Sharks
tear Blackburn apart as Hawks tailspin to defeat
Solway Sharks 8
Blackburn Hawks 2
Facing Blackburn Hawks
for the second time in the space of a week, Solway Sharks lined up with a convincing
squad of fifteen skaters which included captain Struan Tonnar, power forward Ross Murray, hardworking left
winger Steven Moore and imports Kim Miettinen and Juraj Senko to name but a few. Matching
Solway’s numbers, though without suspended captain Ollie Lomax and top point scorer
Rick Bentham, the Hawks boasted an equally impressive bench as player-coach
Steven Duncombe and his men headed out onto the ice in search of an
all-important victory.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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The first period
underway, both sides sought the puck in the early stages of the game but it was
the home team who were able to get off to the better start, making the most of
their possession to test Blackburn’s sturdy netminder Stuart Ashton. Unable to
capitalise on their initial chances, the Sharks were soon handed their first
power play when Finnish import Mikko Sierman made way for hooking on 5:17.
Striving to capitalise, Solway were not short of
opportunities to go ahead in the game but Ashton remained strong to ensure Martin Grubb’s men did not punish the Hawks for their misdemeanour. When restored to full strength, Blackburn then incurred a second penalty just over a
minute later when former Dragon Chris Gee was side-lined for interference.
Continuing to dominate in front of goal, the Sharks once again found themselves
unable to get on the scoresheet with the additional man and it was over five
minutes after their opposition’s penalty had terminated that the side were
finally able to open the scoring, forward Duncan Speirs with the slap shot following assists from Ross Murray and youngster Darren Stattersfield. Perhaps lucky to have conceded just one goal with only eight
shots to Solway’s twenty eight, the Hawks were disappointed to have gone behind at this stage in the period and were further frustrated to let in a
second just over three minutes later when Speirs’ attempt was saved by Ashton,
only for hardworking alternate captain Murray to bury the rebound, allowing his
side to head in with a two-goal lead.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning for the
second period, the Hawks resumed play with hopes that they could reduce their
deficit but it was clear that Solway had other ideas as Moore linked up with
Miettinen who did not miss his mark to make it 3-0 on 21:28. It was shortly
after this goal however, that tough guy Reece Cairney-Witter provoked Tonnar
with success to see both earn minors for slashing. Just twenty four seconds
later, Blackburn then handed the Sharks an advantage when forward Aaron Davies
made way for high sticks. Having failed to capitalise on power plays in the
first period, Solway were aware that they could not let this opportunity
against the three-man Hawks slip by and it took only fifty one seconds into Davies’ penalty for the
Dumfries outfit to light the lamp for a fourth time as Stuart Kerr scored an
outstanding goal, unleashing a shot which went in off the bar following neat
build up play from Speirs and Miettinen. In spite of this goal, the Hawks
battled on and, gradually beginning to challenge Hepburn on a more frequent
basis, were eventually able to reap the rewards of their offensive play on
32:24 when skilled forward Philip Mulcahy picked out Davies who fired
home to make it 4-1; Sierman with the additional assist. Though encouraged by
this goal, it was not long before Blackburn were again confronted with a
four-goal deficit as young prospect Daniel Abercrombie achieved his twelfth
league goal of the season courtesy of Connor Henderson and Moore to make
matters worse for the visitors. Showing no signs of letting up, the Sharks extended
their lead further as Abercrombie grabbed a second with just over a minute of
the middle stanza remaining.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Opting for Niks Trapans
in goal for the final period of the game, Blackburn Hawks assumed their place
on the ice knowing that damage limitation was realistically their only option
under the pressures of Solway’s attacking play, with few opportunities of their
own arising though they were able to double their first period shots tally in
the second. Claiming possession early in the period, the Sharks did not take
long to find the back of the net for a seventh time as Moore reaped the rewards
of his hard work to score his sixth league goal of the season on
42:24; Henderson and Slovakian import Juraj Senko arriving in support. Close to
three minutes later, Solway were then able to add to the Lancashire outfit’s
woes as Abercrombie teamed up with Henderson who claimed his third assist of
the evening to see Miettinen punish the Hawks’ defence with an eighth goal.
With their efforts now few and far between, Blackburn found themselves on the
wrong end of the Sharks’ creative play as the home team approached the Hawks’ defensive zone with confidence to repeatedly try their luck, though to no
avail. Made to work hard in net, Trapans was able to see off the best of
Solway’s attempts whilst Blackburn’s forwards Thomas Parkinson, import Jozef Istocy,
Mulcahy and Davies were amongst those striving to snatch another goal to reduce the seven-goal gap
between themselves and the Sharks but it was not until 52:55 that the side were
able to add a second to their tally; passing play from Parkinson to Istocy
around the net eventually finding its way to forward James Riddoch who zipped
the puck past Hepburn to make it 8-2. The two outfits resumed play but the home team
demonstrated their ability to recover from the concession of this goal with an
onslaught against Trapans and his defence; Murray, Speirs and Abercrombie
amongst those coming close to printing their names on the scoresheet once
again. However, the clock running down with no further goals from either team,
it became apparent that Solway would settle for their lot whilst the visitors
were eager for the final buzzer which would bring them one step closer to the
reverse of this fixture and a chance to start afresh on home ice in the second
game of their double header.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Speaking after this game, Solway Sharks’ Head Coach Martin
Grubb told NIHL Northern Trio: “We knew we
would need to come out and be aggressive on the fore check from the start of
the game and I felt we did that and it allowed us to dominate possession. We
created lots of chances and it took us a good while to convert but once we hit
our stride, I thought we scored some really nice goals and everyone contributed
to a good performance.”
Tigers’
roar silenced as Warriors show edge in hard fought battle
Whitley Warriors 4
Telford Tigers 2
Making the trip to
Hillheads, Daniel MacKriel’s Telford Tigers arrived in Whitley Bay in search of
maximum points to lift them from the foot of the NIHL table and had at their
disposal a squad of fifteen skaters as well as netminders Daniel Brittle and Louis
Edwards. The Warriors, on the other hand, were missing only injured forward Ben
Richards, third choice netminder Rory Dunn and youngsters Ross Douglass and
Anthony Wetherell which meant the home outfit had three players more than that
of their opposition whilst shot stopper Richie Lawson assumed his usual place
between the pipes.
The early moments of
the first period unfolding at a rapid rate, it was clear from the start that
this was going to be a difficult game for both sides as the two fought over
possession and, though Whitley attempted to construct some early chances in the
game, Telford’s clean passing play made execution difficult
for the Warriors, with Brittle brothers Adam and Luke working alongside fellow
forwards Matt Viney, Ben Simister and Slovakian left winger Karol Jets to intercept
the puck and play it back into their own offensive zone. Persisting in their
efforts to take the lead, the Warriors battled on to reap their rewards as forward Callum Watson fired the puck beyond netminder Daniel Brittle on 7:59 following neat build up play from alternate captain Shaun Kippin and player-coach David Longstaff which caused much disappointment for the visitors
who had given a good account of themselves in the opening minutes of the game.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the Tigers continued to compete with the
Warriors and were soon handed an opportunity to draw level when
Longstaff found himself sinbinned for slashing on 14:36. Scoring with just
twenty eight seconds of Whitley’s penalty left to play, defenceman Joshua
Hustwick made his mark on the game with an equaliser, following clinical build
up play from Simister and Jets to see the scoreboard read 1-1. However, this
good deed was soon cancelled out with the concession of a penalty as Hustwick then made way for tripping to award Whitley a power play. This penalty running into
the second period, both teams went in at the break with a goal apiece and much
work to do on their return to the ice after the interval.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
With nothing to
separate the two outfits heading into the third period, both teams knew that
the next goal in the game would be a crucial one and it proved to be so as the
Warriors claimed a second with just over two minutes of the final stanza played when
forward Martin Crammond slipped the puck to Pye who beat Brittle to shed some
daylight between Whitley and their opponents. Shortly afterwards, a holding penalty
for Hustwick allowed the home team to ice the additional skater over the Tigers
which gave the Warriors the chance they were looking for but not before forward Adam
Brittle took possession of the puck in his defensive zone to race to a
one-on-one opportunity with netminder Lawson who stopped his shot in
spectacular style. It was soon after Telford’s missed chance, and forty eight
seconds into Hustwick’s punishment, that Watson was able to turn assist
alongside Longstaff, allowing line mate Kippin to light the lamp and thereby create a two-goal
cushion for the first time in the game. Feeling the points were beginning to slip away from
them, the Tigers were not about to give up and it showed as Lawson was called
upon to make several important saves to keep MacKriel’s men at bay. A minor for
holding against defenceman Craig Johnson at the halfway point in the
period saw the visitors go on the advantage but the Warriors dug in deep on the
penalty kill yet again, switching lines quickly for maximum intensity, to
ensure that there were no unwelcome additions to the 3-1 score line. Shortly
after Johnson’s return to the ice,‘D’ man Josh Maddock
took control of the puck in his own defensive zone to thread a pass to power forward
Jordan Barnes; the Warrior raced into Whitley’s offensive zone to find Kippin
flying up the wing who subsequently rocketed a shot past Brittle which surprised the netminder to make it 4-1. It was just over a minute
after this goal though that the Tigers were encouraged to hit back as Luke
Brittle found a way past Lawson courtesy of fellow forwards Viney and brother Adam
Brittle. With their deficit reduced to just two, the Tigers increased their
pressure on Lawson and his defence but the Warriors were resolute in their aim
to take maximum points from this clash and fought for the remainder of the
period until the final buzzer called time on the game and their 4-2 result.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Remaining in fourth
place but tied on twenty points with Solihull Barons, the Warriors stay abreast
of Sutton Sting and Blackburn Hawks who are just points away from making it
into the playoff places but it is clear that the side have a difficult task
ahead, with five consecutive road trips and Longstaff already admitting to a depleted
squad for those games. Speaking after this contest, Longstaff shared: “I
thought the game was very even and the difference was Richie Lawson. He was by
far the best player on the ice. I also thought Kippin, Holland, Watson,
Maddock, Pye and Stamp were excellent.”
Solway
scrape points against bold Blackburn to take one step closer to title
Blackburn Hawks 2
Solway Sharks 3
After a successful
evening at their home rink on Saturday against Steven Duncombe’s Blackburn
Hawks, Solway Sharks headed out into this fixture with hopes for a repeat
performance as they travelled with exactly the same team as the previous night with
the addition of alternate captain James Hutchinson. Meanwhile, the Hawks were
again able to ice a decent line-up which included juniors Harry Mercer, Daniel
Sanderson and James Royds in addition to top points scorers Aaron Davies, Mikko
Sierman and Philip Mulcahy.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Seeking revenge for
their previous encounter with the Dumfries outfit, Blackburn knew that a positive
start to the game would be crucial if they were going to achieve a victory
against the league leaders and they managed to find what they were searching
for when forward Corey Stones found the target with just 1:42 on the clock, courtesy of ‘D’ man Nick Oliver. Stunned to be trailing by 1-0 at such an early
stage in the game, Solway sought an equaliser but found this a challenge
against the organised Hawks who appeared a very different side to the one which had recorded an 8-2 defeat to the Sharks on the previous evening. Testing netminder
Calum Hepburn at every opportunity, Blackburn were able to give as good as they
got to make life difficult for their visitors who appeared guilty of
complacency in their attempts to beat shot stopper Stuart Ashton. Narrowly outshooting
the home team by fourteen to eleven, the Sharks required an opportunity to get
back on track and it arrived on 16:57 when Oliver made way for hooking to award
Solway a power play. Despite their best efforts to grab a goal with the
additional skater, the Sharks found it difficult to compete with the Hawks who defended
exceptionally well to hold onto their lead ahead of the break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning to the ice
for the second period, Solway recognised their need to draw level and were
finally able to get on the score sheet when left winger Steven Moore buried the
puck past Ashton on 23:20 following hard work from forwards Connor Henderson
and Daniel Abercrombie. Battling for possession to break up Solway’s play, the
Hawks continued to give a good account of themselves, playing far better than
they had in their previous encounter against the Sharks to ensure that the game
did not spiral from their control. As a result, it was over six minutes before
Martin Grubb’s men could take the lead, this time Moore returning the favour
for Henderson who slotted home to achieve his fifth league goal of the season. With
their opposition ahead in the game for the first time, Blackburn knew all too
well the importance of reducing Solway’s scoring chances and were able to hinder
their visitors in their efforts to grab a third goal. Conceding a penalty for
delaying the game on 37:46, stand-in captain Chris Butler handed the advantage to the Sharks but another poor power play meant that the Lancashire outfit were
still very much in the game at the interval, though still trailing by a goal.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Finding themselves in
search of an equaliser as they headed into the third period, Duncombe’s men were
eager to put the Sharks to the test in the hope that they could achieve a league
win over Solway, having only recorded a cup victory against the side so far this
season. However, the home team were faced with an immediate setback when
netminder Ashton was dealt a match ban for unsportsmanlike conduct on 44:17
which saw shot stopper Niks Trapans take his place between the pipes whilst
Sharks’ alternate captain Ross Murray also received two minutes for slashing.
Increasing their pressure on Blackburn’s net following the termination of this
penalty, forwards Duncan Speirs, Joe Coulter, Moore and Henderson were amongst
those striving for Solway’s next goal but the visitors were then provided with an advantage
when Duncombe received five minutes plus game for boarding Murray, leaving the Sharks
without their valuable power forward who picked up an upper body injury which will see him sidelined for at least the next three weeks. Just over three minutes
later, Hutchinson found himself sinbinned for the Sharks to provide a level
playing field for their opposition who were able to capitalise one minute into
this penalty; alternate captain Bobby Streetly linking up with Davies who equalised for his side with less than five minutes remaining in
the game. Spurred into action as a result of this goal, Solway hit back just
forty two seconds later to reinstate their lead through blue liner Stuart Kerr
who now has three goals in three consecutive games against the Hawks, Speirs
and Moore assisting on this occasion. The Hawks calling a timeout shortly afterwards in the hope
that they could snatch a last minute equaliser, play was resumed for only thirty seconds before Grubb opted for a timeout
of his own. After this disruption to play, there was little time remaining for Blackburn
to make the impact that they hoped they could whereas the Sharks were happy to
hold onto their narrow lead to snatch another two points and take one step
closer to the league title. Reflecting on
this clash, Grubb shared: “I had warned the players against complacency after
the result of the night before and I wasn’t impressed by how we started the
game at all. We made some adjustments to play on the terrible ice surface for
the second period and it was better but when we should have took hold of the
game, we missed way too many chances and our power play was terrible. We
showed true character to get a late winner, even if we weren’t at our best
against the much-improved Hawks who deserve credit for how they played. It’s another
win closer for us and we just want to keep our momentum going now. ”
Stars
outshine stubborn Solihull to secure victory
Billingham Stars 6
Solihull Barons 5
Playing host to
Solihull Barons, Billingham Stars headed into this game hoping to achieve their
first victory over Perry Doyle’s men, having lost out twice already to the side
this season. Though lining up without netminder James Flavell due to work
commitments and defencemen Ben Davison, Matthew Campbell, Scott Cooper and Callum
Read, the Stars’ most skilled forwards were available for the clash in addition to defensive quartet Thomas Keeley,
Andy Finn, Ross Hanlon and player-coach Richie Thornton.
Meanwhile, making the trip to The Forum with top points scorers Niklas Ottosson,
Thomas Soar and Joe Henry, skilled youngster Matthew Maurice, hardworking
defencemen Ryan Selwood and netminder Josh Nicholls, the Barons were equally
prepared for their visit to Teesside, knowing that two points would see them
creep further ahead of Whitley Warriors in the league table.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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With faceoff over and
the first period underway, it was Billingham who were first to impress as they
have in their previous games against the Barons this campaign, Sykes carving a
path through Solihull’s players to fire home an unassisted effort on 3:55. Reassured
that past victories against the Stars had also begun with the Teessiders scoring
first, the Barons remained composed in spite of this opening goal to test backup netminder
Mark Watson and, though unable to draw level immediately after conceding, the
side were handed the perfect opportunity to grab an equaliser when Billingham’s
forward Scott Ward was considered guilty of interference on 11:19 to give
Solihull a power play. Not about to waste the chance that they had been
searching for, Ottosson teamed up with Soar to successfully send defenceman
Richard Crowe through on goal to level the score line. Disappointed to see
their lead erased, the Stars sought to get ahead in the game once more and peppering
shot stopper Nicholls with their many attempts, Sykes looked to add to his
points tally whilst imports Dennis Boström and Daniel Palmebjörk were also
eager to get on the scoresheet. Despite these efforts, Billingham were unable
to add another to their tally until the final twenty seconds of the period when
Sykes achieved his twentieth league goal of the season with support from defencemen
Thornton and Finn to allow his side to head in with a 2-1 lead.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Picking up from where
they left off in the first period, Billingham took to the second stanza with
aims to extend their lead further and did so just over four minutes in to claim a
third goal as Sykes integrated Palmebjörk into play to link up with forward
Jack Watkins who punished Nicholls with a tap-in to make it 3-1. Relentless in
their efforts, the Stars then took little time to add another to the scoreboard
as Boström slipped past Solihull’s defence to find the back of the net on 25:24
to add to the Barons’ woes. Whilst Perry Doyle’s men searched for an opportunity to
reduce the gap between themselves and the home team, it appeared that matters
would only get worse for the visitors when Palmebjörk and Sykes worked together
once more as Watkins notched his thirteenth league goal whilst increasing the
Barons’ deficit to four on 31:31. This goal prompting Doyle to call a
timeout, Solihull resumed play to receive a power play shortly afterwards as
Hanlon was punished for delaying the game which presented the visitors with
another opportunity to grab a goal on the advantage and they did so as Crowe
combined with Ottosson on this occasion to allow Soar to place the puck beyond
Watson to make it 5-2. Moments later, a clash between Keeley and alternate
captain Josh Bruce caused both players to warm a seat in the sin bin for minor
offences. Whilst the Stars continued to work hard in front of goal in the dying
stages of the stanza, the Barons were not without their own chances, having
doubled their shots on goal over the course of the first and second
period. Despite this, it was the Stars who had one of the better chances to
snatch a goal before the break when Boström managed to get the puck over the
line but saw his effort ruled out due to high sticks.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Taking to the ice for
the final period of the game, the Barons remained hopeful that they could snatch something from the encounter and a tripping penalty conceded by Hanlon looked
like it would provide the side with the chance they were searching for but
this did not prove to be the case as the Stars were effective on the penalty
kill to return to five men unscathed before Palmebjörk claimed a breakaway goal to create what appeared to be a comfortable
four-goal gap between themselves and their opposition. However, reflecting on
past contests between themselves and the Stars, the Barons were certain that
the game was far from over and hit back on 49:07 when Ottosson made the most of
passing play between Soar and Selwood to weave a path through the Stars and subsequently light the
lamp. Just over a minute later, Watson was again picking the puck from his net
when captain Tomas Janak played the puck to skilled forward Josh Bruce who worked
free of Billingham’s defence to make a pass across the Stars’ goal which was
slotted home by Henry. The momentum of the game suddenly switching, the Barons
found themselves creeping back into the contest, having gained these two quick
goals to make it 6-4. Spurred on by their offensive efforts and feeling that the points
were within reach, Doyle’s men found themselves capable of a fifth goal when Ottosson
won the faceoff to find Soar who immediately fired a shot around Watson to make
it 6-5. Just seven seconds later, Crowe made way to serve a minor for tripping and,
despite several attempts on the power play, Billingham were unable to make any
of their chances count as Solihull continued to turn their attentions to creating
an equaliser. Worried by Solihull’s comeback, the Teessiders realised that
their opposition were not about to give up yet and strove to make their lead
more comfortable with Boström trying his luck but, brought down when close to
goal, fellow forward James Moss clashed with the Barons which then saw several
players involved but surprisingly neither side incurred a penalty
minute. With time fast running out and neither team making any clear progress,
the Barons opted to pull netminder Nicholls with just over a minute remaining
in the game to see if the additional skater would provide the team with the
goal they were hoping for. Struggling to carve an opportunity against
Billingham’s strong defence, Solihull’s objective was hindered by the threat of
an empty net goal posed by Thornton, Keeley and Bowman on three separate occasions
whilst Janak, Bruce and Maurice were amongst those trying to snatch a goal at
the other end of the ice. Despite efforts from both teams, neither could add to
the score line and, as a result, Billingham Stars were able to claim their
narrow victory to remain ten points behind league leaders Solway Sharks whilst the
Barons are now tied on twenty points with Whitley Warriors as they fight to
hold onto their playoff place.
Commenting after this
game, Star Chris Sykes told NIHL Northern Trio: “Solihull came into our rink on
Sunday after beating us in our previous two games against them this season. We
started well, got a lead and we were 5-1 up and cruising but we took our foot
off the gas, so to speak, and credit to the Barons, they kept pushing us all the
way to the end but we managed to hang on in there for a win. It was a good
game, it always is against the Barons. They have great scoring lines as do we.
It just turns into a good old game of who can score the most. This time we got
the better end of the score line and got two vital points to keep away from the
chasing pack.”
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.
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