CHELMSFORD Chieftains reached the final of the NIHL Division 1 South Cup after a real nail-biting semi-final encounter against Streatham Redskins which ended in a penalty shootout at the Riverside on Sunday.

Chieftains took a slender one-goal advantage into the game after a 4-3 win in Streatham the previous evening.

Chieftains started well and were 4-2 up after half-an-hour with goals from Matt Turner, Ross Brears and a brace from Danny Hammond.

They were looking like they had their place in the final secured, but the Redskins hit back with two quick goals and took the lead on the night and made it 8-8 on aggregate with ten minutes of the game remaining.

Both teams had chances, but as the buzzer went to end the game the fans were on the edge of their seats as a five-minute period of sudden death overtime began.

The deadlock was not broken and the tie moved into a penalty shoot out. Matt Turner made it 1-0 to Chelmsford and Chieftains netminder Euan King saved from Sean Scarborough to give Chieftains advantage.

Both sides missed their second penalty, meaning Callum Best needed to score to keep the his team alive.

King closed him down quickly as he approached the net narrowing his target, his shot went high over the bar and the Chieftains celebrations began.

Invicta Dynamo are their opponents in a final which is scheduled for the end of the month.