NIHL Weekend Action

Dragons’ fire extinguished as Sharks surge to victory

Solway Sharks  13

The Dragons       2

Travelling to the Dumfries Ice Bowl with just eleven skaters, injured player-coach Scott McKenzie took to overseeing proceedings from The Dragons’ bench as his side lined up against league leaders Solway Sharks who had five more men than that of their opposition, missing only injured alternate captain Ross Murray from their regular squad. Looking for no less than a win with the league silverware almost within their grasp, Martin Grubb’s men went out onto the ice aiming to secure the Moralee Conference title whilst The Dragons were aware of the challenge awaiting them but were equally hopeful that they could take something from the game. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Starting as they meant to go on, Solway Sharks had no sooner faced off against the Dragons than the puck was in the back of the net, forward Connor Henderson teaming up with fellow junior Daniel Abercrombie who slotted the puck past netminder Denis Bell to give his team the lead on 1:03. Disappointed to concede so early on in the game and feeling the pressures of their short bench from the outset, it was not long before The Dragons incurred their first penalty of the evening as Ross Kennedy was sent to the sin bin for a tripping offence shortly afterwards to hand the Sharks a power play. Turning their attentions to a second goal, Solway were quick to capitalise as defenceman James Hutchinson doubled his side’s lead with a slap shot fifty five seconds later following a pass from Finnish import Kim Miettinen and support from skilled two-way player Jordan Buesa. Suffering a two goal deficit with less than five minutes on the clock, the Dragons recovered themselves to test shot stopper Calum Hepburn; captain James Parsons and Slovakian import Filip Supa attempting to surpass Solway’s defence. Failing to make the desired impact in front of goal, the Dragons were then forced to endure further pressure from the Sharks which resulted in a third goal for the home team as left winger and stand-in alternate captain Steven Moore received the puck from Miettinen to send Henderson through on goal with success as the forward netted to make it 3-0. Encouraged by their dominant start to the game, the Sharks continued to seek avenues through on goal whilst the Dragons sought opportunities to counterattack but there was little the visitors could do to prevent a fourth goal as Solway’s captain Struan Tonnar rocketed an unassisted effort beyond Bell on 11:24. Struggling to compete against Martin Grubb’s organised lines, the Welsh outfit saw their several attempts on goal fail as the Sharks continued to outshoot their opposition but hard work from former EPL netminder Bell ensured that the Dragons’ went in at the break trailing by just four goals, having absorbed much of the pressure in the second half of the opening period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aiming to keep their rate of concession to a minimum as they headed into the middle stanza, the Dragons had damage limitation in mind whereas the Sharks were out to extend their lead and, enjoying the better share of possession in the opening moments of the period, Solway were able to hit the target for a fifth time as Moore added another to the scoreboard with help from Miettinen who collected his third assist of the evening to see the Dragons punished further. Continuing to pepper Bell with shot after shot, forward Marc Fowley was played through on goal by young prospect Duncan Speirs to earn his sixth league goal of the season. It was at this point in the game that Dragons’ player-coach McKenzie opted to switch netminder Bell with the more experienced Matthew Compton, the former having faced twelve shots on goal in just under eight minutes. Taking his place between the pipes, Compton was tested early on by Solway but the Dragons were equally as eager to get on the scoresheet and strove to find a way through on Hepburn’s goal, though to no avail. Preventing the Sharks from scoring for over eight minutes, Compton was then disappointed to let in his first goal of the evening when blue liner Stuart Kerr incorporated forward Joe Coulter into play to see his team mate light the lamp on 35:50 to make it 7-0. Play resuming, it took just eleven seconds for Compton to pick the puck from his net once more as Connor Henderson assisted Abercrombie for a second time, the youngster achieving his fifteenth league goal of the season. Utterly defeated by the 8-0 score line with another twenty minutes to play, the short benched Dragons found themselves dominated by the league leaders as they headed in at the break with a mountain to climb.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the third period, Solway were eager to pick up from where they left off, allowing netminder Chris Rae some valuable ice time in place of shot stopper Hepburn. Shortly after faceoff, a clash between Dragons’ junior defenceman Louis Morgan and Buesa saw both players earn two minutes for roughing on 42:36 whilst the latter racked up an additional penalty of two plus two for hooking and holding. Placing the visitors on a power play as a result, the Dragons were eager to gain a consolation goal at the very least and were able to do so with the additional man as alternate captain Matthew Wainwright linked up with Kennedy to see Supa punish the Sharks’ misdemeanours forty seconds into their advantage to make it 8-1. Continuing to battle, the Dragons found themselves racing after the Sharks who forced their way beyond McKenzie’s defence only to see forward Speirs suffer the impact of a powerful hit from Kennedy. Failing to return to the ice as he recovered from the effects of this collision, Speirs watched on as his team retaliated with a ninth goal, this time ‘D’ man Stuart Andrews ensuring that Henderson could grab a second goal in the contest just seconds after Buesa made his return to the ice. With Solway firing shot after shot, the Dragons had very few attempts on goal as they struggled to contend with the home team and they found themselves punished once again as build up play from Moore and Henderson allowed Hutchinson to achieve his second goal of the game on 52:12. Striving to create chances at every opportunity, only thirty one seconds had passed by before Grubb’s men claimed another; this time Miettinen finding the target courtesy of Buesa. Minutes later, an interference call against alternate captain Hutchinson saw the Dragons go on the power play and once again the side were able to make the most of the additional man, scoring just sixteen seconds into their advantage as Supa fired the puck beyond Rae; Wainwright and Kennedy again on hand to assist. Despite this goal, the Sharks returned to full strength to take control of the game, demonstrated when Andrews unleashed a shot which resulted in an unacknowledged tap-in for Tonnar on 58:11. A timeout from McKenzie gave the Dragons some reprieve from Solway’s relentless attacking play but it only delayed the inevitable as Abercrombie accomplished his hat trick with just eight seconds of the game remaining to confirm his team’s landslide victory and a disappointing trip for the Dragons. Taking time to speak to NIHL Northern Trio after the game, Head Coach Martin Grubb reflected: “This was a game that we knew we had to be ready for and we came out quick and got a few early goals to help us on our way. We played well and scored some nice goals and everyone contributed. It was a tough ask for the Dragons with such a short bench but they kept battling hard all night and Scott [McKenzie] made sure they tried to play good hockey when they could and they deserve credit for that. We knew what we needed to do and I was pleased with how we went about our business.”

Warriors seize points in Sheffield as Sting crushed

Sutton Sting           2

Whitley Warriors      5

Making the trip to Ice Sheffield with a strong squad, though missing injured forward Ben Richards, defenceman Joe Stamp and youngsters Ross Douglass and Anthony Wetherell, Whitley Warriors were aware that they would need two important points if they were to continue their fight for a playoff spot whereas Simon Butterworth’s twenty-man team knew that a win would see them achieve twenty points and the side were eager to make this happen.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With play underway after faceoff, both teams were aware that the opening goal would be crucial as past encounters between these two outfits have seen the side first to take the lead triumph over their opposition. The early stages of the game saw chances from both teams fall short but with 6:24 on the clock, the Warriors were able to break the deadlock as captain Dean Holland achieved his sixteenth league goal of the season with support from fellow forwards Callum Watson and DJ Good. Encouraged by this lead, the Warriors ploughed on against the tricky Sting only for defenceman Dan Pye to incur two minutes for hooking. Placed on the power play, Sutton sought an equaliser but an effective penalty kill from the Warriors ensured that Whitley’s misdemeanour went unpunished and allowed the team to return to full strength to again trouble Sutton’s sturdy netminder Dmitri Zimozdra. Continuing to work hard but finding it difficult to punish the Sting’s strong defence, the Warriors were then handed a power play opportunity of their own when Zimozdra was considered guilty of tripping to provide Whitley with the advantage. Just thirty seven seconds later, the netminder was made to pay for his error as player-coach David Longstaff played the puck to Good whose pass to Watson saw the forward capitalise on 18:41. Buoyed by their two-goal lead, the Warriors appeared resolute as they grabbed another, this time power forward Jordan Barnes working with Longstaff to see Shaun Kippin print his name on the scoresheet with just twenty five seconds of the period remaining.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice for the second period, the Sting knew that they had much work to do to gain a foothold in the game, having conceded two quick goals at the end of the first period. A clash between Scott Morris and Warriors’ captain Holland saw both receive minor penalties which broke up play but shortly after the visitors were restored to full strength, hardworking forward Barnes snatched a goal of his own as Longstaff managed a third assist to see the scoreboard altered to 4-0. With Sutton’s shots on Richie Lawson’s goal few and far between, the Warriors battled with the Sting for possession to create numerous chances which went unrewarded due to excellent netminding from Zimozdra. Outshooting their opposition by fourteen shots to three, Whitley found that they were unable to add another to their tally, despite their many efforts and further hard work from player-coach Longstaff and forwards Holland, Watson, Good, Kippin and Barnes, to head in at the break with a 4-0 lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Icing in the final period, the Warriors were hopeful that they could hold on to their shutout as well as their lead but the Sting had other ideas as defenceman Chris Wilcox fed the puck to youngster Joe Colton who linked up with alternate captain Lloyd Gibson to see the former EPL forward hit the target. Beginning to find themselves under pressure from their opposition, Whitley Warriors were forced to defend as the home team increased their efforts on Lawson’s goal to cause problems for the netminder and his defence. Just under three minutes after their first goal, the Sting were able to achieve their second of the game, Gibson again hitting home but with help from Scott Glover on this occasion. In their attempts to absorb this pressure, Longstaff’s line-up then conceded a penalty as defenceman Josh Maddock made way for elbowing forty four seconds later to hand the Sting a power play. Labouring to kill the penalty, the Warriors were made to work to prevent Sutton from scoring whilst Lawson pulled off some crucial saves to ensure his side did not concede a third goal. Restored to full strength just before the halfway point in the period, Whitley Warriors found that their chances were not as plentiful as before, though Barnes again came close to scoring. Despite the Sting having some excellent opportunities as Wilcox again tried his luck and Colton’s creativity shone through, the side were unable to add to their tally, leaving Butterworth with little choice other than to pull Zimozdra from his net in the dying minutes of the game. Faced with a six-man Sutton side as a result of this decision, the Warriors dug in deep to prevent the Sting’s comeback and reaped their rewards when the puck fell to blue liner Harry Harley in the final minute of the game, the defenceman claiming an empty net goal on 59:06 to confirm his team’s 5-2 road victory.

Warriors battle with Barons but Solihull steals show

Solihull Barons     12

Whitley Warriors        7

Making the second trip of their double header to take on Perry Doyle’s Solihull Barons at Hobs Moat Road on Sunday, the Warriors travelled with a shorter bench than that of the previous evening as defencemen Harry Harley and Dan Pye missed out on this game, leaving the side with only four blue liners in Craig Johnson, Liam Smedley, Josh Maddock and Stuart Tomlinson. Despite these absentees, the visitors found themselves equalling the numbers of the home team as the Barons also lined up with a squad of fifteen skaters, not to mention first choice shot stopper Sam Hewitt and backup netminder Connor Ranby.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for the first period, the Barons were aware that victory would see Solihull return to third place due to better head-to-head form whilst Whitley Warriors were eager to achieve their first victory over the side this season, having lost out twice on home ice against Doyle’s men. Getting off to a bad start, the Warriors conceded an early penalty as forward DJ Good headed to the sin bin following a tripping offence on 1:07 to hand the home team a power play. Not about to waste this early opportunity, the Barons held onto possession to punish Whitley’s transgression twenty eight seconds later as alternate captain Josh Bruce and hardworking defenceman Ryan Selwood played the puck into the Warriors’ defensive zone before finding forward Andrew Whitehouse who slotted beyond netminder Richie Lawson to give his team a head start. Returning to full strength as a result of this goal, the Warriors then sought to make an impact of their own as captain Dean Holland worked alongside forwards Callum Watson, Shaun Kippin and player-coach David Longstaff to grab an equaliser but the Warriors’ early efforts were saved by Hewitt before the side conceded a second penalty, this time power forward Jordan Barnes making way for tripping on 8:52 to hand the Barons the advantage. Whilst initially unable to capitalise on the power play, Solihull were able to find the back of the net just one second after the termination of Barnes’ penalty; netminder Hewitt playing the puck out to forward Joe Henry to allow Bruce to place a shot beyond Lawson. With poor discipline having crushed the Warriors in the opening moments of the game, the side then suffered a further setback as enforcer Andre Payette was side-lined on 14:31 for interference. Again, Solihull utilised their additional man as Doyle’s team made it 3-0 fifty two seconds later, Bruce threading a pass to Selwood to set up Whitehouse for a second time in the period, thereby making life difficult for their visitors. Just over a minute later, a holding penalty for Baron Phil Knight then saw the advantage change hands and the Warriors were just as quick to capitalise as Holland fired home courtesy of Longstaff and Good to make it 3-1 with less than three minutes of the period remaining. Following this goal, it appeared that the tables had turned as Solihull’s captain Tomas Janak then incurred two minutes for tripping in the final minute of the period to see the Warriors return with the advantage from the start of the second stanza.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Resuming play with the additional man, Whitley Warriors were eager to add another to their tally but were unable to do so as Solihull were effective on the penalty kill to return to full strength unscathed. Undeterred, the Warriors continued to battle for their next goal and were eventually rewarded when Holland integrated Barnes into play to allow Kippin to achieve his eleventh league goal of the season. The score line now narrowed to 3-2, the Barons then suffered a further setback as ‘D’ man Selwood received two minutes for tripping to allow Whitley to go on the advantage. However, it was not long after that possession soon fell to Solihull forward Henry who was able to race from his own zone to go one-on-one with netminder Lawson and find success with his unassisted, shorthanded breakaway effort. The scoreboard reading 4-2, Whitley were disappointed to have conceded a goal on the power play but were able to stun the Barons on 29:39 to reduce their deficit as Good collected the puck from young defenceman Smedley to find Warrior Lawson Glasby who netted to send his team within one yet again. Whitley’s celebrations proved to be short lived however, as less than twenty seconds later the Barons made it 5-3 through forward Richard Slater following a neat pass from defenceman Dave Rogers. The score line skipping away from the Warriors’ grasp again, Whitley looked to battle on but were soon stopped in their tracks by a fourth penalty as ‘D’ man Maddock made way for elbowing on 32:08 to see Solihull claim yet another power play goal, this time Baron Thomas Soar notching his fourteenth league goal of the season, assisted by skilled Swedish forward Niklas Ottosson and defenceman Richard Crowe. Determined to fight for maximum points, the Warriors never once showed signs of easing off and were able to hit back to make it 6-4 as unlikely goal scorer Alan Yarrow contributed a fantastic unassisted effort and his first goal of the season to embody the spirit shown by his team. Just thirty nine seconds later, the Warriors were then handed another chance to creep closer to the points as Henry warmed a seat in the sin bin for boarding but, unable to make the most of this advantage, it was one that Longstaff’s line-up would regret as the forward made his return to the ice only to score five seconds later following neat link up play with Bruce. The Warriors’ efforts in front of goal did not end there though and a hooking penalty for Selwood on 39:34 allowed the Hillheads outfit to take possession in Solihull’s defensive zone. Creating some intensity from their passing play, Whitley were able to reduce their deficit to just two once again as Watson delivered the puck past Hewitt with just three seconds remaining in the period after some hard work from Holland and Longstaff.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The score line 7-5 in the Barons’ favour going into the third period, Whitley were aware that they still had some work to do with the points still out of their reach but, no stranger to a struggle this season, the Warriors fought to reduce the gap to just one goal as Barnes demonstrated the power he has shown in recent games to startle Solihull with just over two minutes of the stanza played. Just thirty three seconds later though, the visitors suffered a huge setback when defenceman Johnson and forward Martin Crammond were sent to the sin bin on 42:52 for boarding and slashing respectively. Soon after, the Barons re-established their two-goal lead as Soar worked with Crowe to set up youngster Matthew Maurice to increase the score line to 8-6 and less than a minute later, Lawson was made to pick the puck out of the net for a ninth time when Bruce grabbed his second of the game courtesy of Henry and Selwood. Shortly afterwards, the Warriors were able to manage a seventh as stand-in defenceman Crammond shot from centre ice to see the puck ricochet into the middle of the goal, allowing Stuart Tomlinson to then score into an empty net and achieve his first senior goal for Whitley following Hewitt’s failed attempts to make the save. The Barons ahead by nine goals to seven, there was still a sense that the game was far from over and, knowing that the next goal would be crucial, Solihull hit double figures as junior Elliot Farrell claimed the outfit’s tenth goal with help from Rogers and Maurice. Matters were then made worse for the Warriors as Doyle’s men snatched another on 55:58, Ottosson assisting Soar for a second time to see the outcome of the game put beyond doubt. Switching shot stopper Lawson for netminder Rory Dunn, Whitley had little time to recover from the concession of their eleventh goal as Farrell turned assist alongside Rogers just fifteen seconds later to see Maurice slot home his second with less than four minutes remaining. Successfully preventing the Barons’ attacking play in the dying moments of the game, the Warriors knew that time was against them now that they found themselves five goals adrift and their 12-7 defeat was soon echoed by the sound of the final buzzer. Reflecting on Whitley’s double header, player-coach David Longstaff shared: “We were excellent yesterday for forty five minutes and the two points were well-deserved. Tonight we played well offensively but we were a little bit off in our own zone. We don’t have the depth this season to miss two or three players, never mind half of our defence and five in total.”

Sharks snap up league title in fiery clash with Stars

Billingham Stars     2

Solway Sharks        5

The importance of this game not lost on the Dumfries outfit as they made the trip to Teesside with the knowledge that they could win the league title so long as they did not lose by seven goals or more, Solway Sharks journeyed to The Forum with a strong squad of fifteen skaters which included top points scorers Steven Moore, Struan Tonnar and Kim Miettinen, though missing Slovakian defenceman Juraj Senko through illness and injured alternate captain Ross Murray. Meanwhile, hosts Billingham Stars were out to see if they could achieve another league victory over the Sharks on home ice, lining up with seventeen skaters which included defenceman Ben Davison, who made his return from injury, and netminder James Flavell who missed out last weekend due to work commitments.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking their positions ahead of faceoff, Billingham Stars were out to ensure that close rivals Solway Sharks were hindered in their attempts to achieve the league title but were aware that this would be no mean feat. Striving to gain an early lead in the game, Swedish import Dennis Boström rapidly carved a path through Solway’s defence to strike the post in the opening moments of the game. Though encouraged by this early attempt, it was not long after the Star’s effort that the Sharks took control of the puck to break into Billingham’s defensive zone without initial success, a collision between Tonnar and ‘D’ man Andy Finn flooring the latter of the two. Continuing to chase the puck, young two-way player Jordan Buesa was then able to work his way down the wing to linkup with captain Tonnar who zipped the puck beyond Flavell to open the scoring on 5:09. Soon after celebrating their early lead, Solway were hit with another attack from the Stars, this time forward Chris Sykes racing towards Calum Hepburn’s net in an attempt to play Daniel Palmebjörk through on goal but again Billingham found it difficult to capitalise on their chance and a one-on-one opportunity for Jack Watkins was also frittered away. Matching Billingham’s ten shots on goal, the Sharks were not without their own opportunities as Buesa continued to work hard alongside Tonnar whilst youngster Daniel Abercrombie, Marc Fowley and Moore sought a chance to double their side’s lead but it proved to be to no avail as Solway headed in with just a 1-0 lead at the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the second period, the Stars were hopeful that they could find an equaliser with just one goal separating the two sides but less than four minutes into the period, the Sharks struck the net once more as forward Duncan Speirs collected the puck shortly after a faceoff in Billingham’s defensive zone to have a backhanded shot which was then picked up by Fowley whose quick reactions saw his effort turned into the top corner. Just over a minute later, the Stars suffered a further setback when Davison headed to the sinbin for a slashing offence and it took just forty four seconds for the league leaders to punish their opposition, Moore providing a swift assist for Abercrombie, though the goal was overshadowed by controversy amidst calls for offside. The score line 3-0, Finn then received a minor for slashing immediately after this goal to find himself joined by Davison a little over a minute later following a tripping offence from the Star. These penalties served without further concession, the Stars returned to full strength only for defenceman Scott Cooper to make way after a clash with Shark Connor Henderson, both receiving minor penalties for crosschecking and slashing respectively. Beginning to heat up, it was not long after that Finn and Abercrombie were then sent to the sin bin but, recorded as coincidental penalties, both teams were able to make progress without much disruption to their plans. As Boström continued to work the puck around the Sharks’ defensive zone, Sykes collected the puck from the import to surpass Solway’s blue line and place the puck past Hepburn to make it 3-1. The game then took a turn for the worst as a confrontation between Star Michael Elder and Shark Stuart Andrews resulted in the latter being ejected from the game for a slashing offence whilst Boström earned himself a ten minute misconduct penalty for his reaction to the incident and forward Luke Brown conceded a minor for slashing to join his team mate in the penalty box. Two minutes later, youngster Darren Stattersfield found himself sinbinned for tripping to hand the Stars a power play. Hoping to punish the Sharks for their recent misdemeanours, the Teessiders sought to capitalise on their advantage and did so as Watkins linked up with Sykes to see Palmebjörk pull a goal back for the home team. The points now hanging in the balance following this goal, the Sharks headed in at the interval with a narrow 3-2 lead and were aware that they would need to do more if they were to gain the points comfortably.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Recognising the threat posed by Billingham Stars, the Sharks immediately set out to extend their lead and it did not take the side long to find the net, Speirs making a diagonal pass to Joe Coulter who reinstated the Sharks’ two-goal cushion on 41:46; Fowley with the additional assist. It was shortly after this goal that Stattersfield then chose to take on Palmebjörk which resulted in an intervention from the Stars’ defenceman Richie Thornton. In consequence, both Stattersfield and Palmebjörk were each handed two minutes for roughing whilst Thornton was ejected from the game for third man in. These penalties timed at 44:20, it was not until these players’ punishments were over that the next goal arrived but it was scored in unusual circumstances as blue liner Finn accidentally collided with fellow Star Sykes to see Billingham’s defence then face pressure from their visitors as quick passing play from forward Connor Henderson and Abercrombie resulted in a goal for Moore who remained focused to send his team ahead by five goals to two before the halfway point in the period. Any momentum built up by the Stars was now lost as the home team appeared resigned to their defeat whilst the Sharks concentrated on dominating possession. A penalty for Miettinen on 53:20 provided Billingham with some hope that they could grab a power play goal but Solway remained effective on the penalty kill to prevent the side from reducing their deficit. The contest falling a little flat in the final minutes with Billingham feeling there was little they could do to change the outcome of the game, the final buzzer sounded on Solway’s victory and simultaneous league success to see the Sharks celebrate the rewards of their season-long domination in the Moralee Conference.

Photo Credit: David Morrison 

Taking time to look back on Solway’s double header and subsequent league success, Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “After Saturday’s win we knew that we could win the league in Billingham and we wanted to do that with a victory rather than head-to-head on a defeat. It was important to us to get a good start; we did that and took the crowd out of the game and built up a three-goal lead but we knew the Stars would keep battling and I wasn’t happy at the way we let them back into the game. At the second intermission we had a chat about what we needed to do and the players executed and were worthy winners on the night to seal the league trophy. I am very proud of the players, the whole organisation and how we have been the most consistent team all season and the players deserve tremendous credit for what they have achieved so far.” Also speaking after this game, Star Chris Sykes noted: “Sunday was a good game for us to see what we need to do against Solway. We played well but made some silly mistakes and it cost us. Solway have been consistent all year and really have a strong defensive unit. Credit to them!”

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