Local Ice Hockey Team Solway Sharks are set for the season.
Written by admin on August 8, 2013
The Solway Sharks are delighted to announce the return of two key players to this year’s team in defenceman Alan Crane and forward Struan Tonnar.
Both players have been vital to the Sharks success in recent years and we are delighted to welcome back the players for another season and expect that we can be as successful together as in previous seasons. Struan and Alan are locally trained players who developed through the Junior programme and they have developed to gain international honours with Scotland and have become a vital part of our team over the years.
Alan is an offensively minded defenceman who is good at both ends of the ice and plays in all situations. He is a leader both on and off the ice and has been a regular feature on the Sharks blueline for many a year. Struan is a skilled forward who has good speed and a good shot and will be hoping to put last season’s injury problems behind him and have a healthy season.
Both players were happy to be returning and Alan commented “I am looking forward to returning for another year and again will be looking to compete for honours as we have done in the past few years. We managed to win the league last season but were disappointed with how our season ended so this will give me and the team a new target. We will be a slightly different team as Martin rebuilds a little and I hope to play my part in helping the new guys settle into the team.” Struan added; “I am really looking forward to getting back on the ice with the team and contributing to our success. It was extremely frustrating for me last season having to watch and not being able to help the boys but I hope that is all behind me now. Martin has been busy and I know I will be given time to get back into the swing of things and I look forward to challenging for every trophy available to us.”
Head Coach Martin Grubb was understandably happy to have two key local players back and said; “I have been looking at our roster for this season and it was always important to bring Struan and Alan back for their abilities and also as its key to retain our local talent. Both players know what the clubs expectations are and have always bought into the way I like to play hockey and they will be expected to help our new team bond. Alan has good size and reads the game very well and he was rewarded with a two-way contract with Braehead last year and we aim to use his experience from that to enhance our defensive unit. I enjoy working with Alan as he is a winner and always wants what is best for the team and his contribution to the trophies we won were vital.”
“Struan had a frustrating year but I am confident that after his successful surgery he will come back a better player and with a renewed hunger for the game. He is a fast, skilful forward who will be expected to put up good numbers this season and take a leading role but we will also give him time to adjust after such a long layoff. I am happy with the way we are building this season’s team and I will be in a position to announce more players over the coming days. We are bringing a few new players into the club along with returning players and more of last season’s team and I am looking to sit down with our captain Mark Gallagher on his return from holiday and get him signed as he is a major piece of the jigsaw.”
Alan Crane will be back on the blueline in his familiar number 19 shirt while Struan Tonnar will be back in his number 51 top and the team will take to the ice next week to begin preparations for the season ahead.
Additionally, The Solway Sharks have made a massive upgrade to their off-ice match day experience with the addition of Craig Simpson as DJ/Announcer for the coming season.
Many of you will already know the qualities that Craig brings to the table through his excellent work at Newcastle, Billingham and many conference and tournament weekends across the country. Many of you will also have heard Craig at the U18’s Woman’s World Championship Qualifiers held at Dumfries Ice Bowl last year.
When Craig expressed an interest to join us we arranged a meeting with him last Saturday where he put forward a variety of suggestions. From this discussion we can confidently state that the atmosphere on match nights in Dumfries Ice Bowl will match the on-ice performances of the players next season.
A spokesman for the Sharks commented: “The addition of Craig to our team shows that the Sharks are ready and willing to make improvements both on and off the ice when the opportunity arises. The fact that Craig is prepared to travel from the North-East every weekend shows the respect that the Sharks are held in outside our region. Our continued aim is to move the Sharks forward in every aspect and we feel that Craig’s arrival addresses a need in the best possible way.”
Furthermore, The Solway Sharks are delighted to be able to confirm the return of defenseman Frazer Goldie for the season ahead. Frazer returns to the Sharks after playing last season for the Edinburgh Capitals in the Elite League and his return will strengthen the Sharks defensive unit.
Frazer who is a former GB youth international player has played over 100 games for the Sharks and has an impressive 82 points as a defenseman and was part of the Northern League winning team two years in a row as well as the unbeaten ENL2 championship wining team. He has played in the EPL with Sheffield Scimitars and most recently has EIHL experience with the Capitals and will be expected to play a big role for the Sharks this season.
Head Coach Martin Grubb was delighted to have secured Frazer’s signature and commented “Frazer is a big solid defenseman who is very good in his own zone and competes for every puck. He is equally as effective offensively as his previous numbers here have shown. I have been talking to Frazer for quite a while with a view to him returning and he will add a lot of size, ability and experience to our line up. He skates well and is an excellent passer of the puck and he is effective on special teams so I expect him to play a big part this season and be a leader in our defensive unit. I know what I am getting with Frazer and I have always liked his attitude and competitive nature and he will be a good addition to both us and the league”.
Goldie was happy to seal his return and said “I am really happy to be back in Dumfries and feel I have learnt a lot from my time with the Caps and I want to bring that to the Sharks and compete for trophies again. I will be looking to play a lot of minutes and I know that this league has got better and better over the past few seasons and we will be working hard as a team to try and defend our titles. I know what Martin expects of me and I will be contributing at both ends of the ice and I also look forward to playing with some old team mates. We have a strong team and have started training again and we look forward to getting started”.
Goldie will line up on the Sharks blueline wearing number 21 and with the Sharks pre-season training started he and his team mates will be preparing for the upcoming season over the next few weeks before the season proper commences.
The Solway Sharks can now confirm that they will be playing three challenge matches in the coming weeks to warm up for the new season. First up will be the Bristol Pitbulls from the NIHL South Division 2 at Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday the 24th of August. The Pitbulls are ambitious to gain promotion this year and have been building a very competitive squad and the fact that they are willing to travel to Dumfries to test themselves against the Sharks shows the strength of their commitment.
The following week the Sharks will face-off against the Whitley Warriors both at home and in the north east. On Saturday the 31st of August the Sharks entertain the Warriors at the Ice Bowl and then they travel to Whitley the following day. The face-off time for both home matches will be 7pm.
This Saturday the NIHL will be holding a fixtures meeting involving all the clubs and it is anticipated that the confirmed fixture list for the season ahead will be released at some point the following week.
The Solway Sharks are happy to confirm admission charges for the forthcoming season have been held at last seasons levels while we have been able to arrange some fantastic deals for season ticket holders.
Single game admission charges will be: Adult – £7.50, Concessions £5, Family (2 adults and all the kids) £15.
Season tickets will include entry to all home league and cup games but will also include entry to the Under 18’s and Under 20’s World Championship Qualifying Tournaments that will be held at the Ice Bowl in December and April. Season ticket prices are just: Adult £110, Concession £70, and Family £220.
I am sure that you will agree that this is a tremendous deal and if you want to ensure that you have your season ticket waiting for you in time for the first game of the season please e-mail david@solwaysharks.co.uk remembering to include your name, contact details and ticket requirements.
Keep updated on all Solway sharks news on our website www.solwaysharks.co.uk and follow us on facebook and twitter.
