Solway Sharks vs Sheffield Steeldogs 04.01.25
The Solway Sharks returned back to home ice to face the Sheffield Steeldogs after a disappointing weekend against reigning Champions, Leeds Knights but fell agonisingly short to the visitors in a narrow 3-4 scoreline.
Solway iced a squad of 17+2 as #71 Craig Peacock made his debut following the announcement of his temporary signing to act as cover for the Great Britain u20s Sharks, #88 Kyle Carruth, #21 Torran Anderson and #17 Joe Lynch. Meanwhile, #15 Kieran Hair returned into the lineup after a sustained period out through injury. However, #25 Connor Henderson also remained on the injury list and #53 Kian Shevlin iced with his newly signed SNL team, Kirkcaldy Kestrels.
On the other hand, Sheffield also travelled with 17+2 missing their NIHL1 2-way players and additionally #11 Finlay Ulrick. Sharks once again opted for #33 Jordan Marr in between the pipes, matched up against #30 Ben Norton for Steeldogs.
1st period –
Sharks claimed a man advantage in the opening as #18 Sam Tremblay sat for high sticks at 47 seconds, but Solway failed to punish the visitors early. Both sides struggled to get going quickly in the first period leading to consistent battles for possession in the neutral zone. Steeldogs’ first line fired multiple shots on Marr as the halfway mark approached but he matched their efforts to maintain a goal-less scoreline.
Sharks reversed the momentum of play, which allowed #9 Mason Alderson to deke and dangle past the Sheffield defence to slot the puck past Norton in the bottom corner, giving Solway the lead at 16:45. Norton then corrected his error and followed with arguably the best save of the period to deny Nolan Gardiner’s one-timer from the slot. The Steeldogs then found an equaliser as #72 Ivan Björkly-Nordström broke through the zones and fired wide of Marr’s catcher at 18:53. After a slow start, the scores remained tied at 1-1 heading into the middle frame.
2nd period –
Solway were eager to re-claim their initial lead early in the 2nd period and did just that thanks to #89 Scott Henderson who capitalised on the rebound following #14 Lewis Young’s initial backhand shot at 22:30. The Sharks piled on the offensive pressure, but Norton coped well to prevent Solway extending the lead. Steeldogs were handed their first powerplay of the evening at 26:56 as #43 Nolan Gardiner sat for cross-checking, but a strong PK unit retained Solway’s advantage.
Sheffield created chances of their own following their PP opportunity, but Marr stood tall for Solway once more as the halfway mark of the game approached. Sheffield’s top goal-scorer #8 Walker Sommer let one rip from the left face-off circle which Marr got a piece of, but not enough to deny him another equaliser as the puck trickled over the line at 33:45.
The hosts gave up another penalty at 36:23 when #5 Olivier Arseneau was called for holding which resulted in #37 Elmeri Hällfors giving Sheffield the go-ahead goal at 37:25 on the rebound from #20 Jonathan Phillips’ initial strike. Despite Sharks returning to full strength, #8 Walker Sommer caught Solway lacking on the change and deked past Marr to send Steeldogs 2 goals clear at 38:52, allowing the visitors to carry the lead into the final frame.
3rd period –
Sharks returned for the final period with clear intent as Captain #10 Liam Stenton led by example, firing top corner past Norton at 40:51 to reduce the deficit to just a single goal. Solway continued to make plays through all 3 lines, yet #30 Ben Norton arguably kept the Steeldogs ahead on various occasions with some stellar saves.
A moment of controversy hit the game at 47:59 as Sharks were adamant #22 John Dunbar put the puck past the line before the whistle, although the officials waved the equaliser off the scoreboard. Sheffield overturned the run of play multiple times, but the Sharks defence and Marr battled well in the Solway zone to prevent an additional marker for the Steeldogs.
Solway were awarded a man advantage in the final 4 seconds of play as #18 Sam Tremblay sat for embellishment, whilst also pulling Marr to force 6on4 play, but the Dogs tied up the face-off seeing them claim the full 2 points on a narrow 3-4 scoreline.
MVPs were awarded to #9 Mason Alderson for Solway after his impressive opener, whilst #20 Jonathan Phillips claimed the title for Sheffield following his consistent offensive pressure.
Sheffield Steeldogs vs Solway Sharks 05.01.25
The Solway Sharks made the trek across to Sheffield following an evening of snowfall across the UK, to face the Steeldogs in a return leg, picking up a 2-3 victory after a narrow 3-4 loss in the Sharktank the previous evening.
Solway travelled with 16+2 as #55 Owen Rae was the only player missing from the previous evening’s squad as #88 Kyle Carruth, #21 Torran Anderson and #17 Joe Lynch remained on GB duties alongside Head Coach, Martin Grubb. Meanwhile, Sheffield iced a full bench of 20+2 as NIHL1 2-way players, #15 Aiden Dancer, #17 Jacob Brammer and #75 Ben Cutts added to the Steeldogs squad. Both sides opted for the same starting netminders in #33 Jordan Marr for Solway and #30 Ben Norton for Sheffield after both kept their team in the game at crucial moments the evening prior.
1st period –
Solway quickly looked to wear off the bus legs and fired shots on Norton, but he denied the visitors claiming an early lead. Sharks were handed the first penalty of the game as #89 Scott Henderson sat for tripping at 2:38 but a strong PK unit denied the Sheffield forwards.
Both sides created chances early but neither could capitalise to claim the lead. Solway’s #12 Kell Beattie was called for holding at 10:11, seeing the Sharks return to 4 skaters but multiple saves from Marr made the difference. The visitors claimed possession after they returned to full strength, allowing #9 Mason Alderson to claim the opener for the 2nd consecutive evening, sending Norton’s bottle flying after firing top corner at 14:28.
The Sharks discipline slipped in the closing moments of the first period as #12 Kell Beattie returned to the box at 18:29 for tripping but the Solway defence held out well for the buzzer to retain a 1 goal lead after 20 minutes of play.
2nd period –
Sharks killed off the remainder of Beattie’s penalty successfully and were soon rewarded as #13 Morgan Clarke-Pizzo headed to the box for holding to give Solway their first PP of the evening at 21:31, although they failed to punish the Steeldogs first time around. Just 36 seconds later, #13 Clarke-Pizzo sat again this time for hooking but yet again Sheffield returned to full strength.
The League’s top goal scorer, #8 Walker Sommer added to his tally at 27:45 after breaking down the left wing to fire past Marr and equalise for Sheffield. Solway looked to answer back quickly through their first line, but Norton kept the Sharks offence at bay. Sheffield’s discipline slipped at 35:25 as #9 Tom Barry was handed a cross-checking penalty at 35:25. Despite not scoring on the man advantage, Solway maintained possession and quickly converted through #43 Nolan Gardiner with a strike from point, seeing #71 Craig Peacock claim his first point since his return whilst also putting Sharks back ahead.
Less than a minute later, #68 Callum Boyd fired from close range on a breakaway, squeezing the puck through Norton’s 5-hole to extend Solway’s lead to 2 goals at 38:09, assisted by #10 Stenton and #49 Danskin. However, the Steeldogs quickly answered back to reduce the deficit via #43 Sam Cooper with under 30 seconds left of the period at 39:31, posting the score at 2-3 to Solway.
3rd period –
The Steeldogs returned for the final period with a clear plan, but it was quickly broken down by the Solway defence in order to retain their narrow 1 goal lead. Alderson arguably created the best chance of the period so far after he looked to repeat his previous goal, but this time Norton made the pad save.
Sheffield thought they had found the equaliser at 49:30 after Sommer deked past the Sharks defence, but Stenton made up the distance to make the stick save just before the line. However, at 50:48 Solway’s Captain sat for holding, resulting in a major opportunity for the hosts. Sheffield failed to find a way past Marr but retained possession as they continued to push for their 3rd goal.
Sharks were called for icing with less than 30 seconds left, causing Sheffield to call a timeout and leave Norton on the bench in favour for an extra skater. However, Sharks tied the Steeldogs on the face-off to ensure they picked up the full 2 points with a 2-3 road victory.
MVPs were awarded to #9 Mason Alderson back-to-back for Solway, whilst #72 Ivan Björkly-Nordström picked up the title for Sheffield.
The Solway Sharks are back on home ice this weekend, hosting the Peterborough Phantoms for an exciting double-header at the Shark Tank. These games will be the third and fourth meetings of the season between the two teams. In their previous encounters, the Sharks narrowly lost 3-2 in Peterborough but came back strong with a decisive 7-2 victory on home ice.
The action kicks off on Saturday, January 11, with doors opening at 5:30 PM and the puck dropping at 7:00 PM. The excitement continues on Sunday, January 12, with doors opening at 3:30 PM and a 5:00 PM face-off.
Don’t miss this thrilling match-up as the Sharks look to defend their home ice! Tickets are available now at, https://sharksihc.com/tickets/, or in person at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. We can’t wait to see you there!
