NIHL Weekend Action

Stars fall short as Tigers claw way to victory

Billingham Stars  3

Telford Tigers      4

Playing host to Telford Tigers for the first time since their pre-season fixture against the Shropshire outfit, Billingham Stars once again took to the ice without netminder James Flavell and suspended defenceman Ben Davison. By comparison, Tom Watkins’ side were missing experienced blue liner Jonathan Weaver following his eleven-game ban, though the Tigers were able to ice former Lion Warren Tait who was available to make his first appearance since signing for the club last week.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Looking for the perfect start to this game after a disappointing result against Blackburn Hawks last weekend, the Stars took to the ice with a determination to get on the scoresheet regardless of their tricky opposition, with captain Michael Elder, alternate captain Chris Sykes, player-coach Michael Bowman and import Deniss Baškatovs amongst those testing Tigers’ netminder Sam Hewitt. As such, Billingham were able to find the back of the net in the fifth minute, their early efforts paying off as Sykes buried the puck following support from Bowman and Baškatovs. Spurred on by this lead, and pleased to find a foothold so quickly in the game, Billingham continued to make life difficult for the Tigers despite the efforts of captain Jason Silverthorn and experienced forwards Rick Plant and Joe Miller. Whilst the Stars found themselves on the front foot, their offensive play was soon hindered when blue liner Tom Keeley made way for hooking at the halfway point in the period. Despite this, Billingham were able to successfully kill this penalty to return to full strength unscathed. Posing a strong threat in front of goal, the Teessiders were then able to punish the Tigers’ inability to capitalise when they doubled their lead on 16:03 through Elder who hit home with support from Latvian defencemen Artūrs Ozols and Ross Hanlon. As Telford struggled to battle their way back into the game, Watkins’ men headed in with a two-goal deficit to overturn, though his team were aware that they had enough quality in their ranks to do so.

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Returning for the second period, the Stars were eager to build on their excellent start to the game but it was not long before they ran into penalty trouble again, this time forward Scott Ward making his way to the sin bin for holding the stick on 23:10. Finding themselves with the additional skater as a result, Telford were quick to make the most of this opportunity as ‘D’ man Corey Goodison beat netminder Mark Watson just twenty six seconds later to claim his first goal of the season; new signing Tait and former Baron Dale White picking up assists. Relieved to get off the mark in this game, the Tigers were hopeful that they could equalise. However, this task proved to be no mean feat as a lack of discipline from both teams inhibited the flow of the game, with forwards James Moss and Plant heading to the sin bin to serve minors for holding and roughing respectively. Just thirty three seconds later, with tension clearly building between the two sides, Hanlon and Miller then joined their team mates to each serve 2+2 for roughing whilst Ward picked up a ten minute misconduct penalty for his involvement in the incident. Resuming play, the work of referee Andrew Miller was far from over as former Star Jack Watkins was sidelined for interference on 28:18. It was only when these players had made their return to the ice though that the Tigers were finally able to draw level, this time Goodison turning assist for White with less than two minutes remaining, the forward slotting the puck past Watson to see his team recover their equanimity before the break.

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Frustrated to have let their two-goal cushion slip away, the Stars were determined to fight their way back into the game but any hopes of regaining their lost lead were impeded when ‘D’ man Dave Thomas incurred a minor for holding with just over two minutes played. Though building momentum on the power play, Telford were unable to grab a goal with the additional man but were quick to demonstrate their resolve by firing home seventy one seconds after Thomas’ return to the ice, Silverthorn unsurprisingly making his mark on the game following passing play between Miller and Plant. Finding themselves behind for the first time in the contest, Billingham immediately strove to get back on track and did so sixty one seconds later as Baškatovs lined up a pass for Bowman who punished Hewitt to make it 3-3. Determined to claim a victory after losing their last six games in all competitions, the Stars chased after a fourth goal but, much to their exasperation, it was the Tigers who were able to creep ahead once more as Miller reaped the rewards of his work ethic to finally print his name on the scoresheet on 51:18 having received the puck from Silverthorn. Hugely disappointed to now be trailing after establishing a two-goal cushion in the first period, Billingham laboured in search of an equaliser. Handed a power play opportunity with close to fifty seven minutes on the clock, Terry Ward’s men set their sights on drawing level to at least secure a point and take the game into overtime but Hewitt was unyielding in net to leave the Stars without anything to show for their hard work. Calling a timeout in the final minute of the period, Ward looked to rally his men but Billingham were unable to snatch a last minute leveller to see Telford claim their sixth league victory, the side currently fixed at the top of the league standings whilst the Stars find themselves in seventh place with two points from four games. 

Reflecting on the Stars’ performance, alternate captain Chris Sykes revealed: “Last weekend was a tough job for us and we knew how good Telford were going to be. We went 2-0 up at the end of the first and had our foot on the gas but we came out in the second period, and they got some bounces and tied up the game. The third period was an end-to-end shootout and unfortunately, again, we lacked clinical finishes and lost the game 4-3. It was a tight game and we took positives from it but it was hard to swallow after being in front.”

  

Sharks knock Lions for six as Nottingham suffer fifth defeat

Solway Sharks          6

Nottingham Lions    2

Missing only young Houston brothers Luke and Lewis from their regular line-up, Solway Sharks took to the ice in front of their home crowd prepared to face the short benched Nottingham Lions who travelled with just thirteen skaters, their absentee list including defencemen Adz Andrews, James Maughan and Luke Thomas besides six of the side’s junior players. With Solway sitting in the top four ahead of this game, the Sharks were eager to claim a victory to compete with the best in NIHL North’s Division One whilst Nottingham set out in search of their first points to raise themselves from the foot of the table.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off against the Lions, Solway immediately sought possession to trouble netminder James Hadfield who dealt comfortably with the Sharks’ initial attempts alongside Nottingham’s blue liners to ensure that the deadlock remained intact in the early stages of the game. Whilst Sharks Iain Bowie, Ross Murray and James Hutchinson strove to fire their team into the lead, Nottingham remained effective in defence and carved out some opportunities of their own, with alternate captain Marc Levers working hard for his team alongside Czech import Ondrej Pniok and forward Paul Stanley. Despite this stalemate, the Sharks began to enjoy their possession to break down the Lions’ defence and were eventually able to secure the lead, Hutchinson the man on target with support arriving from left winger Steven Moore and forward Connor Henderson just beyond the halfway point in the period. Approximately three minutes later, Solway then found themselves shorthanded as they received a bench minor for too many men. Whilst this presented Nottingham with the opportunity to draw level on the power play, the Lions found it difficult to combat the Sharks’ penalty kill and were disappointed to see the home side return to full strength without finding an equaliser. Continuing with their narrow lead, Solway battled for a second but to no avail and it was not long after that tensions began to creep into the game, Murray heading to the sin bin for roughing with only eighteen seconds of the period left to play.

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Returning to the ice for the middle stanza with much of Murray’s penalty to kill, the Sharks found themselves up against it as the Lions began to build momentum and, though the visitors could not grab a goal with the advantage, they were able to equalise nineteen seconds after Solway’s return to full strength; former Baron Richard Slater threading a pass to young forward Cameron Pywell who quickly punished netminder Calum Hepburn to snatch the Sharks’ lead from them. Battling to regain their lost ground, the Dumfries outfit were forced to up their game and began to control possession so that the Lions had very few chances on Hepburn’s net whilst shot stopper Hadfield was called into action to pull off some excellent saves to keep his team in the contest. It did not take long for the pressure to become too much for Nottingham however, as Solway’s Czech defenceman Vaclav Kolarik made the most of a pass from Bowie to slot home with 28:31 on the clock. The score line 2-1, the Sharks were pleased to edge ahead and looked to sustain their offensive play, firing twenty two shots at Hadfield in comparison with the five Hepburn had to deal with at the other end of the ice. Despite this domination from the Dumfries outfit, Martin Grubb’s men could not find the net for a third time and headed in at the break with a narrow lead once again.

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Flying into the third period, the Sharks immediately sought to convert their possession and extended their lead with success, Bowie finding the net following linkup play with Murray to provide his team with a two-goal cushion. Up against it in the third period, Hadfield fended off Solway’s attack to find himself under further pressure when import Jakub Pniok made way for tripping on 48:08. Making the most of their additional man, Solway were able to punish Pniok’s misdemeanour just nineteen seconds later when Kolarik and fellow blue liner Kyle Horne teamed up to help Bowie achieve his second of the game. Buoyed by this goal, the Sharks then hit home a fifth on 48:45, scoring two goals in the space of eighteen seconds as captain Struan Tonnar accomplished his first of the season courtesy of defenceman Scott Cooper and young forward Scott Henderson. This goal prompting a timeout for the Lions, the side regrouped to place the puck past Hepburn approximately four minutes later when Stanley received a pass from defenceman Jamie Hovell to send import Ondrej Pniok through on goal with success. The score line 5-2, Solway were eager to maintain their three-goal lead, knowing the threat that Nottingham posed. Continuing to work hard to force defenceman Luke Smith to concede a hooking penalty, the Sharks’ advantage was enhanced fifty two seconds later when the Lions incurred a bench minor for too many men, leading Grubb to call a timeout to ensure his team capitalised on this five-on-three situation. Resuming play with Grubb’s words fresh in their minds, the Sharks took only fourteen seconds to make it 6-2, Connor Henderson teaming up with Horne to see Moore reap the rewards of his diligence and determination. The game beyond them, the Lions were left no choice but to accept their fifth consecutive loss to remain in tenth place whilst Solway progressed to second place with eight points ahead of their clash with Hull Pirates.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Looking back on this game, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb acknowledged: “We knew this would be a tight game and we would need to be patient and stick to the plan as Nottingham are a good team. We had plenty of possession but we had to wait to make that count and we got the job done in a good third period. We scored a couple of power play goals which was pleasing and got the points.”

Dragons’ heart not enough as Warriors battle to take points

Whitley Warriors    6     

The Dragons           3

Taking to the ice for the third home game of their 2017-18 campaign, Whitley Warriors found themselves without captain Dean Holland , netminder Rory Dunn and defenceman Craig Johnson, as well as youngsters Anthony Wetherell, Ross Douglass and Jamie Ord, but were able to ice their strongest team to date following the return of forwards DJ Good, Martin Crammond, Ben Richards and blue liner Harry Harley. The Dragons, meanwhile, made the trip to Hillheads with fifteen skaters besides young netminders Oliver Johnson and Jonah Armstrong as recent first choice Graeme Bird was on the absentee list alongside captain James Parsons, versatile defenceman Gavin Austin, alternate captain Matthew Wainwright and forwards Jordan Bannon and Chris Jones.

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Facing off with the knowledge that they could defeat the Dragons if they maintained their recent work ethic, Whitley Warriors wasted no time in claiming their first goal of the game as power forward Jordan Barnes collected the puck from line mate Adam Finlinson to pick out Canadian Philip Edgar who beat Scott McKenzie’s defence with only fifteen seconds played. It was a case of ‘anything you can do, we can do better’ for the visitors however; young defenceman Josh Richardson playing a pass to player-coach McKenzie who immediately charged up the ice in response to this goal and fired beyond Whitley’s netminder Mark Turnbull to even the scoring. With Whitley’s celebrations short-lived as a result and their visitors infused with hope, the Dragons were eager to gain a lead in the game but a clipping penalty for defenceman Ross Kennedy on 4:30 saw the Warriors rewarded with a power play. In spite of this advantage, David Longstaff’s line-up were unable to double their tally and were forced to battle for possession against the relentless Dragons before they could hit the net for a second time, once again Finlinson teaming up with Barnes to allow Edgar to strike with confidence on 9:25. Around two minutes after this goal, the Warriors appeared to have notched a third when Harley’s shot clunked against the underside of the bar but referee Dave Farren washed out his effort to see the Dragons’ fly into Whitley’s offensive zone, leaving blue liner Kyle Hindmarsh-Ross with little choice other than to incur a minor for hooking to hand the Dragons the additional man. Once again working effectively on the penalty kill, the Warriors were restored to full strength without further concession. The momentum beginning to shift once more, Whitley were spurred on by their early offensive efforts to establish a two-goal lead, this time forward Callum Watson carving a path through the Dragons’ densely occupied defensive area to find Finlinson whose clever play setup long-serving Warrior Good for the first goal of his campaign. The Welsh outfit dismayed to have fallen even further behind, matters were soon made worse when defenceman Craig Lutkevitch was shown to the penalty box to serve two minutes for hooking on 17:38. Yet again, the Warriors found it difficult to make the most of this opportunity and were forced to content themselves with their 3-1 lead as they filed from the ice at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Resuming play for the second stanza, the Warriors were aware of the damage that McKenzie’s men could do having played the side two weeks ago and were eager to avoid a similar situation. In consequence, the Hillheads outfit controlled possession in the opening minutes and some quick passing play between Harley and Kippin saw the puck fired at Richards who did not waste his chance in front of goal less than three minutes in. The score line now 4-1, McKenzie’s team were under no illusions as to the difficulty of the contest and it was therefore little surprise when the home team punished the Welsh outfit further, this time Richards and Longstaff working together to counter the Dragons’ attacking play, the duo selecting Kippin to go clear of their visitors’ defence to widen the gap on 24:35. Never letting up, the Dragons ensured that play switched between zones at a rapid rate, seizing control at every opportunity. It was not long before this resolve paid off, Kennedy accomplishing his third goal of the season courtesy of McKenzie and stand-in captain Geoff Wigglesworth. Just before the midpoint of the period, a clipping penalty called against Ryan Jones was followed by a tripping offence from Richards just fourteen seconds later to see both teams reduced to four men. Making slow progress, neither team could get on the scoresheet in this situation but the Dragons were keen to recover lost ground and, conveying his team’s strength of mind and character, McKenzie executed a superb shot as Jones integrated forward Shaun Dippnall to support their player-coach in this creative endeavour. Unnerved by this goal and feeling that their opposition were edging their way back into the game, Longstaff opted for a timeout to allow his team time to regroup. Though outshooting the Dragons by twenty two to eight, the Warriors found that their visitors were now within two goals of equalising and continued to apply pressure to Johnson’s net when they resumed play but the shot stopper remained sturdy between the pipes, ensuring that his side’s deficit did not grow before the end of the second period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for the third stanza, Whitley Warriors set out to secure their result and instantly sought to test Johnson as forwards Edgar and Finlinson laboured to implement some intricate play whilst Watson found himself repeatedly denied and versatile forward Stuart Tomlinson demonstrated some skill to pose a threat in the Dragons’ defensive zone. With their many attempts failing, Whitley were handed a chance to make it 6-3 when youngster Louis Morgan made way for interference to award the home team a power play. After frittering away all of their advantages prior to this one, the Warriors were keen to score a power play goal and some quick passing play from Harley to captain Dan Pye along Whitley’s blue line saw the puck eventually released to Longstaff who cemented a three-goal lead for his team. Despite their attempts, the Dragons failed to beat Turnbull to see the game concluded at 6-3, the Warriors moving into fourth place with seven points from five games whilst McKenzie’s team sit in eighth place with two points from seven games. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Speaking to NIHL Northern Trio, player-coach David Longstaff reflected on this clash: “It was really important to get the two points tonight. We have a really difficult set of games ahead in October so we set September’s games as a priority for us to try and get points and confidence. We didn’t perform well at all tonight and were sloppy all over the ice but I thought we were better in the third period.”

Pirates sink Sharks as Solway slide into third place

Hull Pirates          6

Solway Sharks     3

Travelling to Hull Arena with their usual line-up of sixteen skaters and netminders Calum Hepburn and Chris Rae at their disposal, Solway Sharks found themselves up against Jason Hewitt’s strong squad which included new signing Bobby Chamberlain, captain Jamie Chilcott, young prospect Lee Bonner and skilled forward Matthew Davies.

Immediately making an impact, Chamberlain was shown to the sin bin only nine seconds after faceoff for a slashing offence to hand the Sharks the advantage of the additional man. Unable to punish the Pirates on the power play however, Solway soon found themselves regretting their failure to capitalise when defenceman Thomas Stubley linked up with Davies to provide Hewitt with an opportunity to slot home his fifth goal of the season on 4:48. Dominating possession to trouble the Sharks, Hull then doubled their lead before the halfway point in the period, Davies once again collecting the puck from Stubley to see forward Jordan Fisher hit the target. Thirty three seconds later, the visitors were placed under further pressure when defensive import Marek Charvat made way for crosschecking to award the Pirates a power play. Spurred on by their two-goal lead, Hull wasted little time in adding to the scoreboard as Hewitt snatched his second of the game,  Stubley working alongside right winger James Archer to pick up his third consecutive assist of the evening. Stunned to find themselves at such a disadvantage at this point in the game, Head Coach Martin Grubb called a timeout with a view to restore some order but, as play resumed, the Sharks struggled to challenge young netminder Ashley Smith and Hull laboured to control possession, thereby making life difficult for their visitors across all areas of the ice. Unable to find a goal ahead of the break, Solway sloped off with a three-goal deficit to overturn going into the second period whilst the Pirates were pleased with their excellent start to the contest and were looking to build momentum to achieve two points.

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Resuming play in the second period, the Sharks were aware of what they needed to do to get back on track and it took just two and a half minutes for the side to get on the scoresheet, forward Connor Henderson lining up with youngster Scott Henderson to make it 3-1. Solway’s celebrations proved to be short-lived however, as shortly afterwards alternate captain Ross Murray headed to the sin bin for roughing to allow Hull a power play opportunity. Just six seconds later, the puck was placed beyond Hepburn for a fourth time as forward Samuel Towner hit the target courtesy of captain Chilcott and right winger Chamberlain. Approximately three minutes after this goal, it was the turn of the Pirates to go shorthanded when Archer incurred two minutes for interference. Yet again though, the Sharks could not contend with Hull’s penalty kill and were soon to regret the ineffectiveness of their attacking play when Archer returned to the ice to make amends for his previous misdemeanour, the former Phantom beating Solway’s defence after Davies incorporated alternate captain Jonathan Kirk into play. Now on the wrong end of a 5-1 score line, the Dumfries outfit were clearly unable to contend with the high tempo game played by the Pirates and it was therefore little surprise when the Sharks conceded a sixth on 36:12 as Bonner made the most of clinical passing play between Chilcott and Towner to accomplish his fourth goal in five games. Astounded by the quality of Hull and unable to match it, Grubb’s men headed in with a growing deficit and the knowledge that a great deal more must be done to defeat such opposition.

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Heading into the third and final stanza, Solway were hopeful to turn their fortunes around but a hooking penalty for James Hutchinson close to five minutes in did not get the visitors off to the best of starts and, though the side were offered some reprieve when a charging penalty for Bonner levelled the playing field fifty six seconds later, referee Roy Hamilton called for Solway’s forward Joe Coulter to join his team mate in the box for a high sticks offence. With these penalties disrupting the flow of play for both teams, it was not long after that the Pirates’ lack of discipline began to take its toll; forward Josh Gent receiving 2+10 for slashing on 53:10 to gift Solway a power play. This their last chance to chip away at their deficit, the Sharks took just over a minute with the additional man to claim their second goal of the game as Coulter made an impact with a power play effort after converting a pass from Murray whilst NIHL North Player of the Month Iain Bowie also notched an assist. Fired up by this goal, Solway worked hard to punish Smith twenty two seconds later as left winger Steven Moore picked out Connor Henderson to help young forward Daniel Abercrombie achieve his first league goal of the season. These two quick fire goals allowing Solway to apply pressure to Smith’s net, both shot stoppers found themselves equally troubled but the Pirates maintained a three-goal lead as the game came to a close, a last minute slashing penalty against Davies having no bearing on the final result whatsoever.

Speaking after this game, Solway’s Head Coach Grubb considered the difficulties of this contest, stating: “We knew how tough a game this was going to be and I thought we were outworked all over the ice. I was really disappointed at how we played and we didn’t do ourselves justice or give Calum [Hepburn] any protection and our performance was unacceptable. That said, Hull are a good team and have set a standard we need to get to. We will move on and work hard to improve for next week.”

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