Barons vanquish Warriors as
Solihull triumph on home ice
Solihull
Barons 7
Whitley
Warriors 3
Travelling to Hobs Moat
Road with a squad of nineteen players, Whitley Warriors were missing forwards Ryan
Sample and Stuart Tomlinson, defenceman Sam Zajac and Dan Pye and youngsters
Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass as they lined up against the shortbenched
Solihull Barons who, by comparison, had a team of sixteen skaters and lone
netminder Daniel Brittle at their disposal.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off against the
Barons, Whitley Warriors were hopeful of achieving maximum points from this
clash but were under no illusions as to the challenging nature of this contest
which became apparent with just 1:41 on the clock as Adam Brittle linked up
with fellow forward Josh Bruce to see his captain capitalise. Moments later,
the home team were handed a power play when Warriors’ alternate captain Shaun
Kippin was shown to the sin bin by referee Jurijs Solovjovs for roughing. Successfully
killing this penalty, Whitley were then dismayed to incur a second minor just
thirty four seconds after Kippin’s return to the ice, this time power forward
Jordan Barnes making way for slashing. Though working hard to return to full
strength unscathed, it was not long after that the Warriors ran into further
penalty trouble, Kippin sidelined for hooking just beyond the halfway point of
the period to allow Solihull the advantage once again. However, the Barons’
advantage did not last long as just thirty one seconds later, defenceman Daniel
Harrison headed to the sin bin for a slashing offence to level the playing
field. This penalty did not hold Solihull back for long as just twenty seconds
after Whitley’s return to full strength, Barnes was considered guilty of preventing
a goal scoring opportunity to see the Barons handed a penalty shot. Not about
to waste this chance, forward Luke Brittle beat netminder Richie Lawson to double
his side’s lead. Attempting to battle with their opposition
to get back in the game, Whitley were pleased to be awarded a power play when
shot stopper Daniel Brittle conceded a minor penalty for tripping but, unfazed
by this, the Barons strove for their third goal and achieved it, this time Adam
Brittle breaking free of Whitley’s defence to play the puck to forward Edward
Eaton who provided his team with a 3-0 lead ahead of the first
interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning for the
second period, the Warriors were disappointed to see their lack of discipline
continue as forward Adam Finlinson picked up two minutes for interference on
23:49 to reduce his side to four men once more. Shortly after this penalty was
served, both Barons’ defenceman Dave Rogers and Whitley’s captain Dean Holland
were made to sit out for roughing. Just over a minute later, Solihull’s Luke
Brittle joined his teammate in the sin bin, the forward also considered guilty
of roughing, to hand Whitley the additional skater. Not distracted from their
initial endeavour, the Warriors battled for the puck on the power play and were
able to find the target for the first time in the game through Canadian Philip
Edgar; player-coach David Longstaff and skilled blue liner Harry Harley with
assists. With play far more even than the first, Whitley began to seek out
their second goal in the contest but it was the Barons who were next to alter
the scoreboard as forward Elliot Farrell notched his second league goal of the season on 33:34 courtesy of Matthew Maurice and Andrew Whitehouse. Frustrated
to find themselves three goals behind their opposition once again, the Warriors
continued to fight to reduce their deficit and were successful in their efforts
as the period drew to a close; forward Callum Watson receiving the puck from
netminder Lawson to set up Edgar who bagged his second goal of the evening with
less than two minutes remaining to make it 4-2 going into the final stanza.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading into the third
period with a two-goal lead, the Barons were eager to continue their hard work
and were handed the perfect opportunity to extend their lead when Warriors’ stand-in
defenceman Martin Crammond made way for slashing on 43:41. Striving for a fifth
goal, Solihull were able to find the net with just twenty four seconds of this
penalty remaining as forward Thomas Soar printed his name on the scoresheet
following assistance from Eaton. Still aiming to take something from this game,
the Warriors continued to fight in front of goal and their efforts paid off just
over three minutes later when Edgar completed his hat trick following passing
play between blue liner Harley and captain Holland to take the Warriors within
two of their opposition once again. Any hopes of a comeback for the visitors
was soon dashed however, as, just forty two seconds later, ‘D’ man Harrison
played the puck to Maurice to make it 6-3 on 49:21. Unwilling to give up in
their attempt to claw back some lost ground, the Warriors continued to test
Brittle but as the game drew to a close, this task became increasingly
difficult and the side found themselves further hindered on 57:00 when Barnes was
sinbinned following a slashing offence alongside Kippin who was handed a ten-minute
misconduct penalty in the same instance. Calling a timeout, Solihull sought to
make the most of this power play and it was therefore little surprise when Luke
Brittle snatched his second of the game following neat play between Soar and
Eaton with just six seconds of the Barons’ advantage remaining. Unable to
recover from this, the Warriors endured the last moments of the game to see
Solihull claim their 7-3 victory on the final buzzer.
Tigers tear apart Billingham as
Stars shine fades
Billingham
Stars 3
Telford
Tigers 12
Lining up with nineteen
skaters and netminders Mark Watson and Callum Reynolds in the absence of first
choice shot stopper James Flavell, Billingham Stars were faced with Telford’s
nineteen-man squad as the Tigers lined up with their usual core, including Canadian captain Jason Silverthorn, alternate captain Rick Plant, forward Scott
McKenzie and versatile defencemen Daniel Rose and Dale White.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Starting the game with
Watson in net, Billingham Stars set out to contend with the Tigers and, in the
opening moments of the game, both teams worked hard to achieve possession to
test their opposition’s defence. A slashing call against alternate captain Chris
Sykes allowed the Tigers their first power play of the game on 7:13 but try as
they might, Telford could not beat the Stars with their additional man and
instead watched Billingham return to full strength, only to find themselves
shorthanded just over two minutes later when ‘D’ man White was sidelined for
tripping. Successfully killing this penalty, the Tigers increased their
offensive play to defeat Watson as White returned to the ice to find the target
just forty eight seconds later, Silverthorn and Plant grabbing assists in the
process. Moments later, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for forward Jack
Davies then saw Billingham go shorthanded once again and just over a minute
later, Telford doubled their lead, this time Silverthorn linking up with Plant
to present McKenzie with a goal scoring opportunity on 16:28. The score line
2-0, Billingham were keen to stay out of the sin bin but minor penalties for
Stars’ blue liner Andy Finn and Tigers’ forward Adam Taylor for tripping and
diving respectively further disrupted play. Just ten seconds before these
penalties were served, Telford’s forward Warren Tait was made to sit out for
interference to allow Billingham’s power play to run into the second stanza.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Unable to make the most
of this advantage on their return to the ice, the Stars were then frustrated
to see Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs sent to the sin bin for tripping on
22:36. Not about to squander this chance, the Tigers netted seventeen seconds
later as alternate captain Jonathan Weaver played a pass to Silverthorn who
added a third goal to Billingham’s deficit. Struggling to challenge Tigers’
shot stopper Denis Bell, the Stars then suffered a further setback when Jack
Davies was sent to the sin bin for crosschecking to hand Telford the additional
skater. Again, Tom Watkins’ team wasted no time, the side scoring their third
consecutive power play goal of the evening as McKenzie printed his name on the
scoresheet for a second time courtesy of Weaver. Now four goals down,
Billingham failed to respond to the Tigers’ attacking play and it was
unsurprising when their visitors made it 5-0 less than two minutes later,
defenceman Daniel Mitchell slotting the puck beyond Watson on this occasion
with support from McKenzie. This goal prompted a timeout from the Teessiders
but their team talk appeared to make little difference as thirty eight seconds
later, the Stars were again picking the puck from their net as Tait buried his
shot to make it 6-0, following passing play between Slovakian forward Filip
Supa and ‘D’ man Nick Oliver. Just over a minute later, Billingham opted to
pull Watson from his net to allow young backup Reynolds some ice time and the
Stars were relieved to be awarded a power play of their own when Weaver was
sinbinned for a slashing offence shortly afterwards. Striving for a goal, the
Stars found the net for the first time in the game on 32:53 when Baškatovs beat
Bell after some neat work from forwards Jack Emerson and James Moss. Soon after
this goal, both teams lost a man to the sin bin as Stars’ defenceman Ross
Hanlon and Tigers’ young forward Brodie Jesson each made way for interference.
Despite this penalty, the Shropshire outfit remained composed to alter the
scoreboard as Silverthorn snatched his second of the game to make it 7-1 whilst
Plant and Weaver each grabbed their third assists of the evening. Just three
seconds after both penalties were terminated, Telford then notched another as
Tait teamed up with Supa to see defenceman Rose claim his fourth league goal of
the season. The score 8-1, the Stars failed to claw back another goal and
instead filed from the ice with much work to do in the third period, having had
just three shots on Bell’s goal to the fifteen attempts on Billingham’s net.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Knowing that damage
limitation would be key in this period, the Stars headed out onto the ice aware
of the challenge ahead. As such, it did not take long for Telford to add a
ninth to their tally as White claimed his second of the game following a pass
from Silverthorn. Shortly afterwards, the Stars were handed a power play as
Tigers’ defenceman Oliver was made to sit out for tripping. Unable to make this
chance count however, the Stars soon found themselves reduced to four men when
Jack Davies was shown to the sin bin for roughing just before the halfway point
in the period. Whilst the Tigers could not find a way past Reynolds with the
additional skater, it took the side just nineteen seconds after the termination
of Davies penalty to take their goal count into double figures, Supa setting up
Rose who achieved his second of the game on 51:23. Looking to retaliate, the
Stars managed to find the net less than three minutes later when Finn scraped a
second for Billingham with support arriving from Baškatovs and Moss to prompt a
change of netminder for Telford who switched Bell for backup shot stopper Ryan
Lewis. Moments later, Rose bagged his hat trick following a pass from McKenzie
to make it 11-2 but with the game coming to a close, Tigers’ defenceman
Mitchell then incurred a crosschecking penalty which awarded Billingham a power
play. Just twenty seconds into this advantage, the Teessiders struck the target
as Latvian blue liner Artūrs Ozols collected another for his team; Sykes and fellow
alternate captain Callum Davies assisting on 58:04. Just ten seconds later, the
Tigers were able to have the last word in the contest as White secured his hat
trick after some skilled play from Silverthorn to wrap up the scoring at 12-3.
Warriors harpoon Sharks in close
home clash as Solway leave
Whitley
Warriors 3
Solway
Sharks 1
Lining up with twenty
skaters, first choice shot stopper Richie Lawson and backup netminder Mark
Turnbull, Whitley Warriors found that they were missing only versatile
defenceman Stuart Tomlinson and youngsters Anthony Wetherell and Ross Douglass.
Solway Sharks, by comparison, headed out onto the ice with a squad of fifteen
players which included captain Struan Tonnar, skilled left winger Steven Moore,
Czech defencemen Marek Charvát and Vaclav Kolarik, two-way player Josh
Grieveson and netminder Kyle Johnston who was given the start between the pipes
over usual first choice shot stopper Calum Hepburn.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
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Starting the game with
pace and power, Whitley Warriors immediately sought to test Sharks’ netminder
Johnston from the outset, the youngster working hard to keep the puck out of
his net following some quick fire shots from David Longstaff’s line-up, with
captain Dean Holland amongst those striving for a goal. Increasing their
possession following some early attempts from Whitley, Solway appeared
dangerous in front of Lawson’s net as the shot stopper was called into action
whilst his defence also worked hard to prevent the Dumfries outfit from
scoring. As the period progressed, play became end-to-end, both teams working
hard to break the deadlock with neither succeeding despite coming close. With
Whitley enjoying several opportunities to get on the scoresheet and defending
well, the side were able to outshoot their visitors by nineteen shots to ten. A power play was then
handed to the Warriors on 18:41 as Kolarik made way for crosschecking to award
his opposition the advantage but Whitley could not snatch a goal before the
first interval to see both teams file from the ice with nothing to show for
their efforts.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
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Returning with forty
one seconds of their power play remaining, the Warriors found that they were
still unable to capitalise after the break but the side were soon presented
with a second chance just thirteen seconds later when a delayed tripping
penalty against Connor Henderson allowed Whitley to claim their first goal of
the game; Ben Richards setting up fellow forward Adam Finlinson who fired the
puck beyond Johnston to claim his sixth league goal of the season. Shortly
afterwards, Sharks’ forward Scott Henderson was sidelined for tripping to
present Whitley with another power play but again Longstaff’s men found it
difficult to contend with Solway’s penalty kill to miss out on doubling their
lead. Continuing to be an evenly matched battle between two tough teams,
neither side could find the back of the net as the midpoint of the game
approached with neat defensive work and sturdy netminding keeping the score
line at 1-0. A slashing call against Richards on 32:53 then saw Martin Grubb’s
hardworking team presented with a power play but the Warriors utilised quick
line changes to parry the puck away from their defensive zone to ensure their
misdemeanour could not be punished by the Sharks. Though both teams scrapped
for the puck and switched between zones with rapidity, neither were able to
find the net in the final stages of the middle stanza and as such, Whitley headed in with their
narrow 1-0 lead at the second break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
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With the points still
all to play for and the Warriors’ lead a fragile one, both teams were eager to
make the most of their possession but, continuing to fight for every puck and
defending to the best of their ability, scoring was made an incredibly
difficult task though both outfits had their chances. The Sharks were finally awarded for their
efforts however, the side accomplishing a delayed penalty goal after a slashing
call against Warrior Callum Watson saw forward Iain Bowie link up with Connor Henderson
who picked out Moore to see the left winger’s deflected shot beat Lawson on 50:20. Disappointed
to find their lead cancelled out with less than ten minutes remaining in the
game, the Warriors realised that they must retaliate quickly. Winning a faceoff
in Whitley’s offensive zone, long-serving Warrior DJ Good played the puck out to
experienced defenceman Sam Zajac who rocketed a shot towards Johnston’s net
which was tipped in by forward Martin Crammond. The score line 2-1, both teams
continued to compete; Solway determined to draw level for a second time whilst
Whitley were eager to make their lead a more comfortable one. With the game still
close, getting on the scoresheet again proved a difficult task for both teams
and as play progressed without any scoring, the Sharks opted for a timeout on
58:30 in the hope that they could grab a goal to take the game into overtime.
Deciding not to pull netminder Johnston in the first instance, though the
faceoff was in their offensive zone, Solway ensured that possession was theirs
before calling Johnston back to the bench for the additional skater. This
tactic was to result in further misfortune for the Dumfries outfit however, as
Johnston made his way off the ice only for Zajac to gain possession, the
defenceman setting the puck on course for goal which, though slow to trickle
over the line with Solway’s defence bearing down upon it, made the score line 3-1
just seven seconds before the final buzzer sounded.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Speaking after this
game, player-coach David Longstaff noted: “I thought we controlled long spells
of the game but Solway are a very good team and very well-coached so it’s
always very tricky with only a one-goal lead.” Adding to this, Head
Coach Martin Grubb shared: “Whitley is always a tough place to get a result and
it was even tougher with the short bench we had. I thought Whitley were better
than us in the first period, then we made a few system changes and grew into
the game but we missed too many chances when we created them. Once we scored,
we should have used that as a springboard but we conceded straightaway and, in
the end, we didn’t do enough to win the game.”
Stars knock Lions for six as
Billingham get back on track
Nottingham
Lions 0
Billingham
Stars 6
Making the trip to
Nottingham with sixteen skaters and lone netminder Mark Watson, Billingham
Stars found themselves without forwards Josh Nertney, Scott Ward and Alex
Preston, first choice shot stopper James Flavell and defencemen Andy Finn and
Darren Stattersfield. The Lions, meanwhile, had seventeen skaters at their
disposal, including captain Elliot Perrin, alternate captains Marc Levers and
Adz Andrews, experienced forward Paul Stanley and starting netminder Sam
Gospel.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading into this game
against a tough Nottingham outfit, Billingham Stars were eager to make it four wins from four against the Lions but with both teams
appearing dangerous in front of goal, the opening moments of this encounter proved a
stalemate in which neither could score; Matt Bradbury’s team fighting hard in
defence whilst Stars’ netminder Watson was equally put to the test as both
sides looked to open their accounts. It was not until 9:37 however, that the
first goal of the game arrived as alternate captain Chris Sykes scored his
thirty eighth league goal of the season after a neat pass from player-coach
Michael Bowman. Having taken so long to find their first goal, Billingham added
a second to their roster just over a minute later when Sykes turned assist for
captain Michael Elder to make it 2-0. Momentum now in their favour, the Stars
strove for possession against the undeterred Lions’ who then conceded a third
when youngster Ethan Hehir sent fellow forward Jack Davies through on goal with
success on 16:26 to allow Billingham to file from the ice with a 3-0 lead at
the first interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning to the ice
with hopes to get themselves back into this game, Nottingham were pleased to be
handed a power play on 23:50 when Stars’ ‘D’ man Ross Hanlon was shown to the
sin bin for charging. With the Lions unable to find the target on the advantage,
it was not long after that both teams ran into penalty trouble as the sides
clashed, defenceman Luke Thomas reacting to a trip from Billingham’s blue
liner Ben Davison which resulted in the pair dropping the gloves to each earn
2+2 for fighting whilst Davison incurred an additional minor for his initial
offence. Just over two minutes after these penalties were served, the game
became fiery once more, this time Hanlon incurring 2+10 for a check to the head
which resulted in a further battle with forward Paul Lofthouse to see the duo
receive penalties of 2+2 for fighting. Also involved in this incident were
alternate captains Sykes and Levers who exchanged blows to be handed the
same punishment for their actions. Despite these penalties, the Stars were not
distracted from their original objective and were able to add a fourth to their
tally in consequence; Bowman firing an unassisted effort beyond Gospel to cause
further problems for Nottingham. Fired up, Billingham bagged themselves a 5-0
lead just seventy two seconds later when Latvian Deniss Baškatovs teamed up
with fellow forward James Moss to see Jack Emerson print his name on the
scoresheet. Dismayed to have fallen so far behind in this encounter, the Lions
realised that their penalties had proved costly, the side outshot by eighteen
to eight in this stanza. With all penalties now served and neither team finding
the net in the final three minutes of the period, Billingham headed in at the
break with their comfortable lead whilst Nottingham were aware that their
chances of claiming so much as a point from this game would be slim due to the
margin separating them from the Stars.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Spurred on by their
performance in the second period, the Stars raced onto the ice to grab a sixth
goal, Emerson collecting his second of the game on 41:22 following neat play
from Baškatovs and Moss once again. Twenty five seconds later, Nottingham’s
defenceman Tyler Poole was called to the sin bin for kneeing and was instantly
joined by forward Cameron Pywell who picked up a minor for abuse of an official
to hand Billingham a five-on-three situation. Faced with the Lions’ strong
defence, the Stars failed to capitalise despite their power play to leave the
scoreboard unchanged. Continuing to persevere in the hope that they could grab
a consolatory goal at the very least after returning to full strength,
Nottingham battled for the puck but were again forced to contend with the Stars’
strong offensive work. Presented with a power play at the halfway point in the
period when blue liner Davison made way for holding, Bradbury’s men could not
make their additional skater count and just forty four seconds after Billingham’s
return to full strength, the Lions went shorthanded themselves as defenceman
Joseph Gretton picked up a minor for roughing on 52:55 to see the advantage
switch hands. Just thirty two seconds later though, the Teessiders found themselves
reduced to four men to cancel out their power play as defenceman Thomas Keeley
was shown to the sin bin for tripping. These penalties disrupting play, the
Lions suffered an additional setback when captain Perrin was sidelined for
crosschecking. Again, the Stars were unable to find a way beyond Gospel on the
power play allowing the home team to return to full strength on 58:05; Nottingham then calling a timeout just twenty one seconds later to discuss their next
course of action. With both teams striving for a goal in the final moments of
the game and neither successful in their exploits, the final buzzer sounded to
confirm Billingham’s 6-0 win to leave the Stars five points behind Blackburn
Hawks who won on penalty shots against Telford Tigers on Sunday evening.
Reflecting on
Billingham’s double header, Stars’ alternate captain Chris Sykes admitted: “Saturday
wasn’t our best performance at all, far from it. We lapsed in concentration for
seven to eight minutes in the second period and the game got away from us after
a good first period. Sunday was a better showing from us and a nice 6-0 win, so another shutout. It was a mixed weekend but two out of four is good.”
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