This weekend the Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd. Solway Sharks look forward to the first visit of English Premier League side the Peterborough Phantoms the Shark Tank since the teams played out a thrilling six-six draw in a pre-season challenge match in September 2012. While neither team can progress further in the English Challenge Cup, Peterborough will be determined to gain revenge for the Sharks superb five-four victory on their ice last Sunday. The Sharks will be equally determined to do the double over the team sitting third in the EPL. Can they do it? Come along and cheer the lads on. Face-off at Dumfries Ice Bowl will be at the usual time of 7pm on Saturday and you can see all the action for just £7.50 or bring the family for £15.
Last Saturday the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd, welcomed the Sutton Sting to the Ice Bowl and the two sides provided the supporters with a feast of attacking hockey before the home team eventually ran out winners by three goals to one.
After a steady opening to the game the Sharks received a powerplay in the fourth minute when Goodman was penalised for tripping and Duncan Speirs forced a fine double save from Dmitri Zimozdra with a low drive from the right-hand face-off circle. As the powerplay ended the Sutton netminder was in action once again as he made another good block from Marc Fowley after the Sharks forward had made a strong break up the left wing. Sutton were eager to break whenever the chance arose and Ryan Johnson tested the keepers’ mettle with a powerful low drive from the blueline.
Gradually though the Sharks were beginning to take a greater share of possession and territory and the breakthrough came on the seven minute mark. A strong shot from Speirs was blocked but not cleared which allowed Struan Tonnar and Richard Bentham to work the puck back into the slot for Aidan Fulton to fire home. Solway threatened again when a neat double deke from Joe Coulter took him past two defenders but his back-handed shot didn’t have the power to seriously trouble the well-placed Zimozdra. The Sutton keeper also saved well from Duncan Speirs and Richard Bentham as the period drew towards a close while Gary Russell was kept active making saves from Offord and Spurr but the hooter sounded with the scoreboard still reading one-nil Sharks.
Sutton changed their game plan during the first interval and in the second period began to take the game to the home side but the makeshift Solway defence was well organised, hard working and kept shots on their goal to a minimum. When the next goal came it would be fair to say it was a little against the run of play. With the mid-way point in the match approaching Duncan Speirs took the puck around behind the Sutton goal where a defenders’ challenge sprung the puck free. Unfortunately for the visitors if fell to Struan Tonnar who immediately whipped a pass into the low slot area where Richard Bentham joyfully despatched it into the net. With ninety seconds remaining in the session Josh Hay was somewhat harshly penalised with a two plus ten for a check from behind and, as this was the New Zealand forwards second ten minute misconduct of the match, he was ejected from the game.
The final period played out much as the second had done with the visitors searching to find a way through the home defence but finding their way to goal blocked at every turn. When Sutton did break though they found a brick wall wearing the number one jersey, with perhaps Russell’s best save being a tremendous block to deny John Ross. Again when the goal came it was a little against the run of play. With eight minutes remaining Duncan Speirs fed a pass back to Jens Engelen at left point and he spotted Richard Bentham free in the slot and he gave Zimozdra no chance with a low drive into the net.
It was looking like Russell would have another well-deserved shut-out to his credit when disaster struck. A Solway defender was robbed in his own “D” by John Ross, the puck was then collected by Ryan Johnson who played the perfect one-two with Shaun Ashton before shooting home from close range. A quick look at the scoreboard showed that there was just two seconds remaining in the game.
Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Richard Bentham two goals and one assist, Aidan Fulton 1+0, Struan Tonnar and Duncan Speirs both 0+2, Jens Engelen 0+1. Gary Russell in the Sharks goal saved twenty-seven of the twenty-eight shots that he faced (save percentage 96.43%). The Holywood Trust Man of the Match Awards were presented to netminders Gary Russell for the Sharks and to Dmitri Zimozdra for the Sting.
On Sunday the Building Craftsmen (Dumfries) Ltd. Solway Sharks made the long trip down to Peterborough for their final English Challenge Cup road trip of the season. Of the eleven skaters who travelled the team included four current Under 20’s players and seven who have come through our junior program, a testament to the progress the club has made in recent years. The Phantoms may not have given the Sharks a ghost of a chance but every Solway player stood tall and returned to Dumfries with a tremendous five-four victory.
A quick break down the left by Phantom’s player-coach Slava Koulikov saw Gary Russell block at his near post and Stuart Kerr was on hand to pick up the rebound and wheel to the right-hand boards. Looking up the young defender saw Richard Bentham ahead and the Solway marksman powered up the wing before firing past the keeper from the face-off circle. The Sharks were one up and there was just sixty-five seconds gone. Two minutes later Ross Murray met a Duncan Speirs pass in the slot but his goal-bound shot was blocked by the Peterborough netminders pads.
On the five minute mark James White concluded a strong skate down the right wing with a strong shot but Russell had watched it all the way and smothered the puck at his post. While the home side undoubtedly enjoyed a greater share of possession and territory the Sharks were far from overpowered and took the game to their hosts whenever the opportunity allowed with Struan Tonnar going close on a seventh minute powerplay. A neat move by Edgars Bebris then took him past a defender and across the face of goal but the puck bobbled badly and by the time he had it under control again the chance was gone.
The start of the second period was not a good time to be stuck in a queue for your burger, especially if you were a Sharks supporter as from the face-off Joe Coulter and Ross Murray combined to send Stevie Moore down the right to score through the five hole as he cut in towards goal. So with seventeen seconds gone the referee was dropping the puck to restart the game once more. The Phantoms twice went close to reducing the deficit with Russell saving from both Greg Pick and Marc Levers. A goal was in the air, but when it came, it came Solway’s way. Six minutes into the period Struan Tonnar found himself free on the right but with no obvious support he tried a speculative shot that cannoned into the Peterborough goal via a defenders skate and the keepers’ back.
The Phantoms coach immediately called a time out and changed his teams’ tactics. Up to that point Solway had defended the centre well allowing their opponents to shoot from wide or from the blueline confident in Gary Russell’s ability to handle anything that came his way from distance. Koulikov now encouraged his charges to play a patient game around the Sharks goal and pass the puck at speed in an effort to pull the defence out of position and create better shooting opportunities. Under increasing pressure the Solway rearguard finally failed in the thirty-sixth minute when Koulikov and Weldon worked the puck out from the back boards for McGiffen to slam home on a delayed penalty.
In order to win the Sharks needed to keep the game quiet and the scoreboard blank for the first ten minutes of the final period but an extremely dubious high stick penalty on Joe Coulter as he raced up the right wing quickly gave the home side a powerplay. With a man advantage Bebris and Koulikov exchanged passes to create the space for James Ferrara to fire home, top shelf, from the slot. For the next ten minutes Solway had their backs to the wall and often had to resort to icing the puck to temporarily relieve the pressure. Another powerplay in the fifty-third minute gave Bebris and Levers the chance to set up Koulikov to score with a blistering shot from the left-hand face-off circle.
With seven minutes remaining the question was could the Sharks hold out for a very creditable draw? Four minutes later that question was answered when Koulikov and Ferrara combined to allow Weldon to tip home the formers slapshot from close range. The home support thought the game was won but nobody had given Solway that version of the script. With two minutes left coach Grubb pulled the keeper in favour of a fourth skater and, after one scare, his tactic worked when a blocked Stevie Moore shot fell for Ross Murray to fire home from a narrow angle. From the restart the puck found its way back to the Peterborough goalmouth and when it wasn’t cleared first time Richard Bentham pounced to put Solway five-four ahead.
Now it was the home sides turn to pull their netminder and with just thirty seconds to go the home side had another man advantage when Bentham was called for hooking. Peterborough peppered the Solway goal but a combination of desperate blocks and inspired goal-tending from Gary Russell saw the Sharks through to the final buzzer and a historic victory.
Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Richard Bentham two goals and no assists, Stevie Moore and Ross Murray both 1+1, Struan Tonnar 1+0, Joe Coulter and Stuart Kerr both 0+1. Gary Russell in the Sharks goal saved thirty-six of the forty shots that he faced (save percentage 90.00%). The Man of the Match Awards were presented to netminders Gary Russell for the Sharks and to Nathan Pollard for the Phantoms.
