Building Craftsmen Dumfries-sponsored Solway Sharks secured two wins last weekend from their two games at Ice Sheffield and return to home action at the Ice Bowl on Saturday looking to extend a five-game winning run in League play.
The Sharks edged Sheffield Spartans 2-1 on Saturday before a 4-2 win over Sutton Sting 24 hours later.
Stevie Adams and Struan Tonnar had put Sharks 2-0 up on Saturday before Stuart Brittle halved the deficit early in the third period. Solway held out, facing 16 shots in the final period, but Kieran Hobbins made 37 saves in total to defend the lead and take the two points.
Sunday’s game on Sheffield’s second pad against Sutton Sting saw a scoreless first period before James Spurr opened the scoring for the home side on 26 minutes. Sharks’ import defenceman Juraj Senko netted a pair of powerplay markers at 30.03 and 36.25 to hand Solway the advantage at the second break, while Marc Fowley made it a 3-1 lead early in the final frame.
Matt Jeffcock set up a grandstand finish with Sutton’s second goal at 47.59, but Ross Murray settled nerves at 56.41 with Solway’s fourth goal and a four point weekend for the Dumfries side.
Head Coach Martin Grubb was understandably pleased with his side’s efforts on the road. He Told DGWGO Sports News –
“I am delighted to return from a tough double header with four points and i felt we deserved to win both games,” he said.
“We were very solid defensively with Kieran Hobbins having a good weekend as he gets more confident and we had 4 D on Saturday and 5 on Sunday and they were excellent all weekend.
“As a team we battled hard and it is pleasing to see the improvement we are showing in
our compete level and desire to win.”
Grubb also paid tribute to injured forward Martin Cingel who travelled with the squad despite suffering from a broken collarbone which could keep him out of action until the New Year.
“It was great to have Martin Cingel’s experience on the bench as a coach,” added Grubb. “Both him and Scott [McMeeken] played a huge part in our success. We do need to keep this momentum going now and keep winning games.”
The results over the weekend lift Solway into fifth place in the NIHL Moralee standings with 12 points from 12 league games. The top four sides at the end of the regular season will qualify for the playoff weekend in April.
This weekend the Solway Sharks entertain Sheffield Spartans at the Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday night before travelling to Teesside and a clash with Billingham Stars on Sunday evening. The Spartans are sixth in the standings with 12pts from 15 games while Billingham are seventh on 11pts from 12 games so the matches are key in terms of the playoff race and keeping the run going.
Saturday’s game at Dumfries Ice Bowl faces off at 7pm. Individual tickets are on sale from the Ice Bowl reception from 6pm on the night. Tickets are priced at £8 adults, £5 concession and a family ticket (2+3) is £16.
