NIHL Weekend Action

Hull sinks Sharks as Pirates plunder points

Solway Sharks     5

Hull Pirates          8

Lining up with sixteen skaters which included alternate captain James Hutchinson, the defenceman making his return from injury, and young blue liner Liam Stenton who was able to make his senior debut for Solway Sharks in this fixture, Martin Grubb’s men opted for shot stopper Kyle Johnston to take his place between the pipes over usual first choice Calum Hepburn. Hull Pirates, meanwhile, travelled to the Dumfries Ice Bowl with fifteen skaters, the side led by captain Jamie Chilcott whilst goaltender Adam Long was given the start in net over Joseph Gent.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon

Starting the game with a bench minor for too many men just fifty four seconds after faceoff, Solway Sharks found themselves working hard on the penalty kill from the outset to prevent the Pirates from taking an early lead. In spite of these efforts, Hull were able to open their account approximately three minutes after Solway returned to full strength, the side getting ahead in the fixture through forward Lee Bonner after a neat pass from right winger James Archer. Eager to draw level as soon as possible, the Sharks bagged an equaliser just over a minute later when Iain Bowie fired the puck home following some hard work from fellow forward Connor Henderson on 7:21. Keen to recover their lead, the Pirates sought a second goal, utilising their possession to pile the pressure onto netminder Johnston in the hope that they could surpass Solway’s defence, the young shot stopper working hard to keep his team in the game. Though the Sharks saw off consecutive attacks from Jason Hewitt’s relentless Pirates, Hull’s perseverance soon overpowered the Dumfries outfit once again, the side doubling their tally on 17:30, this time Archer the man on target as Bonner turned assist alongside alternate captain Samuel Towner to send his team in with a narrow 2-1 lead at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading back onto the ice for the second stanza, Solway were keen to find another equaliser but it wasn’t to be as Archer beat Johnston to bag his second goal in the contest, making it 3-1 with 22:04 on the clock, Bonner assisting once again. Just over three minutes later, Hull further extended their lead as forward Jordan Fisher netted following passing play between Bonner and Towner. Frustrated to be so far behind in the contest at this stage in the game, the Sharks looked to get back on track and began to create some chances in their offensive zone to test Long and build momentum whilst equally working hard to halt their opposition’s attacking play at the other end of the ice. With the period progressing and Solway’s determination not diminishing any, the home side were pleased to chip away at their deficit on 34:44 when left winger Steven Moore teamed up with Duncan Speirs to see the forward achieve his twentieth league goal of the season. Just seventy four seconds later, the puck was again in the net for Solway as Connor Henderson assisted Bowie’s efforts for a second time to see Grubb’s men go within one goal of the Pirates. The momentum now increasingly with the Dumfries outfit, young forward Lewis Houston accomplished his first goal for the Sharks just thirty eight seconds later to see Solway notch three goals in less than two minutes to make it 4-4. Moments later, referee David Emmerson dished out the first penalties of the game as Czech defenceman Marek Charvát headed to the sin bin to serve 2+10 for a check to the head. Soon after this penalty, right winger Bobby Chamberlain was sidelined for a slashing offence to level the playing field. Eleven seconds later, and just four seconds before Charvát’s minor had been served, Archer incurred a penalty for interference to join Chamberlain in the sin bin and to present Solway with a five-on-three power play. Unwilling to waste this chance to get ahead in the game, the Sharks struck for a fifth time to stun the Pirates, Speirs working with defenceman Kyle Horne to set up skilled left winger Moore who made his shot count on 39:12 to allow his team to head in with an astonishing 5-4 lead at the second break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the third and final period, Hull recognised their need to get back into this contest as quickly as possible, having fallen behind in the middle stanza. Searching for a goal and building pressure around Johnston’s net as before whilst the Sharks strove to counter their play, the Pirates eventually levelled the scoring on 46:51 when defenceman Thomas Stubley hit home, player-coach Hewitt and captain Chilcott assisting on this occasion. Less than three minutes later and just before the halfway point in the period, the puck was again in the net as Bonner fired home an unassisted effort to restore his team’s lead with his second goal of the evening. Shortly afterwards, Solway’s deficit was increased further when Bonner linked up with Towner to see the alternate captain print his name on the scoresheet on 52:20; Bonner bagging his fourth assist of the encounter to accompany his two goals. This goal prompted a timeout from the Sharks who were aware that the game was suddenly slipping from their grasp but this team talk could not stay Hull’s attacking play, the side making it 8-5 just fifty six seconds later to place the points out of Solway’s reach. A high sticks offence against Bonner soon followed but, even with the additional skater, the Dumfries outfit found it difficult to add to their tally and watched the Pirates return to full strength only to go shorthanded themselves on 58:09 as ‘D’ man Scott Cooper was shown to the sin bin for high sticks. Finishing the game with the extra man, Hull were pleased to claim their 8-5 victory on the final buzzer, this result allowing the Pirates to continue their battle for the top spot.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Speaking after this game, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb reflected: “We started slowly, Hull had lots of possession and we had Kyle Johnston to thank for keeping us in the game in the first thirty minutes. We were then able to compete better, started to take the game to Hull, took the chances we created and showed great character to lead after two periods. We knew how tough the third would be but a mixture of running out of steam and too many mistakes meant that we were punished and you cannot do that against a quality hockey team. The disappointing thing was I felt we could have limited our turnovers and mistakes to give ourselves a chance but there were also plenty of positives which we will take forward into our remaining games.”

Solway triumph in Dragons’ den as Sharks snap up win

The Dragons       3

Solway Sharks     6

Making the trip to Deeside with the same side as that which faced Hull Pirates on Saturday evening with the addition of young defenceman Ben Coughtrie, Solway Sharks were more than prepared for the Dragons to put up a fight as they headed out onto the ice, opting for first choice netminder Calum Hepburn to resume his place between the pipes. By comparison, The Dragons lined up with sixteen skaters, including captain James Parsons, experienced forward Marc Lovell and alternate captain Chris Jones, besides starting shot stopper Dominic Jolly.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Building up possession in the early stages of this encounter, Solway Sharks immediately set out to test netminder Jolly with the objective to put their opposition under pressure from faceoff. Though the Dragons worked hard in defence to counter this play, it was not long before the Sharks capitalised on their initial efforts, the side scoring on 4:31 as young forward Scott Henderson struck the net following a pass from captain Struan Tonnar. Pursuing their next goal as a result of this success, Solway doubled their lead with another from Scott Henderson less than four minutes later, this time Connor Henderson and defenceman Scott Cooper teaming up to assist the goal scorer. Ensuring that the Dragons had no time to recover their equanimity after this goal, the Sharks unleashed a third as junior Lewis Houston added to the scoreboard courtesy of alternate captain James Hutchinson and fellow forward Joe Coulter. Disappointed to be three goals down, the Dragons continued to demonstrate their excellent work ethic to prevent Solway’s offensive play for a time but in the end, it was not enough to see off a fourth goal from the Dumfries outfit as Connor Henderson received the puck from Czech defenceman Marek Charvát to allow forward Iain Bowie to net on 12:22. The score line now 4-0, the Sharks were comfortable in their lead but the Dragons continued to apply their efforts to try their luck against Hepburn. Failing to pull a goal back against their visitors before the first interval, the Deeside outfit headed in with the aim to get back into the contest in the second period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice for the middle stanza, the Dragons were determined to notch a goal and it showed as alternate captain Jones fired home within the space of two minutes following creative play from defenceman Ross Kennedy. Just forty nine seconds later, the home team added a second to their tally to make it 4-2 on 22:44, forward Owen Bennett the man on target following passing play between defenceman Kenneth Williams and forward James Shaw. Less than two minutes later, the Dragons incurred a bench minor for too many men to see the Sharks handed a power play. Not about to let this opportunity pass by without making it count, Solway took just over a minute to find the net with the additional man as Houston achieved his second of the evening with a superb unassisted effort on 25:46 to punish the Dragons’ misdemeanour. Just thirty two seconds later, the Sharks beat Jolly for a sixth time as Houston turned assist alongside Bowie to allow Coulter to print his name onto the scoresheet. Their deficit increased to four goals once more, the Dragons continued to battle with their visitors in the hope that they could still take something from this game. Despite their attempts to defeat Hepburn for a third time in this period, the home team could not find a way past the Sharks’ defence to see their attacking play prove fruitless as Solway remained focused on grabbing another goal to ensure that the points stayed out of the Dragons’ reach. However, the Dumfries outfit could not add to the scoreboard subsequent to Coulter’s goal to go in at the second period with a 6-2 lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aiming to begin the third period in the same fashion as the second, the Dragons were pleased to be awarded the advantage when Sharks’ two-way player Josh Grieveson headed to the sin bin for holding sticks on 41:43 to see the home team gain a power play. Failing to capitalise on this chance to reduce their deficit though, the Dragons were forced to contend with Solway’s creativity as Martin Grubb’s men returned to full strength with their sights set on another goal. Close to the halfway point in the period, a slashing penalty for ‘D’ man Williams handed the Sharks a power play but this time, the visitors failed to net on the advantage to allow the home team to be restored to five men without further concession. With their efforts in vain as the Welsh outfit continued to work hard in defence to ensure that there was no way past Jolly for a seventh time, the Sharks were then stunned to see the Dragons bag themselves a third goal on 55:25, this time Chris Jones claiming his second of the game with an unassisted shot to make it 6-3. Moments later, both sides ran into penalty trouble as Jones undid his good work with a trip against Solway’s blue liner Stuart Kerr who also earned himself a minor for diving. These penalties served with little time remaining in the game, neither side were able to alter the score line before the final buzzer sounded to confirm the Sharks’ win.

Considering his team’s victory over The Dragons, Solway’s Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “We knew Deeside would come to play, would be aggressive and work hard, and that’s exactly what they did, and we didn’t. I thought the players had the wrong attitude and our performance was completely unacceptable but credit to Deeside for their performance. The only positives were the two points and that we played our young guys all night, including two Man of the Match performances from Lewis Houston and a very good debut weekend for sixteen-year-old Liam Stenton.”

Sheffield eclipses Stars to stay top dog in battle for silverware

Billingham Stars          1

Sheffield Steeldogs      5

Heading into this fixture with a squad of nineteen, including player-coach Michael Bowman, captain Michael Elder, junior defenceman James Hellens and young forward Ethan Hehir, Billingham Stars set out to contend with the Steeldogs who made the trip to The Forum with player-coach Ben Morgan, stand-in captain Tim Smith and Slovakian forwards Adrian Palak and Milan Kolena amongst their sixteen skaters whilst shot stopper Dmitri Zimozdra took his place between the pipes ahead of netminder Brandon Stones.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aware of the threat that Sheffield Steeldogs posed going into this fixture, Billingham Stars aimed for a sturdy start against the former EPL outfit as both sides battled for possession in the early stages of the game with a view to build some momentum in front of goal. A crosschecking call against blue liner Ben Davison on 7:17 placed the Steeldogs on a power play and, though unable to find the net with the additional skater, Sheffield scored just under a minute after the Stars returned to full strength, Slovakian winger Palak presenting his team with the lead just beyond the halfway point in the period following a pass from Smith. Shortly after this goal, the Steeldogs suffered a setback as defenceman Jamie Scott was sidelined for hooking to award Billingham a power play of their own. Failing to make the most of this opportunity, the Stars could not achieve an equaliser on the advantage and watched Sheffield return to full strength with their lead intact. Whilst netminder Mark Watson pulled off some excellent saves to ensure his team did not fall too far behind, the Teessiders were forced to contend with their visitors’ tricky defensive work which prevented them from making the most of any chances which fell their way. As such, neither team were able to add to the scoring, allowing Morgan’s men to head in with a narrow 1-0 lead at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Looking to build on their positive start to the game, the Steeldogs were disappointed to find themselves shorthanded just fifty seven seconds into the middle stanza when Smith made way for tripping. Though striving to make the most of this power play, the Stars struggled to beat Zimozdra who proved sturdy in net and then found themselves reduced to four men less than a minute after Smith’s penalty had terminated; forward Jack Davies warming a seat in the sin bin for boarding. Punishing netminder Watson just fifteen seconds into this power play, the Steeldogs were pleased to double their lead on 24:06 as Morgan notched his ninth league goal of the season following quick play from Kolena and forward Ashley Calvert. Just over two minutes later, Watson was again picking the puck from his net as Palak received a pass from young forward Cameron Brownley to snatch his second goal of the game to make it 3-0. With the Stars frustrated to see their deficit growing, it was not long before the two teams clashed, alternate captain Chris Sykes and Slovakian import Kolena each incurring minors for slashing and crosschecking respectively. Though these penalties made no difference to the scoreboard, the Stars were able to get off the mark just fifty three seconds after returning to full strength as player-coach Bowman fired an unassisted shot beyond Zimozdra to make it 3-1 on 31:55. Battling for a second goal whilst Sheffield remained relentless in their pursuit of a fourth, the Teessiders found their efforts to get back into the game thwarted by Sheffield’s skilled defence and neat offensive play; Billingham managing to record just half as many shots as their visitors in this period. As such, it was no surprise that the Steeldogs reaped the rewards of their hard work in front of Watson’s net in the latter stages of this stanza as Calvert netted courtesy of forward James Spurr and alternate captain Smith to see Sheffield file from the ice with a 4-1 lead at the second break .

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice for the third and final period of the game, Billingham Stars sought to chip away at their three-goal deficit whilst the Steeldogs were comfortable in their lead as they headed out with the aim to secure two points. With the period well under way and neither side scoring, a hooking penalty for Spurr on 47:55 provided Billingham with another power play but the Stars could not carve a path through on goal to beat Zimozdra and found that they were no further forward in their attempts to get back into the game when the Steeldogs returned to five men. Just eighteen seconds after this chance had passed them by, Billingham went shorthanded as alternate captain Callum Davies made way for interference.Aiming for a goal with the additional man, Sheffield could not beat Watson whilst on the power play and instead found the net just over a minute later when Smith teamed up with left winger Liam Charnock to see Brownley bag himself a goal to take the score line up to 5-1 on 53:18. With little time remaining in the period for Billingham to turn the game around, the Stars were unable to battle back against the Steeldogs’ unrelenting offensive play which saw the outfit working hard against the Stars’ defence as they looked to get even further ahead in the contest. As the game came to an end with no further alterations to the scoreboard, the Steeldogs could content themselves with another win to go top of the table with forty nine points whilst the Stars remain in eighth position, still five points behind Blackburn Hawks.

Looking back on Billingham’s loss, alternate captain Chris Sykes admitted: “Sunday was a tough game. With no game on Saturday, it was hard to get going on Sunday. Even though you’d expect to be fresh-legged, it’s hard work. The Dogs are a great team and top of the table for a reason. We played some good hockey and some scrappy hockey. Flav is still injured but Watson is doing good. We just need to get back into our swing and we will be fine.”

Warriors tame Lions as Whitley shutout Nottingham on road

Nottingham Lions    0

Whitley Warriors      5

Travelling to Nottingham with a short bench of fifteen skaters and netminders Richie Lawson and Mark Turnbull, Whitley Warriors found themselves without forwards Ryan Sample, Callum Watson and Adam Finlinson, experienced defenceman Dan Pye, versatile blue liners Stuart Tomlinson and Will Robson and youngsters Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass as they headed out onto the ice against Nottingham Lions who had a strong squad at their disposal, the side lining up with nineteen skaters besides netminders Sam Gospel and Thomas Hovell.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Setting out to achieve two points from this fixture, Whitley Warriors were faced with Matt Bradbury’s hardworking Lions who headed out onto the ice knowing that they were capable of causing problems for the Hillheads outfit after pushing Solihull Barons into overtime to earn a point on Saturday evening. Gaining a power play on 7:36 when Whitley’s alternate captain Jordan Barnes headed to the sin bin for hooking, Nottingham set out to try their luck against shot stopper Turnbull but failed to contend with the Warriors’ penalty kill to see no alterations to the scoreboard. This was a chance that the Lions would rue however, as close to three minutes after returning to full strength, Whitley were able to open the scoring through captain Dean Holland who capitalised on play from forward Martin Crammond and Canadian import Philip Edgar on 12:22. Immediately setting their sights on another, the Warriors doubled their lead just under three minutes later when forward Ben Richards bagged himself a goal following neat work from blue liner Harry Harley and power forward Barnes. With the Lions working to get back into this fixture and the Warriors aiming to extend their lead, it was little surprise when the two sides clashed ahead of the first interval as Nottingham’s alternate captain Adam Andrews and Whitley’s captain Holland were both shown to the sin bin for roughing on 19:28. These penalties running over into the middle stanza, the Warriors headed in moments later with a two-goal cushion to keep their opposition at bay whilst the Lions trailed off the ice with the knowledge that they had much work to do in the second period to get back into the game.   

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With these penalties terminated early in the second period, both sides returned to full strength but it was not long after that the Warriors went shorthanded, this time the Hillheads outfit earning themselves a bench minor for too many men. Awarded their second power play of the evening, the Lions strove to get onto the scoresheet but were unable to surpass netminder Turnbull as David Longstaff’s men once again worked hard to break down Nottingham’s play on the penalty kill. Returning to full strength to pepper Gospel’s net, the Warriors were faced with the home team’s difficult defence and it was only on 34:26 that the visitors were able to make it 3-0, Richards accomplishing his second of the encounter as blue liners Josh Maddock and Sam Zajac bagged assists on this occasion. Just over three minutes after this goal, the Lions suffered a further setback when forward Cameron Pywell was sinbinned for tripping to allow the Warriors a power play. Unable to make the most of their additional man ahead of the break, Whitley went in with just one more goal than that of the previous period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Eager to make amends for their failure to capitalise on the power play, the Warriors scored their fourth of the contest with just over a minute of the third period played, Richards completing his hat trick on 41:21 with support from alternate captain Shaun Kippin and player-coach Longstaff. Realising their need to increase their attacking play in this stanza, the Lions called Turnbull into action on several occasions but it was not enough to beat the netminder and Whitley were quick to quash their opposition’s offensive play to create their own chances in front of Gospel’s net. Despite their many attempts to increase their lead, Longstaff’s line-up were not able to make it 5-0 until just beyond the halfway point in the period as youngster Jamie Ord linked up with fellow forward DJ Good to see the long-serving Warrior claim his third league goal of the season. Now trailing by five goals, the Lions were aware that any chance of a comeback would be slim but even grabbing a consolatory goal proved a struggle for the side and, as such, Whitley were able to leave the National Ice Centre with two points from their 5-0 victory. Commenting on his team’s success in Nottingham, player-coach David Longstaff noted: “We did enough to win the game, a lot of players got ice time on Sunday and looked good.”

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