NIHL Weekend Action

Solihull victorious as Barons overpower Warriors

Whitley Warriors       4

Solihull Barons            5 (OT)

Lining up for what they knew would be a difficult game against Solihull Barons, Whitley Warriors had at their disposal twenty skaters, starting shot stopper Richie Lawson and backup netminder Mark Turnbull; the side missing blue liner Josh Maddock and forwards Callum Watson and Ross Douglass. The Barons, meanwhile, travelled with a squad of sixteen which included lone netminder Daniel Brittle, captain Josh Bruce and skilled Swedish import Niklas Ottosson; the outfit’s late arrival to Hillheads causing the team to miss out on the warm-up.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off against the Barons, the Warriors provided themselves with the best possible start to the game as Canadian import Philip Edgar rocketed a shot beyond netminder Brittle with just fifteen seconds played following neat play from captain Dean Holland and fellow forward Ben Richards. Stunned to have conceded just after faceoff, Solihull strove to get back into the game, battling in the corners to gain possession and subsequently placing shot stopper Lawson under pressure. Spurred on by their first goal however, the Warriors were quick to counter and some hard work from Holland saw the home team come close to finding the net before alternate captain Shaun Kippin struck the bar only for his effort to be mirrored moments later by blue liner Kyle Ross. With Whitley so close to scoring, it was frustrating for the side to concede on 13:01 as Solihull’s forward Adam Brittle threaded a pass to captain Bruce who bagged his side an equaliser to undo the Warriors’ hard work. Greatly disappointed with this turn of events, David Longstaff’s line-up took just thirty one seconds to hit back, this time experienced defenceman Sam Zajac slipping the puck to Holland who utilised his skill to outwit Brittle. Just nineteen seconds later, an interference call against Longstaff saw the player-coach sinbinned to allow the Barons an advantage but managing to kill this penalty without further concession, the Warriors were soon reduced to four men once more as Zajac was sidelined for the same offence to allow Solihull a second power play. Remaining strong in defence, the Warriors achieved possession of the puck at centre ice whilst shorthanded, allowing Holland to race against the Barons’ defence and unleash a shot which defeated Brittle to see the home team head in with a 3-1 lead at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading out onto the ice with a view to be even more dangerous in front of the net, the Barons were quick to reduce their deficit to just one goal as the side grabbed their second of the evening with just under two minutes of the middle stanza played, Andrew Whitehouse the man on target courtesy of fellow forward Elliot Farrell. The momentum now with the visitors, the Warriors found themselves under increasing pressure in their defensive zone and, as such, it was little surprise when Solihull again levelled the scoring, Bruce beating Lawson following linkup play between forwards Philip Mulcahy and Adam Brittle. Dismayed to have their lead cancelled out for a second time, the Warriors rallied to hit back just over a minute later, Richards picking out defenceman Zajac who fired on Brittle’s net to see the puck tipped in by forward Adam Finlinson to make it 4-3. Shortly after Whitley regained their lead, Solihull’s forward Luke Brittle incurred a ten minute misconduct penalty only to be joined less than two minutes later by Warriors’ captain Holland who made way for tripping on 33:39 to hand the Barons a power play. Though unable to get ahead with the additional man, Solihull were presented with another chance to equalise as Holland’s return to the ice saw the forward attempt to grab a goal, only to collide with netminder Brittle instead which resulted in a penalty for goaltender interference. In consequence, the Barons united to chase down a fourth goal with great success as captain Tomas Janak fired home with support from versatile ‘D’ man Dave Rogers and forward Mulcahy to see the score tied at 4-4 at the second break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice with the points all to play for, the Warriors were hopeful that they could still claim a victory from this game but Solihull’s momentum proved difficult for the home team to contend with. Scrapping for the puck in the corners before creating offensive opportunities, the Warriors found their play broken by the Barons time and again to make for an even third period with neither side able to make an impact in front of goal. A tripping penalty for defenceman Harry Harley on 50:01 presented Solihull with an opportunity to get ahead in the game but Whitley remained effective on the penalty kill to return to full strength unharmed. Moments later, the aftermath of an attempted shot from Edgar appeared to cause Brittle some pain but officials did not deem the import’s actions punishable. This incident seemingly prompted Baron Matthew Maurice to retaliate, the young forward flooring blue liner Liam Smedley to find himself ejected from the game. With Farrell serving a five minute penalty in consequence of this incident, the Warriors found themselves on the power play for the remainder of the period but, despite some close calls for Brittle, the outfit could not grab the winning goal they were desperately searching for and therefore failed to prevent the game from heading into overtime. Their advantage running into this additional five-minute period, the Warriors were allowed a four-on-three situation for over a minute but this made little difference to Whitley’s offensive efforts and instead, Solihull returned to full strength to grab a game winner as Adam Brittle teamed up with his brother Luke who did not miss his mark to earn the Barons two points whilst Whitley were forced to settle for one.

Stars dazzle Sharks to claim sixth league win

Billingham Stars          7

Solway Sharks               5

Taking to the ice with fifteen skaters, Billingham Stars found themselves shortbenched with captain Michael Elder, player-coach Michael Bowman, forward Scott Ward and defencemen Andy Finn, Thomas Keeley and Darren Stattersfield making up their lengthy absentee list. By comparison, Solway Sharks travelled to Teesside with a squad of sixteen players which included captain Struan Tonnar, in-form forward Duncan Speirs and two-way players Josh Grieveson and Jordan Buesa, the Dumfries outfit having made the trip without injured alternate captain James Hutchinson, defenceman Scott Cooper, Czech blue liner Vaclav Kolarik, youngster Ben Coughtrie and Houston brothers Luke and Lewis.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Prepared to make amends for last weekend’s double header defeat to Solihull Barons, Billingham Stars were determined to grab two points from this contest and showed their commitment to their cause by opening the scoring on 5:53 through stand-in captain Chris Sykes who capitalised on passing play between Jack Davies and player-coach Richie Thornton to provide his side with the head start they were looking for. Spurred on after falling behind in this encounter, Solway bagged themselves an equaliser just over two minutes later when Speirs hit the target courtesy of left winger Steven Moore to take Billingham back to square one. Shortly afterwards, referee David Emmerson called Stars’ forward Jack Davies to the sin bin for tripping to see Solway gain a power play but, working hard on the penalty kill, the home team ensured that their visitors were unable to make the most of their advantage to leave the score line at 1-1. Throwing everything at Billingham’s netminder James Flavell in this period, the Sharks were frustrated to have little to show for their hard work but a slashing penalty dished out to blue liner Ben Davison presented Solway with a second chance at a power play goal and it was no surprise that the side were successful in their efforts as Buesa played the puck to Czech defenceman Marek Charvát who netted with a wrist shot through traffic with just fifty two seconds of Billingham’s penalty remaining, allowing his side to head in with a narrow 2-1 lead at the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Setting out to draw level at the earliest opportunity, the Stars worked hard in the opening moments of the middle stanza to beat Hepburn for a second time as Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs linked up with fellow forward James Moss to play the puck to Jack Emerson who achieved his fourth league goal of the season on 22:04 as a result. Fifty one seconds later though, the Sharks regained their lead as Tonnar surpassed Billingham’s defence to slot the puck beyond Flavell following neat work from alternate captain Ross Murray and forward Connor Henderson. With the visitors leading by three goals to two, the Stars were aware that they needed to continue to persevere to ensure the game did not get away from them; the side challenging Hepburn where possible, though still finding themselves outshot by the Sharks. As Solway’s persistence in front of Flavell’s net showed no signs of diminishing, the Dumfries outfit earned themselves a fourth goal as Speirs buried an unassisted effort from behind Flavell’s goal line on 31:00 to prompt a change of netminder for the Stars eight seconds later; shot stopper Mark Watson taking Flavell’s place between the pipes. Sixteen seconds after this change of netminder, the Sharks then went shorthanded as Tonnar was sinbinned for hooking to present Billingham with a power play. The score line 4-2, the Teessiders were eager to reduce their deficit and, though unable to do so with the additional man, the Stars punished the Sharks just over two minutes after Solway’s return to full strength; Davison netting on 35:48 as alternate captain Callum Davies grabbed an assist. With the margin between Billingham and the Sharks far narrower than a moment before, Solway tried their luck against Watson in a bid to extend their lead before the second interval but, in spite of their efforts, there was no further change to the score line prior to the third period to see the Stars head in just one goal behind their opposition.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Starting the third period in much the same way as they did the second, the Stars found themselves again searching for an equaliser and this time it took the side close to four minutes into the final stanza to achieve this feat as Moss collected his seventh league goal of the season following support from Baškatovs to tie the game at 4-4. Shortly afterwards, Sharks’ stand-in alternate captain Kyle Horne was shown to the sin bin for interference to present Billingham with a power play but despite their many efforts on goal, the Stars could not contend with Solway’s penalty kill to leave the scoreboard unchanged. With both teams pursuing their next goal to seize the lead in the moments that followed, Billingham were able to creep ahead in the contest again on 53:19 when Baškatovs worked with Hehir to find Sykes whose initial shot rebounded off Hepburn, allowing him to ping the puck over the netminder at an incredibly tight angle to make it 5-4. With the clock counting the game’s final minutes and Billingham’s lead a fragile one, the Stars sought to establish a two-goal cushion with success, Baškatovs finding the net on this occasion with support from Moss and young forward Alex Preston. Soon after this goal, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb called for a timeout to talk tactics and, with just over a minute remaining in the game, Solway opted to pull netminder Hepburn in the hope that they could capitalise with the additional skater. This decision did not work in the Sharks’ favour however, as Sykes bagged himself an empty net goal to complete his hat trick on 59:47; Baškatovs and Moss with the assists. The game 7-4 and the Sharks now accepting their defeat, Solway found just enough time to carve out one last opportunity to find the net as power forward Murray played the puck to Connor Henderson who linked up with fellow forward Scott Henderson to see the youngster beat netminder Watson with just two seconds remaining in the game.

Considering Solway’s road defeat in Billingham, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb revealed: “We knew we were going to face a team desperate to beat us after we had won the previous six games and we got what we deserved. We were outworked from beginning to end and our third period display was embarrassing but we can’t dwell on it and we need to move on and get back to winning and limiting our stupid mistakes.”

Stars plunder points from Dragons’ den as Billingham enjoy four-point weekend

The Dragons               0

Billingham Stars              15

Making the trip to Deeside with a short bench of eleven skaters, Billingham’s line-up included stand-in captain Chris Sykes, alternate captain Callum Davies, forward James Moss and Latvian imports Deniss Baškatovs and Artūrs Ozols whilst netminders James Flavell and Mark Watson were both available for this encounter. Meanwhile, The Dragons had at their disposal a far stronger squad than they have been able to ice in recent weeks, lining up with eighteen players, including netminders Oliver Johnson and Louis Edwards, captain James Parsons and new defensive signings Kenneth Williams, Chad Wynne and Jake Orr.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Starting the game as they meant to go on, the Stars opened the scoring on 2:36 as junior forward Ethan Hehir beat Dragons’ shot stopper Johnson; Davies and Sykes assisting the youngster in his efforts to get onto the scoresheet. Disappointed to concede in the early stages of the game, the home team looked for a way to test netminder Mark Watson whilst the Stars set out to build on their positive start only to be prevented by the Dragons’ defence and some sturdy netminding from Johnson. As such, it was not until 9:21 that Billingham were able to grab their second of the evening, this time forward Baškatovs going it alone to find the target. Moments later, Johnson was again picking the puck from his net when Baškatovs passed to Moss who netted to make it 3-0. Now in full control of the game, the Stars soon found a fourth goal; Moss teaming up with defenceman Matthew Campbell to allow Baškatovs to claim his second of the evening. Though attempting to counter Billingham’s attacking play, the Dragons were unsuccessful in their efforts and instead, the Stars continued to build momentum to appear dangerous in their offensive zone. As such, it was not long after that the Teessiders altered the Dragons’ deficit to five, this time Baškatovs turning assist alongside Moss to see Campbell strike the back of the net with just over fifteen minutes on the clock. Moments later, it was the turn of stand-in captain Sykes to print his name on the scoresheet after receiving the puck from Davies; blue liner Ben Davison also grabbing an assist in the process. Though this goal prompted a change of netminder for the Dragons as Johnson made way for Edwards, the Stars continued to waste little time in front of the net as Moss bagged his second goal of the game to add to the Dragons’ woes, fellow forward Jack Emerson threading a pass to his teammate on this occasion as his side headed in with a seven-goal lead at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Prepared for the struggle ahead, the Dragons worked hard to prevent Billingham from grabbing a goal early in the second period but were disappointed to then go shorthanded on 24:03 when Parsons headed to the sin bin for delaying the game. However, the home team proved to be effective on the penalty kill to ensure that the Stars were not successful in their attempts to snatch an eighth goal on the power play. Piling the pressure onto Edwards’ goal after the Dragons’ return to full strength, Billingham made it 8-0 on 28:14 when Sykes notched his second of the evening as Hehir and Davies collected assists. Less than four minutes later, Moss received the puck from Ozols to successfully link up with Emerson for a second time to help his teammate onto the scoresheet. Nine goals down, the Dragons found it increasingly difficult to contend with the Stars who remained in control of the game to take the score line into double figures in the last two minutes of the period; Ozols burying the puck beyond Edwards after neat work from Davies and Sykes. Frustrated by this, young defenceman Ross Kennedy incurred a holding penalty with just twelve seconds left to play before the break to see Billingham gain a power play which ran over into the opening moments of the final period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With damage limitation their aim for the remainder of their encounter with the Stars, the Dragons found their defence under pressure on the penalty kill and it took only thirteen seconds for Billingham to make their advantage count as Davies bagged his first goal of the evening after Ozols played the puck to his alternate captain from stand-in captain Sykes. Shortly afterwards, Dragons’ defenceman Ryan Jones found himself sidelined for kneeing to hand Billingham another power play which the Stars were able to make the most of with just nineteen seconds of their advantage remaining as Ozols snatched his second of the evening on 46:28 courtesy of Davison and Davies to make it 12-0. Over four minutes later, Sykes completed his hat trick with a superb unassisted effort to add to his side’s tally as the Dragons continued to struggle against Billingham’s strong attacking play. With the game in its final stages, alternate captain Davies became the fifth Star to grab a second goal in this contest following creative play from Sykes and young defenceman James Hellens on 56:23. Continuing to pose a threat to the Dragons with the points all but theirs, Billingham then added a fifteenth goal to their collection just eight seconds from the final buzzer as Sykes struck the net for a fourth time in the game; Hehir assisting his line mate once again.

Looking back on his team’s consecutive victories, Billingham’s stand-in captain Chris Sykes shared: “It was a four-point weekend for the Stars. We’ve waited a long time to say that! It’s been tough for us all season but it feels good to get that, especially with one of the wins against our old NIHL rivals, the Sharks. What a weekend it was for everyone! It feels good in the Stars’ camp right now and onto the weekend we go!”

Sharks sink teeth into Hawks as Solway hit six past Blackburn

Blackburn Hawks          3

Solway Sharks               6

Completing their road trip with a journey to Lancashire, the Solway Sharks’ line-up that faced Billingham Stars on Saturday evening was joined by young defenceman Ben Coughtrie, whilst Blackburn Hawks took the ice with fifteen skaters, including top points scorers Rick Bentham, Jozef Ištocy and Aaron Davies.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking advantage of playing in front of a home crowd, Steven Duncombe’s Hawks set out to present Solway with a challenge and succeeded, working hard with possession to capitalise in front of goal on 2:33 as Ištocy surpassed Sharks’ netminder Kyle Johnston after passing play between player-coach Duncombe and defenceman Lewis Baldwin. Working hard to combat their difficult start to the game, Solway were rewarded for their perseverance when Hawks’ forward Bentham headed to the sin bin for slashing on 11:00. Aiming to draw level with the additional man, the Sharks found the net with just thirty seconds of their advantage remaining as ‘D’ man Kyle Horne incorporated forward Scott Henderson into play following a pass from two-way player Jordan Buesa to tie the score line at 1-1. Just thirty five seconds later, Horne was sidelined by referee Chris Wells for crosschecking to allow the home team a power play of their own but the Hawks failed in their efforts to take the lead for a second time as the Sharks laboured on the penalty kill to ensure their previous hard work was not undone, with shot stopper Johnston remaining sturdy between the pipes in the process. Returning to full strength to try to achieve the lead in this encounter before the interval, Solway again found themselves faced with Duncombe’s tough team which fought for the puck to try their luck at the other end of the ice. With neither team capable of edging ahead before the first interval, the period was brought to an end with thirty six seconds left to play as Baldwin took a puck to the face following Marek Charvát’s clearance against the plexi-glass, the sides filing from the ice with a goal apiece.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Recognising their need to make an impact in the early stages of the second period, Solway Sharks got off to a great start in the middle stanza as forward Iain Bowie sent his team into the lead courtesy of Buesa and forward Joe Coulter. Just over three minutes later, Horne was made to warm a seat in the sin bin as he earned himself 2+2 for hooking and misconduct. With over a minute of this penalty left to play, two-way defenceman Josh Grieveson clashed with Finnish import and former Shark Kim Miettinen to see the duo sidelined for roughing on 29:25. With this disruption affecting the Hawks’ ability to beat Johnston though the side were still on the power play due to Horne’s punishment, Blackburn were pleased to be handed an additional opportunity to equalise after both teams had returned to full strength as Sharks’ young forward Daniel Abercrombie received 2+10 for a purported check to the head against Baldwin moments later. However, the Hawks’ power play did not last long as over a minute later, Davies also received 2+10 for a check to the head in an unrelated incident against Czech defenceman Charvát on 33:33. Remaining composed in the aftermath of these incidents, the Sharks were able to ignite their offensive play once more, Coulter again teaming up with Buesa to allow Bowie to bag his second goal of the evening with 36:52 on the clock. Having worked hard to achieve this two-goal cushion, Martin Grubb’s men sought to further increase the margin between themselves and the Hawks and it took less than two minutes for captain Struan Tonnar to drive the puck beyond netminder Ashton to make it 4-1 following a neat pass form Horne. Twenty nine seconds after this goal, Hawks’ alternate captain Luke Boothroyd earned himself a minor roughing penalty to award Solway a power play which ran into the third period by forty one seconds due to the visitors’ inability to capitalise with the additional skater prior to the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Resuming play on the penalty kill, the Hawks achieved possession and made it count following faceoff as Bentham linked up with fellow forward Matt Viney who scored just twelve seconds into this stanza. The score line 4-2, Blackburn felt that they could claw their way back into the game and did so as Bentham’s unassisted effort flew beyond Johnston on 42:19 to reduce his team’s deficit to just one goal. With these two quick-fire goals causing concern for Grubb and his men, the Head Coach called a timeout to reinforce his side’s game plan which was soon put into practice as alternate captain Ross Murray accomplished his thirteenth league goal of the season on 46:31 when forward Duncan Speirs and left winger Steven Moore battled with the Hawks’ defence to provide their teammate with the best chance of getting on the scoresheet. Trailing by 5-3 at this stage in the game, the Hawks switched netminder Ashton for shot stopper Trapans to allow their backup some ice time but, their frustrations beginning to show, both Viney and Bentham were made to sit out forty eight seconds later; the former receiving a ten-minute misconduct penalty and the latter picking up a minor for roughing to see the Sharks gain a power play. Over a minute into their penalty kill, the Hawks opted for a timeout in an attempt to regain some control of play but Blackburn could not break down Solway’s tough defence, even after their return to full strength. With neither side able to score as the period progressed, Blackburn decided to throw everything into the dying moments of the game, pulling netminder Trapans for the additional skater but this tactic only provided the Sharks with an opportunity to extend their lead as Bowie claimed possession to help Buesa slot home an empty net goal on 58:41; Horne also notching an assist. Unable to recover from this goal with time fast running out, Blackburn were forced to accept their defeat to Solway as the Sharks celebrated their 6-3 victory on the final buzzer.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Adding to his earlier comments, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb observed: “Blackburn made it clear last week they fancied us in the playoffs and it made things easier for the players to get up for the game. I don’t think we were anywhere near our best, especially at the start of the third again but we found a way to win and we haven’t been doing that lately. We need to continue to look for consistency but it was nice to get the win tonight.”

Warriors torn apart by Telford as Tigers triumph over Whitley

Telford Tigers            8

Whitley Warriors        0

Making the lengthy trip to Shropshire with sixteen skaters and netminders Richie Lawson and Mark Turnbull, David Longstaff’s Whitley Warriors found themselves without defencemen Dan Pye and Sam Zajac, and forwards Ryan Sample, Callum Watson and Martin Crammond as they headed out onto the ice to faceoff against Tom Watkins’ Telford Tigers who lined up with fifteen skaters, including new signings Slovakian import Filip Supa and blue liner Nick Oliver.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Immediately striving for the net from faceoff, the Tigers hit the Warriors hard, scoring with just twenty six seconds of the period played as captain Jason Silverthorn picked out alternate captain Rick Plant, the forward firing the puck beyond Lawson to make it 1-0. Shortly afterwards, the Warriors were handed a power play as forward Scott McKenzie was shown to the sin bin for hooking but Whitley were forced to battle against the Tigers’ strong penalty kill and struggled to make shot stopper Denis Bell work at the other end of the ice. Dominating possession and labouring against the Warriors’ defence after their return to full strength, Telford continued to search for their second goal and it was only due to the hard work of Whitley’s blue liners and some sturdy netminding that the score line remained unchanged until 12:15 when Silverthorn printed his own name on the scoresheet as Plant returned the favour alongside McKenzie to make it 2-0. Having waited quite some time for this second goal, it took the Tigers just three minutes more to grab their third as McKenzie buried an unassisted shot to defy Lawson’s shot stopping. Unable to prevent Telford’s onslaught to effectively achieve their own creative play, the Warriors found themselves under pressure ahead of the first interval but, withstanding the Tigers’ attack in the latter stages of the period, the visitors were glad to file from the ice only three goals behind the former EPL outfit. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice to resume their domination, the Tigers were disappointed to go shorthanded with close to two minutes played as defenceman Adam Jones was sidelined for delaying the game to award the Warriors their second power play. Failing to grab a goal with the additional skater, Whitley were forced to endure further attacking play from the home team on the side’s return to full strength and conceded a fourth goal on 26:28 when forward Brodie Jesson claimed his seventh league goal of the season courtesy of ‘D’ man Stokes and alternate captain Plant. Switching Lawson for netminder Turnbull between the pipes, the Warriors began to increase their efforts on Bell’s net after only managing four shots on goal in the first period. Despite their attempts to pull a goal back, the Warriors found that the Tigers’ would not be denied a fifth goal as Plant bagged his second of the evening on 32:55; Stokes and McKenzie with the assists. Undeterred by this setback, the Warriors continued to fight for a goal of their own whilst primarily working to hinder Telford’s attacking play. Whilst Whitley were successful in keeping the Tigers at bay for a little over six minutes, Watkins’ team were able to find a way through in the final minute of the period, first netting on 39:02 as Plant assisted Silverthorn and then grabbing another just fourteen seconds later as Silverthorn returned the favour for Plant once more with further support arriving from McKenzie in this instance. In consequence, the Warriors found their deficit suddenly increased at the break as they headed in on the wrong end of the 7-0 score line.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading out onto the ice with the knowledge that the points were all but theirs, Telford opted for a change of netminder as the side switched Bell for shot stopper Jonah Armstrong to allow the youngster some ice time. Meanwhile, setting out to prevent their deficit from growing, the Warriors were disappointed to find themselves shorthanded on 43:46 when Canadian import Philip Edgar was made to sit out for hooking. Eleven seconds later, Turnbull found himself picking the puck from his net for one last time as blue liner Jones bagged a power play goal for his team with the help of forward Warren Tait and versatile defenceman Daniel Rose to see the scoreboard altered to 8-0. Returning Lawson to his net in place of Turnbull, the Warriors worked to avoid further concession for the remainder of the period and were effective in defence to ensure that they did not concede further before the final buzzer called time on Telford’s victory, the side having outshot the Warriors by twelve shots to four in this period.

Reflecting on Whitley’s double header after this game, player-coach David Longstaff told NIHL Northern Trio: “Sunday was always going to be a difficult game because we were missing five senior players for the away trip. On Saturday, we started off quite well but, to be honest, Solihull dominated the game for fifty minutes and probably deserved to win the game in normal time. We fortunately got a point from the game which we probably didn’t deserve but we’ll take it.”

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.