OXFORD City Stars were beaten 6-0 at Oxpens in their final game before the Christmas break.
Solent Devils’ Liam Coleman scored a hat-trick and grabbed an assist as he put in a man of the match display during the NIHL Division One South fixture.
Adrian Dusznik made his Stars debut, having been a long-term target for head coach Simon Anderson.
The 21-year-old forward left Basingstoke Bison in the National League, and had been on the radar for the Stars in the summer.
Last season, Dusznik was part of the treble-winning Guildford Phoenix side, which included former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Not a story I was expecting to write on my first day back... Former Chelsea goalkeeper @PetrCech made his @chiefsicehockey debut and put in a man of the match performance at @OxfordCityStars over the weekendhttps://t.co/LuhdYzqbAT
— Liam Rice (@OxMailLiamRice) November 8, 2022
Dusznik put up 24 points in 14 games, including nine goals, for Phoenix last season.
However, his Stars debut was one to forget as Coleman stole the show.
The 23-year-old hit a brace as Oxford found themselves 2-0 down at the end of the first period.
Coleman opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock, and added a second after nine minutes, assisted by Mark Pitts.
Connor Hutchinson made it 3-0 with 36 minutes played.
Matt Lawday skated in and passed to Jake Williams, but his shot was saved in the chest by Solent’s Christian Cole.
Coleman completed his hat-trick on 40 minutes, before Oxford’s Ross Miller kept out a mid-range effort from Mason Wild.
Steve Osman then scored twice in the final minutes to wrap up the win for Solent.
With 58 minutes played, he netted a power play goal before doubling his tally in the final minute, after an assist by Ryan Sutton.
The third defeat of the season for Stars leaves them fifth in Division One South, with the Devils one place above.
Slough Jets lead the table with eight points from six games.
Stars are next in action when they make the trip to third-placed Invicta Dynamos on January 8.
“We’re aiming for the play-offs, that’s our main aim and personally I think we’ll do it.”
— Oxford Mail OUFC (@OxfordMailOUFC) December 20, 2022
Lewis Bate is confident #oufc can finish in the top six this season, as the midfielder talks about life in League Onehttps://t.co/lsW8QRRP1I pic.twitter.com/73h401XWhh
After the signing of Dusznik, Anderson told the Stars website: “Adrian brings a great skill set and has tremendous playmaking ability.
“I have no doubt he will help us elevate our offence which has been lacking in recent weeks.”
Dusznik added: “The team have really made me feel welcome and it feels really natural to be playing with a lot of the guys who I’ve played with previously.
“I really feel this team should be higher up the table right now and I’m excited to be a part of the push as we look to climb the table and cause some upset.
“It’s an exciting time for hockey in Oxford and I feel we can be a dangerous team for the later part of the season.”
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