LEE VALLEY LIONS’ woeful form continued with a fifth straight defeat last weekend which cuts them further adrift at the foot of the table.

The pang of the loss to Invicta Mustangs by five goals to 10 will be sharper because the Lions squandered a two goal lead at home.

The result means the Lions have won just one game all year and seem to have lost their roar.

The match against mid-table Mustangs began so promisingly. In the first minute Michael Ranby slotted a pass through to Gennadi Yufit, who was clear of the Mustangs’ defence. He flew at their goalie and neatly deked him to open the scoring.

The second goal, five minutes later, started with sturdy defensive work.

The Lions cleared into the Invicta zone, forcing Mustangs’ netminder Steve Grout to cover the puck. Lee Valley won the ensuing face-off. The puck came back to Sam Partington whose wrist shot on goal rebounded to Ashley Curtin, on-hand to tap home.

The Lions were unable to build on their position of strength, and the Mustangs hauled themselves level by the end of the first period with a brace from Shaun Meaney. The clash ignited in the second half with a spell of tit-for-tat scoring. Invicta stretched the lead with two more after the break, but Lions levelled proceedings with strikes by Yufit and Curtin, only for Invicta to strike again.

But Joe Berry cancelled that out with a goal for the Lions, as the tie heated up with Michael Ranby and Invicta’s Loyde Fuller coming to blows.

Unfortunately this was to be the Lions’ final blazon, as the last period belonged to the Mustangs. The visitors fired 19 shots at Andrew Boot’s goal, compared to a mere six by the Lions.

The visitors fired in four unanswered goals, leaving the Lions sitting eighth from nine in the South Two division of the English National Ice Hockey League.

Their last home game of the season is a bottom of the table clash with Slough Harrier Hawks on Saturday.