Solway Sharks vs Romford Raiders 01.03.25
The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks returned to home ice on Saturday evening in their first game of the new month, claiming a 6-3 victory. Fans were also spoilt with a Michigan goal from #88 Kyle Carruth to seal off a strong performance for the Sharks in the final moments.
Solway lined up with 17+2, as #16 Bailey Thomson and #55 Owen Rae bolstered numbers, whilst #9 Mason Alderson remained suspended. Meanwhile the Raiders travelled also with 17+2, unchanged from their meeting the previous evening against the Leeds Knights. Romford netminder #39 Ethan James replaced #50 Owen Rider between the pipes, whilst #33 Jordan Marr retained his start for Solway.
1st period – (2-2)
Sharks won the opening face-off but were quickly dispossessed by the Romford defence, forcing #68 Callum Boyd to pick up a hooking call at 1:29. However, this was cancelled out shortly after as #98 Tjay Anderson was called for slashing at 2:34. The Sharks fired shots on James during their brief powerplay, yet he denied them an early lead.
Solway found themselves on the PK shortly after as #22 John Dunbar sat for a high stick at 5:30 putting Sharks at risk of conceding. Despite a strong effort from a one-timer by #26 Reed Morison, Solway denied Romford the opening goal. Sharks turned up the pressure, but James matched their efforts to uphold a goal-less scoreline.
However, an interception in the neutral zone by #92 Caly Robertson allowed the first line to connect perfectly as #22 John Dunbar finished off the feed from #43 Nolan Gardiner on 13 minutes to give Solway the edge. However, Sharks put their lead on the line as #5 Olivier Arseneau was handed a delay of game penalty at 13:21. A matter of seconds later, #29 Jake Sylvester fired bar-down to equalise, assisted by #26 Reed Morison and #19 George Norcliffe at 13:31.
Momentum swung in favour of the Raiders, resulting in a 2nd goal finding its way past Marr from #85 Tom Palmer after the feed from #11 Tom Relf to put Romford ahead 1-2 at 14:55. However, the visitors gave up another powerplay opportunity to Solway at 15:35 as #11 Tom Relf sat for holding. The Sharks fired a flurry of shots on Ethan James, yet he made the stops to retain his side’s lead.
The hosts were eager to equalise in the closing minutes of the first period and did just so at 18:14 as #22 John Dunbar converted the tip through James’ 5-hole after the low strike from #12 Kell Beattie at 18:14. However, with another goal, followed another penalty as #21 Torran Anderson was called for cross-checking at 19:51 to close out the opening period.
2nd period – (2-1)
Solway successfully killed the penalty in the opening minutes of the period and gained momentum, looking to claim the lead. Sharks’ top goal scorer fired top-shelf past #39 Ethan James, assisted by fellow Canadian #5 Olivier Arseneau at 22:59. However, the Raiders quickly answered back to tie up the scores once more through #29 Jake Sylvester with a strike at 23:44.
Solway’s Canadian forwards Dunbar and Gardiner created a huge chance moments later, but a stick in the lane from Ashley Jackson denied the Sharks. The hosts claimed a chance to take the lead at 30:32 as #13 Elliott Dewey was called for holding the stick, yet the Romford defence performed well. Solway maintained possession of the puck, forcing #51 Ashley Jackson to pick up a hooking penalty at 36:02.
The Raiders denied Solway a PP goal, but just seconds later #14 Lewis Young capitalised on the 2nd rebound attempt after #43 Nolan Gardiner’s initial strike at 38:06. Romford were determined to level the score yet again, forcing #33 Jordan Marr to make a breakaway save on #10 Brandon Ayliffe in the dying moments of the period to ensure Solway carried a 4-3 lead into the final frame.
3rd period – (2-0)
Both sides returned for the 3rd period and struggled to find a run of form as they battled for possession. The Sharks capitalised on a defensive error by
the Raiders, but James made the stop once more for his side. Solway were handed another powerplay opportunity at 46:54 as #72 Artjoms Kazaks sat for tripping although Romford’s PK unit held off the Sharks offence.
The hosts broke through the Romford defence with Gardiner and Robertson, but James coped with the threat. Sharks then gave up a cross-checking call at 51:20 as #88 Kyle Carruth headed to the box. However, after a thread from #12 Kell Beattie to #68 Callum Boyd, #21 Torran Anderson converted the 2on0 break to claim a SH marker for Sharks at 52:55, sending Solway 2 goals clear.
Discipline slipped for the Raiders once more as #11 Tom Relf was called for holding after bringing down #92 Caly Robertson at 54:29. However Solway failed to capitalise on the opportunity, maintaining a 5-3 scoreline. Fans were spoiled with a beauty Michigan goal from #88 Kyle Carruth at 58:56, assisted by fellow GB U20 teammate #21 Torran Anderson to secure a 6-3 victory for the Sharks on home ice.
MVPs were awarded to #22 John Dunbar following his opening 2 goals for the Sharks. Meanwhile, #29 Jake Sylvester claimed the title for Romford, also for is 2 contributions to the scoreboard.
STATS –
Solway Sharks: John Dunbar 2+0, Nolan Gardiner 1+2, Torran Anderson 1+1, Lewis Young 1+0, Kyle Carruth 1+0, Caly Robertson 0+2, Liam Stenton 0+2, Olivier Arseneau 0+2, Kell Beattie 0+1, Joe Coulter 0+1, Callum Boyd 0+1
Romford Raiders: Jake Sylvester 2+0, Tom Palmer 1+0, Reed Morison 0+2, George Norcliffe 0+1, Tjay Anderson 0+1, Tom Relf `0+1
Solway Sharks vs Romford Raiders 02.03.25
The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks faced the Romford Raiders in their 2nd home game of the weekend, looking to claim an additional 2 points after the previous evening’s 6-3 win. However, the points were shared across the weekend as Romford claimed a 4-6 win on Sunday after a detrimental opening 10 minutes.
Solway lined up with 15+2 as #55 Owen Rae and #16 Bailey Thomson returned to play with their 2-way side, Widnes Wild whilst #9 Mason Alderson sat his final game of suspension. Meanwhile, Raiders iced a squad of 18+2 as #83 Adam Laishram returned into the lineup. Both netminders retained their start between the pipes for their respective teams after making several superb stops the previous evening.
1st period – (0-3)
The first period opened with a collision between Robertson and Cooper against the boards in the Romford zone, but they quickly returned to play. Both sides battled for dominance early, seeing Romford come away with the puck in the Sharks zone. Raiders retained possession which allowed #29 Jake Sylvester to fire long-range into the top-corner, assisted by #26 Reed Morison at 5:47, giving the visitors an edge.
Another offensive chance for the Raiders, forced #21 Torran Anderson to give up a tripping call at 6:03 to put Solway on a penalty kill. Seconds later, #91 Andrew Shewfelt doubled the lead for Romford with a one-timer strike from the slot on the powerplay at 6:27, assisted by #83 Adam Laishram and #26 Reed Morison. The Raiders offence ran riot in the Solway zone as #29 Jake Sylvester clenched his 2nd goal of the evening in a similar manner to his initial strike, assisted by Laishram and Morison once more.
Solway Head Coach, Martin Grubb then called a timeout to regroup the squad after falling behind by 3 goals inside the first half of the opening period. However, the brief break in play failed to flatten the momentum of
Romford as Marr was forced to make several stops in quick succession to give Solway a chance of answering back.
Romford’s recently returned #83 Adam Laishram created multiple chances for the hosts, yet #33 Jordan Marr denied him on each occasion. Sharks came close late in the frame through #43 Nolan Gardiner, however Solway failed to claw back a goal, completing the first period with 3 goals in favour to Romford.
2nd period – (3-1)
Solway came out firing in the middle frame, forcing #39 Ethan James to post a huge stop denying Nolan Gardiner and John Dunbar. Sharks then earned their first powerplay opportunity of the evening whilst #3 Tyler Nixon sat for hooking at 23:24. Despite returning to full strength, Romford conceded shortly after. GB u20 forward #21 Torran Anderson made it 2 from 2 with a finish on the back door after the thread from #14 Lewis Young and #10 Liam Stenton at 25:32.
Discipline slipped once again for the Raiders as #83 Adam Laishram was called for tripping at 26:22. Another powerplay resulted in another goal for the Sharks as #12 Kell Beattie fired from the left wing taking a deflection off #14 Jack Cooper’s skate at 27:15, reducing the deficit to a single goal. The Sharks continued to work plays in the Romford zone, but the Raiders defence denied an equaliser for the hosts.
Solway put themselves at risk of conceding at 30:55 as #43 Nolan Gardiner was handed a boarding call, putting the Sharks PK unit to work. Just 7 seconds later, #26 Reed Morison slotted the puck bottom corner past Marr to post the score at 2-4. Solway were determined to prevent the game slipping out of grasp, seeing D-man #12 Kell Beattie claimed his 2nd of the evening at 35:36, with a shot firing through James’ 5-hole from an impossible angle.
However, discipline slipped once more for the hosts as #6 Stuart Kerr sat for hooking at 36:35. The Solway defence were put to work during the penalty kill yet #33 Jordan Marr made a series of saves to deny Romford another goal on the man advantage. Raiders forward #10 Brandon Ayliffe tested Marr late in the period, but he denied the visitors to leave Solway just a goal behind at 3-4 after 40 minutes of play.
3rd period – (1-2)
The hosts were eager to level the score and did just so after a connection through the first line Canadians as #43 Nolan Gardiner clenched his 2nd of the weekend with a strike top-corner at 41:34, after the feed from #22 John Dunbar. Romford upped their offensive threat looking to answer back, but #33 Jordan Marr soaked up the pressure well to retain a level score.
Romford’s #11 Tom Relf returned to the box for tripping at 47:03, giving Solway a huge chance to claim the lead, but the Raiders defence performed well. An initial shot from #14 Jack Cooper caused chaos in the crease as Sharks looked to clear, but #98 Tjay Anderson converted the rebound for Romford at 53:53 which gave the visitors a go-ahead goal.
Solway created a strong chance as #88 Kyle Carruth fed the puck to #68 Callum Boyd on the back door, but he failed to connect fully to tie the game at 57:04. Canadian forward, #22 John Dunbar then attempted the wraparound on James, but he made the save to force an attacking zone face-off in which Solway pulled Marr in favour of the extra forward. However, the risk failed to pay off for the hosts as #10 Brandon Ayliffe sent a strong shot from the Raiders zone at 59:41 to claim Romford’s 6th goal and ensure a road win for his side.
MVPs were awarded to #12 Kell Beattie for his consistent effort across both ends of the ice, picking up 2 crucial goals for the Sharks. Meanwhile, #39 Ethan James claimed the title for Romford following a superb performance between the pipes.
STATS –
Solway Sharks: Kell Beattie 2+0, Torran Anderson 1+0, Nolan Gardiner 1+0, John Dunbar 0+3, Olivier Arseneau 0+2, Lewis Young 0+1, Liam Stenton 0+1
Romford Raiders: Jake Sylvester 2+0, Reed Morison 1+3, Adam Laishram 1+3, Tjay Anderson 1+0, Brandon Ayliffe 1+0, Andrew Shewfelt 0+2, Jack Cooper 0+1, Tom Relf 0+1
The Solway Sharks are back on home ice this Saturday, March 8th, as they take on the Swindon Wildcats at the Shark Tank. With the Wildcats sitting comfortably in third place, the Sharks are battling from ninth, fighting desperately for that final playoff spot. The action kicks off at 7:00 PM, with doors opening at 5:30 PM. The Sharks need every ounce of energy from their home crowd to keep their playoff dreams alive—so come out, show your support, and make some noise! Secure your tickets now at the Sharks IHC official website: sharksihc.com/tickets or grab them in person at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. Don’t miss it!
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