There is no task more daunting than to travel down to the lair of the reigning league champions with only eleven players on the bus but whilst the result was inevitable, the performance once again suggested good times are not too far away for the Penguins.
With a roster of seventeen skaters including a number of recognised top performers, Slough jumped onto the front foot but where this Penguins side has improved significantly over the Summer is in their ability to shape up and stay shaped up even under pressure and the home Sirens struggled to get into double figures on shots on goals. One of those beat netminder Steph Owen but that was it ….. a one goal game at the break.
Period two started badly for Penguins when standout Siren Jodie Attrill notched her second of the game with just 21:25 on the clock but Penguins created their own chances from Sharon Khan, Carmel Buttimer and Clare Ledbury before Attrill set up Elise Willoughby just after the game’s midpoint for a 3-0 lead that rolled into the final period.
Penguins short bench not surprisingly tired in the last period but they stayed disciplined and continued to make it difficult for the home side who also found Steph Owen in athletic form whenever they did breach the Penguins D. Attrill secured her hat-trick at 44:33 but Sue O’Sullivan made the pass to Clare Ledbury and the Penguins skipper finished at 53:18 to bring it back to 4-1. The scoreline then jumped to a flattering 6-1 with two goals in 16 seconds in the 54th minute and that’s how it finished.
(Wo)Man of the Match for Penguins went to Wiktoria Dziurowicz.
Captain Clare Ledbury was a proud captain after the game, “it was never going to be an easy game considering they won the league last year but although it was never going to be a winning game for us, it really was a great result considering all that was against us ! Even though the dreaded cold had attacked a few of us, everyone here put in 100% and I’m a very proud captain !”
Penguins are back in action against the same Slough opposition, this time at Bretton on Saturday 10th November, face-off at 6:25pm.
Game stats HERE