Harry Harley nets his penalty shot against Mark Turnbull. Photo by Charlie Mood.
Whitley’s winning start to the season came to a shuddering halt at the weekend when they first lost to Hull Jets on Humberside and then to Billingham Stars at home the following night.
Whitley travelled to Hull without Kyle Ross, Ross Douglass and Thomas Fraser who were all unavailable while Rihards Grigors, Olly King and Owen Yarrow missed out through injury. That meant they had ten forwards and five defencemen.
Garry Simpson started off at centre between Adam Finlinson and Callum Queenan on the top line before the latter switched to taking face offs. Shaun Kippin’s line stayed together with Jamie Ord and Adam Robinson after they were very productive last weekend. Lewis Crisp, Anth Wetherell, Jay Lucas and Matty Betham all took turns on the third line.
Harry Harley, Kyle Pow, Connor Lewis, Liam Smedley and Matty McDonald rotated on the blue line with Ryan Wardell getting the start in net.
For almost half of the game the two sides were evenly matched as they exchanged chances in the first period. Whitley were given a great chance to take the lead at 11:36 when Alex Foreman was called for delaying the game after shooting the puck over the plexi in his defensive zone. With Ian Kerman already off for slashing it meant the Jets had to kill off a Warriors 5-on-3 powerplay. The home side defended well and restricted the Warriors to shots from distance which Zac Brown dealt with well in the Jets net.
The closest either side came to getting a breakthrough was at 18:50 when Kieran Beach hit the angle of the goal above Ryan Wardell’s blocker side with a fierce shot.
The second period began a bit more scrappily as both sides looked to create some momentum. Hull were not helped when they had to kill off another penalty at 26:34 when Josh Yardley went off for tripping. By 27:55 they were down to three skaters once again when Kohen Taylor went off for a cross check. The added pressure of killing off a sustained Warriors powerplay told when Harry Harley fired home from the point at 29:46 with Adam Finlinson and Liam Smedley involved in the build-up. Hull looked for an instant reply and very nearly got one a minute later when Lewis Rogers was left all alone in the low slot, but he fired straight at Wardell.
However, they wouldn’t have to wait long for their leveller. After Nathan Otley had suckered Adam Finlinson into a tripping call at 35:11, the home side wasted little time converting. Just 38 seconds later Otley squeezed home the puck into the top corner of the net, blocker side to beat Ryan Wardell after the Warriors goalie had made four saves leading up to the goal. The Warriors’ defence were unable to clear the rebounds from the crease and Hull’s persistence paid off with Josh Yardley and Richard Hagger getting the helpers. There was time before the period was over for Hull to take the lead. With less than two minutes remaining in the session, Kieran Beach fed Adam Jasecko with a great pass, for the latter to stab home at the back post after Hull were left alone with a 2-on-0 in the low slot.
Right from the restart Whitley went straight back at their hosts and twelves seconds later were level again. Adam Finlinson fired into an empty net from the high slot after Zac Brown was unable to get back onto his line in time.
The third period belonged to Hull though as they created the better chances. With less than five minutes gone into the final session they went ahead. Adam Jasecko dumped a speculative shot in on goal but was left as surprised as anyone when his effort flew past Ryan Wardell’s right shoulder and ended up into the net. It was a blow which the Warriors would not come back from. Wardell kept his side in it though with a good double save at 55:49 as the Jets continued to soar.
After Whitley called a time out Kieran Beach made the game safe with an empty net goal at 58:54. The Warriors unbeaten start to the season had ended but they weren’t the first and nor will they be the last to fall to the Jets on Humberside this season.
Stats
Shots
Warriors: 28
Jets: 24
Scorers
Warriors: Adam Finlinson 1+1, Harry Harley 1+0, Liam Smedley 0+1, Callum Queenan.
Jets: Adam Jasecko 2+0, Kieran Beach 1+1, Nathan Otley 1+0, Richard Hagger 0+3, Josh Yardley 0+2.
PIMs
Warriors: 2
Jets: 10
Man of the Match
Warriors: Callum Queenan
Jets: Kieran Beach
The following night Whitley were at home to local rivals Billingham Stars. They welcomed back Kyle Ross and Ross Douglass who had missed the trip to Hull but were without Adam Robinson who was added to an ever growing injury list. There was a debut for Gary Kelly who arrived on a two-way deal from Aberdeen Lynx. Dean Bowater started in goal.
Billingham started as the stronger side as they posed several questions to the Warriors in the opening five minutes but the home side slowly edged themselves back into the contest. A slick pass from Lewis Crisp at 5:30 found Jay Lucas in the low slot but his effort was fanned wide. The Stars then broke down the ice with Dean Bowater saving brilliantly from Tommy Spraggon as he caught Whitley on a breakaway. Within seconds Whitley then had another chance as they forced Mark Turnbull into a save at the other end.
Whitley were given a powerplay at 10:54 but it was the Stars who went closest to scoring on it when Chris Sykes was put away on a breakaway by James Moss. Bowater outwaited the shooter and was able to make the save. Whitley did come close to a goal at 17:30 when Kyle Ross almost scored with a wraparound but Turnbull was able to make a last-ditch save with his stick.
Billingham would then get a powerplay at the end of the period when Callum Queenan was called for slashing. Former Warriors defenceman Rolands Gritāns went closest with two shots from distance but Bowater again proved to be equal to them.
However, 34 seconds into the second period the Stars were able to convert on that same powerplay. Some good play down the right wing boards saw Chris Sykes and Iain Brown combine to pick out Michael Elder in the slot who was left alone by the Warriors penalty killing unit to pick his spot and fire top shelf, glove side with Bowater powerless to stop it.
Whitley had a chance to hit back when given a powerplay just over a minute later. But once again it was the Stars who went closer to scoring when they had two chances whilst shorthanded, Chris Sykes having the best chance but was thwarted by another good save from Bowater. It wouldn’t be long before Billingham did get a second though. Ben Greenhalgh’s shot from the high slot found the net after some good play down the left wing from James Moss.
A minute later the visitors went further ahead. A powerful surge from Rolands Gritāns saw him burst through a static Warriors defence to poke the puck between Bowater’s pads as he fell to the ice in what was a delayed penalty goal.
Whitley had another powerplay a minute later when Lewis Hall was called for holding. Kyle Ross went closest to getting a goal back for the home side when he shot wide with the open net gaping. Moments later Billingham created another shorthanded opportunity when Tommy Spraggon’s shot was tipped onto the bar by James Moss.
Just after the mid-point of the game Billingham were handed a powerplay of their own when Whitley were called for too many men on the ice, Chris Sykes converting on the man advantage when his deflected shot wrong-footed Bowater and rolled between his pads. It wouldn’t be long before the Stars had another powerplay but this time the Warriors would use it to their advantage. Ross Douglass escaped on a breakaway and when he was hauled down onto the ice by Gritāns, the officials had no option but to award the penalty shot, which Harry Harley duly dispatched.
Moments later and still on the penalty kill, Whitley nearly made it a two goal game but having missed that chance, and then returning to full strength, they conceded again. The Stars broke up the other end of the ice and with Kyle Pow asleep at the back, Gritāns coasted past him to grab his second of the game.
Later in the same shift Pow took his frustrations out on Lewis Hall, which earned him a trip to the penalty box for dropping the gloves. Fellow Canadian Iain Brown soon followed him for boarding which sparked a melée in the Stars zone and saw further penalties for both sides but presented the visitors with a 5-on-3 powerplay. Whitley killed off both, returning to full strength having not given up another goal.
They would start the third period much better though and when Harley let fly from distance to cut the deficit once again, they had the slightest of chances to still get something from the game. That soon went out of the window 31 seconds later when Spraggon scored an equally impressive goal from distance to make it 2-6.
Things went from bad to worse for the Warriors when they collapsed defensively allowing James Moss to score at 46:38, followed by Rolands Gritāns netting his hat-trick marker on the powerplay a couple of minutes later. At that stage Ryan Wardell was brought on in goal for Dean Bowater, to give the Whitley starter a rest, having faced a large amount of shots.
The Stars made is 2-9 at 52:39 when Alex Preston finished past Wardell in what was a 4-on-1 break to complete the Warriors’ misery.
Stats
Shots
Warriors: 37
Stars: 51
Scorers
Warriors: Harry Harley 2+0, Matty Betham 0+1.
Stars: Rolands Gritans 3+0, Chris Sykes 1+3, James Moss 1+2, Michael Elder 1+1, Ben Greenhalgh 1+0, Tommy Spraggon 1+0, Alex Preston 1+0, Iain Brown 0+3, Joseph Walls 0+2, Shaun Galloway 0+1, Lewis Hall 0+1.
PIMs
Warriors: 24
Stars: 14
Man of the Match
Warriors: Adam Finlinson
Stars: Iain Brown