Callum Queenan celebrates his goal. Photo by IceHockeyMedia.
Whitley Warriors accomplished a 3-1 win over Stephen Weeks’ Scimitars on Sunday evening.
Lining up with fourteen skaters, Whitley Warriors found themselves bolstered by the return of forwards Callum Queenan and Adam Finlinson, though missing suspended Captain Dean Holland, experienced forward Shaun Kippin, defenceman Craig Johnson and imports Matěj Valíček and Rihards Grigors. Meanwhile, the Scimitars made the trip with eighteen men, their side including Captain Warren Tait, recent signing Cameron Brownley and twenty-year-old defenceman William Harper.
Whitley made a strong start to the first period, building their offensive play prior to breaking the deadlock on 3:08, versatile Latvian Rolands Gritāns comfortably slipping past the Scimitars’ defence and cutting in to James Hadfield’s right to net a low shot, having picked up the puck just before the blue line of his own defensive zone, stand-in Alternate Captain Adam Wood assisting. Pursuing his team’s second goal, Finlinson saw an attempt of his own saved by Hadfield moments later, only for Sheffield’s defence to take exception to this, causing stand-in Captain Jordan Barnes to step in to confront his opposition, prompting a roughing penalty for the Warrior on 4:19. Whitley remained composed on the penalty kill and continued to test Hadfield, forwards Callum Watson and Kyle Ross amongst those seeking to double Whitley’s lead before Chalmers forced a blocker save from the netminder. Recognising his previous success, Gritāns carved the same path as he had for his first goal but, his effort quashed on this occasion, Chalmers followed suit soon after, firing past Hadfield to make it 2-0 on 13:08, his determination paying off when he received the puck from Watson who could not get his own shot away after being floored by defenceman Steven Duncombe. In response, Weeks’ men looked to increase their attacking play, Brownley trying to break away whilst fellow forward Ruskin Hughes also sought an opportunity to put the puck past netminder Dean Bowater. The Scimitars were then granted a power play in the latter stages of the period when Wood was sidelined for interference against Harper on 17:28. Again, the Warriors remained in control and came close to scoring whilst shorthanded as Gritāns claimed possession and skated into his own zone at speed only to see his plans for a third goal undone. In the final minute of play, Ross emulated his Latvian teammate, quickly weaving through the Scimitars’ defence as he set his sights on Hadfield’s net, but he could not get his shot away before the break to leave the score line at 2-0 ahead of the middle period.
As the second stanza got underway, play lacked the tempo of the first period, though Whitley attempted to pick up from where they left off by applying pressure to Hadfield’s net. Continuing to show a strong work ethic, Watson and Ross persisted in their efforts to extend their team’s lead to no avail and, as play progressed down the ice before the midpoint of the contest, defenceman Harry Harley’s attempt to dump the puck behind Bowater’s net accidentally ended up behind the netminder instead to halve Whitley’s lead; Brownley the player credited with the goal on 28:22. Shortly after, Wood was again considered guilty of interference to place Whitley on a penalty kill on 34:12 after clashing with Harper once again. Undeterred, Whitley sought a shorthanded goal as Ross played the puck to Gritāns, only for Alternate Captain Scott Morris to trip the Warrior, thereby levelling the playing field twenty two seconds later. In spite of this, the Scimitars were buoyed by their foothold in the game and gained momentum, Brownley firing a shot just wide of its mark before Hughes struck the post. In the final minutes of the period, tempers flared again, Wood and Harper involved in further heated exchanges which were stamped out as the period ended.
Aware of the narrow margin between themselves and the Scimitars heading into the final period, the Warriors immediately began to seek a third goal to restore their two-goal cushion but this was made difficult when a tripping penalty for defenceman Dylan Hehir placed Whitley on the penalty kill on 42:04. The Warriors’ defence remained resolute however, and Bowater worked hard to keep his team ahead as the Scimitars sensed their chance to equalise, defenceman Tyler Nixon firing the puck from just inside of the blue line to find forward Craig Elliott who saw his shot stopped. After returning to full strength, the Warriors were disappointed to give the Scimitars yet another power play on 48:32 when Barnes was made to sit out for tripping but he was not alone in the sin bin for long as Duncombe committed a holding offence to hinder Whitley’s creativity on 49:30 to see both teams reduced to four skaters. Taking heart from this, Wood bore down on Hadfield’s net and his rebounded shot was swiftly tapped past the netminder by Queenan on 50:23 to give Whitley a 3-1 lead. Disappointed by this, the Scimitars struggled to regain the intensity of their attacking play in spite of a power play handed to the side when Barnes was penalised for crosschecking on 56:01. Giving their all to maintain possession in the final moments of the game, the Warriors kept their composure to claim two points from their 3-1 victory.
Stats
Shots on goal
Warriors: 46
Scimitars: 36
Points
Warriors:
Callum Queenan (1+1), Rolands Gritāns (1+0), Steven Chalmers (1+0), Adam Wood (0+2), Callum Watson (0+1)
Scimitars:
Cameron Brownley (1+0)
Penalty minutes
Warriors: 12
Scimitars: 4
Man of the Match
Warriors: Callum Queenan
Scimitars: Cameron Brownley