Solway Sharks Ice Hockey Club
The Solway Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen Dumfries are preparing to face off against the Elite League’s Braehead Clan in a challenge match on Wednesday evening and it is the start of the exciting new partnership between the two clubs.
The Solway Sharks organisation are delighted to have a game against the Aladdin Cup winners and to officially mark the start of the linkup between the clubs and are hoping to see many hockey supporters at the Ice Bowl on Wednesday evening as we showcase our mixture of youth and experience.
Sharks Head Coach Martin Grubb was happy to explain how the Sharks will utilise the game and the partnership “It is a great opportunity for our club to work alongside the Clan and help develop a working relationship both on and off the ice. We will be using this game to allow us to showcase our younger players who have progressed through our junior development system and give these players an opportunity to experience the highest level of hockey in the UK. We will be missing a few senior players due to work commitments but this is an ideal opportunity for us to prove that we have talent coming through and for the young players to get the chance to showcase their ability to Ryan Finnerty and the Clan as we look to build on the new partnership. Both clubs are keen to develop young British players and I feel that we can benefit from this game and use it as a learning experience.
We have some good experience in our team and we also have a proven track record of developing players and moving them onto a higher level so we are looking to take advantage of this initiative for the ongoing development of our players and club. We managed to win the League, the Cup and the Play-off’s last year and used a number of U20 players throughout the season and they all played regularly and gained good experience. I have a clear coaching philosophy to develop players and provide opportunity for players to learn the game and progress and if we can use the two-way system and Clan partnership for this purpose then our kids will benefit. The Clan are a very strong team and had a good weekend in the Aladdin cup beating Asiago so we know just how much we are up against things. The result is not important to me as long as we can learn from this game and see how pro teams play and see what it takes for a player to get to that level then it will have been a worthwhile experience. We will be exposing 16 and 17 year old players to this speed and level of hockey and that can only be a good thing for the long term and I will be urging our players to enjoy the experience regardless of the result”.
Everyone from the Solway Sharks are looking forward to the game after the Sharks warmed up with a 7-1 win against North Ayrshire Wild on Saturday and are excited to welcome our friends from Braehead and hope everyone enjoys the game and the young players we will have on show on Wednesday evening.
We hope the Braehead Clan players, management and supporters enjoy their night at the Ice Bowl and we hope it is the first of many visits. The face off is 19:30 and tickets are available on the door prior to the game.
