The Solway Sharks had a four-point weekend after defeating The Raiders 5-2 on
Saturday at the Dumfries Ice Bowl and then defeating The Bees 5-4 in overtime on Sunday.
Another boisterous and rowdy crowd attended the Saturday night game at the Dumfries
Ice Bowl, and the mood was upbeat and positive. Two goals by the Sharks early in the
first period gave the crowd something to cheer about. For the Sharks’ first goal, John
Dunbar performed some outstanding work in the offensive zone, setting up Stuart Kerr
with an incredible rocket shot into the goal. The Raiders went on the powerplay when
Sharks Lewis Young was called for tripping, but they were unable to equalise despite
numerous opportunities.
The Sharks were back to full strength as Lewis Young entered the penalty area. Young
was left alone to shoot the puck into the net and give the Sharks a 2-0 lead after some
nimble play by Liam Stenton and John Dunbar. The Raiders were able to rally and score
twice to tie the score, but the Sharks weren’t deterred and came back with a goal from
Nolan Gardiner and an assist from Mason Alderson to make it 3-2.
The Sharks resumed their goal scoring in the decisive period of a close game with a goal
from John Dunbar and an assist from Kieran Hair. The evening’s last goal, scored by
Liam Stenton with assistance from Stuart Kerr, was the cherry on top.
After the weekend, Sharks forward Lewis Young said “Overall it was a great weekend for
the boys. Not only to get the first win at home on Saturday but to come away with 4
points from two very tough games, we couldn’t have asked for much more”.
The Sharks were boosted by this triumph and faced a lengthy drive to Slough to face The
Bees in the weekend’s final game. Looking for a strong start, the Sharks delivered with a
goal after 22 seconds for Kieran Hair. Soon after, it was the Sharks and Kieran Hair again
to make it 2-0 on the night. Looking to capitalise on this spell it was another goal for the
Sharks, this time it was Nolan Gardiner getting the puck in the net for a 3-0 lead. The
Raiders were able to pull a goal back as the Sharks took a two goal lead into the break.
To maintain the momentum, the team went on the attack again and scored the game’s
fourth goal, which was scored by John Dunbar, making the score 4-1. The Sharks didn’t
get what they wanted in the last session, as the Raiders scored three goals to tie the
game and force overtime. As the game entered overtime, the Sharks had one point but
desired the second point and pushed hard, demonstrating a never-say-die mindset. Craig
Peacock scored the game-winning goal, and the Sharks earned a four-point weekend.
After Sunday’s game, Sharks forward Craig Peacock said “ It was great to pick up our
first 2 wins of the season, we had a good week of practice leading into the weekend and
you could sense a shift in the group as a whole and every player did their job and
showed a real desire to get those wins, so hopefully we just keep moving forward from
here “
The Sharks will travel to Milton Keynes on Saturday before returning to Dumfries Ice
Bowl on Sunday to face the Leeds Knights in the Shark Tank. The match begins at 4
p.m., and you can get tickets at https://sharksihc.com/tickets/.
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