Whitley’s
fire too much as Warriors slay Dragons
Whitley Warriors 11
The Dragons 2
Readying themselves to
take on The Dragons for the third time this season, Whitley Warriors found
themselves with a strong line-up, though they were missing forward Ryan Sample,
injured parties Philip Edgar and Josh Maddock, defenceman Dan Pye and youngster
Anthony Wetherell. By comparison, the Dragons found themselves extremely
short-benched as they took to the ice with just twelve skaters which included
latest signing Paul Davies, fan favourite Owen Bennett and captain James
Parsons whilst young netminder Oliver Johnson took his place between the pipes.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Facing off against the
fast-paced Dragons, Whitley Warriors immediately turned their attentions to
opening their account with the knowledge that their opposition have found it
challenging to compete in recent games. Consequently, it was not long before
the home team got off the mark, power forward Jordan Barnes racing in on goal
to fire past Johnson on 2:16, following build up play between fellow alternate
captain Shaun Kippin and player-coach David Longstaff. Though continuing to
place Johnson under pressure, Whitley found it difficult to extend their lead
in spite of their trickery as the Dragons fought back to test shot stopper
Richie Lawson at the other end of the ice but the Warrior remained composed to make
some comfortable saves. A boarding penalty for Whitley’s defenceman Kyle Ross
then provided the visitors with the advantage but the side failed to make their
chances count, allowing Whitley to kill their penalty with ease. With both sides
struggling to add to the scoreboard, the Warriors realised their need to grab
another goal and were finally able to
double their lead with thirty four seconds of the period remaining, this time
blue liner Liam Smedley teaming up with skilled forward Adam Finlinson to see
Ben Richards achieve the fifth goal of his campaign before the first interval.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Assuming their places
on the ice for the second stanza, the Warriors were hopeful that they could add
to their tally whilst the Dragons sought to recover some lost ground but a
clipping penalty for Davies less than three minutes in saw David Longstaff’s
men go on a power play which they were quick to capitalise on, the side scoring
just twelve seconds later when blue liner Harry Harley shot from distance to
make it 3-0 as Ross and Kippin assisted. Increasing their shots on goal in this
period and dominating possession, Whitley continued to apply their skill to
make life difficult for Johnson in net, though the side were only able to add a
fourth to the scoreboard on 27:47, long-serving Warrior DJ Good linking up with
captain Dean Holland on this occasion. Finally making the most of their
possession, the Hillheads outfit were able to increase the Dragons’ deficit to
five just over a minute later when Longstaff received the puck from Kippin to
send Barnes through on goal with success, the forward snatching his second of
the evening. Sensing their dominance, the Warriors persisted in their efforts
whilst the Dragons looked to counter but their
attempts were repeatedly cut short as Whitley’s defence remained strong. With
just two minutes remaining in the period, Barnes claimed his hat trick courtesy
of Richards and Longstaff to make it 6-0 but just nine seconds later, the
Warriors went shorthanded as Kippin was sidelined for
interference, thereby handing the Dragons a power play which ran into the third
period.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Prepared to wrap up
this game, the Warriors opted to switch shot stopper Lawson with netminder Mark
Turnbull to allow their backup some valuable ice time whilst Longstaff also
decided not to dress for this period as he looked to provide ‘D’ men Niall
Simpson and Will Robson, youngsters Jamie Ord and Ross Douglass and versatile
forward Stuart Tomlinson with some additional shifts. Killing
the remainder of Kippin’s penalty with success, the Warriors then backed up
their strong start with a goal just over four minutes in, captain
Holland achieving his second of the evening with Good and Ross on hand to
assist. Far from ready to give up, the Dragons were keen to see out the
battle with spirit and fortitude and it showed as just over a minute later defenceman Ross Kennedy beat Turnbull with help from forward Chris Jones to
make it 7-1. The Warriors were quick to hit back however, as Kippin found
Barnes with some help from Robson to see the alternate captain net his fourth
of the evening just fourteen seconds later. With the Dragons’ hopes dashed,
Whitley then followed up their offensive efforts with another as Ord bagged
himself his first senior goal of the season, capitalising on some excellent
play from Simpson. Moments later, Ord found himself sinbinned as referee
Andrew Miller sidelined the youngster for clipping and, whilst unable to score
on the power play, it was not long after Whitley returned to full strength that
the Dragons notched their second of the game, this time Parsons finding a way
past Turnbull as alternate captain Andrew Chappell mounted an attack alongside
Chris Jones to make it 9-2. Soon after this goal, Whitley looked to test
Johnson further but a struggle along the boards eventually saw forward Richards
shown to the sin bin for embellishment. Feeling the injustice of this punishment,
the Warriors rallied on the penalty kill and just thirteen seconds later, Johnson was again defeated; this time Holland racing through on goal to allow Kippin to slot into the gaping net against his former
club, Harley also collecting an assist in the process. Continuing to challenge
Turnbull in spite of the score line, the Dragons did not give up in their quest
for a third goal but as the game came to a close, it was the Warriors who were
able to creep even further into the lead as Holland teamed up with Good to see
Watson rewarded for his persistence, before the final buzzer called time on Whitley’s 11-2 victory to see
both teams hold onto their league positions prior to Sunday’s
fixtures.
Sharks
dispatch Lions as Nottingham suffer on road
Solway Sharks 15
Nottingham Lions 0
With fifteen skaters at
their disposal besides shot stoppers Calum Hepburn and Chris Rae, Solway Sharks
were pleased to include two-way player Josh Grieveson in their line-up, though they were without
skilled forward Joe Coulter due to illness, left winger Adam
Robinson and youngsters Luke and Lewis Houston, Kieran Hair and Ben Coughtrie.
Nottingham Lions, meanwhile, made the trip to Dumfries with just thirteen
skaters and netminders Thomas Hovell and Myles Dallison, the latter starting in
net for the visitors.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Both outfits hoping for
maximum points in this game, the sides took to the ice seeking possession in
the opening minutes of the period; Solway immediately setting their sights on
goal whilst the Lions battled to make Hepburn work at the other end of the ice.
Building momentum and looking to create opportunities, it was not long before
the Sharks opened the scoring through forward Duncan Speirs on 7:46 following passing
play between defencemen Vaclav Kolarik and Kyle Horne. Buoyed by this goal,
Martin Grubb’s men were eager to double their lead and did so less than three
minutes later when the defensive pairing of Kolarik and Horne once again teamed
up to send young forward Scott Henderson in on Dallison’s net with success to
add to Nottingham’s woes. Becoming increasingly dominant in this period, Solway
then found the target for a third time moments later when hardworking alternate
captain Ross Murray hit home on 11:57 courtesy of blue liner Stuart Kerr and
Czech ‘D’ man Marek Charvát. Stunned by their growing deficit, the Lions sought
possession of the puck but soon suffered a further setback when Scott Henderson
claimed his second goal of the evening to make it 4-0 with support from fellow
forwards Connor Henderson and Daniel Abercrombie. Though dominating for the remainder of the period to pepper Dallison with shot after
shot, the Sharks were unable to beat the young netminder for a fifth time ahead of the break to head in with their four-goal lead much to Nottingham’s
disappointment.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Aiming to build on
their excellent start to the game, the Sharks were quick off the mark on their
return to the ice as Charvát netted just twenty two seconds into the middle
section after some neat play from left winger Steven Moore and Speirs. Less
than two minutes later, the Czech defenceman bagged his second of the game
following a pass from forward Iain Bowie. As a result, it was not long before Nottingham found themselves confronted by a seven-goal deficit when defenceman Kerr
received the puck from forward Connor Henderson to play in Abercrombie who accomplished
his third league goal of the season on 22:34. Just over four minutes later, it
was the turn of Kolarik to be added to the score sheet when he fired past
Dallison to make it 8-0 with support from Connor Henderson and experienced ‘D’
man Horne, the Lions having called a timeout just seconds beforehand. Shortly
afterwards, Speirs buried the puck to claim his second of the game as captain
Struan Tonnar carved out an opportunity alongside Kolarik. Nine goals
ahead, Grubb switched shot stopper Hepburn for Chris Rae to allow his backup some valuable ice time. Continuing to
dominate however, the Sharks then made it into double figures as Murray linked
up with Bowie to see his line mate notch his seventeenth goal of his campaign
on 33:46. Enduring Solway’s onslaught throughout this period, Dallison strove
to put in the best performance possible, the youngster letting in only six of
the thirty shots he faced in this period; the Lions, on the other hand,
dismayed to have managed just two shots in this stanza.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Maintaining their
dominance in the third and final period, Solway were content to hold onto
possession whilst the Lions were all but resigned to their fate, knowing that
there was little to no chance of their side overturning a ten-goal deficit. Almost three minutes into this stanza, Charvát sealed his hat trick as Connor
Henderson picked up his fourth assist of the evening, once again supplying
a pass to assist his teammates’ creative play. Exactly seven minutes later,
Charvát notched his fourth goal of the evening to make it 12-0 with Bowie
arriving in support. Moments later, Grubb opted for a timeout of his own as he
looked to experiment with his side’s tactics and less than two minutes later
Tonnar printed his name on the scoresheet as Kolarik and Speirs assisted. With
very little in the way of offence from the Lions who managed only four shots to
Solway’s thirty two in this period, the Sharks found that there was time enough
for Scott Henderson to wrap up his hat trick courtesy of Tonnar and Charvát on
58:13 before the defenceman played Murray through on goal with just fourteen
seconds remaining to see the power forward slot past Dallison for a second time
before the final buzzer confirmed Nottingham’s 15-0 defeat.
Reflecting on this victory,
Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “The last home game against the Lions was tough
so we came in prepared and it was always going to be a big ask for them with
such a short bench and so many young players but we needed to ensure we didn’t
underestimate them. It was about making sure we kept good habits and that we
didn’t get sloppy, and we scored some nice goals. The Lions never gave up and
credit to them for working hard and giving their young guys a chance to
experience this level. I’m sure Matt [Bradbury] and Gloss [Paul Glossop] will
ensure their players learn from this game.”
Sharks
earn grade A cup place as Solway roast Hawks
Blackburn Hawks 6
Solway Sharks 8
Travelling to
Lancashire with much the same line-up as that which faced Nottingham Lions, except
for the addition of young forward Jordan Buesa and the absence of two-way
defenceman Josh Grieveson, Solway Sharks were faced with a strong Blackburn
Hawks’ squad, which included young prospect Kieran Brown, experienced forward
Aaron Davies, Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy and netminder Niks Trapans.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Aiming to secure top
spot of the NIHL National Cup’s Group A, Solway Sharks looked to make an immediate
impact from faceoff and found themselves up against Steven Duncombe’s equally
fervent Blackburn Hawks. However, in spite of early efforts from both teams to
test their opposition netminder, the Sharks were first to open their account as
some creative play from Buesa allowed fellow forward Iain Bowie to print his
name on the score sheet with only 1:32 played. Hitting back just over two
minutes after this goal, Hawks’ left winger Ištocy excelled against netminder
Calum Hepburn following build up play from blue liners Lewis Baldwin and Luke
Boothroyd. Fifty two seconds later, following a pass from alternate captain
Ross Murray, Bowie returned the favour for Buesa to see the youngster beat
Trapans to make it 2-1. With neither team backing down, Solway were then
pleased to achieve a two-goal cushion when a fantastic unassisted effort from
forward Duncan Speirs surpassed the Hawks’ defence on 7:38. Blackburn were far
from out of this fixture however, and battled back to make it 3-2 as Aaron
Davies accomplished his fourth cup goal of the season just beyond the halfway
point in the period. Striving for an equaliser, the Hawks then drew level just
forty two seconds later through forward Rick Bentham as Davies turned assist on
this occasion. Spurred on by their success in front of goal, Blackburn then
took the lead for the first time in the game courtesy of two-way player Brown who
capitalised on a pass from Ištocy to allow his team to edge ahead. Disappointed
to have fallen behind, the Sharks then suffered a further setback moments later
when Czech defenceman Marek Charvát was sidelined for holding to see his team
go on the penalty kill. Working hard to prevent the Hawks from achieving a goal
on their power play, Solway were able to see out the period with the additional
man as Boothroyd sat out for interference on 18:29. Failing to make
the most of this opportunity ahead of the break, the Sharks went in on the
wrong end of the 4-3 score line whilst the Hawks were elated to have gained the
lead going into the first interval.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Though Boothroyd’s
penalty was terminated twenty nine seconds into this period, it took just
seconds for Blackburn to go shorthanded for a second time as alternate captain
James Neil made way for delaying the game to hand Solway another power play.
However, the Sharks found it difficult to make their chances count as netminder
Trapans worked hard to ensure
his side held onto their fragile lead. Aware of the narrow margin between
themselves and their opposition, the Hawks strove to add to their tally and did
so as Brown utilised his pace and skill to outdo Solway’s defence on 28:12 to
make it 5-3, again assisted by Ištocy. A hooking penalty just under two minutes
later saw forward Thomas Parkinson head to the penalty box and the Sharks were
able to make the most of their power play as Bowie notched his second of the
evening following passing play between Czech import Vaclav Kolarik and power
forward Murray. This goal seemingly providing the Dumfries outfit with much
momentum, Solway were then able to draw level less than two minutes later as
alternate captain James Hutchinson threaded a pass to captain Struan Tonnar,
the duo teaming up to allow left winger Steven Moore to punish Trapans. Stunned
by their change of fortunes, Blackburn were further astounded when just thirty
four seconds later, Grubb’s men recovered their lead, this time Hutchinson
assisting Tonnar to make it 6-5. Around three minutes later though, Tonnar was
considered guilty of crosschecking to see his teammates go on the penalty kill. Blackburn were unable to equalise with the advantage and instead
watched the Sharks return to full strength only to incur a minor of their own
moments later when Duncombe warmed a seat in the sin bin for hooking
in the final minute of the period.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
With much of this
penalty running over into the third stanza, Blackburn were eager to prevent
Solway from scoring on the power play to then go in search of an all-important
equaliser which they did with success, the side scoring shortly after the
termination of Duncombe’s penalty; Brown completing his hat trick following
neat play from Baldwin and Neil. Undeterred, Solway continued to test Trapans and were eventually awarded a power play as
Baldwin was shown to the sin bin for delaying the game on 48:29. Looking to
make the most of this advantage, the Sharks’ power play was extended as forward
Rick Bentham then picked up two minutes for slashing. However, taking exception
to this call, the Hawk voiced his feelings on this matter only to incur an
additional ten minute misconduct penalty and, further disgruntled by this
punishment, Bentham was then ejected from the game for purportedly hurling a
towel at referee Chris Wells. As such, it was not long after this incident that
the Sharks were able to hit back, the side scoring with one second of Baldwin’s
penalty remaining as Buesa grabbed his second goal of the game with support
from Kolarik. The score line 7-6 in Solway’s favour, the Hawks aimed to battle
back yet again but a hooking offence from Duncombe saw Blackburn go shorthanded
on 53:24 to hand the visitors further advantage. Unable to make the most of
this opportunity, and with the narrow margin of one goal still separating the
two teams, Duncombe called a timeout with less than two minutes remaining in
the game and it was not long after that Moore was shown to the sin bin for
hooking to see the Hawks gain the advantage. Opting to pull Trapans from his
net to allow for the additional skater to maximise their power play, the Hawks
set their sights on goal to take the game into overtime but this tactic was not
one that worked on this occasion as Speirs claimed possession to bury the puck into
the empty net on 59:09 to see the game concluded at 8-6 on the final buzzer.
The game over, there was time enough for Hepburn to pick up a ten minute
penalty for illegal equipment, having removed his helmet during the handshakes
but this did not diminish Solway’s win in anyway, the team delighted
to finish top of their group in the NIHL National Cup competition.
Adding to his earlier
comments, Grubb took time to consider Solway’s latest cup triumph over the
Hawks: “It’s always a tough game in Blackburn and we never seem to be able to
play our usual game there but it was all about the result. Both teams were poor
defensively and I’m sure it made it exciting for the fans but it wasn’t great viewing
as a coach. We are happy to get the win and with how we played offensively but, as a group, our defensive game was unacceptable so we will work on that and move on, and it’s always nice to secure top spot in the cup group.”
Telford
triumph over Whitley as Tigers kill Warriors’ fight
Telford Tigers 7
Whitley Warriors 0
Travelling to
Shropshire without eight key players as injured import Philip Edgar missed out
alongside forwards Ryan Sample, Ben Richards and Adam Finlinson, defencemen
Harry Harley and Dan Pye, and youngsters Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass,
Whitley Warriors were well aware of the challenge awaiting them which was made
even more difficult when the Hillheads outfit missed out on the warm-up after
arriving in Telford later than expected. Meanwhile, the Tigers could head into
this fixture with composure as their usual compact line-up took to the ice
raring to go, with former Dragon Scott McKenzie, strong captain Jason
Silverthorn and versatile defenceman Daniel Rose amongst those more than up for
this clash.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Starting this period as
they meant to go on, Tom Watkins’ outfit were quick off the mark when Warriors’
alternate captain Jordan Barnes made way for slashing on 2:23 to slot the puck
past netminder Richie Lawson just twelve seconds later, Silverthorn the man on
target as ‘D’ man Adam Jones integrated Rose into play to see their captain
achieve his eighteenth league goal of his campaign. With Lawson continuing to
be under fire from the Tigers following Barnes’ return to the ice, the
netminder managed to stop several shots and was also offered some reprieve when
an attempt from McKenzie hit the post before Whitley’s blue line dealt with
Adam Taylor’s effort soon after. Just before the halfway point in the period,
alternate captain Rick Plant handed the Warriors a power play when he incurred
a minor for hooking but Whitley struggled to make shot stopper Denis Bell work
at the other end of the ice and were eventually made to pay for their inability
to capitalise when hardworking right winger Joe Miller netted on 15:55 assisted
by Taylor and alternate captain Warren Tait to double his side’s lead. Struggling
to contend with the Tigers’ firepower, the Warriors then conceded a third
before heading in at the break, this time Rose adding to the scoreboard
following a pass from junior defenceman Daniel Mitchell.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Gaining another power
play soon after their return to the ice, Whitley again found it difficult to challenge netminder Bell and could not pull a goal back, the side finding themselves under pressure as Lawson continued to work hard between
the pipes. Repeatedly throwing their efforts into defence, the Warriors
then went shorthanded on 29:03 when blue liner Kyle Ross made way for holding
to hand the Tigers an advantage which they were all too happy to convert, McKenzie smoothly punishing his opposition’s
misdemeanour with support from Miller and Taylor. Just over a minute later,
Lawson was again picking the puck from his net when forward Jack Watkins
buried the puck to make it 5-0. The visitors then found
themselves on the power play when young forward Jed Moreland was sidelined for
boarding but defenceman Martin Crammond was shown to the sin bin for holding sticks shortly afterwards to see the advantage cancelled out. Building momentum as a consequence, the Tigers then achieved their sixth
of the evening as McKenzie bagged himself another with an unassisted wrist shot
on 37:09. Just twenty seven seconds after this goal though, Telford were
reduced to four men once again as versatile defenceman Dale White was made to
sit out for slashing which presented Whitley with a power play in the
final two minutes of the period. However, these moments offered little in the
way of comfort for the Warriors as the side lost power forward Jordan Barnes to a knee injury besides conceding a shorthanded goal as
Rose and Silverthorn united to allow Plant to print his name onto the
scoresheet with just forty seconds remaining in the period.
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Both teams opting to
switch netminders for the third and final stanza, Telford Tigers introduced youngster
Jonah Armstrong to the game whilst the Warriors switched Lawson for shot stopper Mark Turnbull; the side also unable to ice returnee Josh Maddock who was still feeling
the effects on an injury sustained against Nottingham Lions three weeks ago.
With the Tigers comfortable due to their seven-goal lead, there was little the
Warriors could do to recover their lost ground and the side suffered a further
setback when Niall Simpson was also forced to leave the ice, his leg becoming
trapped as the two sides battled for the puck. A bench minor dished
out to Whitley for icing too many men was quickly followed up by a second
as Crammond sat out for interference to hand Telford a five-on-three
situation. In spite of these penalties, the Warriors returned to full strength
unscathed and it was soon the turn of Telford to go shorthanded as Moreland sat
out for a second time, holding his offence on this occasion. Whilst on the
power play however, the Warriors ran into further trouble as McKenzie was
allowed a penalty shot on 55:03 but this was saved by Turnbull to leave the
score line unchanged when the buzzer sounded; the netminder earning the Man of
the Match award having saved the thirteen shots which came his way during the
twenty minutes he featured.
Speaking after his
team’s conclusive defeat, player-coach David Longstaff admitted: “The games
turned out just as expected to be honest. We deservedly got the two points on
Saturday and we were outplayed in Telford. Some of the lads who don’t play a
lot got some good ice time and, if we’re being honest, our makeshift defence
was found out a little bit as it’s mostly forwards playing defence.”
For one last chance to contribute to Ross Murray’s fundraising
campaign, please follow the link: https://mobro.co/rossmurray90.
No comments:
Post a Comment