Solway Sharks Latest Report
Written by author on January 10, 2014
The Magnox Ltd. Solway Sharks are on the road again this weekend when they travel to Altrincham to face the Manchester Minotaurs in a Northern Cup fixture. The Sharks currently sit in third place in the round-robin stage, four points behind leaders Blackburn, after four games played. With only two teams progressing to the two-legged final the Dumfries based side will be eager to get back to winning ways in this competition as they attempt to defend their title. Any supporters who would like to travel on the team bus are advised that it will leave the Ice Bowl at 11:45am and the fare will be £8 not including rink entry.
Last weekend the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Magnox Ltd, were back in league action and extended their lead at the top of the table to five points when they recorded a tremendous five-one demolition of second placed Billingham Stars on Saturday evening before earning a creditable point the next day at Whitley Bay.
From the opening face-off the Sharks took the game to their opponents, setting them on the back foot, a situation that the visitors never really overcame for the remainder of the game. The home side looked fresh and their movement and passing was at times crisp and incisive while Billingham never showed the determination and commitment that we have come to expect in recent years. With two minutes on the clock the Sharks opened the scoring. Top scorer Struan Tonnar collected a Mark Gallagher pass just inside his own half and sped up the left wing before he cut across the face-off circle and unleashed a powerful drive that found a hole in netminder Mark Watson’s defences before hitting the back of the net.
As the period progressed the Sharks continued to claim the greater share of possession and territory with Billingham happy to soak up pressure and hit on the break. As the momentum grew Stevie Moore, Craig Thurston and Struan Tonnar all went close as they forced saves from the Stars netminder while at the other end a two-on-one break away saw Gary Russell make a fine pad save from Andy Munroe. Two goals in a minute as the first interval approached may not have sealed this match but they certainly put the Sharks firmly in the driving seat. Firstly an Alan Crane pass gave Mark Gallagher all the space and time he needed to find Struan Tonnar free at the back post and he gleefully fired home from close range. Forty-nine seconds later Pavol Melichercik, making his first appearance at the Shark Tank since rejoining the club, produced a delightful pass that found Iain Bowie in space in the left-hand circle and he unleashed a powerful drive that once again appeared to go straight through the Billingham netminders defences.
Returning to the ice for the second period the home side might have expected an onslaught from their opponents as they endeavoured to gain a foothold in the match, however, they again found them strangely subdued and Solway continued to control the play without ever having to get out of second gear. Five minutes into the session the home side extended their lead. A crisp interchange of passes between Iain Bowie and Pavol Melichercik on the left wing saw the puck find Craig Thurston. The Sharks forward neatly stepped inside his marker and cut across the face of goal before lifting his shot into the net over the netminders’ despairing dive. Two powerplays to the visitors quickly followed but they failed to provide the spark required as the home penalty kill unit held firm restricting the opposition to a couple of long range efforts. For the remainder of the session chances were at a premium although Callum Henderson shot just wide from a good position and Callum Davies forced an excellent pad save from Garry Russell when he redirected a puck on target from close range.
Any faint hopes that the visitors might have held for a third period revival evaporated in the forty-second minute. Pavol Melichercik chased down a loose puck on the right-hand boards and his trickery turned his marker inside out before he passed across the hash marks. Iain Bowie was the player waiting unmarked at the back post and he dispatched his shot with the clinical accuracy that Sharks supporters have come to expect. In the second period the home fans had been frustrated when the Billingham goal had become dislodged on no less than four occasions. They were outraged when Melichercik had a goal chalked off a minute later when the net had once more been removed from its moorings. An occurrence that happened no less than eight times at the visitors’ end of the rink but not once at the Sharks end. With eight minutes remaining in the game the Stars fans finally got something to cheer about. A Richie Thornton slapshot from the right-hand face-off circle was well blocked by Gary Russell but Martyn Davies was on hand to prod home the rebound from close range.
The scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Iain Bowie two goals and one assist, Struan Tonnar 2+0, Craig Thurston 1+0, Pavol Melichercic 0+3, Mark Gallagher 0+2, Alan Crane 0+1. Gary Russell in the Sharks goal saved seventeen of the eighteen shots that he faced (save percentage 94.44%). The Torr Body Shop Man of the Match Awards were presented to Michael Bowman for the visitors and to Iain Bowie for the home side.
On Sunday evening the Sharks were on the road again and with just twelve skaters and back-up netminder, Kieran Hobbins, they did well to return from Whitley Bay with a two-two draw.
The Warriors opened the scoring through Callum Watson six minutes into the second period but two goals in a minute from Alan Crane and Pavol Melichercik gave the Sharks a second interval lead. It looked like Solway might have been able to hold on for a victory but Daniel Harris was the Warriors saviour with an equaliser ninety seconds from time.
The scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Man of the Match Pavol Melichercik one goal and one assist, Alan Crane 1+0 and Frazer Goldie. Kieran Hobbins in the Sharks goal saved thirty-two of the thirty-three shots that he faced (save percentage 94.12%).
