Stars
lose shine as Sharks storm to victory
Solway Sharks 7
Billingham Stars 1
Lining up with fifteen
skaters each, both Solway Sharks and Billingham Stars felt the weight of this
top-of-the-table clash as they took to the ice in search of an incredibly
important two points which would allow either the Dumfries outfit to take one step
closer to the silverware or the Teessiders to close the gap between themselves
and the league leaders.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson/ |
Taking to centre ice
for faceoff, the Stars opted for strong netminder James Flavell between the
pipes whilst the Sharks sought the services of shot stopper Calum Hepburn. Battling hard in the opening
stages of the game, it was not long before the puck was in the back of the net
as the home team grabbed an early lead with just over four minutes played;
Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen the man on target following neat passing play
from forward Joe Coulter and defenceman Stuart Andrews. Continuing to apply
pressure to Billingham’s defence, Solway were eager to double their lead and
they did not have long to wait as skillful forward Jordan Buesa again
demonstrated his influence for the Sharks to hit home on 8:10; Coulter claiming
his second assist of the evening with a little help from youngster Scott
Henderson. Conceding so early on in the game, the Stars were stunned by the
Sharks’ dominance but recognised their need to respond and did so just over two
minutes later when Swedish import Daniel Palmebjörk threaded a pass to fellow
forward James Moss to send player-coach Michael Bowman through on
goal with great success. The scoreboard now reading 2-1 in favour of Martin
Grubb’s men, the Stars struggled on to have a handful of shots on Hepburn’s
goal but Solway were not to be dissuaded from their objective, instead peppering Flavell with their efforts which were dealt with coolly
by the netminder. However, as Billingham’s defence began to falter under
Solway’s attacking play, the visitors were then disappointed to concede
with just ten seconds of the first period remaining; youngster Daniel Abercrombie
teaming up with alternate captain Ross Murray to allow left winger Steven Moore
to light the lamp before the break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning for the
second stanza, the Stars realised that they had much work to do if they were to
stand a chance against the league leaders and it was with this knowledge that
the side found possession to test Solway’s sturdy defence, though the home side
were not without their own efforts on goal to make the contest an interesting
one. Despite some clever play and hard work from both teams, over fourteen minutes of the period had been played before the next goal arrived as Buesa
managed to write his name on the scoresheet once more, this time Murray and
Slovakian import Juraj Senko picking up assists. Regretting their missed
chances, Billingham were then dismayed to see the Sharks snatch another goal
just under three minutes later as two-way player Ben Edmonds made his mark on the game to establish
a four-goal cushion between Solway and their title rivals, firing home courtesy
of Coulter and new addition Darren Stattersfield. Holding onto this lead until
the interval, the Sharks were pleased with their progress considering
Billingham’s increased attempts on goal, the side hitting fifteen at Hepburn in
the second period compared to just eight in the first.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning for the third
period, the Stars’ hopes were fast fading and, whilst the Sharks continued with
their game plan, Billingham were holding out for another goal to reduce their
growing deficit. Testing Hepburn once again, the Teessiders found it difficult
to compete against Solway’s consistent defence as the Dumfries outfit were
eager to maintain their lead. Aware that time was fast slipping away, and so
too their chances, Billingham found themselves up against it once more as
Sharks’ captain Struan Tonnar added to his team’s tally as support arrived from
Edmonds and outstanding forward Buesa. On the wrong end of the 6-1 score line,
the despondent Stars were then unable to prevent the home side from adding a
seventh on 55:09, this time Henderson punishing Flavell to achieve his third
goal of the season; Buesa and Stattersfield working together to set up the
youngster. This game over as far as Billingham were concerned, Solway focused
their efforts on defending their lead and a timeout called with under two
minutes remaining ensured the side saw out their win without further
concession in an encounter in which neither team incurred a single penalty;
referee Steven Wardell allowing the game to flow.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Claiming a victory from
this clash, Solway Sharks now sit twelve points clear at the top of the table
whilst Billingham Stars have twenty four points from nineteen games to remain
in second place.
Warriors
fight to final buzzer to hold Sharks to draw
Whitley Warriors 3
Solway Sharks 3
Taking to the ice with
an incredibly strong line-up, missing only forward Ben Richards, the experienced Alan Yarrow and defencemen
Joe Stamp and Harry Harley, Whitley Warriors were certainly up for the clash
against Solway Sharks who made the trip to Hillheads with an equally convincing
squad of fifteen skaters as well as netminders Calum Hepburn and Kyle Johnston,
though the side opted for the former between the pipes whilst the Warriors
selected shot stopper Jordan Boyle over their usual first choice Richie Lawson.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off for the
first period, both sides were prepared for a battle and the opening minutes of
this contest were exactly that as the two outfits went head-to-head to scrap
for possession. Fast-paced and frantic, play rapidly switched between zones
with calls for offside breaking up play at either end of the ice. Whilst Solway
began to pass the puck well in the early stages, the Warriors were able to test
Hepburn and his defence on several occasions, with returnee enforcer Andre
Payette making his presence felt in a far more controlled manner to make amends for last weekend’s performance in which he was side-lined after
nineteen seconds for the concession of an early penalty. Becoming increasingly
dangerous in front of goal, Whitley strove to open the scoring with power
forward Jordan Barnes, long-serving Warrior Callum Watson and captain Dean
Holland passing the puck around Solway’s defensive zone with speed in the hope
that they could cause trouble. The Sharks were quick to steal possession to try their luck against Boyle; the unity of the Dumfries outfit evident from the outset. Whilst
both teams continued to give their all, it was the visitors who were able to
break the deadlock first as Warrior Shaun Kippin temporarily lost sight of the
puck in his attempts to delay Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen, only for quick-thinking alternate captain
Ross Murray to seize the opportunity to play in young two-way player Jordan
Buesa who netted on 9:44. Disappointed to concede after working so hard, the
Warriors were resolute as play resumed and the side took just twenty eight
seconds to draw level; Barnes battling in front of a crowded net to achieve
his seventh league goal of the season following excellent passing play from
Holland and fellow forward DJ Good. The score line 1-1, the home team were
visibly motivated by this goal but the Sharks were far from pleased with the
treatment of shot stopper Hepburn whose welcome to Hillheads was far from a
warm one. Though neither side were able to take the lead in the remaining moments
of the first period, it was certainly not for the want of trying as both teams
demonstrated their quality. With Murray’s work rate outstanding throughout,
Sharks’ captain Struan Tonnar also tried his luck, having surpassed Whitley’s
blue line and left winger Steven Moore continued to utilise his skill and speed
whereas the Warriors showed an effective level of intensity, working together
to make an impact against the league leaders.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Fired up for the second
period, both teams made their return to the ice but no sooner had they done so
than the puck was again in the back of the net, Daniel Abercrombie weaving past
Whitley’s defence to hit home an excellent unassisted effort on 20:55. It was
shortly after this goal that Warrior Josh Maddock was called to serve the first
penalty of the evening for interference which provided the Sharks with the
perfect opportunity to go further ahead in the game. However, the Hillheads outfit
killed the penalty with ease to ensure they were still in with a chance of
taking something from the game and shortly after the side had returned to full
strength, it was the turn of the Sharks to go shorthanded as youngster Darren
Stattersfield warmed a seat in the sin bin for tripping. Working hard on the
power play to no avail, the Warriors soon went on to regret their missed
chances as Abercrombie wreaked havoc once again, this time Murray linking up
with Moore to play the youngster through on goal. The score line now 3-1, and
Whitley edging the shots on goal for this period, Longstaff’s line up were left
disappointed by their two-goal deficit, having fought persistently to enjoy lengthy spells of possession.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning to the ice
for the third period, the Warriors took to centre ice with the knowledge that
such a deficit has been difficult to overturn in recent games, losing out just
last weekend in a 3-1 clash to Billingham Stars. Solway, on the other hand,
whirled back onto the ice with a view to stay ahead in the game, knowing that
they had taken their chances at exactly the right moments. Continuing in their
efforts to convert their hard work into a goal, Whitley piled the pressure onto
Hepburn whose defence remained difficult to break down, intercepting play at
every opportunity. Just after the halfway point in the period, defenceman Niall
Simpson incurred a minor for a high sticks offence which floored Murray. Whilst
the Sharks attempted to creep even further ahead, Boyle made some fine saves to
hold off Solway’s attacking play whilst the Warriors laboured effectively to
kill the penalty. Restored to five men, Whitley battled on for a goal and a
shot fired in on Hepburn rapidly prompted a clash between Watson and Buesa who
exchanged more than a few words. It was shortly after their return to full
strength though that the home team made the decision to call a time out,
realising that their many endeavours to claw back a goal were ultimately failing.
Opting to pull Boyle from his net to play the additional man, the Warriors rushed
into their offensive zone to try their luck but, when a crosscheck from Murray
saw Payette knocked off balance, Kippin quickly dropped the gloves with the
Shark, both players throwing several punches before Solway’s power forward
conceded defeat. Heading to the sin bin, the duo received 2+2 for fighting
whilst Murray incurred an additional two minutes for crosschecking. It was after the concession of these penalties that the Warriors then bagged themselves a goal, just
seventeen seconds after their timeout call, as Payette made a great pass to find
Holland on the blue line who then rocketed a shot beyond Hepburn to make it
3-2. Encouraged by this goal, Longstaff’s line-up became enthused at the
prospect that a draw was now possible and progressed with six players to dig in
deep whilst setting their sights on Hepburn’s net as much as they possibly could. It was
only in the final minute of the game that the Warriors could eventually
scramble for an equaliser to tie the game at 3-3 in spectacular style; Watson
slipping the puck past Hepburn at close range following a neat pass from Barnes
who skated around the net to play in his team mate, having first collected the
puck from Longstaff. This goal immediately led Solway to take a timeout of
their own on 59:01 but this proved to be too little, too late as the Warriors
whiled away the time before the final buzzer confirmed their astonishing draw;
this the first point that the Hillheads outfit has taken from the league
leaders so far this season.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Speaking after this
game,
player-coach David Longstaff kindly took the time to share his views: “I thought we played great and, with five minutes
left, I was wondering if it would be two weeks running we’d not get any points
from games we’d played very well in. The boys are working hard, creating lots of
chances and we tightened up defensively tonight. There were a lot of positives with all the players getting ice time, except Alan Yarrow who had to
head off to the hospital early on for the birth of his daughter.” Also
commenting on this clash, Grubb added: “Whitley is a tough place to play and we
managed to get ourselves ahead going into the third period but with a young
team it’s always tough when they revert to playing such a physical style. We
took a stupid penalty, they punished us for that and we need to learn from
that, take our point and move on.”
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Ottosson steals show as Barons dazzle
Stars
Billingham
Stars 5
Solihull
Barons 6
Playing host to Perry
Doyle’s Solihull Barons for the first time this season, Billingham Stars were
eager to take to the ice, following their 7-1 league defeat to Solway Sharks on
Saturday. Though without forwards Chris Sykes and Luke Brown, not to mention
defencemen Scott Cooper, Ben Davison and Callum Read, the Stars were able to
ice a strong roster of fourteen skaters and play netminder Mark Watson between
the pipes whilst their opposition lined up with one player more than
themselves, boasting the talent of Swedish import Niklas Ottosson, youngster
Matthew Maurice and former EPL forwards Thomas Soar, Josh Bruce and Joe Henry.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Aiming for two points
in a bid to recover their weekend, Billingham Stars took to the ice firing on
all cylinders to take the lead with just over two minutes played as forward
Jack Watkins zipped the puck past netminder Josh Nicholls following build up
play from Swedish import Daniel Palmebjörk and fellow forward James Moss. The
Barons were not about to concede without response however, and it was not long
before the visitors demonstrated their might as Ottosson utilised his skill to
dodge Billingham’s defence before capitalising whilst Maurice and Soar picked
up assists. The score line 1-1, both teams were again chasing a lead but neither
side could go ahead in the game before referee Steven Wardell handed out
penalties to Star Michael Elder and Barons’ captain Janak for high sticks and
hooking respectively on 9:13. Just thirteen seconds after the concession of
these penalties, the puck was again in the back of the net, this time
Palmebjörk playing the puck across to Moss who edged his way around Solihull’s
defence to beat Nicholls with ease. Soon after, both teams returned to full
strength only for Elder to make amends for his earlier misdemeanour with a goal
twenty six seconds later as alternate captain Callum Davies and import Dennis
Boström picked up assists. Less than a minute later, a crosschecking penalty
for Henry saw Solihull go shorthanded, the side killing the penalty only to
incur another just eight seconds later when forward Richard Slater made way for
hooking. Handing Billingham their second power play, the Barons remained
undeterred as they stole possession from the Stars; Henry receiving the puck
from Janak to pick out Bruce who did not miss his mark to make it 3-2 with
almost sixteen minutes played. Disappointed to concede whilst on the advantage,
the Teessiders were eager to regain their two-goal cushion and did so on 16:41
as the side won possession from faceoff in their offensive zone which allowed
Elder to fire a shot at Nicholls before Boström pounced on the spilled puck to
give his team a 4-2 lead. It was shortly after this goal that Henry was dealt a
penalty of 2+10 for a check to the head before the Stars filed in with their two-goal cushion intact.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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The team talks over,
the Barons returned to the ice with hopes that they could reduce their deficit
and they were handed the perfect opportunity to do so when defenceman Ross
Hanlon was made to serve two minutes for roughing. Capitalising just four
seconds into their power play, Solihull’s Andrew Whitehouse found Ottosson who
rocketed a shot beyond Watson to go one goal away from drawing level.
Continuing to work hard in their search for an equaliser, Doyle’s men then
reaped the rewards of their efforts when Janak hammered home a fantastic goal,
his fourth of the season, courtesy of Bruce and defenceman Richard Crowe. Yet to make their mark on the second period,
the Stars called a time out immediately after Janak’s accomplishment and both
teams resumed play, only for referee Wardell to side-line Boström and Ottosson
for slashing and roughing respectively after a clash in front of Nicholls’ net
escalated. These penalties served, both teams saw their better chances fail
and, though the Barons outshot the Stars by nineteen shots to ten, the score
line remained level as the two outfits went in at the break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading out onto the
ice for the third and final period, the teams had just faced off when Boström pinched the puck from
Whitehouse to score on the backhand just six seconds in assisted by Davies. Requiring
a goal to recover from this setback, the Barons had several efforts saved by
Watson whilst the Stars also gave their all to prevent Solihull from scoring in
the early stages of the third stanza. A hooking penalty against Hanlon on 50:17
then saw the visitors claim a power play and, with just three seconds of their
advantage remaining, the Barons were finally able to capitalise as versatile
defenceman Dave Rogers linked up with Soar to allow Maurice to light the lamp
with his rebounded shot. The scoreboard reading 5-5, Solihull were not about to
take any chances and Ottosson sealed his hat trick with a superb goal, with
Maurice and Soar assisting as they had at the start of the game. Now a goal
down, the Stars found it incredibly difficult to comeback
from this, having led from the early stages of the game and, despite their best
efforts, there was little the side could do about the score line as the
determined Barons saw the game out to claim maximum points and enjoy the
success of their comeback. Sharing his thoughts on
this closely contested clash, Stars’ forward Jack Watkins noted: “Sunday’s game was close. Once again things didn’t
go our way. We gave the game away when we switched off in the second period.
Solihull are a really strong offensive team and that showed against us this
weekend. We have another double header this weekend coming so we need to get
four points and separate ourselves from third place.”
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