Warriors Take Sting Out of Tale with Overtime Win

Whitley Warriors suffered a 4-2 NIHL North Cup defeat to Solway Sharks on Saturday before triumphing in a 3-2 overtime league win against Sutton Sting at Hillheads on Sunday evening.

Travelling with nineteen skaters and netminders Jordan Boyle and Rory Dunn, Whitley were missing several players including Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes, Canadian Phil Edgar and versatile Warrior Martin Crammond whereas Solway lined up with a squad of twenty-one players, including Captain Struan Tonnar, Slovakian Peter Gápa and Finn Jaakko Heiskanen.

Though facing off against the Sharks with revenge in mind following last weekend’s overtime loss on home ice, Whitley were quick to run into penalty trouble in the first period, picking up a bench minor for too many men on 4:57 before Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns made way for a tripping offence fifty four seconds later. Solway’s 5-on-3 power play lasted all of four seconds however, as forward Scott Henderson incurred a minor for interference. Whilst reduced to four skaters, the Sharks opened the scoring, Tonnar the man on target on 6:12 with support from defenceman Kyle Horne and import Gápa. Less than two minutes after returning to full strength, the Warriors found themselves shorthanded again as stand-in Alternate Captain Callum Watson was sidelined for interference. After working hard to kill this penalty, Whitley gradually began to create some momentum and equalised on 12:30, left winger Ben Campbell beating netminder Gary Russell courtesy of in form blue liner Harry Harley. With the Warriors lacking discipline, it was perhaps unsurprising that Whitley’s forward Ross Douglass received a penalty of 2+10 for crosschecking fifty two seconds before the first interval, handing Solway the power play they needed to regain their lead as hardworking forward Scott Henderson and youngster Lewis Houston set up Gápa who made it 2-1 fifteen seconds into his side’s advantage.

Taking this one-goal deficit into the second period, the Warriors were disappointed thirty four seconds into the middle stanza when Henderson claimed possession to slot the puck through the five-hole unassisted. The Sharks began to cause further problems for Boyle and his blue liners which prompted a change of defensive pairings midway through the period. Subsequently, Tonnar fired at Boyle but saw his shot tipped over the net whilst Gápa’s attempt was blocked by Gritāns. Though leaving it late in the period to get onto the scoresheet, the Warriors claimed a goal on 39:06 as Campbell worked hard to beat Russell, allowing Player-Coach David Longstaff to chip the puck into the net from the rebound to make it 3-2 going into the third period.

Returning for the final stanza, Whitley were keen to draw level for a second time and it showed as former Shark Ross Murray tested Russell. This effort was soon backed up by Captain Dean Holland who attempted to jab the puck past the Sharks’ sturdy shot stopper without success. Countering, Solway thought they had extended their lead when they struck the puck beyond Boyle, only to find that referee David Emmerson had already blown the whistle. The teams separated by a single goal, Russell pulled off successive saves to prevent Holland from scoring and, with such a fine margin between the two outfits, Longstaff called a timeout on 58:41. Pulling Boyle from his net, Whitley sought an equaliser but rapidly lost possession, allowing Gápa to snatch an empty net goal fifteen seconds later, Henderson and Houston assisting the Slovakian for a second time to leave the Warriors disappointed at their imminent defeat. Taking heart from this goal, Heiskanen then went one-on-one with Boyle and was tripped by the netminder on 59:49 to see Whitley finish the contest shorthanded, the final buzzer calling time on Solway’s 4-2 cup victory.

Stats
Shots on goal
Sharks:     37
Warriors: 27

Points

Sharks:
Peter Gápa (2+2), Scott Henderson (1+2), Struan Tonnar (1+0), Lewis Houston (0+2), Kyle Horne (0+1), Liam Stenton (0+1)

Warriors:
Ben Campbell (1+1), David Longstaff (1+0), Harry Harley (0+1), Dean Holland (0+1)

Penalty minutes
Sharks:       2
Warriors: 20

Man of the Match
Sharks:     Gary Russell
Warriors: Ross Murray

Returning to Hillheads on Sunday to face Simon Butterworth’s Sutton Sting, Whitley Warriors had twenty skaters available for this clash but again found themselves without netminder Richie Lawson, Canadian Phil Edgar and long-serving forward Martin Crammond who sadly announced his retirement from ice hockey after this game. Meanwhile, Sutton Sting lined up with fourteen skaters and netminder Nicholas Winters, the side missing several players including forward Ryan Johnson, Alternate Captain Craig Wallis and new signing Ben Lowe.

Shortly after faceoff, forward Callum Watson tried his luck on the backhand but Winters collected the Warrior’s shot without much trouble. Player-Coach David Longstaff was keen to carve out an opportunity for his team and left winger Ben Campbell also came close but found his shot smothered by the Sting’s sturdy netminder. Longstaff’s tripping offence on 2:15 left Whitley shorthanded but, after a long range shot from Sutton’s defenceman Tom Relf and a chance for their Captain Scott Morris, the Warriors regained control to quash the Sting’s advantage. Whitley then began to build offensively, Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes finding space to fire at Winters who prevented the Warriors from breaking the deadlock. Working hard alongside fellow forwards Callum Queenan and Kyle Ross in the absence of Edgar, Ross Murray continuously scrapped for the puck along the boards but was unable to find the target. Battling to make an impact, Barnes was tripped by defenceman Benjamin Marples on 8:28. Placed on the power play, the Warriors edged into the lead two seconds before Marples’ return to the ice as Latvian ‘D’ man Rolands Gritāns buried his shot following some determined play from Longstaff and Captain Dean Holland. Though Sutton could not equalise, the side continued to pose a threat and drew Holland into making a hit along the boards, resulting in a penalty of 2+10 for the Warrior on 15:02; sixteen-year-old Thomas Fraser served the minor penalty in this instance. Fraser worked alongside forward Ben Richards on his return to the ice but their attempts to move play into Whitley’s offensive zone were fruitless. The game losing some of its energy, Slovakian forward Stanislav Lašček incurred a hooking penalty on 18:36 to give the Warriors a power play but the outfit were unable to capitalise and headed in at the first interval with a narrow 1-0 lead.

Though their power play ran into the second period, Whitley only doubled their lead four seconds after Sutton returned to full strength, Longstaff finding Campbell whose shot flew over Winters’ left shoulder to make it 2-0 on 20:40, Watson also assisting. Blue liner Harry Harley then sought to cause problems for the Sting’s defensive unit by shooting from distance but Winters remained composed as the shot veered wide. A second boarding call against Holland on 30:44 meant that the Warrior was automatically ejected from the game after receiving a second penalty of 2+10 for his actions, this time forward Jamie Ord serving the minor penalty. Moments later, Ross raced up the ice and flashed the puck across Winters’ net but there was no one on hand to tap the puck beyond the netminder. Barnes then zipped in a cross crease pass which was not pounced upon to see another opportunity slip away from the home team. Becoming increasingly threatening in offence in the latter stages of the period, the Sting began to test Boyle more frequently, the puck twice finding the outside netting. However, Sutton’s attacking play was hindered as the side picked up a bench minor for too many men in the final minute of the period to see Whitley maintain their fragile 2-0 lead.

As in the second period, the Sting returned to the ice shorthanded but maintained their excellent work ethic and it paid off as defenceman Tom Relf fired the puck from distance to beat Boyle who was clearly surprised by this effort on goal. The score line a tenuous 2-1, the Warriors were displeased to incur a hooking penalty on 46:22 and were forced into defence to ensure Sutton did not sneak a second goal as Morris, Relf and Slovakian Adrian Palak were amongst those challenging Boyle. Outworking Whitley in this period, the Sting proved problematic opposition for the home team who successively iced the puck as they grappled with Sutton’s attacking play. A hooking penalty for ‘D’ man Josh Maddock then gave the visitors an additional skater and, whilst the side could not capitalise on the advantage, they made up for it just over a minute later, defenceman Tyler Nixon levelling the scoring with support from Morris and Palak on 56:37 after Harley was pushed off balance in his offensive zone. Though outraged by this purportedly overlooked infringement, the Warriors attempted to recover their lead with Campbell, Longstaff and Harley amongst those icing on a regular basis. An interference penalty for Watson in the final minute of the third period then placed Whitley on the back foot. With neither team able to find a winner, the game was pushed into a five-minute period of three-on-three overtime for a second consecutive week.

Due to Watson’s misdemeanour, Whitley began the overtime period with three players to Sutton’s four and aimed to kill their penalty whilst Campbell prepared to pounce on any opportunities that should fall his way. Also gaining ice time, Gritāns attempted to surpass Winters but the shot stopper remained sharp to prevent the Latvian from scoring. Sutton cleared the puck from their zone time and again and a slashing penalty called against Lašček on 64:40 meant that Whitley gained a brief power play before the period concluded to allow for penalty shots.

Stepping up first, Gritāns calmly netted on the backhand before Morris swiftly swept the puck around Boyle. Campbell then missed his shot for the home team and was given some reprieve when forward Lloyd Gibson fired at Boyle who made the save. Harley’s shot remained fixed on the line whilst Relf’s shot was stopped by Boyle’s pads. Gritāns then opted to take a second, outsmarting Winters by dragging his attention away from the puck which he guided home to the netminder’s left. Morris then returned to the ice for his second penalty which was stopped by Boyle’s pads to award Whitley maximum points.

Stats
Shots on goal
Warriors: 49
Sting:        51

Points

Warriors:
Rolands Gritāns (2+0), Ben Campbell (1+0), David Longstaff (0+2), Callum Watson (0+1), Dean Holland (0+1)

Sting:
Tyler Nixon (1+0), Tom Relf (1+0), David Pyatt (0+1), Adrian Palak (0+1), Scott Morris (0+1)

Penalty minutes
Warriors:  52
Sting:           8

Man of the Match
Warriors: Rolands Gritāns
Sting:       Benjamin Marples