The Sharks SNL eventually made it to the Dundee Ice Arena to take on the Dundee Comets on Saturday evening having been held up for nearly three hours in Edinburgh bypass traffic en route to collect players from their university campus due to a traffic incident.
Missing no fewer than nine regular players, the Sharks SNL rushed onto the ice and after the briefest of warm ups were caught cold in the opening exchanges finding themselves two nil down after nine minutes. The Sharks then gradually felt their way into the tempo of the game and at 12:36 were rewarded when Calum Henderson was on hand to fire an Arran Shankland rebound into the roof of the net. The period then played out with some eye pleasing end to end hockey, however the Comets managed to grab a power play goal at 18:21 after some nice set up play to end the period with a three – one advantage.
The second period saw the Sharks depleted squad push forward and ask some serious questions of Matthew Michie in the Comet’s net and his defence, but the stopper was coping well with the traffic sent his way. The Comets four lines used their experience well in the closing stages as with the two lines of the Sharks fading, the Comets capitalised by hammering home four goals between 35:23 and 39:20, a deadly four minute spell that all but ended the jaded Sharks hopes of taking any points home.
A further three goals in the third by the Comets was responded to when Martyn Mitchell sent Scott Henderson away to hit Sharks second of the night leaving the final score of ten – two to the hosts.
Man of the match went to Calum Henderson for his typical workmanlike performance. Sharks SNL player coach, although downbeat, took some positives from the performance. He commented, ‘It’s disappointing knowing the capabilities of our squad to have such a skewed result especially in a game we are capable of getting something from, however we were missing two thirds of our regulars and then have sat in a bus for nearly three hours more than expected, it’s a far from ideal situation. It was good to get guys that get limited ice time out there and I was especially happy to see Becca Nicol step up from the U20 and Ladies teams and handle herself very well. To my knowledge she is the first female to play for a Solway ice hockey team in a senior league and she has done herself no harm in being considered moving forward at only 17 years old.’
Sharks SNL now take have a duo of empty weekends before they can look forward to finally returning to action at home when they host Kilmarnock Storm at Dumfries Ice Bowl on Sunday 27th November at 5:30pm.
***Pic: Sharks Gordon Horne lands a hit on Comets Robbie Brown
