NIHL Weekend Action

Sharks harpooned as Blackburn claw North Cup victory

Solway Sharks             3

Blackburn Hawks       5

With both teams having undergone great transformations over the summer, this NIHL North Cup fixture was always going to be an interesting one as the two outfits pitted themselves against each other for the first time this season. Icing a strong line-up which included new two-way player Jordan Buesa, the Sharks were up against a Blackburn team who were aiming for a second consecutive North Cup victory, having defeated Whitley Warriors by two goals to one on home ice last Saturday.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for the first period, the home side started the game the stronger of the two teams, controlling possession effectively to test the Hawks in the opening minutes of the game. Creating some good play in Blackburn’s defensive zone, the Sharks soon reaped the rewards of their industriousness on 7:11 when hardworking forward Ross Murray lit the lamp courtesy of junior Scott Henderson, grabbing his first goal of his 2016-17 campaign in the process. The Hawks continuing in their struggle for possession, Solway were quick to double their lead as netminder Stuart Ashton found himself picking the puck from his net once again with twelve minutes played, this time Richard Bentham finding the target with assists arriving from blue liners Kim Miettinen and James Wallace. Try as they might, Blackburn could not break down the dominant Sharks and were relieved to go on the power play when Duncan Speirs headed to the sin bin on 17:08 to serve two minutes for hooking. Unable to make the most of their advantage however, the Hawks watched Solway return to full strength to go in at the break with a two goal deficit.

Returning for the second stanza, the Sharks were hoping to add to their tally, this time encountering shot stopper Niks Trapans in place of Ashton. Solway suffered a setback approximately five minutes in however, when Wallace was shown to the sin bin by referee David Emmerson. Attempting to kill the penalty, Bentham was made to join his team mate around sixty seconds later for delaying the game. Working to build up some strong passing play, the Hawks gradually began to pile on the pressure and when a third consecutive penalty was conceded by the home team through James Hutchinson, Blackburn wasted little time in punishing their opposition as Aaron Davies fired home following link up play between Nick Oliver and Mikko Sierman. Spurred on by this goal, the visitors crept back into the game and eventually slotted the puck past netminder Kieran Hobbins to draw level, James Riddoch finding himself on the scoresheet. Minutes later, Sharks captain Struan Tonnar clashed with Hawks defenceman Bobby Streetly and both players earned themselves two minutes for slashing as well as a 2+2 for roughing. This penalty did not hinder Solway in any way however, as the team resumed their offence to grab a goal with less than three minutes of the period remaining as new signing Buesa showed his worth to make it 3-2; the youngster assisted by two-way player Ben Edmonds and alternate captain Hutchinson.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Behind in the game once more, the Hawks took to the ice with the need to at least get back on level terms but the side suffered a setback approximately five minutes into the period when Riddoch headed to the penalty box for delaying the game. However, though Solway found themselves on the power play, Blackburn were able to find the back of the net as Davies equalised on 47:14, following a pass from youngster Kyle Haslam. Stunned by their sudden change in fortunes, Solway’s attempts to get back on track were inhibited by a charging call against Scott Henderson which placed Darlow’s men on the power play. Taking just fourteen seconds to capitalise, Blackburn managed to take the lead for the first time in the game as Streetly and Oliver teamed up to play Mikko Sierman through on goal. Realising that this was an all or nothing situation, Head Coach Grubb made the decision to pull Hobbins from his net in the final minute to enhance his offence with six skaters. Any chance of a goal to take the game into overtime was soon torn away however, as Haslam received the puck from import Patrik Nyman to fire it the length of the ice and into the empty net.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Martin Grubb commented: “On Saturday, I thought we started well and we were moving the puck well and probably should have went in a few more goals in front. We then came out flat, Blackburn were outworking us and we lost our discipline and that was very disappointing. We got ourselves back in front with a debut goal by Jordan Buesa but again, we made too many silly mistakes and didn’t battle hard enough. The third period, we again didn’t compete well enough and credit to Blackburn for seeing the game out. It’s a disappointment but we need to learn that you can’t take a night off or you get beat in this league or cup.”

  

Warriors grapple with Tigers to capture first point

Whitley Warriors    3

Telford Tigers        3

With the NIHL’s Moralee Conference highly unpredictable this season, this was always going to be a challenging game for David Longstaff’s Warriors as they tested their systems against an altered Telford Tigers outfit. Whilst backup netminder Jordan Boyle, and forwards Callum Watson and Alan Yarrow were missing for the home side, Telford travelled with a surprisingly strong line-up, the team having been accustomed to make the trip with a reduced roster in recent seasons.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With crowds turning out to witness the highly anticipated reunion of enforcer Andre Payette and Tiger Owen Bennett, the faceoff was barely over with when the two dropped the gloves; Payette almost instantly defeating Bennett who lost his footing early on in the fight. Both players conceding 2+2 roughing penalties timed at 0:05, play swiftly resumed with the two sides having attempts on goal in the early stages of the game. Shortly afterwards, these roughing penalties came to an end on 4:19 but Bennett was side-lined for longer than required due to skate repairs. Whilst play flowed between zones, forwards Adam Brittle and Matt Viney appeared dangerous for the visitors but the Tigers were soon reduced to four men when Slovakian import Karol Jets was sinbinned for a high sticks offence on 9:35. Though on the power play, Whitley struggled to control play in the confines of their offensive zone, despite their best efforts to take the lead with the advantage. Soon after, the Warriors were made to regret their squandered chances when Jets made his return to the ice only to fire the puck beyond netminder Richie Lawson on 12:00, following well-worked link up play between Viney and ‘D’ man Corey Goodison. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Striving to get a foothold in the game, Whitley continued to labour for an equaliser but a penalty conceded by blue liner Joe Stamp around the fifteen minute mark reduced the Hillheads outfit to four men and handed Telford a power play. Thirty five seconds later, Stamp was joined by team mate Martin Crammond in the penalty box whilst Goodison sat out for a slashing offence. This penalty coincidental, the Warriors were still just one man short until Stamp’s return. Eventually restored to full strength, Whitley quickly found themselves on the back foot once more as Daniel MacKriel’s team lit the lamp for a second time, former Hawk Ben Simister the scorer on this occasion with assists from alternate captains Brittle and Jets. Soon after this assist, Brittle then conceded two minutes for holding to present Whitley with the advantage. Recognising that the game was rapidly slipping from their grasp, and that they must make the most of the additional man, the Warriors hit home just thirty four seconds into Brittle’s penalty, forward Dean Holland first trying his luck before Longstaff nabbed the spilled puck to place it past shot stopper Daniel Brittle before the break.

Returning for the second period, the Warriors were aiming to reduce their deficit further but the opening minutes of the middle section were disrupted by poor discipline as Warrior Jordan Barnes made way to serve two minutes for a cross check. As a result, it did not take long before the puck was again in the back of the net as forward Brittle weaved through Whitley’s defence to widen the gap with his unassisted effort. This goal was soon followed by yet another trip to the sin bin as defenceman Dan Pye was called to the box for holding but, this time, the Tigers did not hold onto the advantage with Goodison considered guilty of hooking. Despite returning to full strength before their opposition, the Warriors found themselves unable to make a significant impact and, though continuing to see their fair share of possession, were unable to make the best of the chances they had. A tripping penalty from forward Callum Griffin presented a further opportunity for the Hillheads team but sturdy netminding prevented the Warriors from recovering lost ground in the game as Brittle dealt comfortably with the twenty four shots fired at him during this stanza.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off for the third and final instalment of the game, the Warriors resumed play with renewed vigour, exhibiting an intensity which was severely lacking in the first and second periods. Contending with the Tigers’ defence after the interval, Whitley found the target on exactly forty three minutes to make it 3-2, Holland grabbing his fourth goal of the season with support arriving from fellow forward DJ Good and ‘D’ man Stamp. From here, the momentum was very much in the Warriors’ favour, with the team making several attempts to find a way past Brittle to equalise. However, the hard work and efforts of Whitley’s offence again fruitless, the Tigers were able to test Lawson at the other end of the ice; the netminder called upon on to deal with attacking play from forwards James Smith, Brittle and Viney. Time fast running out for the home team, Longstaff opted to call a timeout with just over a minute left to play in the period. A disagreement between shot stopper Brittle and Warrior Shaun Kippin occurring before play resumed, tensions were high as the two teams took their places. Having pulled Lawson from his net, the Warriors looked on as Payette battled successfully to win the faceoff in Telford’s defensive zone. From here, the puck was played out to Holland and subsequently talented defenceman Harry Harley whose slap shot rocketed beyond Brittle and into the back of his net. Making this comeback in spectacular style to Telford’s dismay, the Warriors were then forced to defend for the remainder of the game as player-coach Longstaff retaliated to a blow from Bennett to receive two minutes for roughing but his team were able to hold onto their hard-earned point as the game came to a close. Reflecting on his team’s efforts, player-coach David Longstaff observed: “I thought we were good in spells and we’re getting better each week. I thought both goalies were great and it was great to listen to the excitement in the crowd. It really lifted the players.”

Overtime win sees Sharks seize points against unfortunate Stars

Billingham Stars  5

Solway Sharks     6

With games between these two outfits always highly entertaining, not to mention closely contested, Solway travelled to Teesside under the cloud of their 5-3 North Cup loss to Blackburn Hawks on the previous evening. This Billingham’s first game in the competition since their collection of silverware last season, the Stars were out to give their all in a bid to defend their title.

Facing off in the first period, Terry Ward’s men immediately began to create some strong offensive play to test Kieran Hobbins in the opening stages and the Teessiders were quick to reap the rewards as Jack Emerson grabbed the lead for his side just over three minutes in, Tom Keeley and Swedish import Daniel Palmebjörk picking up assists. Soon after conceding this goal, Solway’s Daniel Abercrombie found himself sinbinned for a high sticks offence which handed the already dominant home side a power play. Taking control of the puck from the faceoff, alternate captain Callum Davies found Palmebjörk who snatched his first goal for the Stars just four seconds into Solway’s penalty kill. Shortly afterwards, an interference call against Billingham’s Ben Davison caused the Sharks to go on the advantage which was enhanced further when Jack Davies joined his team mate a little over one minute later for crosschecking. Making the most of the five-on-three situation, Solway were able to halve their deficit on 8:15 with an unassisted effort from Marc Fowley. With over ten minutes played, Richard Bentham was side-lined for tripping and again, the Stars were able to punish their opposition on the power play, player-coach Michael Bowman hitting the target with an assist from captain Richie Thornton. Dominating play to overwhelm Solway, the Teessiders had soon found their fourth goal of the game through Dennis Boström as the despondent Sharks were left immobilised by the onslaught. The score line now 4-1, the Stars were firmly on the front foot though shorthanded, going in at the break, with forward Scott Ward taking to the penalty box following an interference call from referee Anthony Boynton.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With this penalty running into the second period, the Sharks were aware that they needed an early goal to stand any chance of getting back into the game and, despite the visitors’ inability to capitalise with the additional man, they were able to build some momentum to grab an even handed goal less than two minutes in when Bentham netted courtesy of youngster Duncan Speirs. The midpoint of this period then saw Davison concede his second penalty of the game, this time for tripping, but Solway were unable to punish the home side for their transgressions and went on to concede a penalty of their own as Kim Miettinen headed to the sin bin for slashing on 30:44. Edging their way into the game, the shorthanded Sharks were then dealt a blow when a delayed penalty against blue liner Stuart Kerr was converted into a goal for the Stars, this time an unassisted Chris Sykes finding the back of the net to achieve the fourth goal of his campaign. The three-goal deficit no easy one to chip away at, matters were made worse for Solway when Shark Scott Henderson found himself on the wrong end of a clipping penalty to reduce his team to four men on 37:55. With eight seconds of Billingham’s power play remaining, Grubb’s men were then made to pay for their lack of discipline once more when Kerr briefly joined his team mate to serve two minutes for slashing ahead of the interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to full strength in the opening minutes of the final period, Solway began with a far different attitude and were able to score on 46:31 when hardworking left winger Steven Moore secured an unassisted goal for the Sharks to get his side back on track. Spurred on by this, Solway began to progress carefully. Labouring across all areas of the ice, each line was able to make a significant impact against Billingham whose early successes against the Sharks had perhaps lulled the team into a false sense of security. As a result, it was little surprise when the Dumfries outfit added another to their tally as effective forward Joe Coulter hit one past Stars’ backup netminder Mark Watson. Approximately two minutes later, the Sharks suffered a further setback when defenceman James Wallace was made to sit out for delaying the game. Weathering the storm well, Solway returned to full strength and showed such determination to find an equaliser that they were rewarded soon after as powerful forward Ross Murray linked up with Speirs to play the puck to Bentham who did not miss his mark.

This a spectacular comeback for the Sharks, Billingham were understandably devastated to head into overtime against Grubb’s reenergised team, having competed so well in the first two periods to appear the dominant side. Icing three players each, neither side were allowed to play imports in the overtime period, meaning Solway were without ‘D’ men Juraj Senko and Miettinen whilst the Stars could not ice forwards Palmebjörk or Boström. One and a half minutes into the overtime period, Billingham’s Richie Thornton found himself sinbinned which prompted Solway to call a timeout. This penalty providing the Sharks with an additional man, the four-on-three situation saw the visitors throw themselves into finding a goal and the team were sent into raptures on 63:02 when Speirs raced his way through the Stars’ defence before finally beating Watson with a fabulous unassisted goal.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking a point from this game due to their overtime loss, Billingham now sit just above Whitley in the NIHL North Cup table with one point. Commenting on the game, Star Chris Sykes reflected: “The first game of the cup for us is done but we are disappointed in the result. After being in control of the match for forty minutes to then throw it away in the third is a real blow for us. We got a point for going to overtime but we shouldn’t have been in that position at all after being three goals up going into the third but we will learn from our mistakes and we know the so called ‘best team’ in the league is easily beatable.”

Meanwhile, with the Sharks now on five points due to a regulation win against Whitley Warriors, a loss to Blackburn Hawks and an overtime victory against the Stars, Head Coach Martin Grubb provided the following insight: “On Sunday, we started terribly and our whole first period was unacceptable. It was a continuation from a poor Saturday and we needed to regroup after the first. I made it very clear what was expected, made changes to our lines and we started to play a little more in the second but we still were making bad decisions on the puck and we needed to do more. The third period, we said we needed an early goal and I told the boys we could win the game and to believe. You have to credit the character and desire they showed to take it shift by shift and I thought they were excellent in that period. We deserved to draw level and nearly won it in regulation time. We continued to dominate the overtime period and finished the job on the power play to show the spirit we have and I’m proud of how the boys stuck together and battled. ”

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