NIHL Weekend Action

Solway sink Tigers as Sharks glide to victory

Solway Sharks  4

Telford Tigers   2

Searching for their first victory after claiming the NIHL North Division One Moralee Conference title, Solway Sharks lined up against Daniel MacKriel’s sixteen-man Telford Tigers in the hope that they could continue their excellent momentum, having secured silverware in both the league and cup competitions. The Tigers, by comparison, were equally up for the contest as they headed out in search of two points to better their league position with the threat of relegation looming over the side.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for faceoff, Solway Sharks were able to find possession with ease to score with just fifteen seconds played as forwards Marc Fowley and Duncan Speirs linked up to see teammate Joe Coulter notch his sixth league goal of the season. Disappointed to have gone behind so early on in the game, the Tigers battled back to have their fair share of shots on Calum Hepburn’s net as skilled alternate captain Adam Brittle, left winger Karol Jets and forward Callum Bowley were amongst those searching for an equaliser. With just under seven minutes played, captain Daniel Croft found himself sinbinned for slashing which presented Solway with a power play opportunity. The Sharks were unable to make the most of this opportunity however, and moments later young forward Jordan Buesa was called to the penalty box for hooking. The flow of the game disrupted, both teams found it difficult to grab a goal at this point in the period and it was only when Solway’s defencemen Stuart Andrews and Kim Miettinen setup Connor Henderson on 14:13 that the Sharks were finally able to extend their lead. Ahead by two goals, the home team were then hindered in their offensive abilities by a second penalty which arrived courtesy of two-way player Ben Edmonds just over a minute later. Despite Telford’s advantage following Edmonds’ misdemeanour, the Tigers failed to make their mark on the game and it was not long after the termination of this penalty that the side were soon serving one of their own as forward Ben Washburn incurred a minor for hooking just over a minute before the interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

This penalty running into the second period, the Sharks found that they were unable to capitalise yet again as Telford returned to full strength and were eager to challenge the league leaders. In spite of this, Hepburn remained strong between the pipes whilst Solway’s defence were quick to intercept the Tigers’ attacking play. Conceding another penalty with 28:52 on the clock, MacKriel’s men found themselves shorthanded once more but this time Solway made the most of their chances as youngster Daniel Abercrombie netted eleven seconds later, following neat build up play from left winger Steven Moore and Finnish import Miettinen who was able to pick up his second assist of the game. Exactly two minutes later, netminder Daniel Brittle found himself picking the puck from his net once more as Coulter turned assist alongside Fowley to allow Speirs to print his name on the score sheet. Though racking up a four-goal deficit, the Tigers were able to match Solway’s shots on goal as the side sought a foothold in the game. Working hard throughout, the Shropshire outfit was then handed an opportunity to grab a goal as Miettinen headed to the sin bin for interference but the Sharks were able to continue their good work on the penalty kill to prevent Telford from sneaking a goal before the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the final period of the game, Solway perhaps felt that their comfortable lead would be enough to wrap up the two points but it was clear from the start of this stanza that the Tigers were out to make the home side work for their victory which showed as Luke Brittle surpassed Solway’s defence to place the puck beyond Hepburn on 41:36, with support arriving from Jets and alternate captain Daniel Harrison. It was not long after this goal however, that Bowley was made to warm a seat in the sin bin for slashing but the Tigers worked hard on the penalty kill to prevent the Dumfries outfit from adding to their tally. Less than two minutes after his return to the ice, Bowley then punished the Sharks’ inability to capitalise with a goal after a neat pass from Luke Brittle provided the forward with an opportunity to make it 4-2. MacKriel’s men were hopeful that they could make a comeback but were hindered in their efforts by a fifth penalty which was handed to Jets shortly after this goal, the Tiger made to sit out for crosschecking. Eleven seconds before this penalty was terminated, Telford’s situation worsened as netminder Brittle incurred two minutes for delaying the game to see his side go shorthanded once again. Just over a minute into this penalty, the Tigers were then dealt another as Jets was sent back to the box for a high sticks offence to give the Sharks a short five-on-three advantage. Despite this, Martin Grubb’s team were unable to find the back of the net in these circumstances, though having their fair share of chances to test Brittle, and as a result, the game came to an end with Solway holding on to their 4-2 lead to secure another victory. Speaking to NIHL Northern Trio after the game, Solway’s Head Coach Martin Grubb took time to share his views on the Sharks’ encounter: “We knew coming into this game that it would be tough and it proved to be the case. We started well and played well for forty minutes but the Tigers were never out of things. We took our foot off the gas a little in the third as Telford really pushed hard but we had talked about the high standards we have set so we made sure we showed enough character to see the game out.”

Warriors lose battle to Barons as Solihull close to clinching playoff place

Solihull Barons     7

Whitley Warriors  3

Following last weekend’s high scoring contest between these two teams, Whitley Warriors made the trip to Hobs Moat Road for a second consecutive Sunday to take on Perry Doyle’s Barons in the hope that they could put in a performance which would take the side one step closer to securing a playoff place. Missing blue liners Joe Stamp and Dan Pye, Whitley Warriors once again found themselves short in defence, though not to the extent of their previous game against the Barons, and thus the side were able to match the home team in number as they took to the ice for their final clash against Solihull in their 2016-17 campaign.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Beginning the game with strength and purpose, the Warriors were able to put netminder Josh Nicholls to the test early in the period whilst Solihull set out to challenge shot stopper Richie Lawson at the other end of the ice as top points scorers Joe Henry, Niklas Ottosson, Thomas Soar and Josh Bruce strove to break the deadlock. After much perseverance from the home team, the Warriors finally found themselves trailing by a goal as Henry and Bruce teamed up to allow fellow forward Andrew Whitehouse to capitalise. Spurred into action by this goal, David Longstaff’s men were quick to retaliate as play resumed only for Stu Tomlinson, who now fulfils the role of a forward, to grab his second league goal for the Warriors, having only just scored his first against the Barons last weekend; defenceman Harry Harley and power forward Jordan Barnes collecting assists. Shortly afterwards, Barons’ defenceman Phil Knight then headed to the sin bin for hooking to hand Whitley the advantage. Though searching for a way through on goal with the additional man, the Warriors were unable to find a way past Nicholls who remained strong in net as Solihull’s defence withstood Whitley’s offensive pressure. Both teams striving to make every chance count but finding it difficult to do so, it was only in the final stages of the period that the next goal was scored, the Barons restoring their lead on 17:36 through forward Richard Slater who was helped to his ninth league goal by former EPL forward Soar. Unable to respond to this goal prior to the interval, the Warriors filed from the ice with hopes that they could draw level on their return. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With the Warriors eager to find an equaliser as they headed into the second stanza, the Barons were as equally keen to extend their lead further and they were able to do so after a struggle for possession in the opening minutes of the period eventually saw captain Tomas Janak take control of the puck to link up with Henry who battled Whitley’s defence to successfully assist blue liner Ryan Selwood. Now two goals adrift, the Warriors were soon on the counterattack as they looked to make amends for their concession and reaped their rewards as Barnes worked with forward Shaun Kippin around two minutes later to see captain Dean Holland hit the target. Continuing to build on this play, Longstaff’s line-up set their sights on an equaliser but, as the characteristic fierceness of these two teams began to present itself, there was little surprise when Barnes clashed with Solihull’s Swedish import Ottosson; both players earning themselves minor roughing penalties. The Warriors did not let this penalty hinder their efforts on goal and just six seconds later, found a third to level the playing field as Harley fired a slap shot beyond Nicholls following build up play from Kippin and Holland in Solihull’s defensive zone. Just under a minute later, Holland then found himself sidelined for a tripping offence and though Doyle’s men were initially unable to make the most of their advantage, the side built up sufficient momentum to find the back of the net three seconds after the forward’s penalty was terminated, this time Soar allowing his team to edge ahead in the game on 36:10 with support from Henry. A tripping penalty incurred by ‘D’ man Harley presented Solihull with a power play and just fifty four seconds later, matters were made worse for the visitors when Smedley joined his team mate, having been dealt a minor for roughing alongside Baron Selwood. As such, Solihull found themselves on the power play until Harley returned to the ice but just ten seconds later, hardworking stand-in defenceman Martin Crammond made way for a slashing offence on 39:45 to again hand the Barons an advantage. The score line 4-3 at the end of the second period, the Warriors headed in on the penalty kill with the knowledge that they must continue their defensive efforts to ensure the game remained within their grasp, though the side were another defenceman short with Josh Maddock sustaining a knee injury during this period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Picking up a neck injury in the previous period, Longstaff opted to coach from the bench as his team took to the ice for the final stanza of the game; Tomlinson icing in his place. With Crammond’s penalty running into the third period, Doyle’s team were determined to capitalise and did so as Henry received a pass from Ottosson to integrate Bruce who printed his name on the score sheet to reinstate the Barons’ two-goal cushion. With Crammond restored to the ice as a result, it was not long before the advantage changed hands again as Solihull’s Stuart Clayton found himself on the wrong end of a holding penalty to award the Warriors a power play. Try as they might, the visitors could not compete with the Barons’ penalty kill and Solihull were able to return to full strength without Whitley having reduced their deficit. With both sides demonstrating their ability across the ice, both teams found it difficult to add to their tallies, though they each had their chances, but the Barons appeared more determined than ever to confirm their victory rather than risk a nerve-wracking finale which was demonstrated when Whitehouse claimed his second of the game on 57:29 as Henry picked up his fifth assist of the evening following a pass from Bruce. The score line 6-3, the Barons then hammered home one last goal to extend their lead to seven when defenceman Dave Rogers beat Lawson with less than two minutes left to play courtesy of junior Elliot Farrell and blue liner Clayton. Unable to comeback from this, the Warriors found themselves leaving Hobs Moat Road empty handed for a second consecutive weekend. Sharing his thoughts after this defeat, player-coach David Longstaff took time to consider the path ahead for his team and the difficulties of securing a playoff spot: “I thought we did what we could with the players we have available. It will be an uphill struggle to make the playoffs as we are missing most of our ‘D’ men for the remaining games but we’ll just try to concentrate on the next game and try and scrape as many points as possible.”

Dragons’ fire not enough as Watkins blazes to hat trick glory

Billingham Stars   6

The Dragons          3

Seeking to maintain their recent momentum having secured a playoff spot, Billingham Stars approached their clash against Scott McKenzie’s Dragons with fierce determination as their close-to-full-strength squad took on their short benched visitors who were made up of thirteen skaters as well as netminders Denis Bell and Matthew Compton.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Hurling themselves into the game from the first faceoff, the Stars were able to find the back of the net with just 1:30 on the clock as defenceman Ben Davison tussled for the puck against the boards to play it out to Chris Sykes, the forward slipping an excellent pass to Jack Watkins who lifted the puck beyond Bell to give his side an early lead. Working hard to double their tally, the Teessiders ensured that the Welsh outfit could not recover after their early concession and were quick to reap the rewards of their offensive work with a second; forwards James Moss and Scott Ward engaging in quick passing play close to the Dragons’ net to cause problems for netminder Bell which led to player-coach Michael Bowman achieving his tenth league goal of the season. The score line now 2-0 with just five minutes played, McKenzie opted for a timeout but his words were not enough to hold off Billingham’s attack and just over a minute later, the puck was again beyond Bell, this time the Dragons losing possession to Watkins who, having missed his first shot, waited with patience as Swedish import Daniel Palmebjörk found Sykes who then played the puck back to him, allowing the forward to fire beyond Bell to increase the Dragons’ deficit to three. With Billingham maintaining possession for lengthy spells to appear dangerous throughout the period, the Dragons were concerned to receive a bench minor for too many men on the ice but the side’s penalty kill remained strong and the team were soon restored to full strength without further damage caused. Facing just seven shots as opposed to the twenty against Bell, backup netminder Mark Watson did not have a great deal to worry about during the remainder of this period whilst hard work from Scott Cooper, Ross Hanlon and Dennis Boström saw the Stars come close to snatching a fourth goal before the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Opening the second period with another bench minor for too many men, the Dragons again ensured that their error went unpunished. Trying their luck against Watson, McKenzie’s men saw a few chances fall their way but were denied by the netminder to find the score line unchanged. At the half way point in the period, a hooking penalty for James Parsons saw Billingham awarded a third power play but again the home team found it difficult to make the most of the advantage and it was only when the Dragons returned to full strength that the Stars were able to make it 4-0, this time defenceman Thomas Keeley firing at Bell to see his shot trickle under the shot stopper following assists from Ward and fellow forward Luke Brown. Fifty one seconds later, a hooking penalty for player-coach McKenzie saw the Dragons again digging in deep to prevent the Stars from capitalising with success. Just three minutes after the termination of his penalty, McKenzie was able to make amends with his team’s first goal of the game as defenceman Ross Kennedy played the puck from his own zone into the Stars’ defensive area to linkup with his player-coach who netted to see his team head in at the interval with some hope that they could turn their fortunes around in the third period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Failing to capitalise on an excellent opportunity early in this stanza, as Bell made an outstanding save to prevent the Stars from creeping even further ahead in the game, Billingham were then punished by a second goal from the Dragons as Kennedy linked up with skilled Slovakian import Filip Supa deep in the Teessiders’ defensive zone to find Parsons who scrapped in front of goal until the puck made its way between Watson’s pads. It was shortly after this time that a crosschecking penalty from alternate captain Callum Davies saw the Stars go shorthanded but the Dragons’ advantage lasted just twenty nine seconds as Kennedy was considered guilty of a high sticks offence to join Davies in the sinbin. As a result, the home team were first to return to full strength and therefore found themselves on a short power play. Time was not an issue for the Stars though as Watkins claimed his hat trick with a swift shot to beat Bell courtesy of Sykes and defenceman Richie Thornton. Subsequent to this goal, Stars’ forward Michael Elder then picked up a minor for tripping but the Dragons’ power play lasted all of thirty five seconds as player-coach McKenzie then received a penalty of 2+2 on 53:06. Despite losing their player-coach for a time, the visitors battled on to achieve their third goal of the game just over a minute later as ‘D’ man Gavin Austin teamed up with Parsons to play the puck across Watson’s goal, leaving little work for forward Ryan Kemp who slotted home to make the score line a tentative 5-3. Twenty seconds later, a slashing offence from Hanlon saw the defenceman sidelined as McKenzie’s men looked to grab a fourth goal to cause problems for the Stars. This penalty was served without further concession from the Teessiders however, causing the Welsh outfit to take action in the final minute of the period. Pulling netminder Bell in their attempts to utilise an additional skater, the Dragons lost possession to Billingham and were forced to watch on as Sykes powered up the ice to snatch an empty net goal just nineteen seconds before the final buzzer. Reflecting on this 6-3 victory, Star Chris Sykes took time to reveal Billingham’s latest target and how his side hope to achieve this: “The Dragons haven’t beaten us all year but they gave us a good game on Sunday night and they never gave up so credit to them! I hope they regain Division One for next season as they are a good team and have a good core. We are happy we won, we have set a target to try and win every game from now until we lift the playoff trophy - that’s the target! We know we can do it, we just have to knuckle down and make sure we do the little things right. We have a big weekend ahead next week though; there’s lots of teams fighting for their Division One status or pushing for a playoff spot so we need to keep consistent and make sure we don’t just turn up but that we are ready to play every game, every week!”

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