Solway Sharks Match Report – 31st August 2013

This Saturday the Magnox Ltd. Solway Sharks open their league campaign with a mouth watering home fixture against last season’s league runners-up the Billingham Stars. Games between the two sides last season produced some of the most exciting ice hockey seen anywhere in the country. After the Stars produced a shock 5-0 win at the Shark tank in the opening fixture the Sharks recovered to win two and draw one of the remaining league fixtures and beat their rivals in the two-legged Northern Cup Final. Each of these games could easily have gone either way and supporters can expect no less when Billingham hit town this Saturday. Face-off at Dumfries Ice Bowl is at 7pm and supporters are advised to arrive early if they want to secure their usual seats as a large crowd is expected.

 

Last Saturday the Magnox Ltd. Solway Sharks welcomed old friends and rivals the Whitley Warriors to the Shark Tank for the second of two pre-season challenge games with the expectation that they would provide a stiffer test than Bristol had that proved to be the case even though the Sharks did run up nine goals in the process.

From the start Solway went onto the offensive and penned the Warriors deep in their own “D” but the visitors showed a great deal o

f resolve to hold the Sharks forwards at bay. The nearest that the home side came to troubling the scorers in the opening exchanges came after five minutes when Iain Bowie collected a pass at right point, slipped inside his marker and fired a shot across the fa

ce of goal which cannoned off the far post. Pressure eventually told on the visitors defence and the opening goal came on the ten minute mark. Craig Mitchell won possession on the boards to the right of the Whitley goal and released Craig Thurston to sweep around behind the net. Looking up the youngster saw Iain Bowie in the slot and the pass was duly despatched into the goal. Goal number two, a minute later, was something of a re-run of the first as Mark Gallagher sped around the Warriors goal before finding Struan To

nnar in space in the left circle and he calmly fired home.

The Sharks had tasted blood and they wanted more. Eighteen seconds later Alan Crane sent Struan Tonnar up the left band again the Shark swung around the visitor’s goal before passing back to Stevie Adams in the left circle and his shot flew into the top left-hand corner of the net. The Warriors almost replied instantly when Daniel Good sped up the right before laying off the perfect pass for Jamie Tinsley to fire goal wards from the slot. Unfortunately for him Solway netminder Mark McGill had read it all the way and made a fine glove save. The Sharks returned to the attach and made it four-nil on the fifteen minute mark. Ross Murray was proving an abrasive presence in the

Whitley “D” and on this occasion his efforts forced the puck to rebound across the crease from the keepers pads and young Joe Coulter was first to react and prod the puck into the empty net.

The second period began in fine fashion for the home side and they took just fifty-two seconds to add to their tally. When Craig Mitchell gained possession he looked up to see Iain Bowie in space at the Warriors blueline and threaded his pass accurately to its target. At the same instant Craig Thurston broke forward at speed from centre-ice to support his fellow forward. A deft one touch pass from Bowie sent Thurston clear on goal and the youngster had no second thoughts as he fired into the top-left hand corner. But if the Solway support expected the Warriors to cave in they found them in a far more resolute frame of mind and while the Sharks again dominated territory and possession to a large part the visitors gave them far less shooting opportunities. Around the midway point in the match Tom Ralph fed Karl Culley close to goal and McGill had to be at his best to block the shot wide and minutes later he made an equally good save from Tom Ralph.

During the second intermission the Sharks must have been left in no doubt by Coach Grubb that they still had a job to do in the final twenty minutes as they returned to the ice in a very determined mood and almost immediately it paid dividends. With a minute played Juraj Senko slotted a pass through to Ross Murray and as the forward closed in on goal he appeared to slot the puck below the advancing netminder although the referee gave the goal to Stevie Moore so he may have got the last touch on the puck. The Warriors regrouped and Good and Cully always looked potent threat to the Sharks defence and so this was to prove. On the forty-five minute mark Jamie Tinsley forced his way down the right before pulling his pass back out to Daniel Good who fired home from the slot.

The Sharks went back on the attack and just after the midway point in the period they were back on the score sheet. Struan Tonnar brought the puck around the Warriors goal from left to right and looked up to see Iain Bowie arriving late into the high slot and when the pass came the Solway sniper fired a rising wrist shot into the roof of the goal. Five minutes later the persistence of Stevie Moore saw him rob a Whitley defender of possession in the left face-off circle, neatly he pulled the puck back and drifted into the slot from where he fired home with aplomb. Thirty seconds from time Struan Tonnar wrapped things up when he sped up the left before shooting low. The Whitley netminder looked to have the puck covered but it slipped loose long enough for the falling Tonnar to lift the puck into the net from one knee.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Struan Tonnar two goals and two assists, Iain Bowie 2+1, Stevie Moore 2+0, Craig Thurston 1+1, Stevie Adams and Joe Coulter both 1+0, Craig Mitchell 0+2, Juraj Senko, Mark Gallagher, Alan Crane and Ross Murray all 0+1. Mark McGill in the Sharks goal saved twenty-five of the twenty-six shots that he faced (save percentage 96.15%) before being replaced for the last four minutes by Grant Scott who saved all three shots that he faced.

On Sunday evening the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Magnox Ltd., made the relatively short journey to Whitley Bay to play their final pre-season challenge match and returned along a windy A69 with a hard-fought two-one victory.

From the opening face-off play swung from end to end with neither team able to exert any great dominance on their opponents. The first real chance of the game came the home side’s way after just ninety seconds when Daniel Good broke up the left and drew the last Sharks “D” man before slipping a dangerous pass across the face of goal. Luckily for Solway the pass was just too far in front of the supporting Whitley forward.  The home side came even closer on the four minute mark when Hanlon broke strongly from defence and passed across the circles to Daniel Murdy who’s shot was destined for the top right hand corner of the goal before it was snatched by the glove of Mark McGill.

While Solway looked as dangerous as Whitley the cutting edge didn’t show until the ninth minute. Juraj Senko picked off a pass in his own “D” and quickly spotted Conor Smith in space at centre ice. When the pass came his was the youngster neatly fed Craig Thurston who jinked past the last Whitley defender and, closing in on goal, he swung to his right before firing a shot below the keepers despairing dive. Whitley almost equalised immediately when a loose clearance found Dan Murdy in the high slot but his powerful drive was well saved by McGill with his pads. With a lead on the scoreboard the Sharks game plan altered slightly to a more traditional road trip tactic of holding what they had and hitting hard on the break. Both sides had chances in the remainder of the opening period ex-Sharks marksman Adam Reynolds had a close range shot well blocked by McGill and the keeper had to be at his best to save from Jordan Barnes. While at the other end of the rink Richard Lawson was showing his mettle with a fine pad block from Bowie and an excellent glove save on a goal-bound effort from Thurston.

Solway started the second period on a powerplay and could have extended their lead when Tonnar swept in a shot from the high slot but Lawson was well placed to save. For a large portion of the session there was no clear dominant force. Each side would have a short spell of pressure then the other side seemed to take their turn. Whitley showed far greater determination than had been on show the previous evening and on the narrower ice pad it was clear that their physical game would make them a match for any team visiting the Wigwam. The best chances of the second period fell to Karl Culley who found himself free at the back post on the nine minute mark but luckily for the Dumfries side Mark McGill’s glove again came to the rescue. For the Sharks the guile of Iain Bowie and speed and work rate of Craig Thurston were most impressive and will give many defences a difficult night as the season progresses. Note should also be made of the positive contribution of youngsters Joe Coulter and Conor Smith over the course of the three challenge matches, an early indication that the support of the Hollywood Trust in supporting our youngsters is already showing dividends.

The home side started the third and final session in a very positive frame of mind and Culley might well have levelled the scores when he found himself free at the back post but McGill was across his crease to block not once but twice in quick succession. As the period progressed the home side began to exert their longest spell of dominance in the match with Solway very much reduced to attacking on the break and it was of no great surprise when the equaliser came six and a half minutes from time. A quick break out from defence by Robert Wilson caught the Sharks defence on the hop and when space opened up the Warrior had the vision to spot Daniel Good free in the middle. The Whitley captain whipped in a powerful shot that McGill could only parry back into the path of Callum Watson who gleefully fired home. Whitley were on a high and quite rightfully went for the winner and the Sharks had to soak up a fair bit of pressure in the next few minutes but the rearguard stood strong and repelled the Warriors. With ninety seconds left Ross Murray and Craig Thurston fought for possession in the bottom right-hand corner of the rink before the latter emerged with the puck. Looking up Thurston spotted Bowie moving into space at the back post and when the pass came his way the Sharks marksman fired the winner into the roof of the Whitley goal. The home side did pull their netminder in favour of an extra skater for the last thirty seconds but neither side had a clear cut scoring opportunity and Solway closed out their pre-season with a perfect three from three record.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Craig Thurston one goal and one assist, Iain Bowie 1+0, Juraj Senko, Conor Smith and Ross Murray all 0+1.  Mark McGill in the Sharks goal saved thirty-six of the thirty-seven shots that he faced (save percentage 97.22%).

Match report by David Morrision.