Warriors celebrate playoff quarter-final victory. Photo by IceHockeyMedia.
Whitley Warriors recorded a 21-2 aggregate win against Blackburn Hawks in their two-legged NIHL North 1 Moralee playoff quarter-final to progress to the NIHL Final Four playoff weekend in Leeds.
Travelling to Blackburn Ice Arena on Saturday with nineteen skaters and starting netminder Joshua Crane for the first leg of their playoff quarter-final, Whitley Warriors found themselves with a strong line-up which included Czech import Matěj Valíček and forward Callum Queenan who were missing from last weekend’s derby game. Meanwhile, the Hawks’ bench consisted of sixteen players, including experienced forward Aaron Davies, Czech import Petr Valusiak and shot stopper Michael Rodgers.
Quick off the mark in the first period, Whitley netted just twenty one seconds in when defenceman Matty McDonald’s shot from the point was tipped in by forward Adam Finlinson to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead, utility player Adam Wood also assisting. After this strong start, Whitley were granted a power play when Hawks’ defenceman Craig Lutkevitch was penalised for tripping on 2:28. Though cycling the puck well in their offensive zone, Whitley could not capitalise, blue liner Harry Harley amongst those trying his luck by forcing a glove save from Rodgers. Restored to full strength, Blackburn looked to level the scoring through Valusiak who was halted by Whitley’s defensive unit. Countering, Latvian Rihards Grigors tried a wraparound but Rodgers withstood this test and the Hawks immediately broke away, only to be prevented by an offside call. Forward Aaron Davies was soon racing up the ice and played a pass across to James Parsons but Whitley’s defence were quick to combat this move and retaliated with an attack of their own. In the latter stages of the period, Davies proved problematic as he continued to hunt down an equaliser but the Warriors’ defence remained composed to deal with this threat, ensuring Whitley’s 1-0 lead remained intact at the first interval.
The Hawks set their sights on net early in the second period, Alternate Captain James Riddoch finding Player-Coach Lee Pollitt who fired the puck into Crane’s chest. Immediately countering, forward Jamie Ord tried a one timer at the other end of the ice and versatile Warrior Kyle Ross followed this up by clipping Rodgers’ blocker with a shot. Subsequently, Whitley doubled their lead, Wood unleashing a powerful shot which rebounded kindly for Queenan to tap in on 24:11. Striving to halve his team’s deficit, Davies attempted a wraparound but Crane kept the puck out. Shortly afterwards, the Warriors were reduced to four skaters when Finlinson tripped defenceman Ethan Mayoh on 29:42 but, after a successful penalty kill, Whitley were given a power play of their own as netminder Rodgers was punished for roughing, his penalty served by forward Sean Jones thirty six seconds after Finlinson’s return to the ice. A strong penalty kill from Blackburn prevented Whitley from tripling their lead on the power play and the Hawks continued to withstand the Warriors’ attacking play, defenceman Alex Lutwyche diving to block a shot to keep his team in the game. With the period in its latter stages, Harley wound up a shot which Rodgers stopped to see Whitley head in with a 2-0 lead.
As the third period got underway, some end-to-end play ensued but the Warriors persevered to grab a three-goal lead as Ross lifted the puck over Rodgers on 45:13, Valíček and forward Ross Douglass assisting. The Warriors persisted in their attacking play, prompting Rodgers to make a save with his shoulder and from here the Hawks were able to break, culminating in defenceman Cade King’s low shot being parried by Crane. A lone effort from Captain Dean Holland was followed by an interference penalty for Ross on 51:41 but the Warriors only quashed the Hawks’ power play to go shorthanded again just under three minutes later, this time forward Thomas Fraser called upon to serve a bench penalty for too many men. Again the Hawks could not make the most of their additional skater and just twenty four seconds after Whitley’s return to full strength, the home team opted for a timeout in one final push for a goal. Blackburn then had the fortune to see out the game on a power play as Holland picked up a slashing penalty with just twenty eight seconds remaining but Whitley ensured Crane’s shutout, taking a 3-0 lead into the second leg of their playoff quarter-final.
Stats
Shots on goal
Hawks: 20
Warriors: 61
Points
Warriors:
Adam Finlinson (1+0), Callum Queenan (1+0), Kyle Ross (1+0), Adam Wood (0+2), Ross Douglass (0+1), Matěj Valíček (0+1), Rihards Grigors (0+1), Matty McDonald (0+1)
Penalty minutes
Hawks: 4
Warriors: 8
Man of the Match
Hawks: Ethan Mayoh
Warriors: Josh Crane
Taking a 3-0 lead into the home leg of their playoff quarter-final on Sunday evening, Whitley Warriors maintained the same line-up of nineteen skaters and two netminders from Saturday’s road trip, opting for netminder Joshua Crane between the pipes once again. By comparison, Blackburn travelled to Hillheads with thirteen skaters, including experienced Captain Aaron Davies, Czech forward Petr Valusiak and Alternate Captain James Riddoch, whilst starting with shot stopper Michael Rodgers in net.
Picking up from where they left off in Saturday’s fixture, Whitley opened the game with an early penalty kill as versatile Warrior Steven Chalmers was sidelined for tripping just twenty three seconds in. After working hard to prevent Blackburn from capitalising on their power play, the Warriors achieved a 1-0 lead fifty seven seconds after returning to full strength, Captain Dean Holland striking the back of the net on 3:20 following some neat passing play between defenceman Harry Harley and forward Adam Finlinson. Eighty seconds later, forward Shaun Kippin played the puck across to Chalmers who netted blocker side, Harley grabbing his second assist in the process. Five minutes later, young forward Matthew Betham saw his tap-in from close range saved by Rodgers and subsequently Chalmers sought to carve out further chances for his team, feigning a shot to play the puck behind him to Kippin whose effort looped over the net. Finlinson similarly continued to pose a threat, getting clear of the Hawks’ defencemen at the blue line to find fellow forward Jamie Ord whose attempt was blocked. Persisting, Whitley added a third goal to their tally on 15:40 as forward Callum Watson fired past Rodgers after gaining possession in the neutral zone, his effort assisted by ‘D’ man Dylan Hehir who then achieved his first goal for Whitley just over two minutes later to make it 4-0 (7-0 on aggregate) going into the second period.
Dominating, Whitley delivered eight goals in the middle stanza, beginning fifty seconds in when Holland collected his second of the game, Finlinson and Latvian import Rihards Grigors on hand to assist. Thirty five seconds later, Watson went top shelf after receiving the puck from Czech forward Matěj Valíček and just over five minutes later, utility player Kyle Ross unsuccessfully attempted to lift the puck past Rodgers on the backhand, allowing Finlinson the opportunity to sweep home his rebound on 26:33, taking the score line to 7-0. Forty two seconds later, Valíček was rewarded with his first goal for the Warriors, sneaking the puck past Rodgers glove side after attempting to assist Ross. Just beyond the midpoint of the game, Ross steered the puck around Rodgers unassisted to add a ninth to the Hawks’ deficit, making it 12-0 on aggregate. Following this, Chalmers drove the puck into the slot to flick home a backhand shot on 31:51 to take Whitley’s goal count into double figures and just nine seconds later, Ross bagged his second goal of the game with a superb shot into the top corner of Rodgers’ net to make it 11-0. Maintaining his strong work ethic, Chalmers’ blue line effort bounced off the boards behind the Hawks’ net to fall kindly for Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes who buried his shot on 36:05 to make it 12-0, giving Whitley a 15-0 aggregate lead at the second interval.
Blackburn opted for a change of netminder at the beginning of the third period, switching Rodgers for nineteen-year-old Bayley Hodkinson to allow the youngster some ice time. Oozing confidence, the Warriors showed no signs of relenting in the third period as Chalmers teamed up with Barnes once more, this time to assist Kippin whose shot deflected into the net. Less than three minutes later, Barnes notched his second assist of the evening, finding Harley who fired from the blue line to take Whitley’s tally to fourteen. The Hawks hit back forty four seconds later through import Petr Valusiak who beat Crane on a breakaway. A high sticks penalty for Valíček followed to give Blackburn a power play and, though the Hawks could not capitalise with the additional skater, Valusiak achieved a second goal on 48:51, this time unleashing a shot over Crane’s right shoulder. A second long range effort from Harley to take the score line to 15-2 was quickly followed by a goal for Grigors who launched the puck into Hodkinson’s net on 52:55. Forty four seconds later, Chalmers skated determinedly with the puck from the neutral zone to fire home a high shot for his hat-trick and Watson followed suit less than two minutes later, slotting home to complete his hat-trick on 55:25. This goal prompted a timeout from the visitors but neither team could add to the scoreboard after this point, forward Anthony Wetherell coming closest for the Warriors when he hit the metalwork in the latter stages of the period. Having maintained their 18-2 score line (21-2 on aggregate), the Warriors progress to the NIHL Final Four playoff semi-finals at Planet Ice Leeds where they will face Solihull Barons on Saturday 23rd April.
Stats
Shots on goal
Warriors: 80
Hawks: 14
Points
Warriors:
Steven Chalmers (3+2), Callum Watson (3+0), Harry Harley (2+3), Kyle Ross (2+2), Dean Holland (2+1), Adam Finlinson (1+4), Shaun Kippin (1+3), Rihards Grigors (1+3), Dylan Hehir (1+2), Jordan Barnes (1+2), Matěj Valíček (1+1), Jamie Ord (0+2), Thomas Fraser (0+1), Anthony Wetherell (0+1), Ross Douglass (0+1)
Hawks:
Petr Valusiak (2+0), James Riddoch (0+1), James Parsons (0+1)
Penalty minutes
Warriors: 4
Hawks: 0
Man of the Match
Warriors: Rihards Grigors
Hawks: Petr Valusiak