Chelmsford Chieftains' players were completing their last practice sessions this week before the league season gets underway in earnest on Sunday.

Coach Erskine Doulas and assistant coach Andy Hannah will be finalising their lines and playing strategy in two vitally important practice sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.

Chieftains' fans will be delighted that the popular Tari Suwari will be returning for his fourth consecutive season with the club.

Suwari has worked hard in the summer period and is in fine shape, having lost two stones in weight.

The giant forward enjoys huge popularity with the Riverside fans and was targeted by several clubs this summer before returning to Chieftains line up.

Meanwhile Chieftains are expected to ice another Invicta player, Rickey Lamey.

Defenceman Lamey, 19, left Invicta at the end of last season and announced a rather premature retirement.

However, with Jamie Randall and Darren Cotton making the move north of the Thames, Lamey has decided to join them and renew links with coach Douglas.

The final players to join the Chieftains' squad flew in on Monday.

First to arrive was Carl Greenhous, 6'2" Canadian defenceman, making his return to Chelms-ford after a four year absence.

Also arriving were two young Swedish forwards, Johan Vikstrom and Jonas Stenmarik, both of whom are keen to do well in England and are both fast across the ice.

Chieftains will have no less than 10 players new to the squad this year of which eight have never been with the club before.

The Chieftains' management face one final race against time to get four players released from their old clubs before Sunday.

Blackburn are still holding Billy Price's resignation and Invicta have yet to release Jamie Randall, Ricky Lamey and Darren Cotton.

A Chieftains' official said, "Once again we find ourselves in a situation when clubs will not release players due to apparent outstanding kit loans.

''We have been trying to resolve the issues for three weeks and hope that we can get it sorted before the weekend.

''We find it amazing that such kit issues are not sorted before the end of the season as it is at Chelmsford."

Erskine Douglas said; "We have done well with our signings and have a strong and youthful squad''.

It is important that Chieftains get a good start to the season on Sunday, and sponsors 7UP's franchise director Kyle Whitehall will be on hand to 'unveil' the new playing strip for Chief-tains and all of the junior teams.

Sunday's first league match is at Riverside Ice & Leisure against Invicta Dynamos. Face off is at 6.30pm and the gates open at 5.40pm.

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