Tigers in Action

“PLAYERS reached the top of the Junior Ice Hockey leagues and there
was nowhere for them to go,” says Roy Meadows, Head Coach for
the Tigers. “While they weren’t good enough for the Raiders, who are
between semi-pro and professional in standard, recreational hockey
has nothing like the level of intensity or satisfaction. So, with Gary
Osborne, I started the Tigers.”
The Tigers have climbed that fabled learning curve with remarkable
success. They sit respectably around mid-table in the league but
it hasn’t been easy. It’s not a cheap sport and, before it gained
sponsorship, the team had to pay £125 to bring each visiting team
across the Solent. When it came to playing, the first season pointed up
the huge gaps between training levels and match fitness. “We played
16 games and lost 15,” recalls Roy. “When we won the last one of the
season it was like getting the Stanley Cup!”
The fact he managed to recruit some very experienced players, such
as Canadian Jason Coles, to this ‘pay to play’ team shows something
of Roy’s determination and commitment – which matches that of his
players. “One guy works for Rew Valley Dairies and has to get up at
6.30 every morning. Another works nights at Tesco. So when we train
on Wednesdays and don’t get off the ice till 11.15pm, he goes off to
work at midnight, works a nightshift, often works Friday night and jumps
on a bus to play the game on Saturday.”
It paid off. The second season saw the team winning 22 games
out of 31.
Roy’s tricky job is to balance getting the best results with developing
his young players. “There’s something inside me that wants to win every
game but by giving the young ones match experience they’ll strengthen
the team for the future. That’s what it’s all about.”