NIHL Weekend Action

Steadfast Sharks edge win against battling Blackburn

Solway Sharks           7

Blackburn Hawks       6

With both teams up for this contest in their quest for the best possible league position, this game was always going to be a difficult one and it proved to be so. Whilst Solway lined up on home ice with just thirteen players as alternate captain James Hutchinson, new signing Adam Robinson and backup netminder Chris Rae were amongst those unavailable to ice in this clash, Blackburn Hawks travelled with a squad of seventeen players which included forward James Riddoch, former Shark Rick Bentham and alternate captain James Neil as well as youngsters James Royds and Kieran Brown.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Starting the game as they meant to go on, the Sharks immediately went on the attack after faceoff and succeeded in their efforts to open their account with only thirty three seconds played as captain Struan Tonnar fired beyond Ashton, following passing play between Czech import Marek Charvat and young forward Daniel Abercrombie, to present his team with the lead. Though overjoyed with this accomplishment, Solway remained composed to further pile the pressure onto Ashton and it was not long before the shot stopper was again picking the puck out of his net, this time forward Iain Bowie hitting home courtesy of alternate captain Ross Murray and Czech defenceman Vaclav Kolarik to establish a two-goal cushion on 1:28. Though realising their need to get back into the game after falling behind so early on, Blackburn were then disappointed when defenceman Lewis Baldwin incurred a minor penalty for clipping just over a minute later to award the home team a power play. Despite their advantage, the Sharks were unable to claim a third goal with the additional man and they watched as their visitors returned to full strength only to suffer a penalty themselves as Murray made way for holding on 5:36. However, the Hawks equally struggled to contend with Solway’s penalty kill and, try as they might, could not beat shot stopper Calum Hepburn, instead finding themselves shorthanded once again when forward Aaron Davies was made to sit out for a slashing offence less than two minutes after the Sharks had returned to full strength. Again unable to make their power play count, the Dumfries outfit then took their turn to endure a second penalty kill, this time blue liner Stuart Kerr sidelined for interference. Whilst unable to find the back of the net with the additional man, Blackburn gained momentum and it was not long after the termination of Kerr’s penalty that the side halved their deficit, Neil the man on target with a superb unassisted effort on 16:08. Rallying to snatch another goal, the Hawks’ determination was unrivalled at this stage so it was unsurprising when Duncombe’s team drew level just forty seven seconds after scoring their first of the game; Riddoch zipping the puck beyond Hepburn with support from Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy. After allowing their two-goal lead to slip away from them, Solway were perhaps reminded of their last encounter with Blackburn which saw the side take a two-goal lead only to suffer defeat to the Hawks. As such, Solway showed resilience to ensure this scenario would not play out again and were quick to hit back as Abercrombie scored his second of the season following some skilled play from left winger Steven Moore and ‘D’ man Kolarik on 18:48. Unwilling to have their efforts cast aside, the Hawks spirits remained intact as the outfit equalised for a second time through Riddoch, the forward making his mark just forty five seconds after Solway regained their lead; Bentham and Neil picking up assists. With play end-to-end and the game proving quite the contest, the teams filed from the ice with nothing to separate them at the end of the first period in spite of their fantastic efforts.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the second stanza with hopes to edge ahead, both teams took to the ice with fervour but the Hawks were able to creep into the lead for the first time in the game, on this occasion player-coach Steven Duncombe finding the target as Ištocy collected his second assist of the evening. Twenty six seconds later, Murray was shown to the sin bin for cross checking and, whilst the Sharks’ penalty kill proved strong to see off the Hawks’ attack, it was not long after that Connor Henderson took his place, the forward guilty of interference. Despite this, Grubb’s men returned to full strength unscathed as Hepburn and his defence remained sturdy to prevent further concession. Shortly after returning to  the ice, Connor Henderson was then able to make amends for his previous misdemeanour by playing Scott Henderson through on goal to see the Sharks equalise at 4-4. With the game so close, it was unsurprising that tensions began to show and it was not long after this goal that Tonnar and Hawks’ forward Lee Pollitt dropped the gloves, the duo exchanging blows to each earn themselves 2+2 for roughing. Though both teams were still chasing maximum points, it was Blackburn who were able to achieve a lead once again as youngster Royds was rewarded for his hard work when he slotted the puck beyond Hepburn to make it 5-4 with less than two minutes of the period remaining, courtesy of young prospect Brown and fellow forward Matt Viney. However, after two busy periods, the work of referee David Emmerson was far from over as he then dished out a ten minute misconduct to blue liner Scott Cooper with just one second left to play before the interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading into the third period and trailing by a single goal, the Sharks felt that they were still very much in this game and were eager to reclaim lost ground to ensure that the points did not slip from their grasp. With both netminders enduring the shots thrown at them in the opening stages of this stanza, it was difficult for either team to add to their count. Persevering, the Sharks eventually claimed their second equaliser of the evening, Moore taking the score line to 5-5 after receiving a pass from experienced ‘D’ man Kyle Horne. Just over a minute later though, Bowie was then able to fire his team into the lead on 49:42 with an excellent unassisted effort but once again, the Hawks were not far behind their opposition as Bentham printed his name on the scoresheet seventy two seconds later, Brown and Ištocy with the assists, to make it 6-6. Both teams showing outstanding resilience to battle back time and again, it was little surprise that Solway were able to unleash a seventh soon after, Bowie bagging himself a hat trick after converting a pass from diligent left winger Moore. Shortly after this goal, Murray was sinbinned for a clipping offence which handed Blackburn the advantage but Duncombe’s men were unable to get back on level terms on the power play and less than four minutes after Murray was restored to the ice, the side called a timeout with the game now in its final stages. Thirty seven seconds later, the home team incurred one last penalty as Hepburn was handed a minor for delaying the game to place his team on the back foot going into the last minute of the period. However, remaining strong to prevent overtime, Solway held onto their narrow victory to climb into second place ahead of Blackburn in the league table on Saturday, though tied on points with the Lancashire outfit. Speaking after this game, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb told NIHL Northern Trio: “We knew the game would be difficult against a strong Hawks’ team who are playing with confidence and that we would have to play well. We started really quickly but I think we switched off defensively after that and allowed the game to become way too open, and Blackburn enjoyed that. We gifted them the opportunity to lead going into the third and I asked the players for a response and to show the character that has made us successful in recent seasons. They deserve credit for getting the job done and we are happy with the points.”

Warriors tame Lions as Whitley triumph on the road

Nottingham Lions 2

Whitley Warriors   5

Travelling to the National Ice Centre with sixteen skaters and netminders Mark Turnbull and Richie Lawson at their disposal, Whitley Warriors found themselves with the mainstay of their usual line-up whilst versatile defenceman Stuart Tomlinson and youngsters Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass made up a short absentee list. Likewise, Matt Bradbury’s Nottingham Lions were able to take to the ice with just one more skater than that of their opposition, their side including captain Elliot Perrin, Pniok brothers Ondrej and Jakub, shot stopper Thomas Hovell and experienced alternate captain Marc Levers.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off against the Lions, Whitley immediately found their offensive play hindered as defenceman Josh Maddock incurred a minor for elbowing with only fifty eight seconds played. However, prior to Maddock’s return to the ice, it was the turn of Nottingham’s Luke Thomas to take a seat in the sin bin for a tripping offence to award Whitley a power play opportunity on their return to full strength. Making the most of their advantage, the visitors took the lead over a minute later through blue liner Harry Harley who hit the back of the net following neat play from player-coach David Longstaff and captain Dean Holland. Disappointed to fall behind by a goal in this game, the Lions were eager to battle back but went shorthanded for a second time as defenceman Luke Smith was sidelined for boarding on 7:56 to hand Whitley the additional man. Working hard to kill this penalty, Nottingham returned to full strength without further concession but, just twenty six seconds later, ‘D’ man Jamie Hovell was made to serve two minutes for roughing to once again see the Warriors gain an advantage over the home team. In spite of this power play opportunity, Longstaff’s line-up could not capitalise and, approximately four minutes later, the visitors lost forward Ben Richards to the penalty box for a slashing offence to present the Lions with a chance to draw level. However, Whitley were as equally effective on the penalty kill with rapid line changes to ensure that they headed in with their 1-0 lead intact.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the second period with the points still to play for, Nottingham were disappointed when their discipline got in the way for a fourth time as Thomas made way for holding. Yet again, Whitley failed to make their power play count and this time paid for their inability to capitalise as the Lions returned to full strength only to equalise less than two minutes later, import Ondrej Pniok drawing level with support from forward Ruskin Hughes and defenceman Hovell. Frustrated to have their lead cancelled out in this fashion, the Warriors were spurred on as play resumed and the side raced into Nottingham’s defensive zone to pile the pressure onto shot stopper Hovell; alternate captain Shaun Kippin punishing the netminder to achieve his eighth league goal of the season following some rapid link up play between Longstaff and blue liner Kyle Hindmarsh-Ross. Working hard to extend their lead to ensure that the Lions could not snatch it away once again, the Warriors then accomplished a two-goal cushion just beyond the halfway point in the period as Canadian import Philip Edgar utilised his skill to beat Hovell, with blue liner Niall Simpson and forward Callum Watson on hand to assist. Shortly after this goal, the Warriors once again went shorthanded as referee William Hewitt called for tripping against Richards to see Nottingham take an advantage. However, before Richards’ punishment was over, both teams then ran into further penalty trouble as alternate captain Levers found himself sidelined for holding the stick whilst Warrior Holland picked up 2+10 for a check to the head on 33:05. Two minutes later, Hindmarsh-Ross joined his team mate, the defenceman considered guilty of boarding. Placed on the power play as a result, the Lions strove to challenge netminder Turnbull in their bid to pull a goal back but could not add to their tally ahead of the break to go in on the wrong end of the 3-1 score line.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With the Lions far from out of the game heading into the third period, Whitley were aware that they would have to maintain their work ethic and improve on their discipline if they were to achieve a result. Just fifty two seconds into this period though, the Warriors handed Nottingham yet another power play as the side picked up a bench minor for too many men. Frustrated with their mistake, Whitley laboured to kill this penalty but were not shorthanded for long as the Lions were reduced to four men forty six seconds later when forward Joseph Aston sat out for high sticks. Restored to full strength before Bradbury’s team, the Warriors were gifted a short power play but this was another opportunity frittered away by the Hillheads outfit in spite of their pressure on Hovell’s net. On 48:51, Watson was made to serve two minutes for a slashing offence and Whitley were quick to regret their missed chances when Hughes fired home just eight seconds into his team’s power play as Aston and Perrin teamed up to send the youngster through on goal. With a narrow margin separating the two sides, the Lions were eager to increase their pressure on Turnbull’s net but the side were dismayed when Levers incurred a minor for tripping to reduce his team to four men. Though unable to make this power play count, the visitors built sufficient moment to score thirty one seconds after Levers was restored to the ice; Maddock threading a pass to forward Adam Finlinson who recovered the Warriors’ two-goal lead with his second goal of the season. The score line 4-2 and the game in its final stages, Whitley were eager to secure their victory and did so on 57:18 as Holland linked up with Watson to put the result beyond doubt. Seeing out the remainder of the fixture, the Warriors were elated to have their fifth win of the season confirmed by the final buzzer as Whitley moves back into fifth place with eleven points from eight games whilst the Lions find themselves in ninth after The Dragons’ defeat to Solihull Barons allowed Nottingham to creep away from the automatic relegation spot. Commenting after this game, player-coach David Longstaff reflected: “We played well in spells but took some poor penalties. All in all though, we deserved the two points.”

Stars shine in overtime loss to Steeldogs

Billingham Stars        3

Sheffield Steeldogs   4

Taking to the ice against Sheffield Steeldogs for a third time this season, Billingham Stars were able to line up with seventeen skaters following the return of Darren Stattersfield and the presence of young defenceman James Hellens, though the Teessiders were once again without injured parties James Moss, Richie Thornton, James Flavell, Jack Davies, Callum Pattison and Thomas Keeley whilst defenceman Ross Hanlon was unavailable for this contest and blue liner Andy Finn missed out due to work commitments. Sheffield, meanwhile, made the trip with sixteen skaters and outstanding netminding duo Brandon Stones and Dmitri Zimozdra, as they looked to claim maximum points to move ahead of Solway Sharks.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off against the Steeldogs, Billingham Stars were eager to make an impact in the early stages of the game and a penalty for skilled Slovakian import Adrian Palak provided the Teessiders with the perfect opportunity to open their account as forward Deniss Baškatovs teamed up with ‘D’ man Stattersfield to allow alternate captain Chris Sykes to tap the puck beyond Stones on 7:31. Just seventeen seconds later though, Star Scott Ward was sidelined for interference to see the Steeldogs gain an advantage of their own which very quickly increased to a five-on-three situation as Sykes joined his team mate just thirty one seconds later following a slashing offence. With Ward restored to the ice, and approximately half a minute of Sykes’ penalty remaining, Billingham were then exasperated to pick up a bench minor for too many men which reduced the side to three skaters until the termination of their alternate captain’s punishment on 10:19. However, thirty seconds before returning to full strength, it was the turn of Callum Davies to sit out, the forward further extending the Steeldogs’ power play after a hooking call was made against him by referee Andrew Allsopp. Working hard to kill these penalties against Ben Morgan’s challenging outfit, the Stars were finally able to return to full strength and it was not long after that they found themselves on the power play, this time forward Joe Cross considered guilty of charging. Just sixteen seconds into this advantage, the Teessiders buried the puck for a second time, defenceman Matthew Campbell with a spectacular shot to double his team’s tally, Stattersfield and Baškatovs again on hand to assist. With the game not going Sheffield’s way in spite of their lengthy advantage during this period, it was no surprise when tensions came to the fore as Stars’ shot stopper Mark Watson, alternate captain Sykes and Steeldog Tim Smith picked up minors for roughing, though the latter was also handed five minutes plus game for a check from behind with an additional match penalty for abuse of an official. Also involved in this incident was forward Luke Brown who notched a ten minute misconduct penalty for his actions. As these players took to the sin bin with fifty five seconds of the period remaining, the Stars were able to hold on to go in with a 2-0 lead at the first interval.

Beginning the second stanza with a power play, Billingham set their sights on goal but no sooner had they returned to the ice than Elder was shown to the sin bin, the Stars’ captain punished for hooking. This penalty levelling the playing field to see both teams reduced to four men as a result, the Stars were then frustrated when they picked up their second bench minor of the evening for too many men with forty one seconds of Elder’s penalty remaining. After a brief spell of four-on-three, it was not long before the Stars made their return to full strength to see forward Andrew Hirst receive 2+10 for a check from behind. Just over a minute later, Hirst found himself joined by Slovakian forward Milan Kolena to see the home team continue with five players to Sheffield’s three. Shortly after these penalties were served, Billingham were made to rue their missed chances on the power play as Elder headed to the sin bin for tripping to present the Steeldogs with the additional man. Never letting up in spite of the difficulties of this encounter, Sheffield were finally rewarded with a goal for their efforts, Palak firing home on 34:20 after receiving the puck from young forward Charlie Thompson. Just over two minutes after this goal, Stars’ ‘D’ man Dave Thomas sat out for interference but just twenty three seconds later, Steeldogs’ captain Lewis Bell made way for tripping. Driven by their need to recover their two-goal lead, Billingham’s player-coach Michael Bowman collected the puck from Sykes to rocket a shot beyond Stones on 37:53. The score line 3-1 in the Stars’ favour, Sheffield were aware that they still had much work to do, although they were able to outshoot Billingham by sixteen to five in this period alone. The middle section of the game coming to a close and the Steeldogs still giving their all to test Watson, Billingham were disappointed when blue liner Stattersfield was ejected from the game for slashing just thirty nine seconds before the break, particularly as Campbell was believed to have committed the offence.    

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

As such, the Steeldogs returned to the ice with a five minute power play going into the third period, and, though unable to score with the additional man, the side were soon provided with a second opportunity to go within one of the home team when Baškatovs made way for crosschecking on 44:48. With just forty one seconds of this penalty remaining, left winger Liam Charnock slotted beyond Watson courtesy of some creative play from Bell and Palak. Around three minutes later, a clipping penalty for Brown saw Watson again under pressure but Billingham worked hard to run down the clock to return to full strength, only for the Steeldogs to then go shorthanded moments later as Thompson was found guilty of boarding on 51:46. With the points still very much hanging in the balance with the score line so narrow, the Stars were desperate to hold onto their lead for the time remaining but this was not to be as a clipping call against Cross caused Brown to see red, the forward spearing his opponent to earn himself a five minute penalty and to find himself ejected from the game. Spurred on by this turn of events, the Steeldogs appeared more determined than ever to equalise and it took only forty four seconds for forward Cameron Brownley to beat Watson; Bell and Palak once again picking up assists. Three minutes after this goal, the Steeldogs opted for a timeout with overtime looming but, unable to get a fourth goal in regular time, it was much to the Stars’ relief that they were able to take a point from this clash, having lost their lead so late in the game. Heading into overtime, the momentum was clearly with the visitors and they were keen to make their chances count so it was little surprise when Kolena, assisted by Morgan, achieved his sixth league goal of the season to award his team maximum points and leave Billingham hugely disappointed that their valiant effort against the former EPL side did not count for more.

Looking back on this game, Stars’ alternate captain Chris Sykes shared: “It was a brilliant game with a short bench against the Dogs. It’s never an easy game against anyone but to take a point off the Dogs at home with the short bench we had is a great point for us! We had the lead, and people may say we should have won, but credit to the Dogs; they played well and clawed their way back into it. The overtime goal was scored by their import who is paid to do exactly what he did. It was a great game and hopefully we can carry that into this next weekend against the Hawks.”

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