Canucks edge Lee Valley 5-4 in front of bumper home crowd

The Cardiff Canucks returned to winning ways on home ice, defeating the Lee Valley Lions 5-4 in front of a bumper crowd of over 2,000 at the rink on Saturday evening.

Cardiff started brightly, with Steve Osman opening the scoring just 46 seconds into the contest. He added a second goal midway through the opening frame to give the Canucks a 2-0 advantage. Lee Valley pulled one back on the power play before the first intermission to make it 2-1.

Jaydon Ford extended Cardiff's lead early in the second period, a performance that would later see him named Man of the Match. Lee Valley responded late in the frame to keep the contest within reach at 3-2 heading into the final 20 minutes.

The third period saw Osman complete his hat-trick early on, earning him the Canucks' coveted Cowboy Hat award in the process. New signing Carter Lloyd then marked his debut in style, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal to give Cardiff some breathing room at 5-3.

The Canucks had dominated proceedings for large stretches and created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the evening, though they were unable to convert on many of their chances. That profligacy nearly proved costly as Lee Valley refused to go quietly, scoring twice in the final ten minutes to set up a tense finish. Cardiff will perhaps rue conceding two goals they'd want back, but held firm to secure the two points.

The victory keeps Cardiff in 5th place in the standings, hot on the heels of the top four as the season approaches the Christmas break. Lee Valley remain bottom of the table.

Next weekend brings the highly anticipated local Severn Side derby as Cardiff host the Bristol Pitbulls 2 on December 21st. It will be the first meeting between the two sides this season and promises to be an end-to-end affair. Get your tickets now to be part of what's sure to be an electric atmosphere for this local rivalry.