| Raiders | |
 | |
| City: | Romford |
|---|---|
| League: | NIHL National League |
| Founded: | 1987 |
| Home Arena: | Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre |
| Head Coach: | Sean Easton |
| Captain: | Aaron Connolly |
| Affiliates: | Raiders 2 |
| Franchise history | |
| 1987 – 2013: | Romford Raiders |
| 2013 – 2018: | London Raiders |
| 2018 – present: | Raiders |
The Raiders are an ice hockey team based in Romford, participating in the National Division of the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), the second tier of British ice hockey.
They were known as the Romford Raiders when they were based at the Romford Ice Arena in the London Borough of Havering. They were founder members of the English Premier Ice Hockey League but have competed in the NIHL since 2012. Their development team was the Romford Spitfires, which played in Division 2 of the NIHL before being succeeded in 2009/10 by the Romford Fury.
The team moved to Leyton, East London, in 2013, when it adopted the new name London Raiders. Its team colours are white, gold and blue, and fans of the team are known as the Gold and Blue Army.[1] The team returned to Romford in 2018, keeping the London Raiders name.
The team is often confused for London Raiders softball club, which is an LGBT+ club formed in the late 1980s. One time, the head of London Raiders Ice Hockey was so confused between the two that they signed up for an iTunes account with a London Raiders Softball email address.
History[]
A version of the Raiders crest used from 2013 to 2018
The club was founded in 1987 under the name Romford Raiders and coached by Gord Jeffrey, who went on to become a hero amongst the Romford fans.
Some of the best-known players to play for the Raiders include Rob Stewart,[2] Dave Whistle[3] and Mike Ellis,[4] all of whom went on to play and coach at the highest levels in the UK.
The Raiders' first ever match was played on 13 September 1987, against the Oxford City Stars. Romford's first captain, Erskine Douglas, also scored the Raiders' first ever goal.
On 28 November 2010, during an English National League game against the Bracknell Hornets, Danny Marshall scored his 1,232nd point as a Raider when he assisted on a short-handed goal by Frankie Harvey. With that point, Marshall became the club's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Gord Jeffrey's long-standing record.[5]
In 2013, the Romford Ice Arena was sold by Havering Council to investors. The team subsequently had to move to Lee Valley Ice Centre and became the London Raiders.[6]
On February 3, 2018, the Raiders' played their first game at their new home back in Romford, the Sapphire Ice and Leisure Centre. London would come back to win 5–2 against the Cardiff Fire in front of a sell-out crowd. Former Romford Junior Olegs Lascenko scored the team's first ever goal at the new venue, however, it was Cardiff's Jackson Price who scored the first goal overall.[7]
Season Records[]
The following list details the Raiders' finishes in the league, and notes any playoff success.[8]
League[]
| SEASON | LEAGUE | P | W | T | L | OTW | OTL | F | A | Pt | RANK | POSTSEASON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 - 1988 | Heineken League Division 2 | 26 | 25 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 379 | 213 | 51 | Champion | Promoted |
| 1988 - 1989 | Heineken League Division 1 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 16 | - | - | 145 | 201 | 14 | 11 | Relegated |
| 1989 - 1990 | Heineken League Division 2 | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | - | - | 217 | 152 | 35 | 2 | Promoted |
| 1990 - 1991 | Division 1 | 40 | 23 | 2 | 15 | - | - | 293 | 245 | 48 | 4 | Qualification loss |
| 1991 - 1992 | Division 1 | 36 | 15 | 5 | 16 | - | - | 262 | 256 | 35 | 6 | Qualification |
| 1992 - 1993 | Division 1 | 32 | 12 | 4 | 16 | - | - | 221 | 239 | 28 | 5 | - |
| 1993 - 1994 | Division 1 South | 44 | 27 | 5 | 12 | - | - | 328 | 235 | 59 | 2 | |
| 1994 - 1995 | Division 1 South | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1995 - 1996 | Division 2 South | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | - | - | 178 | 75 | 32 | 3 | Final group South |
| 1996 - 1997 | English League South | 22 | 20 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 192 | 46 | 41 | 1 | Qualification South |
| 1997 - 1998 | English League South | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | - | - | 195 | 88 | 25 | 5 | Championship Round South |
| 1998 - 1999 | English Premier League | 32 | 12 | 3 | 17 | - | - | 155 | 168 | 27 | 8 | Did not make playoffs |
| 1999 - 2000 | English Premier League | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | - | - | 78 | 127 | 12 | 5 | Did not make playoffs |
| 2000 - 2001 | English Premier League | 32 | 21 | 2 | 9 | - | - | 174 | 106 | 44 | 4 | Champion |
| 2001 - 2002 | English Premier League | 28 | 18 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 169 | 79 | 38 | 4 | Qualification |
| 2002 - 2003 | English Premier League | 42 | 19 | 6 | 17 | - | - | 218 | 199 | 44 | 8 | Qualification |
| 2003 - 2004 | English Premier League | 32 | 21 | 2 | 9 | - | - | 198 | 131 | 44 | 3 | Qualification |
| 2004 - 2005 | English Premier League | 32 | 17 | 2 | 13 | - | - | 144 | 113 | 36 | 4 | Semifinal loss |
| 2005 - 2006 | English Premier League | 48 | 24 | 5 | 19 | - | - | 214 | 204 | 53 | 7 | Qualification |
| 2006 - 2007 | English Premier League | 44 | 14 | 4 | 25 | - | 1 | 175 | 234 | 33 | 9 | Did not make playoffs |
| 2007 - 2008 | English Premier League | 40 | 16 | - | 20 | 1 | 3 | 137 | 176 | 37 | 8 | Qualification |
| 2008 - 2009 | English Premier League | 54 | 22 | - | 24 | 5 | 3 | 197 | 259 | 57 | 6 | Quarterfinal loss |
| 2009 - 2010 | English Premier League | 54 | 5 | - | 46 | 1 | 2 | 147 | 370 | 14 | 10 | Did not make playoffs |
| 2010 - 2011 | English National League South Division 1 | 40 | 29 | 5 | 6 | - | - | 244 | 101 | 63 | 3 | Conference SF loss South 1 |
| 2011 - 2012 | English National League South Division 1 | 36 | 31 | 0 | 5 | - | - | 235 | 93 | 62 | Champion | Conference Final loss South 1 |
| 2012 - 2013 | NIHL South Division 1 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 8 | - | - | 205 | 115 | 46 | 3 | Semifinal loss South |
| 2013 - 2014 | NIHL South Division 1 | 32 | 17 | 3 | 12 | - | - | 142 | 128 | 37 | 4 | Quarterfinal loss South |
| 2014 - 2015 | NIHL South Division 1 | 36 | 9 | 3 | 24 | - | - | 120 | 191 | 21 | 8 | Semifinal loss South |
| 2015 - 2016 | NIHL South Division 1 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 23 | - | - | 135 | 174 | 24 | 8 | Quarterfinal loss South |
| 2016 - 2017 | NIHL South Division 1 | 28 | 11 | 4 | 13 | - | - | 92 | 105 | 26 | 5 | Semifinal loss South |
| 2017 - 2018 | NIHL South Division 1 | 32 | 16- | - | 13 | 2 | 1 | 121 | 106 | 37 | 4 | Conference SF loss |
Cups[]
| SEASON | LEAGUE | P | W | T | L | OTW | OTL | F | A | Pt | RANK | POSTSEASON |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 - 1989 | Autumn Trophy | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | 43 | 62 | 5 | 3 | Did not make playoffs South & East |
| 1989 - 1990 | Autumn Trophy | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | - | - | 33 | 38 | 2 | 3 | Did not make playoffs South East |
| 1990 - 1991 | Autumn Cup | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | - | - | 45 | 70 | 2 | 5 | Did not make playoffs Group C |
| 1991 - 1992 | Autumn Cup | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | - | - | 38 | 66 | 4 | 5 | Did not make playoffs Group C |
| 1992 - 1993 | B&H Cup | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | - | - | 34 | 63 | 2 | 4 | Did not make playoffs Group B |
Club roster 2020–21[9][]
| Netminders | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Player | Catches | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired | Contract | |||
| 39 | 
|
Ethan James | L | 18 March 1999 | London, England | 2019 from Essa Stallions | 20/21 | |||
| Defencemen | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired | Contract | |||
| 13 |
|
Daniel Scott | R | 30 April 1992 | Chatham, England | 2018 from Basingstoke Bison | 20/21 | |||
| 14 |
|
Jack Cooper | R | 3 July 1996 | London, England | 2015 from Haringey Racers | 20/21 | |||
| 21 |
|
Callum Wells | R | 18 April 1998 | Harold Hill, England | 2017 Chelmsford Chieftains | 20/21 | |||
| 55 |
|
Sean Barry | R | 20 March 1994 | Chelmsford, England | 2017 from Chelmsford Chieftains | 20/21 | |||
| 77 | 
|
Ross Connolly | L | 8 July 1998 | Paisley, Scotland | 2019 from Whitley Warriors | 20/21 | |||
| Forwards | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Acquired | Contract | |||
| 4 |
|
Tommy Huggett | R | 13 July 2002 | England | 2020 from Raiders 2 | 20/21 | |||
| 10 |
|
Brandon Ayliffe | R | 25 June 1998 | Harold Wood, England | 2017 from Chelmsford Chieftains | 20/21 | |||
| 11 |
|
Harry Gulliver | R | 14 September 1999 | Essex, England | 2020 from Ogden Mustangs | 20/21 | |||
| 15 |
|
J.J. Pitchley | R | 28 January 1994 | Romford, England | 2016 from Bracknell Hornets | 20/21 | |||
| 24 |
|
Ollie Baldock | R | 15 January 1998 | Chelmsford, England | 2017 from Chelmsford Chieftains | 20/21 | |||
| 29 |
|
Jake Sylvester | L | 21 October 1997 | Chelmsford, England | 2017 from Chelmsford Chieftains | 20/21 | |||
| 51 | 
|
Erik Piatak | R | 6 March 1986 | Kezmarok, Slovakia | 2019 from DEAC | 20/21 | |||
| 63 |
|
Aaron Connolly | L | 1 June 1993 | Northfleet, England | 2018 from Basingtoke Bison | 20/21 | |||
| 89 | 
|
Blaho Novak | L | 21 March 1993 | Bratislava, Slovakia | 2018 from HC Topoľčany | 20/21 | |||
| 91 | 
|
Lukas Sladkovsky | L | 10 April 1996 | Prague, Czech Republic | 2019 from HC Tábor | 20/21 | |||
| 95 |
|
Jacob Ranson | R | 9 August 1995 | Romford, England | 2019 from Streatham IHC | 20/21 | |||
| Team Staff | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Name | Position | Acquired | Place of birth | Joined From | ||||
| N/A |
|
Sean Easton | Head Coach | 2017 | Chelmsford, England | Chelmsford Chieftains, NIHL 1 | ||||
| N/A |
|
Alan Blyth | Assistant Coach | 2004 | Southend, England | Chelmsford Chieftains, EPIHL | ||||
2020/21 Outgoing[]
| Outgoing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Player | Shoots | Date of birth | Place of birth | Leaving For | ||||
| 7 |
|
Dan Fuller | R | 6 September 1993 | London, England | To Be Announced | ||||
| 22 |
|
Mason Webster | R | 6 August 1994 | Basildon, England | Invicta Dynamos | ||||
| 33 |
|
Michael Gray | L | 3 August 1989 | Chelmsford, England | Retired | ||||
External links[]
- London Raiders Official Site
- London Raiders statistics at eurohockey.com
- London Raiders statistics at Elite Prospects
- Romford Raiders page at Hockey DB
References[]
- ↑ Gold and Blue Army (@Goldandbluearmy) | Twitter (en).
- ↑ Rob Stewart.
- ↑ David Whistle Team Staff Profile.
- ↑ Mike Ellis hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com (en).
- ↑ Elite Prospects - Players' All-Time Stats for London Raiders.
- ↑ NIHL News – Romford Raiders Find Salvation In Their Darkest Hour.
- ↑ Romford Recorder - Lascenko leaves mark with first Raiders goal on new Romford Ice.
- ↑ London Raiders Team History and Standings.
- ↑ Raiders IHC - Elite Prospects.
- ↑ http://raidersicehockey.com/roster
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