Hawks' wings clipped as Sharks claim victory
Blackburn Hawks 2
Solway Sharks
6
Beginning this game
with a tribute to Whitley Warrior fan Bobby Dixon who sadly passed away this
week, Blackburn Hawks lined up the stronger of the two sides with eighteen
skaters and two netminders against Solway’s fourteen man team.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Ian Hanlon
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Taking to the ice for
the first period, the Hawks were eager to shine on home ice and did so,
claiming possession well in the opening stages to grab a goal with just 3:28
on the clock, Bobby Caunce making a pass to fellow forward Rick Bentham who was
happy to punish young netminder Calum Hepburn. Travelling with
less players than that of their opposition, the Sharks struggled to get off the
mark against Blackburn who were clearly up for the challenge and it was
therefore unsurprising that Bentham turned assist to allow
junior James Royds to print his name on the score sheet with just over ten
minutes played. Shortly afterwards, a bench minor for Solway Sharks saw the
Hawks go on the power play but, with this penalty not yet over, Blackburn’s
Nick Oliver found himself punished for interference, allowing Solway to turn
the tables on their opposition. Though unable to capitalise on this occasion,
the Sharks were then handed a second opportunity to do so when Ollie Lomax made
way for roughing. Struggling to make their additional man
count, the visitors were only able to find the net six seconds after the Hawks had
returned to full strength, Duncan Speirs and Joe Coulter on hand to assist Ross
Murray on 17:44 who again opened his team’s account for a third successive
game. With the Sharks rapidly beginning to increase their chances in front of
goal, the side saw out the first section of the game with much optimism and were soon awarded for their
perseverance when Lomax incurred another roughing penalty before the break to hand the Sharks a power play at the start of the second period.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Applying pressure to
shot stopper Stuart Ashton in the early stages of the middle stanza, Solway
were again unable to add to their tally with the advantage as the Hawks worked hard to kill the
penalty but it was not long after that the Dumfries outfit drew level, forward
Ben Edmonds slotting home courtesy of youngster Scott Henderson and skilled
blue liner Kim Miettinen. Seventeen seconds later, Blackburn suffered a further
setback when forward Aaron Davies conceded two minutes for charging. Solway worked hard in the Hawks’ defensive zone but another
strong penalty kill from the home side prevented the Sharks from getting ahead
in the game. Instead, Martin Grubb’s men were only able to make the most of
their possession on 27:25 when Edmonds played the puck to captain Struan Tonnar
who lit the lamp to give his team a 3-2 lead. Just over a minute later,
Blackburn were stunned further as Ashton picked the puck out of the
net for a fourth time when Duncan Speirs found the target; alternate captain
Juraj Senko with the assist. With the Hawks’ sudden change of fortune leaving
the side with a two goal deficit to overturn, the home side opted for a time
out and were then offered some reprieve when Henderson made way for
tripping. Making an attempt to test Hepburn, Blackburn struggled to find the
back of the net and watched their opposition return to five men only to score
around five minutes later when Miettinen sent youngster Daniel Abercrombie
through on goal to achieve his second cup goal of the season.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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With this goal tying up
the action in the middle section of the game, Blackburn returned to the ice
with much work to do in the final instalment which was only added to as
Abercrombie snatched another with just over a minute played, forward Connor
Henderson and alternate captain James Hutchinson with the assists. The
shots on each goal far more even in this period, the Hawks were eager to
recover lost ground but were hindered in their efforts when Bentham headed to
the sin bin just under eight minutes later for goaltender interference. This
penalty served without Solway extending their lead further, Reece
Cairney-Witter was next to be side-lined for the same offence on 55:23 but the
playing field was soon levelled when Murray headed to the box for high sticks.
The Sharks returning to full strength with a minute and a half remaining in the
game and the score line still 6-2, there was nothing left but for both teams to
see out the inevitable. Commenting
on Solway’s performance after this encounter, Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “We
knew going into Blackburn would be tough and we didn’t help ourselves with a
poor start. We gave away two sloppy goals but we managed to regain our
composure and get a goal back before the end of period one. We had a good talk
at the break, I asked the players to make sure we played our own game and do
the little things right and they deserve lots of credit for stepping up and
playing the way we can. We scored six unanswered goals and could have scored
more. We showed great discipline to get another three points in the cup and to
make up for our home defeat by Blackburn early in the season. I hope the game
was a fitting tribute to Bobby Dixon after both teams and supporters showed
their respect with the minute’s applause.”
Warriors' struggle against short benched Sting pays off
Whitley Warriors 4
Sutton Sting 2
Following the Warriors
previous hard fought 4-2 victory on home ice against Simon Butterworth’s Sutton
Sting, this was an encounter which was always going to be a difficult one
irrespective of Whitley’s opposition. Paying tribute to long serving Whitley Warriors’
fan Bobby Dixon who sadly passed away last week after a lengthy battle with
cancer, both clubs participated in a minute’s applause before faceoff; the
Warriors also wearing black armbands. Travelling with just eleven skaters, the
Sting were two men lighter than their last visit to Hillheads whereas Whitley’s
only absentees were enforcer Andre Payette, backup netminder Jordan Boyle and
forwards Ben Richards and Alan Yarrow.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Readying themselves for
faceoff, both teams were clearly up for the fight and, though Sutton pinged the
post early on, the home side were able to make the most of their early
offensive opportunities as power forward Jordan Barnes, starting on the same
line as his player-coach, hit home on 5:10 with the help of alternate captain
Shaun Kippin and leader Longstaff. Just over a minute later, Sutton’s netminder
Dmitri Zimozdra found himself punished once again as blue liners Joe Stamp and
Harry Harley passed the puck around the Sting’s defensive zone to provide DJ
Good with the perfect opportunity to achieve his fifth league goal of the
season. From here, a stalemate quickly developed as Sutton continued to work
hard on their blue line whilst Whitley constructed several opportunities to
extend their lead further, only to see each one either frittered away or met by
Sutton’s steely defence. Though the Warriors held onto their two goal cushion
for most of the first period, it was a very narrow lead and could easily be
halved as Longstaff’s line-up soon found out when forward Charlie Thompson
printed his name on the scoresheet; Chris Wilcox and alternate captain Mark
Turner grabbing assists just seven seconds before the break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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With this goal
indicating the uncertainty of the contest, Sutton set their sights on an
equaliser on their return to the ice whilst Whitley were eager to extend their
lead, knowing that the Sting have a habit of taking their chances at exactly the right moment. Despite these
intentions, play was much the same as that of the first period as Whitley held
possession in and around Zimozdra’s goal for lengthy spells whilst breakaways from the Sting saw shot stopper Richie Lawson tested by some of
Sutton’s strongest players, including ex-EPL forward Lloyd Gibson, captain James Spurr and youngster Joe Colton. The game penalty free up until the twenty eighth minute, referee Steven
Wardell made his first call against Warrior Harley who made way for
interference to hand Sutton a power play. Though unable to contend
with Whitley’s precise penalty kill, the Sting were able to capitalise on their
growing possession three minutes later when Matt Jeffcock hit the back of the
net following link up play from Thompson and Colton. Fearing that Butterworth’s
men would then take the lead as the side looked to be making a comeback, the
Warriors appeared unnerved and immediately attempted some offensive play but,
just over a minute later, the team were reduced to four men when forward Martin
Crammond headed to the box to serve two minutes for slashing. This penalty did
not deter Whitley from their previous undertaking though and it was with character
that the team went on to achieve a shorthanded goal through Callum Watson,
Harley with his second assist of the game following a pass from fellow ‘D’ man
Craig Johnson. Continuing on the penalty kill with a 3-2 lead, Whitley were
further punished for their lack of discipline as captain Dean Holland warmed a
seat in the sin bin for delaying the game. Crammond returning to the ice in the
meantime, defenceman Dan Pye then incurred a boarding penalty to set the
home side back once again as Sutton gained a second five-on-three situation
which was only terminated in the final minute of the period.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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A narrow margin
separating the two outfits yet again, both teams returned feeling that the
points could be claimed by their opposition but a hooking offence from Thompson with
a little over four minutes played was enough to hand Whitley their first power
play. Thirty seconds later, Zimozdra was beaten by Watson for a second time as Longstaff and Kippin picked up assists. Soon after, it was Sutton’s turn
to go on the advantage as a minor for Holland placed Whitley on the
penalty kill but the Sting’s pressure was not enough to send Sutton within one
goal of equalising. Zimozdra’s decision to trip youngster Anthony Wetherell
then resulted in Turner serving a two minute penalty which was quickly followed
by a second successive penalty kill for Sutton as Goodman was shown to the sin
bin for boarding. Feeling that they could still take something from the game,
Sutton opted for a timeout on 59:16 but pulling their shot stopper for an
additional skater did not have the desired effect and the final buzzer called
time on Whitley Warriors’ 4-2 victory to take the side into third place ahead of
Solihull Barons. Reflecting on this
game, player-coach David Longstaff stated: “We’ve
got another two points against a well drilled Sutton team. It’s always hard to
break them down and, if you do, you have to beat the best goalie in the league.
I thought our defencemen struggled. They gave the puck away countless times
when we had good possession and the reason for that is they started doing
things they’re not good at so we’ll sit down and talk to them about how we
expect them to play going forward.”
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Hawks
tailspin to fifth cup loss against fired up Stars
Billingham Stars 7
Blackburn Hawks
3
Relishing the
opportunity to host Blackburn Hawks in their only NIHL North Cup fixture of the
weekend, Billingham Stars commenced their game, like The Dragons against Solihull, with a minute’s applause for dedicated Warriors’ fan Bobby Dixon; the club there for their local rivals when they needed it most.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off for the
first period, Billingham Stars were quick to put pressure on Steven Duncombe’s
men as Star Chris Sykes opened the scoring on 6:23 courtesy of build-up play from
player-coach Richie Thornton and Jack Watkins. Just over a minute later, the
Stars’ lead was doubled as Swedish import Dennis Boström held onto possession
before beating netminder Niks Trapans with an unassisted shot. Subsequent to
this goal, emotions ran high, causing Boström to drop the gloves with Blackburn’s captain Ollie Lomax
which earned both players 2+2 for fighting. Soon after, youngster Corey Stones
then joined his team mate on 9:17 to hand Billingham a power play. Wasting no
time in converting their advantage into a goal, the Teessiders made it 3-0
almost ten minutes in as Watkins and fellow forward James Moss united to set up Michael Elder for his third cup goal of the season. With
Blackburn bombarded by the Stars’ offence, there was little the side could do
to get a foothold in the game and the Hawks suffered a further setback when
Scott Ward lit the lamp, Elder and assist specialist Callum Davies offering
support. Racking up this four goal deficit, Duncombe’s men were pleased to see
Billingham go on the penalty kill in the latter stages of the period as
Thornton headed to the box for roughing but the few chances that fell to
Blackburn did not make an impact on the game as the home side filed in at the
break with their considerable lead intact.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Resuming their search
for a goal, Blackburn returned to the ice only to receive the perfect opportunity to get
on the scoresheet when Star Daniel Palmebjörk incurred a minor for delaying the
game. However, the Hawks were unable to capitalise in this instance, though
goal threat Rick Bentham was on hand to cause Billingham a moment of concern.
Restored to full strength, netminder Mark Watson then contended with a close
attempt from youngster James Royds who proved to be tricky opposition on
occasions and, though Palmebjörk tried to redeem his earlier misdemeanour, it
was the visitors who were next to score as Tom Parkinson lit the lamp; hardworking forward James Riddoch and Lomax with the assists. Now off the mark,
it took little time for the Hawks to claim their second, this time Philip
Mulcahy playing the puck to Stones who did not miss his mark. Chipping away at
their deficit to make it 4-2, the Lancashire outfit were edging their way into
the game and it was shortly after this goal that forward Aaron Davies tried his
luck but to no avail. Blackburn’s creative opportunities were then inhibited by
an interference call against goal scorer Parkinson which saw Billingham go on a
fruitless power play before heading for the second interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Hoping to secure the
points in the final period of the game to avoid overtime, Billingham chose to
demonstrate their firepower in the opening stages of the stanza as defenceman Ben Davison
worked with Watkins and Boström to trouble Trapans whilst Royds looked lively
at the other end of the ice. Though these early efforts failed to make a mark
on the game, it was not long before the puck was again in the back of the net
as the Stars made it 5-2 on 48:43, Palmebjörk slipping a pass to Watkins who
shelved his shot to damage Blackburn’s hopes of a comeback. Unwilling to give
up, the Hawks fought on to reduce their deficit once again as Parkinson notched
a second with help from Riddoch and forward Carl Price. Despite this,
Billingham were equally reluctant to release their grip on the game and it was
Sykes who made it six for his side on 58:46 as Palmebjörk and Thornton both
collected their second assists of the game. Pulling Trapans from his goal in the dying seconds of the period, Duncombe’s men lost possession as Watson played the puck to Callum Davies who then found Elder to seal a 7-3 victory
with an empty net goal.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Taking time to share
his views after the game, Man of the Match Chris Sykes observed: “It was nice to get a win under our belt after last
weekend away in Sutton. We had a bad start there and we had to rectify that. We
found ourselves 4-0 up at the end of the first and in a good stride. We died
off a little in the second but we pulled through and got the points in the cup.
All of the lads got ice time and that’s what the cup is about. It was good fun
all round on a sad day. Just a side note, Bobby would have been proud of all
the support from all teams across the NIHL. It was nice to see and hear. All
for one and one for all. There’s only one Bobby Dixon. Rest in peace.”
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