Electrifying
edge over tenacious Tigers sends Warriors to top of table
Telford Tigers
3
Whitley Warriors 4
Making the long trip
down to Telford, Whitley were prepared for a challenging encounter against a
tough Tigers team who went into the game undefeated in their home rink. Whilst
the Tigers were without influential forwards James Smith and Macaulay Heywood,
Warriors’ absentees were Dean Holland, Alex Lawson, Ben Richards and Josh
Maddock, as well as injured captain Jamie Tinsley who handed over his role to deserving
on ice leader Andre Payette. Immediately making his presence felt, Payette
found himself sin binned when two-man system Lorenzo Broadbelt and David
Goodwin ordered the enforcer off the ice for interference with only one minute
and twenty one seconds played.
Placed on the power
play, Telford were up against Richie Lawson who was restored to netminding
duties after last Sunday’s game saw young shot stoppers Mark Turnbull and
Jordan Boyle share the responsibility against Sheffield Senators. With Telford
unable to find a way through, the Warriors returned to full strength and
applied enough cumulative pressure to edge the Tigers into a defensive error. As
a consequence, power forward Jordan Barnes was able to challenge sturdy netminder
Dennis Bell in a one-on-one situation, the Warrior burying his unassisted
effort to send Whitley ahead.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Less than four minutes
later, Barnes was forced to warm a seat in the penalty box, having committed a
tripping offence but, for a second time, the Tigers failed to make their
advantage count as Whitley worked hard to run down the clock. Warriors’ efforts
may have been successful but they were also short-lived as, just forty three
seconds after Barnes was reinstated, Shaun Kippin was found to be guilty of
interference. Unable to find an equaliser, Telford continued to battle but
Broadbelt and Goodwin soon turned their attentions to the home side, ordering
Philip Mulcahy to serve two minutes for hooking. Despite Warriors’ best
attempts, the visitors found that they also could not score on the power play
and headed in at the break with a fragile 1-0 lead.
After the interval,
both teams returned to the ice with a view for improvement but it was the
Warriors who were next to score, doubling their lead on 26:47 when Kippin
combined with player-coach David Longstaff, who sailed past Tigers’ defence, to
set up diligent youngster Callum Queenan. This two goal cushion lasted all of a
minute, the resolute Tigers pouncing on their next opportunity to make it 2-1, experienced
Slovakian import Karol Jets threading a pass through to Adam Taylor who slotted
the puck home.
Soon after, Whitley
received a bench penalty for too many men on the ice and, already shorthanded,
conceded a further two minute minor for a Dan Pye elbowing offence which
extended Telford’s power play and also handed the home side a two man advantage
for sixteen seconds. In superb fashion, the
Warriors battled hard to defend their lead and reaped their rewards when the
power play shifted from Telford to Whitley as a result of a crosscheck from
Tigers’ captain Daniel Croft. With only nine seconds of Croft’s punishment left,
David Longstaff helped Whitley to re-establish their two goal lead before the
second period was over, this time Harry Harley with the assist.
The score line 3-1 in
Whitley’s favour, play commenced in the first period with Telford trailing but
holding onto the fact that they are more than capable of making a comeback,
particularly against the Warriors whom they have already claimed a point
against this season. Parry’s words at the end of the second clearly stayed with
the Tigers and it took only twenty five seconds into the final period for the
home side to score, Taylor achieving his second of the game, with an assist
from in form alternate captain Callum Bowley, to make it 3-2. The score line
too close for comfort, there was little chance for Telford to add to their
tally as the Tigers conceded yet another penalty, this time their captain
delaying the game. Parry’s team had not yet returned to full strength when a
bench penalty was dished out to the Shropshire outfit for icing too many men. Whitley
could not light the lamp however and their offensive efforts were hindered further
by a two minute hooking penalty called on Harley. Though the Tigers could not
capitalise initially, Joseph Aston sent Mulcahy in on goal to equalise in an
exhilarating fashion with less than six minutes remaining.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
The game not over,
there was still time for a further twist in the tale which was delivered on
58:17 when a hooking offence from blue liner Daniel Harrison saw Telford go
shorthanded into the last two minutes of the game. With memories of their last
road trip to Shropshire weighing heavily on the Warriors’ minds, Whitley were
determined not to lose out on the two points for a second time and it was
defenceman Dan Pye who made the victory possible, smashing a superb game winning
shot into the back of Bell’s goal. Seconds later, the Tigers called a timeout
which saw the side pull their netminder in exchange for an additional skater.
Less than a minute later, Whitley also opted for a timeout as they desperately
tried to defend their lead and achieve an empty net goal. Despite the tactical
talk, the Tigers were unable to make the additional man count and, though there
was no further scoring from the Warriors, Longstaff travelled home the happier
of the two coaches having snatched both points to leap into poll position of
the NIHL table.
With Telford Ice Rink a
difficult place to secure a victory, Warriors’ hard fought win was no mean feat
but gives the team momentum as they go into their crucial derby game against
league rivals Billingham Stars who will look to scramble away from sixth place
over the course of the next few weeks.
High-flying Warriors secure four point
weekend with derby day success
Billingham
Stars 1
Whitley
Warriors 2
Intense rivalry
simmering between the two sides from the warm up, this game was always going to
be one of the must-sees of the season and it did not disappoint as the crowds
filed into The Forum. With Whitley taking to the ice for their second away game
of the weekend, Billingham were set to enjoy a home game, having previously
triumphed over Solway in the NIHL Cup at the Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday
evening. Whilst the Stars started the
clash with a full bench, the visitors were once again without injured parties
Dean Holland, Alex Lawson, Ben Richards and Jamie Tinsley, as well as
youngsters Liam Smedley and Craig Johnson.
Despite this, both sides started at an equally rapid pace to illustrate
the depth if their dedication and it seemed that neither team was prepared to
lose.
Both sides seeing their
fair share of the puck, netminders Richie Lawson and James Flavell found
themselves continually challenged; some attacking play from Stars’ forward
James Moss unable to find its way into the net whilst some fancy work from
Callum Watson and Martin Crammond fell short of the mark. As Whitley’s efforts
increased in intensity, it was the visitors who saw the best of their chances
fritter away due to Flavell’s quick work and Billingham’s sturdy defence.
Counterattacking play from the Stars lead to some wild shots snapping over
Lawson but Billingham continued to apply a decent amount of pressure and, with
eighteen minutes played, Warriors’ forward Jordan Barnes was punished for a
boarding offence as the physical edge of the game continued to mount. David
Longstaff’s side proved to be well organised when shorthanded however,
defending with all their might to prevent the Stars from taking the lead on the
power play. As a result, the derby rivals headed in at the break with honours
even.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Taking to the ice for
the middle stanza, it was Longstaff’s men who showed their edge, eventually
achieving a well-deserved goal just twenty nine seconds into the period
courtesy of quick-thinking youngster Callum Queenan who tied up the offensive
play of Harry Harley and player-coach Longstaff to send the visitors ahead. In
the aftermath of the goal, Watson pitted himself against Flavell on several
occasions, completing some tricky turns to get in on goal, but to no
avail.
Despite the setback of
the goal and Whitley’s continued possession, Billingham did not give up their
fight, swiftly searching for an equaliser. The home side’s work soon paid off,
player-assistant coach Michael Bowman threading a pass through to Swedish
import Dennis Boström who fired the puck past Lawson to level the scoring.
With Billingham’s
spirits raised, Whitley received a further blow when long-serving forward DJ
Good received two minutes for hooking. Again, the Warriors battled the clock in
a bid to hold on to their equal footing in the game and they were soon rewarded
with a power play of their own, Ben Davison suffering the consequences of a
high sticking misdemeanour. Whilst Whitley could not take advantage of this
opportunity, Billingham returned to full strength only to concede eight seconds
later when Longstaff and Queenan teamed up once more to send Shaun Kippin in on
goal; the Warriors’ forward firing the puck high into Flavell’s net to make it
2-1 before the interval.
The margins fine, it
was clear that Whitley would have to battle hard to retain their lead, whereas
the Stars needed to show the same degree of fight and determination to overturn
their deficit. Starting the third period in a similar fashion to the first, a
tense final period ensued, Billingham’s Luke Brown shooting the puck over the
bar early on whilst Kippin pressured Flavell into a glove save. In the forty
ninth minute of play, Whitley’s control was rewarded with a second power play
as Steven Wardell ordered Andy Munroe to the sin bin for hooking. Though twelve
shots were unleashed on Flavell’s goal, and a further nine on Lawson’s, neither
side could break down the other’s defence. A timeout called by the Stars on
58:45 saw Flavell removed from the ice but Billingham failed to make their
tactical change count, leaving Whitley to run down the final seconds in an
electric atmosphere to grab two points from the Teesiders.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
There is no doubt that
Longstaff and his team should be delighted with Whitley’s four point weekend
which sees the Warriors go three points clear of Blackburn at the top of the
table, though the Lancashire outfit do have four games in hand. In what should be
an interesting encounter between the two top-of-the-table teams, the Warriors
take on the Hawks at home next Sunday to commence a four week period in which
the two sides face each other. Though Hawks have proved difficult opposition of
late, Sutton Sting held the side to a 2-2 draw on Sunday having lead for most
of the game. If Whitley stand any chance against last season’s NIHL champions,
they must be at their very best and display the same level of passion,
commitment and fearlessness as they did against Billingham Stars who remain in
sixth place; a single point behind Sheffield Spartans.
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