Chelmsford Chieftains were unable to repeat their fine home victory over Solihull Blaze earlier this month as they went down 11-5 in the midlands on Sunday.

Still without captain Jake French and with Karl Rogers out through injury, Jon Cotton captained a weakened Chieftains' side and the game was less than a minute old when a poor defensive clearance let in Kurt Irvine for Blaze's first goal.

With Gareth Owen picking up the first penalty of the night, Chieftains punished them on the power-play.

A good break by Tero Sarkiniemi left Andy Hannah to hit a good slap-shot home.

At 5.09 Hannah and Richard Whiting set up Karl Goebel who tucked the puck away to make it 2-1 to Chieftains.

Blaze pressed forward and with Chieftains unable to clear their zone, Anthony Kelham tied the scores.

On 15.08, Blaze went in front again when Chad Macleod failed to hold a Steve Chartrand shot and he pounced on the rebound to make it 3-2.

Chieftains then suffered a major blow as Dave Heavey was hit in the face with the puck and was taken to hospital for stitches to the cut.

A reshuffled Chieftains' side were constantly on the back foot and with Whiting serving an interference penalty, Nukka Vaisanen hammered the puck home.

Then at 25.07, Chartrand skated through Chieftains' defence for Solihull's fifth goal.

Chieftains capitalised on a power-play situation after Blaze's goalkeeper Doyle had slashed Whiting, and immediately after scored themselves through Irvine.

Solihull's seventh goal came at 35.12 when Kelham converted a fine one-on-one. Although Chieftains came back into the game in the final period they could not stop Blaze converting another power-play situation on 47.03 with Kelham's hat-trick goal.

Chieftains then stung Blaze with two quick goals. At 52.25 a good break by Cotton and Hannah left Goebel to smash the puck home and 22 seconds later Hannah scored with a good shot.

Vaisanen then scored his second goal at 54.41 to make the score 9-4 to Blaze, only for Craig Metcalf to net Chieftains' fifth goal at 56.56.

Chieftains' tired ranks fell to two more Blaze goals, both scored by Chartrand giving him a four-goal haul.

A beleaguered Chieftains side had worked hard under difficult circumstances and the game ended with the bizarre sight of Blaze goalie Doyle being escorted from the ice by his own players after a bust-up with one of his own defencemen.

Karl Goebel, who was among the Chelmsford Chieftains scorers at Solihull Blaze on Saturday.

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