This weekend the Magnox Ltd. Solway Sharks could claim their third consecutive league title but to do that they need to claim victories over nearest rivals the Billingham Stars and old adversaries the Whitley Warriors. First up are the Warriors when they visit Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday evening and anyone who has witnessed a match between the two teams will know that no quarter will be asked or given. Whitley are also battling hard to wrest the final play-off spot from fourth placed Sutton and will have that added incentive to put one over on the Sharks. On Sunday Solway travel to third placed Billingham who have been our closest rivals over the last three years and they will be determined not to allow the Sharks to celebrate victory on their home ice. Two wins would put Solway on 40 points and while Blackburn could equal that total the Sharks have already beaten the Hawks three times in the league and that would be the first method of separating two teams tied on the same points. Face-off at Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday night is at the usual time of 7pm.
Last Saturday the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Magnox Ltd, welcomed the Sheffield Spartans to Dumfries well aware of the fact that the visitors had been steadily improving over the season and had claimed victory in our last encounter at IceSheffield the week before New Year. The Spartans were also battling for an end-of-season play off spot so a repeat of November’s eight-nil victory was never really on the cards and at the end of the day the Sharks had to be content with a solitary point after a disappointing two-two draw.
In the opening six minutes the Sharks generally held the upper hand with a greater share of possession and territory but found it hard to turn this into any greater advantage as the Sheffield defence stood firm and the home side seemed to lack the spark required to unlock it. Then Craig Thurston broke free on the left and shot powerfully from the face-off circle but the puck was at a comfortable height for netminder Bradley Day to grab with his glove. Two minute later the Spartans took the lead in controversial circumstances. A break down the left saw the puck swept to the opposite wing from where Thomas Parkinson’s shot crashed into Gary Russell’s helmet. In normal circumstances the referee would blow the play dead at this point and the Solway defenders stopped, but no whistle came. Meanwhile Ollie Barron did exactly what he should, he played to the whistle and put the puck in the net.
Stung into action the Sharks poured forward and equalised thirty seconds later when Juraj Senko collected a Bob Chalmers pass in the slot and shot home low to the keeper’s left. With twelve minutes gone Sheffield might have taken the lead for a second time when Sam Jones found the puck at his feet in the slot. He shot high to the left and just as it looked like it might find the top shelf Gary Russell flung out a glove to make a tremendous reaction save. Encouraged by this the visitors opened out and with five minutes left in the period Charles Thomson shot low from the slot only to see Russell make another fine block, this time with his pads. Play was now swinging from end to end and Bob Chalmers forced a good save from Day with a shot from the left-hand circle and Ollie Barron saw Russell make another fine pad save before Struan Tonnar broke free on the Sharks right wing only to be denied by Day once more.
The second period started much as the first but the home support were first on their feet this time around when Stevie Moore put the Sharks ahead in the twenty-third minute. Young Solway starlet Connor Henderson was very much the architect as his pressure forced a mistake from a Spartans D-man. He then collected the loose puck, skated around the Sheffield defence and laid back a perfect pass for Moore to fire home from the slot. Ollie Barron was proving himself to be the visitor’s danger man, he might have equalised within a minute but Russell was again down quickly to smother the danger at his post and from the restart the Sharks keeper was again at his best to save a snap shot from Ross Jordan.
While the Sharks had a good proportion of possession and territory they seemed to be playing in second gear and failed to create many clear cut scoring opportunities. The Spartans for their part were in no mood to sit back and allow Solway to develop their normal free-flowing passing game, they were quick to challenge the puck carrier and covered well for each other. When they did get the opportunity to attack they always looked dangerous and it was no real surprise when they got their reward with an equaliser seven minutes from the second break. A scramble in the Solway goalmouth saw Russell, do well to block a close range shot but the puck fell kindly for James Maughan to poke home from close range.
The Solway support must have been looking for better from their favourites as the final session began but out on the ice it was to continue in very much the same vein as the previous two periods. The Sharks held the greater share of possession and territory but failed to raise their game and create the clear cut chances required to win the game. Sheffield for their part fought for every puck and always looked capable of springing a surprise on the break. In the early stages of the period Solway’s best chance fell to Pavol Melichercik but he could only look on in frustration as his shot deflected wide from the goal post and then Bob Chalmers was equally frustrated when Day got down well to save his low drive. With eight minutes to go Juraj Senko collected possession in the right face-off circle and wheeled around to fire a blistering drive the cannoned off the crossbar with the keeper well beaten.
With three minutes remaining on the clock the visitors might have stolen both points when Scott Morris broke down the right and fire a powerful low shot towards the near post but once more Gary Russell proved his class with another excellent low save. The Sharks responded and Bob Chalmers forced his way through the Sheffield defence to the left of goal and appeared to find a gap below the keeper’s pads. The puck found the net but the referee’s whistle blew Sheffield’s way and the call was no goal. The reason is unclear but one version was that the Solway forward kicked it in and another was that the goal was off its moorings but photograph’s of the incident seem to disprove these.
In another photograph it looks like Struan Tonnar might have netted the loose puck from short range. If this was the case he was certainly standing in the netminders crease and in that scenario the goal certainly should have been chalked off. As the game drew towards its conclusion the Sharks discipline deserted them just when they needed cool heads and they took two ten minute misconduct penalties and a total of thirty-six minutes in the final sixty seconds of the game. Overall it was a poor performance from the Sharks and the Spartans were well worth a point. Perhaps in the cold light of day it can be said that it was a point that pushes the Sharks closer to the title and a team that collects points when playing badly often claims the honours at the end of the season.
Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Juraj Senko and Stevie Moore both one goal and no assists, Robert Chalmers and Connor Henderson both 0+1. Gary Russell in the Solway goal saved twenty-five of the twenty-seven shots that he faced (save percentage 92.59%). Stevie Moore was named the Torr Body Shop Man of the Match for the home side while Bradley Day received that accolade for the visitors.
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