FLINTSHIRE Freeze sent out a warning to the rest of the ENHL Southern Conference at the weekend with back-to-back away victories.

The four points gleaned from Saturday's 8-5 win over Invicta Mustangs and Sunday's 7-3 success against title rivals Chelmsford Chieftains sent the Freeze within touching distance of the top.

Delighted player-coach Mark Stokes, who helped himself to nine goals over the two matches, said: 'Everything seemed to click into place and the whole team were just awesome.

'All the other sides in the league will sit up and take notice. Chelmsford are real title contenders and to go and beat them on their home rink in front of 1,000 fans is unbelievable. I'd say it's one of the best away results this club has ever had.'

Before disposing of the Chieftains, Freeze faced the task of overcoming more modest opposition in Kent-based Mustangs.

Phil Brook and Stokes (2) put the Freeze 3-1 up in the first period, and, although Pete Founds and Stokes were on the mark again in the second, Mustangs netted four times to make it 5-5.

But Stokes continued his one-man show in the third period with a hat-trick that took his tally for the night to six and made it 8-5.

The Freeze took a while to get going in Chelmsford 24 hours later, but it was one-way traffic after the Chieftains made it 2-2 mid-way through the second period, cancelling out goals from Founds and Stokes.

Dave Costello grabbed a crucial third before Brook (2) and Stokes (2) netted unanswered goals to send the Freeze into a 7-2 lead.

The humbled home side hit a consolation in the dying minutes but they had been completely outplayed.

Oct 19 2001

by David Triggs, Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

THE Freeze clawed their way past Slough at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday with a performance that owed much to their knack of grinding out league results.

Mark Stokes' men have yet to recapture the form that took them to second in the table last season, but two home wins and a 5-5 draw at leaders Telford has been enough to lift them to third in the Southern Conference.

The signs that the hosts could be in for a tough night were there as early as the seventh minute when the Hawks' Kevin Murphy smashed a long-range shot low to netminder Dave Clancy's left.

Aaron Davies equalised from a tight angle two minutes later and captain Marc Lovell sent the hosts into the break 2-1 up with a short-handed goal from a Pete Founds pass.

The match was effectively finished in the closing stages of what had previously been a barren second period.

Three goals in two minutes from Phil Kennedy, Founds, and Simon Wedd changed the score from an edgy 2-1 to a comfortable 5-1.

Founds missed the chance to make it 6-2 on 42 minutes as Slough netminder Paul Todd saved his penalty.

And the visitors pulled one back soon after through Adrian Wheeler, before a 12-man brawl held up proceedings for 10 minutes.

The Freeze's Marc Lovell and Alan Steele were sent off, along with Slough's Kevin Murphy and Oliver Atkinson.

There was still time for two more goals, with Flintshire's Mark Hobson making it 6-2 before netminder Clancy put through his own net with only two minutes left on the clock.

* The Freeze went down 10-2 at bogey side Oxford City Stars in Group B of the Englsih Cup on Saturday.

Aaron Davies and Mark Hobson scored for the visitors but they couldn't stop them going in at the other end in an encounter that leaves Stokes' men with only a remote chance of qualifying for the next stage.

Oct 19 2001

FLINTSHIRE Freeze's youngsters will be given the chance to shine in the English Cup tomorrow.

The Freeze are in Group B action at Telford Wild Foxes (face-off 6.30pm) and, with their chances of qualifying for the next stage of the competition looking remote, player-coach Mark Stokes has vowed to give youth a chance.

'The league is our priority, so I'll be giving a lot of ice time to some of our younger players tomorrow,' he said. 'They'll benefit from the experience and hopefully become better players for it.

'Our cup form this year hasn't been too clever, so I have to be realistic and say it will be hard to reach the next stage.

'That means the English Cup games will come in useful and allow me to look at how the younger lads cope playing alongside some of our more experienced players.'

While the Freeze continued their good league form at the weekend with a win over Slough, their first two English Cup matches have resulted in heavy defeats to Oxford City Stars.

Stokes' men drew 5-5 at Telford in the Southern Conference two weeks ago, but they will be without the key duo of Marc Lovell and Alan Steele for tomorrow's game.

The pair received bans in Sunday's Slough match, and with Stokes (broken wrist) already ruled out, the Freeze's forward line will not be at its strongest.

Dave Costello missed last Sunday's game through work commitments but hopes to return tomorrow, while netminder Matty Compton rejoins the squad after playing for the U19s in Sheffield at the weekend.

Chester Chronicle Series (Flintshire)

FLINTSHIRE Freeze have been given a welcome boost with the news that injured player-coach Mark Stokes expects to be back in action by the end of the month.

The Canadian, who broke his right wrist in the opening match of the season three weeks ago, aims to return for the home clash with Peterborough Islanders on October 28.

'I'm due to have the plaster cast taken off at the start of that week, so hopefully I'll be back to face Peterborough,' he said. 'The muscles in my hand still feel strong and I'm itching to get back playing again.

'I enjoy coaching from the bench but watching from the sidelines can also be pretty frustrating!'

Meanwhile, the Freeze are gearing up for a busy weekend of action.

They travel to Oxford City Stars for their second English Cup group match (6pm) tomorrow before entertaining Slough Harrier Hawks in the ENHL Southern Conference at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday (6.30pm).

The Freeze head south looking to put the record straight after they were thumped 13-0 by Oxford a fortnight ago, while they will be confident of taking something from the Slough game after beating them twice last season.

Simon Wedd returns this weekend, but the Freeze have fitness doubts over Matty Compton (groin) and Steve Fellows (back).

FLINTSHIRE Freeze have been hit by the news that player-coach Mark Stokes will be out for up to a month with a broken wrist.

The Canadian picked up the injury during last weekend's 6-4 win over Bracknell Hornets and is a definite non-starter for this Sunday's English Cup clash with Oxford City Stars at Deeside Leisure Centre (face-off 6.30pm).

'My right hand was put in plaster on Tuesday and I've been told that it could be three or four weeks before I play again,' said Stokes. 'I broke it in the first period on Sunday but played on because I didn't realise it was this bad.

'It's a massive blow to be injured in the first game of the season, but it just means I'll become more involved in coaching from the bench over the next few weeks.'

The loss of Stokes, last season's leading scorer in the ENHL Southern Conference, leaves  the Freeze short on striking cover ahead of the Oxford match.

Stokes' strike partner Pete Founds will miss the game because he is in Italy competing in the final round of the European Sidecar Championship with his brother, Chris.

Defenceman Brian Jackson is still suspended, but the Freeze welcome back Dave Costello and Marc Lovell, who missed last week's match because he was at university.

Danny Binns, an U19s player signed last week from Altrincham Aces, impressed on his debut against Bracknell and will again be included in the squad.

The Freeze qualified for the latter stages of last season's English Cup but withdrew over fears that their involvement in the competition would hinder their progress in the league play-offs.

Four other teams make up the Southern Conference's English Cup group ­- Chelmsford, Bracknell, Telford and Oxford. The top two go on to face the Northern Conference's leading two in the semi-finals next year.

Oxford, who ended the Freeze's play-off hopes last term, enjoyed a 10-4 home victory over Invicta at the weekend.

BRACKNELL Hornets gave the Freeze a taste of what they can expect in the Southern Conference this season with a forceful performance that almost earned them a share of the spoils.

Like many of the Freeze's rivals, the Hornets have spent the summer rebuilding their squad in preparation for a play-off push this term.

And the Hornets team which arrived at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday certainly looked a bigger, faster and more aggressive side than the one that stole a win in North Wales last season.

But this time the roles were reversed as the Freeze edged to victory in a nailbiting encounter that went right to the wire.

Bracknell's Scott Parsons set up a grandstand finish with his side's fourth goal of the night eight minutes from time.

That made it 5-4 and the Hornets threw everything at Matty Compton's goal in the closing stages.

With just 30 seconds remaining, Bracknell sacrificed their netminder Dan Green in a bid to snatch an equaliser. But the all-or-nothing move backfired as Stokes won possession and rolled the puck the length of the ice into the vacant goal.

However, the win came at a cost as Stokes sustained a broken wrist in the first period and played through the pain barrier for the rest of the match.

The Freeze carried a 3-1 lead into the second period following early goals from Phil Kennedy, Stokes and Mark Hobson.

A Parsons strike at the end of the first period was a sign of things to come, but all seemed to be going well when Stokes made it 4-1 on 25 minutes.

The Canadian had a penalty shot saved soon after, and that lifted Bracknell who pulled two goals back through John Dennis and Glenn West.

Aaron Davies restored the Freeze's two-goal cushion seven minutes into the third period before Parsons' second of the contest again had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

In the dying seconds, Flintshire captain Pete Founds and Danny Turner were sent-off for a fight sparked by the Freeze's sixth goal.

TEAM Founds raced to their best ever career finish on Sunday as they bagged sixth place at Oschersleben and 10 World Championship points.

Despite coming in seventh in the first qualifying round, Chris and Pete slipped back to 11th on the grid for Sunday's race.

Chris said: 'We made a good start in the race, but some of the bigger engines got past us and we fell back to 15th. However, we pulled our way back into things and there was a pack of six or seven of us dicing for a top 10 place.'

He added: 'I managed to get into the main chasing pack and picked them off but it was very tiring and I was shattered by the end of the race.

Austrian Klaus Klaffenbock eventually took the chequered flag in front of a record 70,000 crowd.

But the first top 10 finish of World Championship rookies Chris and Pete Founds' career was a special moment for the Ellesmere Port brothers.

Chris said: 'After all the troubles this season it was great to finally show what we can do. We're back to where we should be. This result gives us a huge confidence boost for Assen and we're hoping to end the season on a high note now we're back in business.'

The result was even more remarkable considering that Team Founds' mechanics were not in attendance at the race.

With World Championship meetings in consecutive weekends, the usual pit crew were unable to take time off work for Oschersleben but will rejoin the party in Assen this week.

Team Founds are now 14th in the FIM Sidecar World Championship standings with 23 points.

FLINTSHIRE Freeze are preparing to come under 'friendly fire' on Sunday ­- from the American Air Force.

That's because the USAF's touring Warbirds team are due to swoop in to Deeside Lesiure Centre for a prestigious pre-season encounter (6.30pm face-off).

And although the Freeze will be without two of their most influential players, player-coach Mark Stokes expects his side to give their visitors from across the Atlantic a run for their money.

'They're bound to be a big, physical team but I'm sure they're not unbeatable,' he said. 'Although we'll be a little short-handed, the game is a great opportunity for those who play to see how they cope against experienced overseas players.

'I'm sure our fans will be keen to see the Warbirds and I'm grateful to them for agreeing to come here.'

Stokes will be without the services of Pete Founds and Simon Wedd this weekend.

Founds is in Germany competing at a sidecar championship, while Wedd won't return to the fold until he moves back into the area to continue his studies at university in two weeks time.

Dave Costello and Brian Jackson are suspended for the first two league games of the season, but the pair are included in the squad for Sunday.

Player-coach Stokes has promised to give all three of his netminders ice time against the Warbirds.

The unfortunate Mike Clancy, who missed the whole of last year through injury, returns, while teenager Matty Compton and Mike's brother, Dave, have also been promised a spell in nets.

The club's only new arrival over the summer is left-winger Phil Kennedy, a former Deeside Dragon who played recreational ice hockey last season.

Said Stokes: 'Phil deserves the opportunity to prove he can still play at a high level. He's got plenty of ability and will give me more options up front.'

The Warbirds clash is the only pre-season game the Freeze will play before Bracknell Hornets open the 2001-02 ENHL Southern Conference campaign with visit to Deeside on Sunday, September 23 (6.30pm).

* Entry this Sunday is £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children. Family tickets (two adults and two children) cost £10.

by Christopher Beesley, Ellesmere Port Pioneer

SIDECAR race aces Chris and Pete Founds are looking forward to performing in front of the British crowds at Brands Hatch this weekend.

But the pair will be facing a challenge from an 18-year-old making his World Championship debut.

The plucky youngster is their brother Alan who has been racing in the British Championship.

He is to ride alongside Austrian ace Gerhard Hauzenberger after his regular passenger Adolf Hanni broke his wrist at the last round in Misano.

Chris said: 'Alan started about 18 months ago and he's been competing in the local club championships, British and European rounds. He'll be going down for a few practice sessions to get used to the riding style.

'At the moment it's just a one-off but if Adolf doesn't recover in time, Alan might stay in for the last three rounds of the season.'

Meanwhile, Chris and Pete have had a double financial boost in time for Brands Hatch after securing two major new sponsorship deals.

RDB Cables and Trustlands Construction have both agreed to give four-figure backing to Team Founds over the next three years.

Chris said: 'It's a terrific boost for us to get two deals like this at this stage in the season. Obviously we've had a lot of outlay having to rebuild

the bike after the crash in Valencia and it's great to get some more local backing.

'We've been chasing our tails to get organised. We would have had everything in place if we hadn't have had the crash, but we've had to re-do lots of things to try and catch up with where we should have been.'

Problems with oil on the track in the San Marino round of the championship has also forced some large-scale adjustments to the bike.

Chris said: 'The month's break between races has been a great help as we usually can't do all the repairs we need because of the time factor.

'Sometimes we don't come back from the continent between races and we were only at home for two days between Germany and San Marino.'

The technical changes to the bikes are a result of two bikes blowing up at Misano, leaving a lot of oil on the track, which caused some of the riders to spin off.

Chris said: 'It can be costly with the timescale of the meetings. The superbikes complain and the sidecars become a scapegoat. So basically the organisers have changed the rules halfway through the season and we've all got to do our development all over again.'

The first thing the racers have had to do is ensure better oil containment to catch the oil if their engine blows up.

Secondly, the air box carburettor has to be sealed to ensure oil does not escape and Chris has had to insert rubber seals.

He said: 'Because of all the work on the bike we haven't been able to do any testing. We were hoping to go to a British meeting at Oulton Park, but we've been too busy. It's not like Formula One where they have a separate development department.'

Chris' own recovery from injury is going well, although he is having to be fitted with a brace on his knee for support.

He said: 'I won't wear it during races. It's just to help me do other sports like squash, hockey and cycling. My physio Gareth is happy that I've made so much progress and I've surprised myself that I've managed to keep it up.

I've been doing two hours of training every day and it's really benefited me.'

Chris could have chosen the option of having surgery, but he is pleased with how things have turned out.

He said: 'It's pretty much like a normal knee now and is a lot better than if I'd have had it operated on. There is only a 70-30 success rate for the surgery and I could have missed the entire season.'

The Brands Hatch round will be special for the Founds brothers as it will give them a chance to race in front of both their supporters and sponsors.

Chris said: 'A lot of people are interested in us and there is pressure to perform. We're going to have lots of corporate hospitality and there will be a big following with all of our existing sponsors and most of our fan club present. It's a nice way of keeping the interest going.'