The Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd. Solway Sharks are delighted to announce that Slovakian forward Pavol Melichercik has returned to the Shark Tank for the remainder of the season.
Pavol originally joined the Sharks along with Jan Fisera at the beginning of the 2008-09 season and then played with Juraj Senko in 2009-10 and 2010-11. After a two season hiatus Pavol returned to Dumfries mid-way through last season and was a crucial part of the treble winning squad. In his time with the Sharks Pavol has played 128 games, scoring 124 goals with 144 assists (268 points) while amassing 180 penalty minutes.
This weekend the Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd. Solway Sharks welcome old rivals the Billingham Stars to the Shark Tank for another crucial league fixture in the race to the end of season play-off weekend to be held here in Dumfries on the weekend of the 11th and 12th of April. Matches against Billingham in recent years have always been close, hard-fought affairs that rarely see supporters off the edge of their seats. With just one point separating the second placed Sharks from the third placed Stars this Saturday’s match promises more of the same. Face-off at Dumfries Ice Bowl will be at the usual time of 7:00pm.
Last Sunday the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd, were on the road with a tricky away game against the dangerous Sutton Sting at Ice Sheffield and after a first period scare the team readjusted their tactics and roared back to win by six goals to four.
With new signing Pavol Melichercik in the side and both Struan Tonnar and Richard Bentham playing in defence for this game it understandably took the Sharks took some time to get going and to be truthful they struggled throughout the first period. Just after the midway point in the period an interference call against Bob Chalmers gave the home side a powerplay and with the extra man they laid siege to the Solway goal. Ninety seconds later their pressure paid dividends when Mark Turner and James Goodman combined to allow Shaun Ashton to open the scoring. With the Sharks rattled Sutton attempted to add to their advantage but they had to wait until the eighteen minute mark for Jon Woolhouse to set up Matt Jeffcock to score their second goal.
A minute into the second session a cross-checking penalty against Carl Ashton gave the Sharks their second powerplay of the game and within six seconds of gaining the man advantage they were back in the game as Richard Bentham and Duncan Speirs combined to create the opportunity for Pavol Melichercik to score. The Solway supporters in the crowd were barely back in their seats when just twelve seconds later Stuart Andrews and Marc Fowley set up Melichercik to level the scores. The home side were reeling and it got worse for them five minutes later when Jens Engelen put the Sharks in front for the first time after good work from Joe Coulter and Stuart Andrews.
The Sutton coach quickly called a time out to settle his troops but on the thirty-two minute mark they fell further behind when Ross Murray and Joe Coulter were the providers for Stevie Moore to score Solway’s fourth goal with a clinical finish. A perfect second period was rounded off a minute later when Ross Murray collected a loose puck deep in his own half before he charged up centre-ice to score an excellent unassisted strike and the Sharks had scored five goals without reply.
Coach Darlow obviously read his Sutton players the riot act during the second interval as they returned to the ice for the final session in a far more positive frame of mind and within two minutes they had reduced the deficit to two when John Ross scored an excellent short-handed goal. Play was fairly tight from that point on but with forty-eight minutes on the clock Solway got the buffer they wanted when Ross Murray collected a Duncan Speirs pass and slotted the puck past Zimozdra in the Sutton goal.
The home side continued to press for a lifeline but their only joy came five minutes from time when an Ivo Cellar effort was half blocked and Jordan Boyle in the Sharks goal could only watch on in slow motion as the puck rolled over his goal line in what appeared to be slow motion. Despite continued pressure from the home side their effort were to be in vain as the Sharks confidently and professionally ran down the clock to record an important six-four road victory.
Scoring statistics for Solway was as follows: Ross Murray two goals and one assist, Pavol Melichercik 2+0, Stevie Moore and Jens Engelen both 1+0, Stuart Andrews, Joe Coulter and Duncan Speirs all 0+2, Mark Fowley and Richard Bentham both 0+1. Jordan Boyle in the Sharks goal saved twenty-three of the twenty-seven shots that he faced (save percentage 85.19%) and Richard Bentham was named the Man of the Match for the Sharks.
