CHELMSFORD Chieftains could be crowned league champions this weekend – but player-coach Gary Clarke is still taking it one game at a time.
After a defeat to nearest rivals Wightlink Raiders on Saturday, the Chieftains bounced back in style to trounce Bracknell Hornets 8-1 at Riverside on Saturday.
Results elsewhere mean the Chieftains are top of the National Ice Hockey League Division One South with a game in hand over Wightlink and Romford Raiders, and a pair of wins this weekend could secure top spot for the Chieftains.
They first entertain Cardiff Devils on Saturday, and then travel to Romford for a vital clash the following day.
If they win both and Romford also slip up at Milton Keynes on Saturday, and Wightlink lose at Invicta Dynamos on Sunday, Clarke's men will be crowned champions.
"We can't afford to think too far ahead," he said. "The fact of the matter is that we've got a job to do on Saturday first.
"If we don't do the job on Saturday then Sunday is irrelevant really.
"The game against Cardiff at home on Saturday is huge – we've got to make sure we come away with two points and then, from a fans' point of view I guess the exciting game will be the one at Romford.
"If we get four points this weekend we're pretty much there. It would certainly be nice to go into the final weekend as champions but we're just going to take it one win at a time.
"We've got four league games left, and at this moment in time they are all massive games."
After this weekend's double-header, the Chieftains round off their league programme next weekend when they travel to face bottom-of-the-table Solent & Gosport Devils before ending their campaign with a game Clarke hopes will be irrelevant – at home to Wightlink.
Clarke added: "It [the season] has gone very well. Most teams, if not all, have strengthened incredibly this year.
"It was always going to be a tougher campaign, which is all good for the game.
"We've been very consistent. We lost one cup final but we're in second, which is fantastic, and we didn't feature in any of the finals last year so that's an improvement, and obviously being in the top three all year has been brilliant as well."
