Warriors celebrate their victory. Photo by Pyro-Media.
Whitley Warriors achieved a 3-1 victory over Sheffield Scimitars on Saturday evening in their only fixture of the weekend after Sunday’s home game against Blackburn Hawks was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
Though making the trip to Sheffield with a short bench of thirteen skaters, Whitley’s line-up was bolstered by the return of Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes and forward Jamie Ord who missed out on last week’s action, whilst Czech Matěj Valíček was also available for this trip, icing in place of Latvian import Rihards Grigors. By comparison, the Scimitars had seventeen skaters at their disposal, including Captain Warren Tait, forward Ruskin Hughes and experienced defenceman Steven Duncombe.
Taking to the ice for the first period, Whitley reaped the rewards of some early pressure on the Scimitars’ defence as Barnes shocked shot stopper James Hadfield with a speculative effort on 6:16 after receiving the puck from versatile teammate Kyle Ross. Whilst netminder Dean Bowater temporarily switched with Joshua Crane due to an equipment issue, Whitley gained a power play forty seconds after scoring as Captain Warren Tait incurred a hooking penalty. The Warriors used this advantage to double their lead on 7:01, defenceman Harry Harley shooting past Hadfield courtesy of defenceman Dylan Hehir and experienced forward Shaun Kippin to make it 2-0. Moments after Bowater reclaimed his place between the pipes, both teams fought for possession to earn Valíček and defenceman William Harper two minutes in the sin bin for holding, reducing their respective teams to four skaters on 7:33. Whitley’s discipline then began to slide further after the midpoint of the period; utility player Adam Wood picked up an interference penalty on 13:12 and he was joined by Latvian Rolands Gritāns for slashing on 14:44 to give the Scimitars a short 5-on-3 advantage during which ‘D’ man Duncombe forced a kick save from Bowater before Steven Chalmers, playing in an offensive role, sprang into action at the other end of the ice to have an attempt on Hadfield’s net. Returning to full strength unscathed, the Warriors saw out the remainder of the period to take a two-goal lead into the second stanza.
In the early stages of the second period, both teams saw their fair share of chances, Hughes shooting high in the opening minutes before Barnes broke away to provoke a save from Hadfield. A trip on forward Elliot Knell by Gritāns on 25:59 gave Whitley some work to do on the penalty kill but the Scimitars found themselves on the back foot after the Warriors’ return to full strength as Alternate Captain Scott Morris was handed a four-minute penalty for hooking and misconduct on 30:13. Capitalising, Chalmers unleashed a shot from just inside of the blue line which forward Callum Queenan tipped into the net on 32:46 to extend his side’s lead to 3-0 on the power play, Kippin also assisting. Watson tried his luck moments later but was forced to play a pass across the ice when his rebounded shot returned to him and Whitley again came close to a fourth when Gritāns’ interception resulted in some frantic defending from Duncombe to send Hadfield scrambling to keep the puck out. With no further scoring in the period, David Longstaff’s men were pleased to head in with their 3-0 lead at the second interval.
Returning for the final period, Whitley endured some early pressure from the Scimitars before forward Craig Elliott made way for tripping on 42:02. Despite their advantage, the Warriors could not capitalise and soon fell foul of the rule book themselves when Gritāns was ejected for a purported check to the head on 44:35, receiving 5 minutes plus game in consequence. Making the most of their lengthy power play, the Scimitars wasted little time in chipping away at their deficit as Elliot made it 3-1 seventy three seconds later following neat build up play from forward Cameron Brownley and defenceman Tyler Nixon. With pressure building on Bowater, the netminder kept out Brownley’s shot after the forward went coast to coast and he was then granted some reprieve when his team were awarded a power play following Alternate Captain Lloyd Gibson’s tripping offence on blue liner Hehir. Striving to make the most of this, Valíček opted to screen Hadfield as the Warriors set their sights on goal but to no avail. Shortly after the Scimitars’ return to full strength, Brownley tried to claw back another goal for his side but his shot was deflected high and Nixon also strove to surpass Bowater without success. A high stick from Brownley on Wood resulted in another power play for Whitley on 57:50 and the Warriors’ advantage was increased when Tait joined his teammate in the penalty box for tripping with just thirty six seconds remaining. This prompted a timeout from the home team but it was a case of damage limitation for the Scimitars as Whitley eased through the final moments of the game to claim their 3-1 victory.
Stats
Shots on goal
Scimitars: 28
Warriors: 31
Points
Scimitars:
Craig Elliott (1+0), Cameron Brownley (0+1), Tyler Nixon (0+1)
Warriors:
Jordan Barnes (1+0), Harry Harley (1+0), Callum Queenan (1+0), Dylan Hehir (0+2), Kyle Ross (0+1), Shaun Kippin (0+1), Steven Chalmers (0+1)
Penalty minutes
Scimitars: 16
Warriors: 33
Man of the Match
Scimitars: Warren Tait
Warriors: Dylan Hehir