Solway Sharks vs Sheffield Steeldogs 15.03.25
The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks returned to home ice, following a dramatic 6-5 shootout loss against the Hull Seahawks the previous weekend. A strong start in the opening moments led Solway to a 7-4 victory, featuring a Caly Robertson hat-trick, despite Sheffield clawing back the scoreline to 5-4 early in the final frame.
Solway lined up with 16+2 as #16 Bailey Thomson returned to the team, whilst all other 2-way players remained out of the squad. Meanwhile, Sheffield travelled with an almost full bench of 19+2 as multiple 2-way juniors returned into the lineup, alongside #42 Tim Smith, but #11 Fin Ulrick dropped out from the squad. Solway gave #33 Jordan Marr the start between the pipes, matched up against #30 Ben Norton for Sheffield.
1st period – (4-0)
The Sharks dominated possession early and converted their offensive pressure through their first line as #92 Caly Robertson fired over Norton’s pad after a brief scramble in the crease to put Solway ahead at 2:55, assisted by linemates #43 Nolan Gardiner and #22 John Dunbar. The hosts maintained momentum, allowing #12 Kell Beattie to fire a rocket of a one-timer from the slot after the thread from #16 Bailey Thomson at 3:47, doubling Solway’s advantage.
Sheffield were forced to take a penalty to break down the Sharks attack, seeing #29 Nathan Ripley sit for hooking at 4:36, putting Solway on the man advantage. A strong effort from #43 Nolan Gardiner was spilled by Norton and #92 Caly Robertson bagged his 2nd of the game on the rebound attempt at 5:58 to send Solway 3 goals clear. Steeldogs defence stepped up and denied the Sharks on numerous occasions as they fired shots on Norton through each line.
Solway handed Sheffield their first major opportunity of the game at 13:37 as #21 Torran Anderson was called for interference, yet a strong PK unit for Sharks ensured Marr retained his shut-out. The visitors’ discipline slipped
once again at 17:23 as both #72 Ivan Björkly-Nordström and #42 Tim Smith sat for unsportsmanlike conduct and tripping respectively.
Within the same minute, Solway capitalised on the 5on3 play as #12 Kell Beattie fired his second one-timer of the evening on one-knee past Norton, assisted by #22 John Dunbar and #5 Olivier Arseneau at 17:47, extending the lead further to 4 goals. The hosts retained possession in the final moments of the period, yet Norton matched their offensive efforts to prevent further damage for the Steeldogs as the period closed out with a 4-goal lead to Solway.
2nd period – (1-2)
The Steeldogs returned for the 2nd period with visible intent to reduce the deficit, but Marr stood tall for Solway to maintain their strong lead. A connection between the Canadian forwards for Solway saw the hosts go 5 goals clear, after #43 Nolan Gardiner tipped #22 Dunbar’s initial shot over Norton’s blocker at 24:31 to the delight of the Sharks fans.
However, moments later #14 Lewis Young was called for elbows at 25:22, forcing Solway to defend their lead a man short. Seconds after killing the first penalty, #43 Nolan Gardiner then sat for hooking on 28 minutes, putting the PK unit under pressure once again. Solway returned to full strength and tested Norton quickly, but he denied the Sharks’ 3rd line. Discipline continued to slip for the hosts as #22 John Dunbar sat for tripping at 34:45 but Sheffield failed to capitalise on their chance.
However, a 4th penalty kill in quick succession for the Sharks proved too much to overcome as #37 Elmeri Hällfors deflected the puck past Marr after the initial strike from #72 Ivan Björkly-Nordström at 38:35. The final penalty of the period was handed to #43 Nolan Gardiner at 39:13, which allowed Sheffield to reduce the deficit further through #8 Walker Sommer with a one-timer at 39:26, posting the score at 5-2 after 40 minutes.
3rd period – (2-2)
The Sharks claimed initial possession after the face-off, however #37 Elmeri Hällfors fired a one-timer, following the feed from #72 Ivan Björkly-Nordström at 43:17 to put Sheffield just 2 goals behind. Just 8 seconds later, #5 Brady Doxey fired low under Marr’s five-hole to make it 4 unanswered
goals for Steeldogs with momentum sat in the visitors’ favour early in the final frame.
Sharks handed Sheffield a chance to equalise shortly after as #12 Kell Beattie was called for high sticks at 45:54 but the defence coped well to deny the Steeldogs offence. Solway’s youngest Shark, #16 Bailey Thomson claimed a break, deking past the d-man to slot the puck 5-hole under Norton at 50:53, to ensure Solway’s lead.
Solway continued to dominate possession, but Norton stood tall to give Sheffield a chance of narrowing the scoreline approaching the final 5 minutes. However, #92 Caly Robertson fired Solway’s 7th and his hat-trick goal simultaneously at 57:22 with a lovely solo finish, assisted by #10 Liam Stenton and #43 Nolan Gardiner.
Tensions spilled in the dying moments between #8 Walker Sommer and #21 Torran Anderson, seeing them both head to the box for roughing at 59:26. Neither side found a way past either netminder late in the period to finish the game with a 7-4 victory to the Sharks.
MVPs were awarded to #12 Kell Beattie for his consistent effort across both ends of the ice, picking up 2 crucial goals for Solway. Meanwhile, #6 Ben Morgan claimed the title for the Steeldogs after his defensive breakdowns of play against the Sharks.
STATS –
Solway Sharks: Caly Robertson 3+1, Kell Beattie 2+0, Nolan Gardiner 1+3, Bailey Thomson 1+1, John Dunbar 0+3, Mason Alderson 0+2, Olivier Arseneau 0+1, Scott Henderson 0+1, Connor Henderson 0+1, Liam Stenton 0+1
Sheffield Steeldogs: Elmeri Hällfors 2+1, Walker Sommer 1+0, Brady Doxey 1+0, Ivan Björkly-Nordström 0+3, Johnathan Kirk 0+2, Sam Cooper 0+1
Leeds Knights vs Solway Sharks 16.03.25
The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks travelled South to face the Leeds Knights on Sunday in search of a 4-point weekend in the push for playoffs. However, the hosts claimed the NIHL League title for the 3rd consecutive season with a 4-2 victory, despite the Sharks leading 0-1 after 20 minutes.
Solway travelled with 15+2, as #25 Connor Henderson was missing from the previous evening’s lineup, whilst all 2-way agreement players and injured forward #15 Kieran Hair remained out of lineup. Meanwhile, the Knights iced a squad of 19+2 as 2-way players #36 Danny Harrison and #23 Michael Danecko returned into the lineup. Solway opted for #33 Jordan Marr between the pipes, whilst #31 Sam Gospel retained his start for the 3rd evening on the bounce.
1st period – (0-1)
The Sharks won the initial face-off and fired shots on Gospel early through #10 Liam Stenton, but he made the stop to prevent Solway taking the lead. Both sides created chances, forcing play end-to-end yet Sharks had arguably the better opportunities through their first line of Dunbar, Gardiner and Robertson.
The visitor’s persistent pressure offensively forced #19 Innes Gallacher to give up a tripping penalty at 10:43, putting Sharks on the first powerplay of the evening. After maintaining possession, #22 John Dunbar broke down the right wing to deke past the defence and fire top-corner at 12:24, assisted by #5 Olivier Arseneau.
Tensions started to boil between the 2 sides as #6 Stuart Kerr and #9 Jordan Buesa exchanged words following an offside call on the Sharks. Moments later, the visitors put their lead at risk late in the period as #92 Caly Robertson sat for boarding at 18:33. Despite a strong effort from Bissonnette, Leeds failed to capitalise on their advantage seeing Solway take a goal advantage into the middle frame.
2nd period – (3-0)
Solway aimed to double their lead early in the 2nd period, yet the forwards were denied on each occasion by #31 Sam Gospel for the Knights. Leeds forward #95 Mac Howlett created a threatening chance on a wraparound, but Marr made the stop to retain his side’s lead. Solway were awarded another opportunity to convert on the powerplay as #6 Ethan Hehir was called for boarding, but Gospel made the difference for his side.
Within the same minute of returning to full strength, Leeds equalised through #73 Matt Bissonnette after a low shot from the crease at 29:49, assisted by #37 Matt Barron. Momentum shifted in favour of the Knights, resulting in #95 Mac Howlett claiming the lead with a strong shot over Marr’s shoulder at 31:28, after the connection with #11 Matt Haywood.
Sharks coped well with the continued offensive threat from the Knights to deny them a 3rd goal in quick succession as they struggled to break out of their own zone. Words were exchanged initially between #68 Callum Boyd and #44 Jordan Griffin, before former teammates #21 Torran Anderson and #19 Innes Gallacher also joined in after Gospel gloved Carruth’s shot. Sharks then headed to the PK at 36:02 as Anderson and Griffin both sat for roughing, whilst Boyd was called for an initial cross-check.
Seconds later, Leeds capitalised on the powerplay via a wrap-around from #11 Matt Haywood, assisted by #9 Jordan Buesa at 36:38 to extend the lead to 3-1. The Knights’ 3rd line put the Sharks defence under pressure late in the period, but they performed well to ensure the visitors remained within fighting contention heading into the final frame.
3rd period – (1-1)
The Knights were relentless from the opening face-off of the final frame, testing #33 Jordan Marr early but he matched their efforts successfully. Solway’s discipline slipped once more as #14 Lewis Young sat for hooking at 41:21 handing Leeds a chance to pick up another powerplay goal. After a battle to retain the puck in the zone, #8 Bow Neely fired and sent the puck wide of Marr after traffic in the crease to send Leeds 3 goals clear after 42:31 of play.
The Sharks defence were repetitively tested by the Knights forwards and coped well with the pressure as the visitors were eager to reduce the deficit, pushing for a 4-point weekend. Solway created chances as the game approached the final 10 minutes of play but failed to work a successful opportunity past Gospel.
Consistent offensive plays for Solway saw #24 Dylan Hehir head to the box for tripping at 53:13 which handed Solway a major chance to answer back, but they failed to convert. However, the penalty flipped momentum for Solway, allowing #16 Bailey Thomson to slot the rebound from #43 Nolan Gardiner’s initial shot under Gospel’s 5-hole at 56:50 to claim his 2nd goal in as many games for the Sharks.
The visitors called a timeout in the final seconds of the game to re-discuss tactics and opted to keep #33 Jordan Marr on the bench in favour of the additional forward. However, Gospel stood tall for his side to ensure a 4-2 win which saw the Leeds Knights crowned NIHL League Champions for the 3rd consecutive season.
MVPs were awarded to #68 Callum Boyd for the Sharks, following his consistent offensive threat for Solway. Meanwhile #6 Ethan Hehir picked up the title for Leeds after creating chances for his side.
STATS –
Solway Sharks: John Dunbar 1+0, Bailey Thomson 1+0, Olivier Arseneau 0+1, Nolan Gardiner 0+1, Liam Stenton 0+1
Leeds Knights: Matt Haywood 1+2, Bow Neely 1+1, Matt Bissonnette 1+0, Mac Howlett 1+0, Matt Barron 0+1, Noah McMullin 0+1, Jordan Buesa 0+1, Oli Endicott 0+1
The Dynamic Property Services-sponsored Solway Sharks return to the Shark Tank this Saturday, March 22nd, for their final home game of the season against the Milton Keynes Lightning. After a thrilling home victory over the Sheffield Steeldogs last weekend, the Sharks remain firmly in the playoff hunt. They’ll need a full-team effort—and the energy of a loud and passionate home crowd—to keep their postseason hopes alive. So, come out, make some noise, and show your support! Puck drops at 7:00 PM, with doors opening at 5:30 PM. Secure your tickets now at sharksihc.com/tickets or in person at the Dumfries Ice Bowl.
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