Romford Raiders ready for new era says Adam Laishram

Raiders begin a new season and new era at the Sapphire Ice & Leisure Centre this weekend, 37 years since ice hockey arrived in the town, at the old Rom Valley Way rink.

There have been plenty of ups and downs since then and the past few months have been something of a microcosm of that.

Having just missed out on a second successive appearance at the National League play-off finals weekend in Coventry in April, captain Aaron Connolly called time on his days in a gold and blue jersey.

Head coach Sean Easton stepped back from his role soon after, with long-time owner John Scott then revealing he was in talks with an interested party to assume the running of the club.

Scott had stepped into the breach in 2009, when the team's immediate future was in doubt, and was initially part of a group which came to the fore when London Raiders relocated to Lee Valley after the closure of the old Romford rink.

He had remained in sole charge after the team returned to its spiritual home in the town centre and withstood the impact of the Covid pandemic, which saw the 2020-21 season cut short and the following campaign shortened dramatically to a Spring Cup played behind closed doors.

Raiders were then edged out by Leeds Knights in the 2023 play-off final but, 12 months on from that near miss, Scott decided enough was enough.

After lengthy talks, a takeover was eventually completed, with Raiders defenceman Sean Barry, Al Gerrie and Paul Davies named as three main directors of the new management group.

Canadian import Adam Laishram agreed to take on a player-coach role, having topped the team's scoring list in 2023-24 and claimed a host of awards at their end of season presentation evening.

And the skilful forward then set about belatedly building a team for the new campaign, bringing in fellow countrymen Andrew Shewfelt and Shaun Miller, both natives of Nova Scotia.

"It’s been quite the summer - only a few months ago we were unsure if we were going to have a team in Romford, and there were doubts whether we would be able to recruit enough players that late into the off-season," said Laishram.

"But I’m happy to say we’ve recruited a great mix that’s going to play some exciting, fast and skilled hockey, while keeping that old-school Romford grittiness that this club is known for.

"We’re pleased to have a solid core of returning players who bring leadership and consistency, complemented by a group of talented newcomers who have already shown great potential in practice."

The core of last season's squad has been retained, with Tommy Huggett returning after a year away, and youngsters Aiden Wilson, Tyler Nixon and Thomas Brown the new faces recruited, following the departures of Callum Wells, Mikey Power, George Norcliffe, Zack Milton, Brynley Capps and Brad Windebank.

Raiders have also agreed two-way deals with Buccaneers Bradley Taylor, Luca Pascale, Megas Kanys and Harvey Briggs - with Joe Tomalin having stepped up into a full-time role after impressing last term - and Slough Jets quartet Christian and Seb Mohr, Jack Goodchild and Luke Smital will also help to bolster the Romford bench when not in Division One South action.

"Our first week of training together has been about laying the foundation for a successful campaign," added Laishram.

"We’ve focused heavily on conditioning and getting back up to speed after a long summer to ensure that we’re physically prepared for the long season ahead.

"More importantly at this stage of the season, we’ve been emphasizing team chemistry, considering the amount of new players we’ve brought in and those moving into different roles, like myself.

"We’ve been working on our systems and special teams play, recognizing that structure on and off the puck in addition to strong power play and penalty kill units will make a significant difference in the league standings."

The 2024-25 action gets underway with a home-and-away challenge with play-off champions Peterborough - Raiders at home on Saturday - and a two-legged showdown with Invicta, and former captain Connolly, follows a week later.

Raiders, with long-serving defenceman Jack Cooper now wearing the C in his testimonial year, will start their league campaign at MK Lightning on September 14, before hosting Swindon the following night.

And they can be sure of plenty more ups and downs as 11 teams battle it out for a top-eight spot over the next seven months.

"As we look forward to our upcoming games against Peterborough and Invicta, we’re anticipating tough contests," said Laishram.

"Peterborough has always been a challenging opponent, known for their aggressive forecheck and well-structured team play.

"Meanwhile, Invicta is a team that’s brought in a few exciting players from the national league, so we can’t take them lightly and we’ll need to be ready for a hard-fought battle.

"Looking beyond these games, our goal for the season is not just to compete but to consistently improve and position ourselves as a top contender.

"Every game is an opportunity to grow as a team, refine our systems, and strengthen our resolve. We know that there will be highs and lows throughout the season, but our focus will remain on giving our best effort every night and supporting each other through the journey."

Laishram got his hands on a first piece of silverware at the Raiders Golf Day at Romford Golf Club last Friday.

He scored 46 points to win individual stableford honours and was also part of the winning four-man team.

Bradley Taylor walked off with the longest drive and nearest the pin prizes as a total of 52 golfers battled it out at the Heath Drive club.

And a subsequent well-attended Meet the Players evening helped the club raise close to £4,000 on the day.

"To our incredible fans, we want to thank you for your unwavering support, your energy and passion are what drive us to be better every day," added Laishram.

"We’re excited to share this season with you, and we can’t wait to see the rink filled with all of you.

"We’re committed to giving you a team that you can be proud of, one that fights for every puck and never backs down from a challenge. Let’s make this season one to remember together. Hope to see you down at the Sapphire!"

*A live stream of Saturday's game will be available at a 50 per cent discount of just £6 for those who cannot attend the Sapphire in person.

ROMFORD RAIDERS 2024-25

Goalies: Ethan James, Thomas Brown.

Defence: Tom Relf, Elliott Dewey, Marco Pascale, Tyler Nixon, Jack Cooper, Sean Barry, Megan Kanys*, Bradley Taylor*.

Forwards: Adam Laisham (i), Andrew Shewfelt (i), Shaun Miller (i), Tjay Anderson, Jake Sylvester, Brandon Ayliffe, Aiden Wilson, Joe Tomalin, Tommy Huggett, Jacob Ranson, Luca Pascale*, Harvey Briggs*, Seb Mohr*, Christian Mohr*, Jack Goodchild*, Luke Smital*. Key: (I)=import; *=two-way.

Fixtures (515pm unless stated, home in CAPITALS)

Aug 31 PETERBORO; Sep 1 Peterboro (530); Sep 7 Invicta; Sep 8 INVICTA; Sep 14 M Keynes (7); Sep 15 SWINDON; Sep 22 PETERBORO; Sep 28 Bristol (7); Sep 29 HULL; Oct 5 TELFORD; Oct 6 Hull (530); Oct 12 Sheffield (7); Oct 13 BEES; Oct 19 LEEDS; Oct 20 Peterboro (530); Oct 26 Solway (7); Oct 27 Telford (6); Nov 1 M KEYNES (715); Nov 3 Bees (6); Nov 10 SHEFFIELD; Nov 16 TELFORD; Nov 17 Sheffield (5); Nov 23 Peterboro (7); Nov 24 SOLWAY; Nov 30 Swindon (630); Dec 1 BRISTOL; Dec 7 Hull (530); Dec 8 PETERBORO; Dec 14 Leeds; Dec 15 LEEDS; Dec 21 Bristol (7); Dec 22 BRISTOL; Dec 28 Bees (630); Dec 29 BEES; Jan 3 M KEYNES (715); Jan 4 Swindon (630); Jan 5 SWINDON; Jan 11 Telford (7); Jan 12 SHEFFIELD; Jan 19 HULL; Jan 25 M Keynes (7); Jan 26 TELFORD; Feb 1 Peterboro (7); Feb 2 SOLWAY; Feb 8 Hull (530); Feb 9 SHEFFIELD; Feb 15 LEEDS; Feb 16 Leeds; Feb 22 Swindon (630); Feb 23 PETERBORO; Mar 1 Solway (7); Mar 2 Solway (5); Mar 8 Bristol (7); Mar 9 M KEYNES; Mar 15 BEES; Mar 16 Bes (6); Mar 21 M Keynes (730); Mar 23 BRISTOL.