Solway Sharks Jardine Motors Sponsored Under 20s team headed over the Irish sea last week to play their rivals in Belfast. The trip was made possible by a grant from the Young People’s Choices Fund.
The young sharks hit the ice at a fast pace, but Belfast were not to be cowed and made them work hard, putting up a sterling defence in the face of the Solway attack. Bus legs worked off, Solway settled to the task at hand and Lewis Houston found the net for Solway on 10:44 from a Ben Coughtrie pass. This was followed on 13:41 by Liam Stenton, scoring from Houston and Vicky Carson. Despite several more chances, and thanks to some hard work from Rebekah Scott in the Solway net, the score remained at 2-0 Solway until the end of the period.
The first five minutes of the second passed quickly, with chances for both teams being denied by the determined efforts of both netminders, before Luke Houston put the Sharks back on the scoreboard with a great solo shot from the blue line on 25:44. Not to be outdone, Belfast struck back 2 minutes later, bringing the score to 3-1. Younger Houston brother Lewis added to the tally next, finding the back of the net from Stenton and Scott McCutcheon on 29:50 to put Solway 4 goals to 1 ahead, a score which held until the buzzer for end of the second period.
Play continued rapidly, Lewis Houston making his mark with his third and the team’s fifth goal on 42:58 from a Struan Duff pass, only for Belfast to take advantage of a penalty to score on the powerplay 2 minutes later making the score 5-2. Conor Caven was next to find the net, with a grand unassisted goal from the point on 49:31. Belfast snuck another past a hard-working Rebekah in the Solway net seconds later, but this was to no avail, as the Houston-Coughtrie combination that started the game finished it with another goal. The final score was 7-3 to Solway, and Rebekah Scott was Solway’s MVP. A long round trip made worth it by the victory, which sees Solway at the top of the league going into their title chasing game against Kirkcaldy on Sunday.
Anyone interesting in playing ice hockey and getting onto the Solway Sharks player pathway should contact Dumfries Ice Bowl on 01387 251300. Learn to play sessions run on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm, and Saturday mornings at 10.30am.
One partner. No competitors. Visible across local sport.
