Sharks
score four to steal Stars’ sparkle
Solway
Sharks 4
Billingham
Stars 2
As Dumfries Ice Bowl
became venue to a must-win battle between Solway Sharks and Billingham Stars on
Saturday, both teams took to the ice with the knowledge that victory would be
crucial in their quest for a playoff spot; a win for the Sharks taking the side
level on points with Terry Ward’s Teesiders whereas success for the Stars would
pile the pressure onto fourth placed Telford Tigers.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
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Travelling with
thirteen skaters and icing Mark Watson between the pipes in James Flavell’s
absence, it was the Stars who got off to the better start. Callum Davies quickly
involved himself in play to light the lamp for the visitors with an assist from
Michael Elder on twenty nine seconds. The tables were soon turned however, as
Solway were awarded the first power play of the game, Stars’ youngster Will
Robson conceding a minor for interference. Unable to capitalise at first,
Solway were handed a second successive opportunity as Robson was replaced in
the sin bin by player-assistant coach Richie Thornton, the defenceman guilty of
a cross check. Just seven seconds into the power play, the puck was again in
the back of the net, this time the home side with a goal to equalise as
Solway’s alternate captain Juraj Senko found himself in on Watson’s net
courtesy of neat passing play between experienced right winger Iain Bowie and
rising prospect Duncan Speirs. No sooner were Solway’s celebrations over than
Michael Corbett’s dash for the puck along the boards saw the forward twist his
knee and subsequently collide with Thornton, an injury which prompted swift
medical attention.
As the Sharks continued
to force saves from Watson, Billingham became increasingly frustrated by an
icing decision that did not go their way, Luke Brown inviting a two minute
penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct on 10:39. Facing off in the Stars’
defensive zone once again, Solway sought a second goal to take the lead and soon
found it, build up play between Senko and the skilful Steven Moore allowing forward
Joe Coulter to zip a shot past Watson. The final stages of the period
unfolding, another call against the Stars gave the home side their fourth
consecutive power play, this time Brown ordered back to the sin bin to serve a
slashing penalty.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Going in at the
interval with a 2-1 lead, Solway returned to the ice with twenty one seconds of
their power play remaining but the Stars were shown some reprieve as they
returned to full strength without the home side having extended their lead
further. The two teams engaging in a battle for the next goal, forwards James
Moss, Michael Elder and Swedish import Dennis Boström were amongst those hunting
down an equaliser for Billingham as the Sharks made several attempts to extend
their lead.
An interference penalty
conceded by Shark Martin Cingel approximately six minutes into the period saw
the home side reduced to four men for the first time in the game but, try as
they might, the Stars could not put the puck past netminder Kieran Hobbins who
dealt with every shot that was thrown at him. With neither team able to find a
way through, the turning point in the period arose when Solway’s junior Daniel
Abercrombie found himself sin binned for a high sticking offence on blue liner
Jamie Pattison. Almost a minute later, officials made the game a level playing
field as Star Callum Davies joined him in the box for holding. Feeling that Senko
had gone unpunished for a similar misdemeanour just moments before, Billingham’s
sense of injustice spurred on Moss who took the opportunity to draw level with
a superb unassisted effort, slotting his shot beyond Hobbins before the break
to make it 2-2.
The final instalment of
the game fast upon the two teams, the points were still very much all to play
for and, whilst the Sharks surely felt that they had thrown away their lead, Ward’s
men had victory within their sights once more. With Billingham’s holding
penalty over in the early stages, a contest arose as the rivals battled for the
puck, Solway outshooting the Stars but finding it difficult to break down the
visitors. With perseverance, the Sharks were able to take the lead for a second
time in the game, this time Cingel stretching the twine on 48:20 when captain
Struan Tonnar threaded Coulter’s pass to the Slovakian forward.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Shortly afterwards, a
holding penalty from Thornton reduced the visitors to four men but Solway soon followed
suit, Steven Balmer punished for hooking. Though Billingham returned to full
strength ahead of the Dumfries outfit, the Sharks had only been restored to
five men for one second when Bowie broke away from Solway’s defensive zone to
triumph in a one-on-one situation with Watson, making it 4-2 in the process.
Less than a minute
later, Solway’s defenceman James Wallace conceded a two minute penalty for
delaying the game, thereby presenting the Stars with a power play opportunity.
Unable to make their additional skater count, Billingham continued to pursue a
goal in the final stages of the game but it wasn’t to be. As the final buzzer
sounded, the Sharks were relieved to have secured a victory ahead of their
tough road trip to Lancashire, Hobbins picking up the Man of the Match award
for the home side whilst Moss received the same accolade for the Stars.
Reflecting on the game,
Martin Grubb told NIHL Northern Trio: “It was a huge win on Saturday against a
big rival for the playoffs and we all said it was all about the result rather
than the performance. That said, I thought we played well in spells and created
lots of chances. We need to take our chances and be more prolific in front of
the net when we are outshooting teams. We were a little slack at times
defensively but Kieran [Hobbins] made big saves at key times in the game. We
stayed patient and got the job done in the end and I was delighted with the
boys.”
M6 hold up halts Sharks’ road game against
Hawks
Following an incident
on the M6, Solway Sharks were unable to complete their trip to Blackburn Ice
Arena on Sunday, having moved just 3.1 miles in the space of four hours. This
fixture has since been rescheduled for Sunday 20th March. It
has also been confirmed that the Dumfries outfit will play for double points
against Telford Tigers and Sutton Sting next month.
Commenting on the delay,
Martin Grubb said: “Sunday was strange as we were heading to Blackburn before
being stuck for six hours in traffic. It was frustrating for everyone but I
spoke to Danny MacKriel a few times from the bus and he was great as everyone’s
safety was the most important thing. We have rescheduled that game and look
forward to it.”
Warriors take ten against Sens
Whitley
Warriors 10
Sheffield
Senators 1
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Having cemented their
place in the playoffs last weekend, Whitley Warriors took to the ice against
Sheffield Senators with David Longstaff watching on from the bench, the
player-coach making it clear prior to the game that he did not intend to play
as he searched for his strongest penalty kill and power play options ahead of
the tournament. Unavailable to ice through injury, Alex Lawson, Callum Queenan
and Stu Tomlinson missed out whilst first choice netminder Richie Lawson
spectated from the side lines as backup netminder Mark Turnbull was given a
start in goal. Meanwhile, the Senators
travelled with ten skaters and two netminders, Alex Harding, Jack Dransfield
and alternate captain Arran Bell amongst the absentees.
Though short benched,
the Senators started the game well and complacency from the Warriors’ defence
saw the puck make it past Turnbull with just forty eight seconds played,
captain Nathan Parkes-Britton slotting his shot home following quick build up
play from blue liner Lewis Jones and the side’s second highest points scorer,
Thomas Humphries. Shocked by this early deficit, the Warriors battled for
possession of the puck, gradually creeping into their own offensive zone. With time
ticking away and still no equaliser, a great pass from youngster Liam Smedley
found sturdy defenceman Dan Pye on the wing. Manoeuvring through the Senators’
defence with ease, Pye’s strength shone through, the ‘D’ man achieving his
second goal of the season.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Less than a minute
later, a roughing call on Dean Holland was made by referee David Emmerson but,
the Senators failing to take advantage, Whitley killed time without conceding and
normal play resumed. Continuing to move the puck around the Senators’ defensive
zone, Whitley struck gold when Holland fired a sublime shot into the back of
Robert Browne’s net, Pye turning assist on this occasion to allow the Warriors
to head in at the break with a narrow 2-1 lead.
Taking to the ice for
the second period, the Warriors were immediately placed under the pressure of a
power play when Alan Yarrow was sent to the sin bin just twelve seconds in for
a slashing offence. The Senators’ advantage imperceptible as Whitley dominated
possession, a pass from forward Ben Richards found long-serving Warrior Callum Watson
and the puck was rapidly dispatched into the back of Browne’s net as the
balance of control shifted. Having returned to full strength, Longstaff’s line
up found themselves shorthanded again thirteen seconds later when Yarrow,
failing to learn from his previous mistake, was sent back to the box for
slashing.
Propelled up and over
the Senators by blue liner Harry Harley, the puck fell kindly to power forward
Jordan Barnes who beat Browne to give his team a boost. For a third consecutive
time, the Warriors had not yet been restored to five men for a full minute when
they were again punished for their lack of discipline, this time Shaun Kippin
guilty of charging. However, as before, the disadvantage paid off for Whitley, Joe
Stamp setting up Holland who was able to grab his second of the game with
twenty five minutes played.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Soon after, it was
little surprise when the troublesome Paul Lofthouse was made to serve two
minutes for a crosscheck. Whilst Whitley were unable to capitalise on this
occasion, a return to five on five ice hockey allowed the side to light the
lamp for a sixth time, Richards the man on target following a great pass from Andre
Payette who had ploughed forward to leave the Senators standing. Less than two
minutes later, captain Jamie Tinsley added an effort of his own to the score
sheet, defencemen Harley and Smedley on hand with assists.
The score line 7-1
ahead of the second intermission, the short benched Senators returned with much
work to do and the knowledge that there was little chance of a recovery. An
interference penalty against Whitley in the previous period saw Payette start
the third in the sin bin. Approximately four minutes later, Holland claimed his
hat trick with a phenomenal unassisted attempt which was one too many for
Browne, the netminder having encountered forty four shots on goal in the second
period alone. Simultaneous slashing penalties for Watson and Lofthouse saw four
on four ice hockey play out but neither team could add to their tally. Matters
were soon made worse for the home side who returned to full strength for all of
a minute before Yarrow again found himself on the wrong side of the plexi,
receiving two minutes for roughing and five minutes plus game for spearing.
Phil Pritchard serving the penalty in Yarrow’s absence, the Senators found
themselves on a seven minute power play but, as Whitley continued to dominate,
the visitors’ advantage did not show and the Warriors began to pile on the
pressure in Sheffield’s defensive zone, eventually forcing Joe Cross to hit the
puck out of play, the youngster incurring two minutes for delaying the game.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Whilst Whitley again
made hard work of the power play, the side managed to extend their lead to nine
goals to one with less than two minutes left to play, Watson with his second of
the game following a tidy pass from man of the moment, Holland. Ensuring that
those fans crying out for ten were not to be disappointed, Harley struck a blue
line shot against the netting on 59:12 courtesy of an assist from Barnes. The buzzer sounding to
conclude the game at 10-1, David Longstaff shared his thoughts with NIHL
Northern Trio: “Tonight was a good chance to get everyone ice time and was important
to see which players play well with each other before the playoffs.”
The Warriors now look
ahead to their next fixture which will be a tough home clash against Solihull
Barons who currently sit in third place as they fight to hold onto their playoff
spot.
Sting earn stripes as Sutton stuns
Stars
Billingham Stars 1
Sutton Sting 3
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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It was a home game that
carried a great deal of importance for Billingham Stars, as the Teesiders
sought to make amends for an away loss to Solway Sharks on Saturday with a win
against Sutton Sting.
Netminder James Flavell making his return to the side, Andy Finn and Billy
Nicholson were also included in Terry Ward’s line up whilst Matt Darlow’s Sting
were also out in full force with incredible shot stopper Dmitri Zimozdra
starting in net for the South Yorkshire outfit.
The Sting taking to
recent games with a renewed sense of determination, the side quite literally
made an immediate impact against the Stars as Latvian import Vjaceslavs Movko
sustained a boarding penalty on 6:15, Michael Elder’s retaliation
coincidentally earning the forward two minutes for roughing.
Despite several offensive efforts, neither
side could make a breakthrough in front of goal and, having returned to five men
just minutes earlier, it was Billingham who again prompted a call from referee
David Farren as alternate captain Andy Munroe was made to serve two minutes
for interference.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Failing to create a
goal, the Sting found themselves reduced to four men just seventeen seconds
into their power play, Jon Woolhouse sin binned for tripping. Notwithstanding
this setback, Sutton continued on the offensive and were soon rewarded when
Sergevs Jegorovs linked up with EPL experienced forward James Spurr to send
reliable defenceman Ryan Johnson in on goal. With Munroe let loose seconds
ahead of Woolhouse, the home side gained a small power play which turned out to
be no advantage at all as Movko netted a shorthanded, unassisted effort on
16:43. With thirteen shots on Flavell’s net in comparison to the eleven on
Zimozdra’s, there appeared to be little between the two sides, the Sting
showing a slight edge over their opponents, having made their chances count.
Taking to the ice in
the middle stanza, Billingham were aware that they needed to act fast to get
themselves back in the game. The Stars were somewhat hindered in their attempts
to find a goal as Jamie Pattison conceded an interference penalty approximately
four minutes into the period. Soon after, a serious cross check from Sutton’s James
Goodman earned the blue liner five minutes plus game whilst Star Chris Sykes
received a minor for roughing following his response to the defenceman’s
actions. The resulting, lengthy power play for the home side saw
player-assistant coach Richie Thornton play the puck to Pattison, the
long-serving blue liner finding Elder who buried the puck beyond Zimozdra’s
reach.
Billingham finding it
difficult to equalise in the moments that followed, the Stars’ offensive
ambitions were soon inhibited by a minor boarding penalty on Munroe. The blue
liner served his two minutes, only for Thornton to immediately take his place
in the sin bin, Farren calling a second successive boarding penalty against
Ward’s men before the period met its conclusion.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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The points still within
Billingham’s reach going into the third period, the Stars took to the ice
aiming to draw level. With Thornton, Elder and Moss all coming close to finding
their names on the score sheet, a power play opportunity arose when Johnson was
temporarily side lined for holding in the forty sixth minute of the game.
Unable to fire the puck past Zimozdra on the power play, the Stars bombarding
the netminder to no avail, Billingham watched as Jegorovs took a seat in the
sin bin for hooking on 55:13. Yet again, the Stars powered forward into
Sutton’s defensive zone and were left incredulous as Zimozdra pulled off a save
of exceptional quality to prevent the Teesiders from drawing level. Restored to
five men, the Sting battled hard to defend their lead as Billingham made the
decision to pull netminder Flavell for an additional skater, feeling that an
equaliser was within touching distance. It was therefore an agonising twist of
fate that saw the Stars’ aspirations of a draw dashed, John Ross playing the
puck to Movko who ensured its dispatch into the empty net with just thirty one
seconds remaining.
When asked to share his
feelings on the game, Star Chris Sykes had but one word: “gutted”, summing up
Billingham’s zero point weekend perfectly. With the Teesiders’ playoff hopes
hanging in the balance, the Stars will now look ahead to next weekend as they
prepare to make the long trip down to Telford before a home encounter on Sunday
against the eighth placed Sheffield Spartans.
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