Winning Warriors Strike Seven against Dundee and Solihull

Whitley Warriors achieved a 7-3 cup win over Dundee Comets on the road on Saturday evening before easing past Solihull Barons with a 7-0 victory at Hillheads on Sunday.

First travelling to Dundee with just sixteen skaters due to the absence of several players, including forward Callum Watson, defenceman Harry Harley and suspended Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes, Whitley Warriors faced off against the Comets’ sixteen-man team with the intention of maintaining their momentum in the NIHL North Cup contest.

Though enduring some early possession from Dundee, the Warriors remained patient to take the lead on 5:23, forward Adam Finlinson tapping the puck into the net to achieve his first goal of the campaign after a fantastic set up from left winger Ben Campbell. Enjoying some ice time, young forward Thomas Fraser tried to sweep the puck home and line mate Jamie Ord followed up this play by striking the rebound goalwards, only to miss his mark. Relentless in their attacking play, Whitley’s hard work soon paid off, versatile Warrior Kyle Ross burying his shot on 8:53 to give his team a 2-0 lead courtesy of fellow forward Niall Ryder. A holding penalty for Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns then placed the home team on a power play and the Comets did not waste any time in making their advantage count, Player-Coach John Dolan going it alone to halve his team’s deficit. The Warriors looked to counter and a deflected shot from Ross flew just above Dale Shearer’s net. Unperturbed, Whitley soon made it 3-1 much to their surprise as the puck crept into the net courtesy of Canadian Phil Edgar on 14:54, his effort unassisted. Following this goal, Campbell tried a similar pass to that which resulted in Whitley’s first goal but forward Callum Queenan could not find the net. A second power play was then awarded to the Comets when Gritāns was sinbinned for a second time in the game after tripping Dundee’s left winger Sean Beattie. Reacting to this, Warrior Niall Ryder exchanged words with forward Garry Simpson who was clearly displeased at Gritāns’ actions. Working hard on the penalty kill, the Warriors cleared the danger from their zone to head in with a two-goal cushion at the first interval.

Though achieving a power play early in the middle stanza when Alternate Captain David Pokorný was sidelined for tripping Edgar, Whitley could not extend their lead. As such, David Longstaff’s men paid the price for this when Gritāns incurred his third penalty of the game; forward Aaron Robertson bundling the puck home on 25:36 to see Dundee narrow their deficit to a single goal for a second time. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old netminder Shearer remained composed at the other end of the ice, comfortably saving a shot fired by Captain Dean Holland and collecting the puck on the back of Gritāns’ attempt. The Warriors then gained a second power play just past the midpoint of the contest when Latvian defenceman Patriks Grigors picked up a slashing penalty. Again, unable to make their additional skater count, Whitley failed to get onto the scoresheet despite having twice as many shots as the Comets in the second period, leaving the side with a fragile 3-2 lead ahead of the final stanza.

Sensing that they were still very much in the game, Dundee battled for possession against the Warriors and their resilience was rewarded with an equalising goal on 47:55 when Alternate Captain Adam McNicoll surpassed netminder Jordan Boyle to make it 3-3, Player-Coach Dolan with the assist. Disappointed to find themselves level with the Comets, Whitley fought to recover their lead and did so on 51:53, Finlinson bagging his second of the game with an excellent unassisted goal to provide his team with some reprieve. Encouraged by this, Holland restored the Warriors’ two-goal cushion as forward Ross Murray linked up with Edgar to see the Captain make it 5-3. Exactly sixty seconds later Finlinson completed his hat-trick after working in harmony with Campbell who assisted for a second time in the game. Their lead 6-3, it was clear that the Warriors were beginning to dominate and the frustration of the home team began to show as Pokorný incurred a hooking penalty and Captain John Gordon simultaneously received a minor penalty for abuse after sharing his thoughts on the matter. This led to a 5-on-3 power play for the Warriors and the side made their additional skaters count with just twenty four seconds of their advantage remaining; Holland notching his second of the encounter on 58:06 after link-up play with Edgar. With time running out for Dundee, the Warriors saw out the game to earn two points from their 7-3 cup victory which sees the Hillheads outfit remain in second place, just one point behind cup leaders Solway Sharks having played one game more than the Dumfries team.

Stats

Shots on goal
Comets:    16
Warriors:  41

Points
Comets:
John Dolan (1+1), Aaron Robertson (1+0), Adam McNicoll (1+0), Garry Simpson (0+1), John Gordon (0+1)

Warriors:
Adam Finlinson (3+0), Dean Holland (2+0), Phil Edgar (1+2), Kyle Ross (1+0), Ben Campbell (0+2), Niall Ryder (0+1), Ross Murray (0+1)

Penalty minutes
Comets:    8
Warriors:  6

Man of the Match
Comets:    Christian Clark
Warriors:  Ross Douglass

Returning to Hillheads on Sunday, Whitley Warriors were strengthened by the presence of defenceman Harry Harley and forwards Callum Watson and Ben Richards whereas Solihull travelled with a short bench of thirteen skaters and netminder Sam Hewitt who started between the pipes ahead of Player-Coach Daniel Brittle.

As the game unfolded, the Warriors enjoyed some early possession with left winger Ben Campbell and forward Adam Finlinson linking up incredibly well in their attempt to challenge the Barons’ defence from the outset. Canadian forward Phil Edgar also showed himself to be up for the contest, repeatedly slaloming through Solihull’s defensive zone to seek out an opportunity to bring Hewitt into the action. After Campbell was close to netting, Captain Dean Holland found himself tripped by Solihull’s Alternate Captain Callum Bowley. Whilst Holland maintained possession as the offence was called, Bowley continued to pursue the Warrior who was then perceived to have dived, leading to a spell in the sin bin for both players on 8:04. Nineteen seconds later, seventeen-year-old defenceman Henry Adams was sidelined for tripping to give Whitley a power play which saw the home team come within inches of netting, Finlinson, Campbell and Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns amongst those with chances to find the net. Though failing to capitalise, Whitley persisted with their onslaught while opportunities at the other end of the ice remained few and far between for the Barons, forwards Thomas Soar and Matthew Maurice amongst those attempting to pose a threat without success. As such, excellent link-up play between Finlinson and Campbell led to Whitley’s opening goal as forward Callum Queenan came into possession following a neat pass from the left winger to lift the puck over Hewitt with 13:54 played. Shortly after this goal, Bowley picked up his second penalty of the game, this time for hooking, to leave his team shorthanded. The Warriors peppered Hewitt, their attack concluding in a promising blue line shot from versatile defenceman Kyle Ross. However, unable to double their lead in the first period, Whitley headed with only a slight edge over their visitors.

A hooking penalty for forward Ruskin Hughes in the second minute of the middle stanza left Solihull shorthanded yet again but, despite cycling the puck well, the Warriors could not make their power play count. As play moved into the corner of Whitley’s defensive zone, defenceman Josh Maddock battled for possession and took a tumble to the ice, in turn restricting his opponent by holding the stick. This led to a penalty for the Warrior and he was joined by fellow ‘D’ man Gritāns just over a minute later, the Latvian having committed the same offence in front of Richie Lawson’s net. With the Barons on a 5-on-3 power play, Soar tried a long range shot which flew high of its mark and the Warriors battled in defence, Ross amongst those sweeping the puck from his zone to maintain the 1-0 score line. Maddock’s return then boosted the home team and, though still shorthanded, Whitley doubled their lead as Edgar picked the pockets of Solihull’s defence and fired across Hewitt to bury the puck in the bottom corner on 28:19. Maintaining this pressure in their offensive zone despite picking up a bench minor for too many men, the Warriors outshot the Barons by twenty seven to three and it was clear that the game was becoming a struggle for the visitors, not least when David Longstaff’s men made it 3-0, this time Campbell picking out Finlinson with a superb pass to see his teammate achieve a tap-in sixty two seconds before the second interval.

Picking up from where they left off, the Warriors continued to dominate and were handed the perfect opportunity to make it 4-0 when Maurice was sinbinned for tripping on 43:40, allowing Finlinson the chance to set up Edgar who bagged his second of the contest. Continuing to work hard, the Warriors netted their fifth of the game when Gritāns controlled the puck as he wove through Solihull’s defence to release a shot which beat Hewitt on 50:31. Fourteen seconds later, blue liner Harley snapped a shot into the back of the net for 6-0 after some smooth link-up play between Campbell and Queenan, prompting a timeout from Solihull. Searching for more of the same from their own play, the Warriors awarded forward Anthony Wetherell and youngster Thomas Fraser some ice time. Once again though, Edgar was at the forefront of the action as forwards Jamie Ord and Ross Douglass battled for the puck in the corner of Whitley’s offensive zone, the latter playing the puck from behind the net to Edgar who jubilantly bagged his hat-trick on 54:24. Showing no signs of letting up in spite of the 7-0 score line, the Warriors continued to test Hewitt until the final buzzer confirmed Whitley’s emphatic victory. With play at an end, Player-Coach Daniel Brittle could not hide his disappointment and incurred a ten-minute misconduct penalty in consequence.

Stats

Shots on goal
Warriors: 60
Barons:    18

Points
Warriors:
Phil Edgar (3+0), Adam Finlinson (1+2), Callum Queenan (1+1), Harry Harley (1+1), Rolands Gritāns (1+1), Ben Campbell (0+3), Ross Murray (0+1),Niall Ryder (0+1), Ross Douglass (0+1), Jamie Ord (0+1)

Penalty minutes
Warriors: 8
Barons:  20

Man of the Match
Warriors: Adam Finlinson
Barons:    Sam Hewitt