Dragons Deliver Record Offensive Night in 26-3 Win Over Southampton

The London Dragons produced one of the most emphatic performances of the season on 21 February, defeating the Southampton Spitfires 26-3 at Lee Valley Ice Centre in Checking 1 South.

From the opening shift, this was one-way traffic. We outshot Southampton 112-25, scored 12 times in the first period, added seven more in the second, and closed with another seven in the third. Maxwell Tong scored the game-winning goal, Michael D’Aprix was named MVP for the Dragons, and Margot Sire took MVP honours for Southampton.

The first period set the tone immediately. Patrick Chapman opened the scoring at 2:58 from Preston Hwang and Rohan Kingwell, and less than 90 seconds later Samuel Rudenko made it 2-0 from Maxwell Tong and Seamus Nangle. Rudenko added his second at 9:26, again with Tong involved, before Tong got on the scoresheet himself at 10:12 from Nangle. By 11:48, Aleksandr Zaborskikh had made it 5-0 from Bradley Tuomi and Nangle.

Southampton’s Michael Chiaravalle then took a boarding penalty at 11:55, and we converted six seconds later through Tuomi on the power play, assisted by Tristan Monden and D’Aprix. Southampton briefly got one back through Alice Jones at 12:20, but there was no shift in momentum. Nikita Piazenko restored the six-goal cushion at 14:39 from D’Aprix and Kingwell, Aarav Lohia made it 8-1 at 15:26 from Zaborskikh and Piazenko, and D’Aprix scored at 17:19 from Tong and Edward Xing. Tong struck again at 18:07 from Rudenko and Alex Jolley, Hwang added the 11th at 19:15 from Tuomi and Monden, and Nangle closed the period at 19:35 to send us into the break 12-1 ahead.

The second period brought more of the same. Kingwell scored at 23:04 and again at 27:13, both times from Zaborskikh and Piazenko, as that line continued to control play. Tong then completed his hat trick at 29:07 from Rudenko and Xing, before Kingwell finished his own hat trick at 29:59 from Zaborskikh and Chapman. Lohia added his second at 32:45 from Nangle and Tuomi, and Tong scored twice more late in the period at 36:57 and 37:38, both times from Rudenko and D’Aprix. By the end of the second, the score had reached 19-1.

Southampton opened the third-period scoring through Margot Sire at 43:29, assisted by Chiaravalle and David Strautnieks, but again we answered quickly. Edward Xing took our only penalty of the game for interference at 44:20, and despite that brief interruption, we resumed control. Nangle scored at 46:37 from Zaborskikh and Matthew Azevedo, Zaborskikh followed with goals at 48:59 and 52:15, and Tristan Monden added the 23rd at 55:24 from Tuomi and Joshua Hudak. Southampton’s Charlie Cameron-Reid got one back at 55:03, but we closed strongly with late goals from Rudenko at 57:03, Kingwell at 58:40, and Piazenko at 59:26 to finish at 26-3.

This was an attacking performance built on depth and constant pressure. Tong finished with five goals and two assists, including the game winner. Kingwell had four goals and two assists. Rudenko scored three and added four assists. Zaborskikh scored four and added five assists. Piazenko had a goal and five assists. Nangle scored twice and contributed four assists. D’Aprix, our MVP, scored once and added five assists. Tuomi also had a major hand in the result with a goal and four assists, while Monden recorded a goal and two assists.

The volume behind the performance was just as striking as the scoreline. We put 112 shots on goal, maintained pressure in all three periods, and limited Southampton to 25 shots across the night. Discipline was also sharp. We took just one minor penalty, while Southampton took one of their own, and the game never drifted out of control despite the score.

There is not much to overcomplicate in a game like this. We were faster, more clinical, and more consistent from start to finish. Every period brought the same level of pressure, and contributions came right across the lineup. It was a complete offensive performance, and one of our strongest results of the season.

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