NIHL Weekend Action

Warriors knocked for six as Sharks secure North Cup title

Solway Sharks         6

Whitley Warriors       3

Facing Whitley Warriors on home ice for the third time this season, Solway Sharks were able to take a great deal of confidence into this clash, having yet to lose out to the Hillheads outfit this campaign. Notably, both teams were short benched as the Dumfries outfit took to the ice without suspended alternate captain Ross Murray and two-way player Ben Edmonds, not to mention forwards Duncan Speirs and Connor Henderson. Meanwhile, the Warriors were equally depleted with player-coach David Longstaff deciding to coach from the bench and suspended enforcer Andre Payette, captain Dean Holland, alternate captain Shaun Kippin, forward Liam Brown, defenceman Joe Stamp and youngsters Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass missing for the visitors. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Knowing that a regulation win for the Sharks would put Solway on course to win the North Cup title with an unbeatable twenty three points, the Warriors were aware of the immense challenge facing them as Solway headed onto the ice with silverware in their sights. In the opening minutes of the first period, both shot stopper Chris Rae and netminder Richie Lawson were called upon to ensure the deadlock remained unbroken as the two teams battled to get off the mark. The contest close, it was not long before tempers frayed, Warrior Jordan Barnes and Solway’s Stuart Andrews clashing on 8:05 to earn themselves minor roughing penalties. These penalties running until the halfway point of the period, both teams returned to full strength to continue their search for the first goal of the game and it was not long after that the Sharks were able to take the lead, defenceman Andrews finding the back of the net to redeem himself for his previous misdemeanour whilst left winger Steven Moore and forward Marc Fowley were on hand to pick up assists. Disappointed to lose out having kept Solway at bay in the early stages of the game, the Warriors sought their own opportunities in front of Rae’s goal but it was Whitley’s netminder Lawson that found himself under the most pressure as the Sharks outshot their opposition by fourteen to eight. A slashing penalty against forward Callum Watson on 13:11 presented the Dumfries outfit with a power play but the Warriors’ blue line remained strong to prevent attempts from Solway’s hardworking contingent from causing further damage. Shortly after returning to full strength, the visitors then incurred another penalty as ‘D’ man Josh Maddock headed to the sin bin for hooking to leave the Warriors shorthanded until the final minute of the period. Performing well on the penalty kill, Longstaff’s line-up were able to defend exceptionally well to prevent the determined Sharks from scoring a second ahead of the interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Racing onto the ice for the second period, both teams resumed their heated battle before Whitley conceded another minor when Maddock was found to be guilty of tripping by referee Steven Wardell. This time the Sharks needed little persuasion to capitalise and, with only eleven seconds of their advantage remaining, young prospect Daniel Abercrombie was able to hit home courtesy of strong link up play from Fowley and Finnish import Kim Miettinen. Made to pay for their lack of discipline, the Warriors were again shorthanded just minutes later as returning Warrior Alan Yarrow found himself punished for a crosscheck to hand the opposition the advantage once more. Try as they might, Solway could not make their chances count but the Warriors then incurred a further minor just seconds before Yarrow’s punishment was over to extend the Sharks’ power play; this time forward DJ Good shown to the sin bin for hooking on 29:26. Fortunately for Longstaff’s men, these penalties were not entirely to Whitley’s detriment as Good was restored to the ice, only to present stand-in captain Barnes with the perfect opportunity to place the puck beyond Rae which reduced the deficit to one goal. Spurred on by this, the Warriors were then handed an advantage when Sharks’ captain Struan Tonnar was made to sit out for holding over two minutes later but the home side made for difficult opposition to prevent Whitley from equalising on the power play. Instead, the Dumfries outfit were able to get on the scoresheet soon after returning to five men, Miettinen with his second assist of the evening as he played the puck to two-way player Jordan Buesa who comfortably punished Lawson on 37:31. Undeterred by this setback however, the Warriors were able to snatch a second goal in the last minute of the period when play between Maddock and Watson worked its way to forward Ben Richards who lit the lamp to make it 3-2. Feeling that this would provide them with a good footing as they headed into the third period, the visitors were then stunned when the Sharks bounced back to regain their two-goal cushion as Tonnar found the target with just five seconds of the stanza remaining; forwards Joe Coulter and Buesa with the assists.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off for the final period, Solway were more determined than ever to hold onto their lead whilst the Warriors were aware that their short benched side would have much work to do to but were willing to give the game their all under the circumstances. Opting for backup netminder Jordan Boyle between the pipes in place of Lawson, the Warriors continued to use the cup competition as an opportunity to provide ice time to those players who do not feature on a regular basis. Making an excellent start to the period, the Sharks were able to create several chances in their offensive zone but strong defending from Whitley meant that scoring a fifth goal was no easy task for Solway who were unable to extend their lead until 48:15 when Tonnar grabbed his second of the game following creative play from Buesa and Miettinen. Now three goals adrift, Whitley could feel that the game was slipping further from their grasp and a hooking penalty against Richards approximately four minutes later added to the visitors’ problems as the Sharks quickly capitalised just twenty four seconds into the Warriors’ penalty kill; Abercrombie threading a pass to Fowley who slotted home to make it 6-2. It was not long after this goal that long-serving Warrior Watson was side-lined for the remainder of the game as the forward conceded a two minute penalty for roughing followed by a ten minute misconduct for making his feelings clear on the matter. With less than six minutes remaining in the period, Solway continued to cause problems for the Hillheads outfit as the Warriors’ efforts on goal gradually dwindled whilst the home team were able to test Boyle, though without further success. Despite this, the Warriors were provided with one last chance to gain a power play goal when Sharks’ blue liner Andrews headed to the sin bin for a crosscheck on fifty nine minutes. Piling the pressure onto Rae and his defence in the hope that they could earn themselves a consolatory goal, the Warriors were delighted when Richards snatched another to make it 6-3 with just twenty four seconds of the period to play. This goal sparked some rather tempestuous scenes however, as Solway’s newest signing Darren Stattersfield checked power forward Barnes to spark a fight. Whilst both players earned themselves 2+2 for fighting, the youngster picked up an additional ten minute penalty for his actions, leaving both sides punished as the buzzer called time on Solway’s victory.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Achieving their first piece of silverware this season following this regulation win, Solway Sharks now have twenty three points from nine games with three fixtures still to play in the competition whilst Whitley Warriors remain in second place with two games in hand on Billingham. Speaking after the game, player-coach David Longstaff shared: “It was a decent game for us. We played every player and some got ice time they wouldn’t normally get in a league game.” Meanwhile, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb also took time to comment: “The game was a scrappy affair with both teams short on key players and I felt we didn’t get into it as quick as I would have liked. We eventually got the lead and managed to be in control of the game although Whitley battled hard but we got the win in a game that was hardly a classic. It’s great for the boys to collect the first trophy of the season and we are still focused on improving and gaining confidence from this but it’s nice for the players and supporters to share success.”

  

Stars strike back to shoot down Sting

Billingham Stars   5  

Sutton Sting           3

Playing host to Sutton Sting, Billingham Stars headed into this league fixture with victory on their agenda after last weekend’s double defeat to Solway Sharks and Solihull Barons. Icing a much strengthened squad, the Stars had sixteen skaters at their disposal for this encounter as Andy Finn and Jack Davies returned to the Stars line-up, though blue liners Tom Keeley, Matthew Campbell and the injured Ben Davison were unavailable for the clash. Likewise, Sutton Sting were equally hoping for maximum points after losing their last three games and Head Coach Simon Butterworth made the trip with a strong squad of twenty which included outstanding netminding duo Dmitri Zimozdra and Zack Brown. Knowing that victory was not an impossibility having defeated the Stars once already this season, Sutton went into this fixture with their usual tenacity.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading into the first period, Billingham took to the ice with a thirst for glory which was met by the Sting’s determination to prevent the Stars from claiming a goal in the early stages of the game. Defending exceptionally well in the opening minutes, Sutton were able to dig in deep to prevent the home side from going ahead in the game and, whilst the visitors had their fair share of chances, it was clear that Zimozdra was the busier netminder as Billingham’s forwards strove to make an impact in front of goal though to no avail. With time passing and both teams regretting their missed opportunities, forward Chris Sykes was finally able to beat the Sting’s sturdy shot stopper with an unassisted effort on 14:29 to give his side the lead. Whilst it may have taken over fourteen minutes for the first goal of the game to be scored, the next followed just twenty nine seconds later when Sutton’s reliable blue liner Ryan Johnson, who found himself playing as a forward for this clash, took control of the puck to make the most of fast-paced passing play from captain James Spurr and experienced defenceman David Pyatt. The score line 1-1, the two teams continued to battle but the Stars ultimately found themselves no further forward due to the outstanding efforts of the Sting and headed in at the break with much work still to be done.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the middle section of the game, both outfits resumed their war of attrition, with Sutton beginning to see their fair share of chances though excellent netminding at either end of the ice ensured neither side could creep ahead in the game. Whilst Spurr continued to appear particularly dangerous in offence for the Sting, Billingham’s Swedish imports turned their attention towards the net on more than one occasion but to no avail. In the same way that the first period passed by without any impact on the score line, the second unfolded in a similar manner and both teams had played beyond the halfway point in the stanza before the lamp was lit again, this time Billingham’s Daniel Palmebjörk printing his name on the scoresheet with help from fellow forward Jack Watkins. Claiming this narrow lead, the Stars were unable to build any momentum from this goal as a result of the Sting’s pre-emptive play. Facing fourteen shots to Zimozdra’s twelve, it was clear that shot stopper James Flavell was called upon more frequently as the visitors continued to put him to the test, yet Sutton could not deliver a goal in spite of their many chances. Provided with the ideal opportunity to draw level in the latter stages of the stanza when Sykes made way following a holding call on 38:26, Butterworth’s men battled to make the additional man count but were unable to do so. Holding onto the hope that they could make the most of the remaining twenty six seconds of the Stars’ penalty kill after the interval, the Sting looked on as matters were made worse for the Teessiders; Jack Davies incurring a ten minute penalty for abuse of an official as the period came to an end.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Resuming their power play, the Sting found themselves unable to capitalise and were soon punished as the Stars took possession of the puck to see Dennis Boström fire home an unassisted effort seventy seven seconds later. The margin which separated the two teams now more noticeable than before, Sutton continued in the same vein to break up the Stars’ creative play, thereby ensuring that they were not yet out of the contest. Playing with strength to counteract Billingham’s unrelenting attack, Butterworth’s men made full use of their power and it was not long after that a hard hit against the Stars’ saw forward James Moss clash with the Sting’s alternate captain James Goodman; both players earned themselves 2+2 for fighting whilst the latter conceded an additional two minutes for roughing. Just over two minutes later, shot stopper Zimozdra was then found to be guilty of tripping which presented Billingham with a power play. As a result, the Teessiders did not hesitate to capitalise as Boström struck the back of the net for a second time, following build-up play from player-coach Michael Bowman and blue liner Finn. The scoreboard reading 4-1, Sutton’s hopes of victory were fast slipping away as the Stars continued their control of the period, peppering Zimozdra with shots whilst Flavell coped comfortably with the Sting’s counterattack. Aware that the clock was against them, Butterworth called a timeout on 57:12, making the decision to pull Zimozdra from his net to ice an additional player. Quick to reap the rewards of this tactic, the Sheffield-based outfit were able to hit home just four seconds after returning from their timeout, Spurr linking up with experienced forward Scott Morris on this occasion to successfully send Joe Colton through on goal. The score line now 4-2, it was clear that the Sting were feeling buoyed by Butterworth’s words and the side then added another to their tally with eighteen seconds remaining in the game as Spurr finally reaped the rewards of his hard work with a goal; Colton turning assist alongside junior Oliver Mitchell. This a nerve-racking turn of events for the Stars who had previously been in control of the game, the side set out to regain possession to eliminate Sutton’s chances of a comeback and did so in the dying seconds as forward Callum Davies collected the puck to find Boström who sealed his hat trick with an empty net goal one second before the final buzzer.

As a result of this victory, the Stars have reduced the points gap between themselves and league leaders Solway Sharks to eight once again whilst Sutton Sting slip into the league placement playoff place as a result of this road loss. Commenting after the game, Star Chris Sykes shared his views on Billingham’s 5-3 victory against his former team: “Back to winning ways for the Stars and in the first game on home ice of 2017 which is a good start! We played some good hockey and we had a 4-1 lead, Sutton pulled their goalie with about three minutes left to play and got a couple of bounces and some goals but we managed to pick up the ENG and just make sure the points were ours. It was a real good game.”

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