Solway Sharks Match Report – Saturday 24th

This weekend the Solway Sharks return to the ice to play their final two pre-season challenge matches before the league season begins the following weekend. On Saturday evening the Sharks host the Whitley Warriors in a match where all profits after match officials fees will go to help set up a charity for Polymicrogyria Family Support. Polymicrogyria basically means, many small folds, and occurs when these small folds in the brain stop signals getting through as normal. The Solway Sharks are delighted to be able to help this very worthy cause and hope that you too will help, either by coming along to the game or by making a small donation. Face-off at Dumfries Ice Bowl will be at our usual time of 7pm.

Last Saturday the Magnox Ltd. sponsored Solway Sharks began the serious side of their pre-season preparations with a comprehensive ten-two victory over a spirited Bristol Pitbulls side at the Shark Tank.

With two minutes gone Bob Chalmers and Frazer Goldie worked hard to allow Struan Tonnar to pick up possession behind the Bristol goal and the Dumfries forward had but one intention in his mind as he swung around behind the goal to complete a “wrap-around” at the far post. Ninety seconds later the Sharks doubled their lead. The speed and persistence of debutant Craig Thurston forced a defensive slip and the Solway Youngster had the presence of mind to hold possession until Stevie Moore found space in the slot and when the pass came his way he buried it in the Pitbulls net.

For most of the fist period play was in the Bristol defensive area with only a few swift breaks giving their defensive unit a much needed breather. The third goal duly came on the seven minute mark when the presence of Juraj Senko and Ross Murray in the Bristol goal mouth caused a scramble and Thurston was in the right place at the right time to prod home his first goal in Sharks colours. The fact that the score remained at three until the first break was largely down to some resolute and, at times desperate defending, together with the outstanding form of John Dibble in the visitors goal.

The Second session began in much the same vein as the first had ended with Solway on the attack. On the twenty-three minute mark the puck found its way back to Ciaran Quinn at left point and when Dibble could only parry the defenceman’s slapshot Struan Tonnar was on hand to slot home the rebound from close range. Seven minutes into the session the Sharks made it five-nil when Struan Tonnar set up Quinn for another shot from left point. This time however, the shot looked to be heading wide of the Bristol goal before Thurston deftly redirected the puck into the net from the slot. A minute later the scorers were busy once more when Craig Mitchell sent Ross Murray down the left hand boards, as he cut in towards goal his cross/shot looked to deflect past Dibble from a Bristol skate.

Goal seven came three minutes later just as the Sharks returned to full strength after killing a Bristol powerplay and Thurston was again instrumental as he progressed up the right wing before spotting Iain Bowie in space. When the pass came Bowie had his back to goal but he spun on a sixpence and dispatched a rising wrist shot into the roof of the Pitbulls net. Goal number eight came in the thirty-fourth minute on a Sharks powerplay. When Bowie collected possession to the right of goal, Juraj Senko drifted into the high slot and when the pass came his way he dispatched it with a wicked wrist shot the Dibble probably never saw. Two minutes later the Sharks were on a penalty kill when a Frazer Goldie pass found Thurston on the left and as he cut across the circles he spotted Iain Bowie in space at the back post to score goal number nine.

Three minutes from the second interval Solway were on another penalty kill when Thurston chased down a lost cause and forced the Bristol defenceman into an error on the boards behind their goal. On gaining possession the young Shark passed back to Senko in the high slot and when the Pitbulls keeper could again only parry the shot Bowie was on hand to prod the rebound home. The small but vocal Bristol support finally had something to cheer thirty seconds from the second intermission. Adrian Smith picked up a loose puck on his own blueline and looked to be heading unchallenged up centre-ice when he was tripped by Alan Crane. On the resulting powerplay the Sharks gained possession and Bowie fired in a powerful shot that was heading for the top corner of the Bristol goal before Dibble brilliantly tipped it just over the crossbar. On regaining possession Smith charged up the left wing and as he crossed the Sharks blueline ho took aim and powered a shot past Mark McGill in the Solway goal.

With the game well and truly won the third period was a little bit of an anti-climax and the Sharks may have taken their foot off the gas to an extent. But to give this as the sole reason why the home side didn’t score any more goals would be grossly unfair to the visitors. The Pitbulls continued to fight for every puck and they showed enough to prove that they will certainly be promotion contenders this season. Ross Webster replaced Dibble in the Bristol goal for the final period and Kieran Hobbins came in for Mark McGill at the other end as both netminders made several good saves to ease the scorers job. The only goal of the final session came five minutes from time and was something of as consolation for the Pitbulls faithful when Jamie Newton converted neatly after good build up play from Grant Richardson and Jordan Peter Smith.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Iain Bowie thee goals and one assist, Craig Thurston 2+4, Struan Tonnar 2+1, Juraj Senko 1+2, Ross Murray 1+1, Stevie Moore 1+0, Ciaran Quinn and Frazer Goldie both 0+2, Robert Chalmers and Craig Mitchell both 0+1. Mark McGill in the Sharks goal saved eight of the nine shots that he faced (save percentage 88.89%) as did Keiran Hobbins who replaced McGill at the second interval.