RAF Aces thrash British Army Blades to set up Royal Navy grand final

The RAF Aces ice hockey team demolished the British Army Blades in a 9-3 thrashing in the second of this season's Inter Services matches at Ice Sheffield in front of more than 600 spectators .

The Blades found themselves three goals down thanks to goals from Alex Sampford, Gregor Mills and Ethan Jones, before a late rally at the end of the first period saw them score twice through Rory Hannon and Sam Robinson.

After that, it was a blue wave in the second period. Two goals in a minute from Sampford and Adam Rosbottom were followed by another burst of two from Jacob Race and Phil Woolf to make it 7-2 at the end of period two.

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Within 20 seconds of the start of period three in, Race added his second goal. Timo Linden did get one back in power play for the Blades, when the RAF had two players in the sin bin at the same time, but the Aces were not finished and Sampford completed a great night for them and him with a hat-trick goal for 9-3.

RAF captain Barry Fee was delighted with his team's performance saying: "We're now looking for the treble treble."

It completes a bad couple of days for the Blades who lost 4-1 to the Royal Navy Destroyers on night one. The Navy will now try to stop the RAF from claiming that third Inter Services title.