The Solway Sharks had a four-point weekend after visiting Swindon Wildcats on
Saturday and returning home to the Dumfries Ice Bowl to host MK Lightning for the Remembrance Day game on Sunday afternoon.
Following their double header against the Wildcats the previous weekend, the Sharks
travelled to Wales. They got off to a good start, but gave up the game’s opening goal
when Balint Pakozdi of the Wildcats scored.
The Sharks came out strong in the second period, and their efforts were rewarded
when Nolan Gardiner scored the Sharks first goal of the evening. With the scores tied,
the Wildcats took advantage of some opportunities and were rewarded when they put
the puck into the net to reclaim the lead, with Reed Sayers scoring the second goal.
The Wildcats received penalties, this gave the Shark powerplay an opportunity to tie
the game, and it was Sharks forward John Dunbar who got the goal to bring the
Sharks level once more. As the second period came to a conclusion, the Wildcats
scored again to take the lead in the game, this time through Tyler Plews.
Early in the third period, Tomasz Malasinski scored for the Wildcats, giving them
their fourth goal of the night. The Sharks dug deep and scored their third goal of the
game, with John Dunbar scoring his second of the night.
Liam Stenton scored the game’s fourth goal to tie the score heading into the last seven
minutes of play as the Sharks persisted in applying pressure and creating chances. The
Sharks continued to create chances and gained the lead with fifteen seconds remaining
on the clock, thanks to a goal by Craig Peacock.
The Wildcats pulled their netminder in search of an equaliser, but it was the Sharks
who scored the next and sixth goal, with Craig Peacock scoring in an empty net with
six seconds remaining.
Saturday’s man of the match, Sharks defenceman Olivier Arseneau said “It’s always
fun coming off a four-point weekend, proving to ourselves that we can beat anyone
night in and night out. We have to be ready for training this week and keep building
from this past weekend.
Following their victory against the Swindon Wildcats, the Sharks hosted the MK
Lightning at the Dumfries Ice Bowl, where all fans and players recognised our Armed
Forces on this Remembrance Day fixture.
The Sharks were awarded an early powerplay following the Lightning’s delay of game
penalty, and with 25 seconds remaining on the powerplay, Nolan Gardiner scored to
give the Sharks the lead.
Ross Venus equalised for the Lightning right away, bringing the score to 1-1. After an
early tie game, an opportunity on the Lightning net fell to Scott Henderson, who
slotted the puck into the net and the Sharks regained the lead.
The Sharks got called for a trip and withheld the pressure from Lightning, but as they
returned to full strength, it was an equalising goal for the Lightning, with James
Griffin making it 2-2.
Both teams generated chances and attempted to grab the lead in the game, but Curtis
Warburton and Will Kerlin came up big and kept the score tied. As the second period
was coming to an end, the Sharks had an opportunity and took the lead thanks to a
goal from Scott Henderson, making it 3-2.
Both teams started the third period strong and were creating chances but it was the
Sharks who got the fourth goal with Kieran Hair scoring from an assist by Olivier
Arseneau. The Lightning fought back and had chances on the Sharks net, eventually
scoring a third goal with Harry Gulliver as the game entered the closing ten minutes of
the third period.
With the third period coming to a close, Curtis Warburton made save after save, and
the Sharks risked everything to win the game. As the Lightning put pressure to score
an equaliser, they pulled the goaltender and called a timeout with a minute remaining,
but the Sharks held on for a four-point weekend.
Curtis Warburton, Sharks netminder and Man of the Match for Sunday’s game, said “It
was a great weekend for us. We were good on both ends of the ice, and that’s what it
takes to win in this league. Now we need to have a good week of practice and keep it
rolling.”
The Sharks will return to the Dumfries Ice Bowl this Saturday, November 18th at
6pm, with doors opening at 4.30pm, so buy your tickets now as they face the Sheffield
Steeldogs. Tickets can be purchased online at http://sharksihc.com/tickets/
