NIHL Weekend Action

Sharks bite back as Tigers take overtime loss

Telford Tigers      4

Solway Sharks         5  (OT)

Making the lengthy trip to Shropshire to take on Telford Tigers, Solway Sharks had at their disposal a strong line-up which included captain Struan Tonnar, forward Connor Henderson and young prospect Duncan Speirs whilst sturdy netminder Calum Hepburn assumed his place between the pipes ahead of young backup shot stopper Lewis Dolan. Meanwhile, Tom Watkins’ outfit boasted their usual compact but highly skilled squad as they took to the ice with Canadian captain Jason Silverthorn, alternate captain Rick Plant, retiring forward Joe Miller and former Dragons’ player-coach Scott McKenzie in their ranks.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Though finding themselves up against tough competition as they confronted former EPL side Telford Tigers, Solway were as equally determined as their opposition to find the back of the net and, as such, it was little surprise that this led to a stalemate forming in the early stages of the game with both netminders tested but neither defeated. Their work rate undeniable, Solway soon found themselves with the lead as Connor Henderson teamed up with Scott Henderson to see fellow forward Daniel Abercrombie achieve his fifth league goal of his campaign on 8:25. Just over two minutes later though, the Tigers were able to hit back as Silverthorn netted to make it 1-1 when Plant was integrated into play by defenceman Daniel Mitchell. Though the two sides continued to be very evenly matched, Telford were eager to demonstrate their edge and did so as Miller beat Hepburn on 16:59 courtesy of McKenzie. Having lost their lead, Solway then appeared to suffer a further setback when netminder Hepburn sustained an injury which prompted the physio onto the ice. Composing himself, Hepburn resumed his position for the final moments of the period which saw no further addition to the scoreboard, allowing the Tigers to head in on the right side of the 2-1 score line.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Working hard to increase their offensive play on their return to the ice, the Sharks got off to an excellent start as they looked to build pressure around netminder Denis Bell in their quest for an equaliser. However, with just under six minutes of the second stanza played, Solway found themselves shorthanded when Connor Henderson made way for roughing to see his opposition gain the advantage. Though effective on the penalty kill, the Sharks were disappointed to concede just as Henderson’s penalty terminated, Silverthorn accomplishing his second of the evening as Plant teamed up with experienced defenceman Jonathan Weaver to assist. Just twenty two seconds later though, it was the turn of the visitors to go on the power play as Silverthorn was sidelined for high sticks to award the Sharks the additional man. Taking full advantage of Silverthorn’s misdemeanour, Solway’s forward Speirs was able to beat Bell following a neat pass from captain Tonnar to take his side within a goal of the opposition. Shortly after scoring, the Sharks were forced to change injured netminder Hepburn for backup shot stopper Dolan, the youngster making his senior debut for Solway as a result. In spite of Hepburn’s injury, Grubb’s men were spurred on to draw level on 31:11, this time Connor Henderson hitting home with support from Czech import Vaclav Kolarik. The two teams continuing to compete closely in their quest for the points, both sides strove to make an impact in front of goal but it was to the Sharks’ dismay that Telford were able to find a fourth before the second interval, defenceman Adam Jones printing his name on the scoresheet after some creative play from Miller and versatile blue liner Daniel Rose on 38:40. Ahead by four goals to Solway’s three, the Tigers were aware that there was still much competition left in this game and that they would need to maintain their work rate to keep their visitors at bay.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice with hopes that they could continue to contend to the high standard that they had shown in the first two periods of the game, Solway Sharks hunted for a fourth goal, all the while battling against their tough opposition as they looked to beat Bell to equalise. Unrelenting in their show of determination, the Dumfries outfit soon reaped the rewards of their resolve when left winger Steven Moore played the puck to Czech defenceman Marek Charvát who achieved his twelfth league goal of the season in the process to make it 4-4. The game tied, Telford then saw Miller go excruciatingly close as his shot was met by the post and both teams began to labour for the puck in search of a winning goal. With neither side able to find the back of the net though during a period of end-to-end hockey, the final buzzer brought with it overtime. Play rapid between zones, it was clear that the ambition to claim the winning goal had not diminished any and, though both teams showed much desire to achieve it, it was Solway who were able to grab the winner; forward Iain Bowie collecting the puck from Connor Henderson to pick out Charvát with a long range pass from the Sharks’ defensive zone which allowed the Czech defenceman to slip the puck around netminder Bell to seal his team’s 5-4 win.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Reflecting on Solway’s positive result, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “We knew going into tonight’s game that it would be very tough as Telford are highly skilled, well-coached and play at a good tempo. Getting off to a good start was important and taking the lead settled us down but then we made a couple of mistakes, were punished and found ourselves 3-1 down. We had to replace Calum Hepburn halfway through with an injury and Lewis Dolan did great on his senior debut, and this helped us get back in the game. The third was end-to-end and a good hockey game. We had to dig deep to ensure we took the game to overtime and I was delighted with how the boys played to get the win. I felt we deserved it for our work rate and discipline against a top team.”

Stars dazzle Hawks to shoot into eighth place

Billingham Stars     4

Blackburn Hawks     3

Facing off for their last game of 2017, Billingham Stars lined up with a squad of nineteen players which included top points scorer Chris Sykes, captain Michael Elder and sturdy netminder James Flavell as the Teessiders set out in search of two all-important points to end their year on a high. By contrast, Blackburn Hawks made the trip to The Forum with fifteen skaters which included forward Rick Bentham, Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy and youngster James Royds whilst player-coach Steven Duncombe opted to coach only from the bench for this fixture.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for the first period, the Stars were keen to make a positive impression in front of a home crowd from the outset with the aim to move away from the league placement playoff place ahead of the New Year. With both sides working hard in the opening moments of this game to establish possession and create some chances in front of goal, it was much to Billingham’s disappointment that they were the first to fall behind as Hawks’ latest signing Kim Miettinen surpassed the Stars’ defence with 8:19 on the clock, following support from Matt Viney and Bentham. Continuing to place Flavell under a great deal of pressure, managing twenty one shots to Billingham’s eleven, Blackburn looked increasingly likely to score but were prevented from doing so by the Stars’ strong defensive work. Battling in spite of the Hawks’ plucky attacking play, it was not long before the Teessiders’ perseverance paid off, Latvian import Deniss Baškatovs finding the target on 15:23 to make it 1-1 courtesy of Sykes and defenceman Andy Finn. Spurred on by this goal, the Stars were able to double their tally just eighteen seconds later, this time forward Scott Ward netting to add to Blackburn’s woes following a pass from young forward Alex Preston. Unable to equalise before the break, the Hawks filed from the ice, trailing by this slender margin whilst Billingham were more than happy with their lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice with a determination to get back on track, Duncombe’s men set their sights on a second goal which was quickly delivered by Bentham on 21:10 after Viney worked with Royds to provide the forward with the perfect opportunity to capitalise. The score line 2-2, play began to even out with both Stars’ netminder Flavell and Hawks’ shot stopper Stuart Ashton seeing off chances from their opposition. Though the contest was now incredibly close and both teams persisted in their efforts for the points, it was the home team who were able to reclaim the lead, Preston firing past Ashton on 35:08 when youngster Ethan Hehir supplied the puck to his teammate after receiving a pass from blue liner Ben Davison. Just over a minute later, Sykes achieved his eighteenth goal of his league campaign on the breakaway assisted by player-coach Richie Thornton and Latvian defenceman Artūrs Ozols. Stunned by their sudden change of fortunes, the Hawks strove to chip away at their two-goal deficit ahead of the break but without success, allowing the Stars to file from the ice at the second interval with a 4-2 lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aiming to stay ahead of the Hawks in this contest, Billingham looked to pick up from where they left off whilst Blackburn sought to increase their attacking play to recover some lost ground. This play resulting in a stalemate between the two outfits, it was not until 48:30 that the next goal was scored as the visitors notched their third of the evening through Ištocy; Bentham and forward Lee Pollitt on hand to assist on this occasion. Just over two minutes later, Ištocy then found himself sinbinned for boarding as referee Andrew Miller made his first penalty call of the game to place the Stars on the power play. Regardless of this advantage, Billingham could not capitalise and, around four minutes after his team returned to full strength, Duncombe opted for a timeout with the hope that Blackburn could draw level in the latter stages of the period. Despite the words of their player-coach though, the Hawks were unable to make the desired impact and it was to the Teessiders’ relief that the final buzzer sounded to confirm their 4-3 victory.

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