Lee Valley Lions

The Lee Valley Lions are an ice hockey team based in Leyton's Lee Valley Ice Centre, in East London

Lee Valley Lions
City	Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, United Kingdom
League	NIHL 2 South East Division
Founded	1984
Operated	1984-1995, 2005-present
Home arena	Lee Valley Ice Centre
Colours	White, Green and Blue
General manager	Eddie Joseph
Head coach	James Joseph
Captain	Simon Jones
Website	www.leevalleylions.co.uk

History

The Lee Valley Lions were formed in early 1984. In their first competitive season, they finished in sixth place in the British Heineken League Division One (BD1), the second tier of British Ice Hockey. In 1985/86, the team finished in second place. In the following season, the Lions won their league, the only time they have done this. From 1986/87 through to 1989/90, the Lions languished near the bottom of the league, never finishing higher than seventh place. In 1988/89, the Lions would have been relegated if not for the expulsion of the Deeside Dragons from the league.

In 1990 British Engine became the team's main sponsor, prompting a change in the team's colours from the original white/green/blue, to red/black/white. The 1990/91 through 1994/1995 seasons were no better than what had preceded them, with the Lions remaining near the bottom of the league table, and in danger of relegation at the end of the 1994/95 season. Financial difficulties meant that the Lee Valley Lions stopped playing at the season's end.

In 2005, at the request of the Rink Operators, the Lee Valley Lions were reformed under former player and then Junior Head Coach Eddie Joseph. It was to compete in the English National Ice Hockey League with the team mainly comprising players from the junior system and some former players from the first incarnation. The team also returned to its traditional white, green, and blue colours. In their return season, the Lions struggled, suffered several heavy defeats, and failed to register any points. The team finished bottom of the league, losing all of their matches. The following season (2006/07) saw wholesale changes made to the team, with new coach Sergei Smolenko being brought in alongside former Chelmsford Chieftains Captain James Hatfull to bolster the team's experience. Whilst there were significant improvements, the league positions during this period were unchanged with the Lions never finishing higher than seventh (2007/08) under the new coach. With the reorganisation of the league structure for the beginning of the 2008/09 season, the Lee Valley Lions competed in the English National Ice Hockey League South Two (which itself was renamed the National Ice Hockey League South Two in time for the 2012/13 season).

There was some small non-league-related success achieved at the end of the 2007/08 season when the Lions travelled to the Isle of Wight for the first Vectis Tigers "Ice Cube Tournament" which involved several English National Ice Hockey League and senior recreational teams. After remaining unbeaten and winning their group on goal difference ahead of the hosts, the Lions beat the former English Premier Ice Hockey League side the Solihull Barons in the semi-final 4–1, followed by a 7–0 win in the final over the London University Dragons.

The 2009/10 season brought a period of stagnation and under performance for the Lee Valley Lions, unaltered by two changes in Head Coach (Ian Prince and then David Richards). Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 the best final league position achieved was seventh in the 2011/12 season.

Under the coaching of Garry Dodds and former Netminder George Alley, there appeared to be an upturn in the fortunes of the Lions. The 2014/15 season saw them finish in fifth place, the best league position since the 1985/86 season when they had been runners-up in the old British league Division One. The following year the team improved again to finish fourth, and the 2016/17 season brought another creditable fifth in the league.

The last season of George Alley's tenure as Head Coach (2017/18) coincided with a league restructure which pitted powerful former National Ice Hockey League South 1 teams such as Bracknell Hornets, Chelmsford Chieftains, Oxford City Stars and Solent Devils against the traditionally weaker South 2 sides. This saw the return of the Lions struggling at the lower end of the league. Only one league win was registered via the forfeiture of a game by the Swindon Wildcats NIHL2 team. The season's end saw the coach and most of the team leave. The 2018/19 season started with James Joseph leading the team in his first coaching position whilst retaining his role as the club's longest-serving Defenceman. With a short-benched team, mainly consisting of veteran, former recreational and junior players experiencing their first taste of senior league hockey, the Lions struggled for any consistency. The team managed a single win during the season, 5–0 away to Swindon Wildcats NIHL2. The 2019/20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lions did not play during the 2020/21 season due to the league cancelling all games due to the pandemic. In June 2021 it was announced that the team's home, the Lee Valley Ice Centre would be closing for 16 months for major renovation work, with the team playing out of the Cambridge Ice Arena.

Honours

Heineken League British Division One League Runners Up: 1985/86

Heineken League British Division One Trophy Winners: 1985/86

Club roster 2022-2023

Netminders
No.	Nat.	Player	Catches	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
1		James Andrew	R	(1991-06-25) 25 June 1991	Peterborough	2022 from Free Agent
93		Naomi Healey	R	(1993-07-23) 23 July 1993	Tokyo, Japan	2019 from Guildford Lightning

Defencemen
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
7		Ivo Buchlovsky	R	(1986-01-01) 1 January 1986	Czech Republic	2021 Free Agent
11		Samuel Brazier	R	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999	England	2021 from Nottingham Mavericks University Ice Hockey Club
16		Simon Jones	R	(1987-01-09) 9 January 1987	England	2015 from Free Agent
17		Brian Winstanley	R	(1986-10-18) 18 October 1986	England	2022 from Free Agent
22		Nicky Lovejoy	R	(1983-01-21) 21 January 1983	England	2022 from Free Agent
27		Alex Weems	R	(1997-08-09) 9 August 1997	England	2022 from Free Agent
32		James Joseph	R	(1986-10-19) 19 October 1986	England	2004 from Lee Valley Lions Junior Ice Hockey Club
34		Matthew Hamilton	R	(1996-01-03) 3 January 1996	England	2021 Romford Raiders
36		Mitchell Leer	R	(1990-12-01) 1 December 1990	Torbay	2022 from Free Agent

Forwards
No.	Nat.	Player	Shoots	Date of birth	Place of birth	Acquired
3		Tajah Allen	R	(2003-06-12) 12 June 2003	England	2022 from Free Agent
8		Tyrone Wells	R	(1998-09-22) 22 September 1998	England	2019 from Free Agent
10		Charlotte Davenport-Jeffery	R	(2004-01-22) 22 January 2004	England	2022 from Streatham Storm
12		Joshua Hudak	R	(2002-03-09) 9 March 2002	Portugal	2021 from Free Agent
17		Shane Bojenko	R	(1990-06-12) 12 June 1990	England	2021 from Free Agent
18		Eric Perry	R	(2003-06-28) 28 June 2003	England	2022 from Free Agent
19		Raphael Girard	L		Montreal, Canada	2021 from London Dragons University Ice Hockey Club
20		Sebastian Echeverri	R	(2004-01-01) 1 January 2004	England	2021 from Romford Raiders Junior Ice Hockey Club
23		Joe Miller	R	(1999-01-01) 1 January 1999	England	2017 from Lee Valley Junior Ice Hockey Club
24		Terry Lucas	R	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995	England	2022 from Free Agent
31		Ross Sin-Hidge	R	(1990-08-24) 24 August 1990	England	2022 from Free Agent
58		Kody Edwards	R	(1989-08-22) 22 August 1989	Chelmsford	2021 from Chelmsford Mischief
TBA		Harry Trebilcook	R		England	2022 from Free Agent
TBA		Leonie Charles	R	(2001-07-29) 29 July 2001	Sidcup, England	2019 from Guildford Lightning

Statistical records

Top ten appearances

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	App
1		James Joseph	2005–2022 inclusive	319
2		Eddie Joseph	1984-1993 & 2005-2006	249
3		Steve James	1989–1995 inclusive	244
4		Glen Moorhouse	1988-1995 inclusive	221
5		Jon Beckett	1987-1989 & 1991-1995	209
6		Richard Hodge	2005-2007, 2009-2014 & 2018-2019	170
7		Neil Stower	1989-1995 inclusive	166
8		Joseph Berry	2005-2009, 2010-2016 & 2018-2020	164
9		James Hatfull	2006-2015 inclusive	159
10		Jack Ball	2011–2015 & 2018-2019	148

Top ten Points Scorers

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Pts
1		Jan Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	386
2		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	317
3		Doug McEwen	1987–1989 inclusive	295
4		Darcy Cahill	1993-1994 inclusive	236
5		Chris Leggatt	1985-1990 inclusive	208
6		Ari Arvila	1985-1986	175
7		Nick Alley	2007-2009 & 2013-2018	168
8		Mike Farard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	163
9		Jaroslav Lycka	1987-1989 inclusive	155
10		Derek Higdon	1991-1992	152

Top ten goal scorers

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Gls
1		Jari Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	225
2		Doug McEwan	1987-1989 inclusive	170
3		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	161
4		Ari Arvila	1985-1986	108
5		Mike Fafard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	85
5		Scott Beeson	2005-2009 & 2011-2013	85
7		Derek Higson	1991-1992	84
8		Nick Alley	2007-2009 & 2013-2018	81
9		Danny Cahill	1993-1994	79
9		Chris Leggatt	1985-1990 inclusive	79

Top ten goal assists

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Ast
1		Jan Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	161
2		Darcy Cahill	1993-1994	157
3		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	156
4		Chris Leggatt	1985-1990 inclusive	129
5		Doug McEwan	1987-1989 inclusive	125
6		Geoff Williams	1984-1987 inclusive	100
7		Steve James	1989-1995 inclusive	97
8		Mark Salisbury	1989-1991 & 1992-1993	88
9		Nick Alley	2007-2009 & 2013-2018	87
10		Lee Whale	1986-1991 inclusive	86

Top ten penalty minutes

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	PIM
1		Romanas Fedotovas	2005-2009 & 2011-2014	532
2		James Hatfull	2006–2015 inclusive	521
3		Jon Beckett	1987-1989 & 1991-1995	396
4		James Joseph	2005–2022 inclusive	369
5		Joseph Berry	2005-2009, 2010-2016 & 2018-2020	359
6		Mark Salisbury	1989-1991 & 1992-1993	341
7		Eddie Joseph	1984-1993 & 2005-2006	316
8		Nick Alley	2007–2009 & 2013-2018	302
9		Chris Leggatt	1985-1990 inclusive	277
10		Brian Biddulph	1992-1993 & 1994-1995	269

Top ten points to game ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Pts
1		Mike Fafard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	7.09
2		Fred Perlini	1993-1994	5.90
3		Ari Arvila	1985-1986	5.83
4		Jan Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	5.68
5		Darcy Cahill	1993-1994	5.36
6		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	5.11
7		Doug McEwan	1987-1989 inclusive	4.61
8		Jeff Job	1991-1992	4.30
9		Rod Schulter	1990-1991	3.96
10		Derek Higdon	1991-1992	3.71

Top ten goals to game ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Gls
1		Mike Fafard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	3.70
2		Ari Arvila	1985-1986	3.60
3		Fred Perlini	1993-1994	3.55
4		Jan Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	3.31
5		Jeff Job	1991-1992	2.96
6		Doug McEwan	1987-1989 inclusive	2.66
7		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	2.60
8		Rod Schulter	1990-1991	2.27
9		Derek Higdon	1991-1992	2.05
10		Darcy Cahill	1993-1994	1.80

Top ten assists to game ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Ast
1		Darcy Cahill	1993-1994	3.57
2		Mike Fafard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	3.39
3		David Ducharme	1987-1989 inclusive	2.52
4		Jan Lehti	1985-1987 inclusive	2.37
5		Fred Perlini	1993-1994	2.35
6		Ari Arvila	1985-1986	2.33
7		Greg Cyr	1990-1991	2.05
8		Doug McEwan	1987-1989 inclusive	1.95
9		Campbell Blair	1992-1993	1.79
10		Rod Schulter	1990-1991	1.69

Top ten penalty minutes to games ratio

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	PIM
1		Rob McCaig	1993-1995 inclusive	7.43
2		Mike Fafard	1986-1987 & 1989-1990	7.09
3		Brian Biddulph	1992-1993 & 1994-1995	6.90
4		Kwabina Oppong-Addai	2005–2007 & 2010-2011	6.50
5		Romanas Fedotovas	2005-2009 & 2011-2014	5.60
6		Paul O'Neill	2005–2008 inclusive	4.78
7		Barry Smith	1987-1988, 1990-1991 & 1992-1993	4.08
8		Mark Salisbury	1989-1991 & 1992-1993	3.79
9		Paul Grech	1993-1995 inclusive	3.78
10		Kimmo Lahtinen	1994-1995	3.56

Top ten save percentages

League, Cup & Play Offs; as at end of 2021/22 Season (Players with under 20 appearances not included)

Player
No.	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Sav
1		James Tipple	2010-2011 & 2014-2016	88.48
2		Vesa Pennanen	1985-1987 inclusive	87.18
3		Aaron Mallet	2012–2015 inclusive	86.66
4		Steven Grout	2011-2013, 2014-2016 & 2018-2019	85.77
5		James Andrew	2016–2020 inclusive	85.12
6		George Alley	2005-2009, 2010–2012, 2013–2014 & 2016-2017	84.32
7		Stefan Nubert	2005–2007 inclusive	84.05
8		Jim Graves	1990-1992 inclusive	83.31
9		Naomi Healey	2019-2022 inclusive	83.15
10		Andrew Boot	2006–2009 inclusive	82.09

Retired numbers

Player
Number	Nat.	Player	Active Seasons	Acquired
2		Eddie Joseph	1984-1993 & 2005-2006	1984 from London Allstars

Head coaches

Coach
Nat.	Coach	Active Seasons	Acquired
	Dave Wurthman	1984-1985	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Will Fish	1985-1988	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Lloyd Clifford	1988-1990	1988 from Richmond Flyers
	Alec Goldstone	1990-1991	1990 from Richmond Flyers
	Glen Goldstein	1991-1992	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Lindsey Miles	1992-1994	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Steve James	1994-1995 (Player-Coach)	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Eddie Joseph	2005-2006 (Player-Coach)	n/a First Head Coach Position
	Sergi Smolenko	2006-2009	2006 from London Dragons University Ice Hockey Club
	Ian Prince	2009-2010	n/a First Head Coach Position
	David Richards	2010-2012	2010 from London Racers
	Gary Dodds	2012-2016	n/a First Head Coach Position
	George Alley	2016-2018	2016 from Chelmsford Cobras
	James Joseph	2018-	n/a First Head Coach Position

General Managers

Coach
Nat.	General Manager	Active Seasons	Acquired
	Mike Smith	1984-1988	n/a First General Manager Position
	Terry Locks	1988-1990	1988 from Lee Valley Lions (Assistant General Manager)
	Steve James	1990-1995	n/a First General Manager Position
	Eddie Joseph	2005-2022	n/a First General Manager Position

Club captains

Captain
Nat.	Captain	Active Seasons as Captain	Acquired
	Andy Leggatt	1985-1987 (Career with club 1985-1987 inclusive)	1985 from Streatham Redskins
	Lee Whale	1987-1989 (Career with club 1986–1991)	1986 from Solihull Barons
	Kurt Wickenheiser	1989-1990 (Career with club 1989-1990 inclusive)	1989 from Richmond Flyers
	Steve James	1990-1991 (Career with club 1989-1995 inclusive)	1989 from Streatham Redskins
	Tony Goldstone	1991-1992 (Career with club 1990–1992)	1990 from Medway Bears
	Darcy Cahill	1993-1994 (Career with club 1993–1994)	1993 from St Thomas Wildcats (Canada)
	Kimmo Lahtinen	1994-1995 (Career with club 1994–1995)	1994 from HPK (Finland)
	James Hatfull	2006-2007 (Career with club 2006–2015)	2006 from Chelmsford Chieftains
	Scott Pollak	2007-2008 (Career with club 2007–2008)	2007 from Quinnipiac University Bobcats (USA)
	Michael Ranby	2008-2009 (Career with club 2005–2009)	2005 from Lee Valley Lion Junior Ice Hockey Club
	James Hatfull	2009-2014 (Career with club 2006–2015)	2006 from Medway Bears
	James Hepburn	2014-2015 (Career with club 2013-2015 & 2016–2017)	2013 from Free Agent
	Nick Alley	2015-2018 (Career with club 2007-2009 & 2013–2018)	2007 from Haringey Greyhounds
	Simon Jones	2018-2022 (Career with club 2015–2022)	2015 from Free Agent

Season-by-season record

Lee Valley Lions season-by-season record

Season League GP W T L OTL PTS GF GA League Position 1984-85 BD1 20 11 0 9 – 22 133 130 6th 1985-86 BD1 22 17 2 3 – 36 236 112 2nd 1986-87 BD1 30 14 1 15 – 29 337 307 9th 1987-88 BD1 27 7 1 19 – 15 206 294 7th 1988-89 BD1 24 8 3 13 – 19 193 213 10th 1989-90 BD1 32 6 1 25 – 13 205 315 9th 1990-91 BD1 40 8 1 31 – 17 228 389 11th 1991-92 BD1 36 10 2 24 – 22 227 297 8th 1992-93 BD1 32 3 2 27 – 8 195 483 9th 1993-94 BD1 44 14 1 29 – 29 330 451 6th 1994-95 BD1 44 5 1 38 – 11 191 498 12th 2005–06 ENL 20 0 0 20 – 0 46 162 11th 2006–07 ENL 22 5 2 15 – 12 83 166 10th 2007–08 ENL 18 7 0 11 - 14 85 109 7th 2008–09 ENL2 32 8 3 21 - 19 121 191 8th 2009–10 ENL2 20 2 0 18 - 4 45 222 10th 2010–11 ENL2 24 8 3 13 - 19 105 147 11th 2011–12 ENL2 24 9 3 12 - 19 108 127 7th 2012–13 NIHL2 22 0 0 22 - 0 61 193 12th 2013–14 NIHL2 22 6 3 13 - 15 73 110 9th 2014–15 NIHL2 20 5 1 14 - 11 67 110 5th 2015–16 NIHL2 18 5 1 12 - 11 53 102 4th 2016–17 NIHL2 20 6 2 12 - 14 63 85 5th 2017–18 NIHL2 26 1 – 22 2 5 70 207 14th 2018–19 NIHL2 28 1 – 27 0 2 65 306 15th 2019–20 NIHL2 20 0 - 20 1 1 43 163 6th 2021–22 NIHL2 22 2 - 20 0 4 28 208 12th Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Losses; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against

External links

• Lee Valley Lions official website