Joe Johnston praised Streatham’s character as they pulled off a stunning comeback to earn a point against Milton Keynes Thunder in National Ice Hockey League South One.
Thunder started brightly and found themselves 3-0 up with less than half an hour played, with Ross Bowers helping himself to two goals.
But Streatham didn’t let their heads drop and showed determination to fight back, as Callum Best smashed home an equaliser to make it 3-3 with only 20 seconds left on the clock.
“To us it feels like a win,” said Johnston, whose side sit in sixth after one win, one draw and one defeat in their first three league games.
“We got a draw in the end but to be three goals down and look like we’re out of it and come back to get a point shows big character.”
FOCUSED: Joe Allen scored the Redhawks’ second against MK Thunder
Milton Keynes were 2-0 up at the end of the first period, with Bowers opening the scoring on seven minutes, before he doubled the lead nine minutes later.
Despite the late heroics, Johnston was frustrated with Streatham’s slow start.
He said: “We shouldn’t really be getting in a position where we’re losing, we’ve got to fancy ourselves at home.
“No disrespect to Milton Keynes but they’re probably one of the teams we should be looking to beat.”
Thunder looked to be out of sight when Harrison Goode scored after 27 minutes, but Streatham kept their composure to mount an inspiring comeback.
Steven Fisher scored late on in the second period before Joe Allen made it 3-2 after 50 minutes.
Following a nervy final few minutes that saw Fisher given a two minute penalty, Best stepped up to complete the turnaround right at the death.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM: Ryan Giles gets hit in the face by the puck
“We’ve got the potential to go all the way,” said Johnston.
“We’ve certainly got the ability in the room.
“We’re still gelling as Nicky Chinn’s just come in as player coach and he’s got a different philosophy so it might take a while for that to bed in but as soon as it does, the sky’s the limit for the players we’ve got.
“The fundamentals are in, it’s just about maintaining that consistency.”
The Redhawks announced on Saturday that Adam Mahoney was returning to the squad after a season’s break and Johnston said it feels like he never left.
“We’ve missed him, he’s very dependable. He does his job very quietly and doesn’t necessarily get noticed but you certainly notice when he isn’t there,” he added.
“He’s a good guy, he’s great to have around the dressing room and everyone’s welcomed him back. It doesn’t really feel like he’s been away.”
Mahoney was delighted to be back and was thrown straight into the starting line up after a late fitness test.
“I’ve missed it,” he said.
“The first period I wasn’t very switched on because I’m still getting used to the pace of the game.
“It’s completely different to having a few training sessions but I’ve missed it, especially for games like that.
“We had so many chances so it can be frustrating not to win, especially when people have paid money to come and see us win, but it was an exciting game and there are definitely positives to take into next weekend.”
Image courtesy of Rick Webb and Fusional, with thanks
