Solway Sharks Junior Ice Hockey club welcomed Ayr Bruins to Dumfries Ice bowl last weekend for their latest league fixtures.
First up were the youngest sharks, the under 12s team. After a slow start the youngsters gained momentum and were soon taking charge of the play, and a great team effort saw them emerge victorious, by 7 goals to Bruins 2. The young Bruins net minder played extremely well, picking up man of the match for his team after having to deal with 52 shots from the fast-developing Sharks team.
After the match coach Craig Jackson said, “Today’s game took us a while to get into and the first two periods were very close. I felt that we had control of the game from the start, but the young Bruins netminder played extremely well and made it difficult for us. The third period saw us start to put some points on the board and come out deserved winners 7 – 2. This was a massive result for our young guys today as this saw them win their third game on the bounce, something they have not achieved for a few seasons.”
The final points tally saw Cameron Stevenson with 2 goals, Lewis Gibson and Robert McLardy 1 goal and an assist each, Tony Ho, Jaiden Simpson and Niall Duignan 1 goal and Scott Kirkpatrick, Cassie McGregor and Ewan Duignan all with an assist each. Well done to Tony and Jaiden on their first u12s goals.
Next onto the ice were the under 16s. Recovering from their recent defeat by league-leaders Kirkcaldy, a game which saw Lewis Houston score the only Solway goal and Aidan Nicol named man of the match, the team was eager to make their mark in front of their home support. They didn’t have to wait long, with young Houston opening the scoring from Liam Stenton after a mere 46 seconds, rapidly followed by Matthew Waters from Charles Leuvennink, who then scored himself with a fine solo effort, before another from Houston made it 4 nil to Solway within 2 minutes. The onslaught continued with Stenton scoring from Scott McCutcheon, Houston from Lennon McNee, Stenton from Megan Gourlay, before Scott Rae from McNee and Stenton made it 8. Jack Little was next on the board, followed by Houston from Stenton and Gourlay, before a Gourlay goal from Houston saw the first period finish 11 nil to Solway.
The second period started in the same vein, with Stenton scoring unassisted after 16 seconds, followed minutes later by McNee from Gourlay and Houston. The remainder of the period was quieter, with another McNee-Houston-Gourlay combination resulting in the only other Solway goal. Bruins regrouped somewhat, but were unable to find a reply until the 23rd minute, when they managed to squeeze the puck past Rebekah Scott, who was largely untroubled in the Solway goal, well protected by defence including Mekhi Caven and U16s debutant Brodie McGinty.
Solway started the third period on the offensive once more, a Houston solo goal opening the scoring, followed by Gourlay from Houston and McNee, before Houston again from Gourlay, then once again unassisted. McNee netted his third, from Gourlay and Andrew Robb, to make it 19, while Joe Little and new player Andrew Craik both had credible attempts on goal and came close to adding to the goal
tally. A final Houston solo goal saw the game finish with a resounding Solway victory. After the game coach Craig Jackson commented, “ In our pre-game discussion today I said we really wanted to get off to a good start and get the game won as soon as possible. The team responded to this and went out and had the game wrapped up in the first couple of minutes taking a 4 nil lead. The scoring continued with the Sharks coming out 20 – 1 winners, and it was good to see a wide range of names on the score sheet. The older guys in the team showed great leadership today and helped the younger guys get into the game and on the scoresheet. Man of the match today went to Lennon McNee who worked hard throughout the game and picked up 3 goals for his efforts.”
Solway Juniors are actively recruiting at all age levels – if you are interesting in playing ice hockey please contact Dumfries Ice Bowl on 01387 251300 for details of Learn to Play sessions.
