ICE HOCKEY: Chelmsford Chieftains didn't disgrace themselves against Premier League MK Lightning who, until the third period, looked like a team on a par with the Essex side.

The Lightning struck four times in the final session to take the pre-season friendly 6-2 after coming from 2-0 down against the double-winners.

Darren Brown struck early on and was the only scorer in the first period as the Chieftains looked controlled and well-drilled for the most part against a Lightning side that seemed to be unsettled at times and struggling for momentum.

A Tibor Schneider marker in the second period on a powerplay saw the home side double their lead in the second session which saw the Lightning begin to come back into the game and really began to test Ben Clements in the Chieftains net, but he stood strong for the most part.

But Lightning player-coach Nick Poole finally broke Clements’s resolve and then Tom Carlon tied the game up.

Chieftains player-coach and former Lightning fan-favourite Gary Clarke opted to put Ryan Bainborough in goal for the final 20 minutes and replace eventual man of the match Clements.

A brace from Michael Farn and single goals from Jordan Cownie and another from Carlon made it 6-2, but there was no disgrace from Clarke’s men who didn’t give up until the final buzzer sounded.

Saturday night saw the league season get under way for the second string Warriors with a fresh look among their players as they beat one of the strongest sides in the league from last season, the Bristol Warriors.

Goals from Tom Wilson, Courtney Grant, Olegs Lascenko and Connor Swainsbury helped the home side to a 4-3 win in what was a bad-tempered affair on occasions, but nothing too serious occurred and Dean Birrell’s side will be happy to take the win to start the season.

A double-header of away games next weekend sees the Chieftains head south to the Isle of Wight on Saturday for the first of two cup games over the weekend against the Wightlink Raiders, while on Sunday they take the short hop into Kent to face a strong looking Invicta Dynamos.

There will no doubt be some well-wishing from the Chieftains faithful before the game as they come up against Danny Hammond in a Dynamos shirt for the first time since he left the Chieftains earlier in the summer.

However, once the game is under way, the fans will no doubt be giving the current Chieftains side their full support.

Away travel is being arranged via the club website, so fans are encouraged to visit it to find out about the coach arrangements to Wightlink and Invicta.