Whitley Warriors hosted the NIHL North Champions the Solway Sharks on Sunday evening at their Hillheads rink. The only senior member of Warriors roster unavailable going into the game was blue liner Ross Hanlon however Daniel Murdy also ended up playing no part in the contest after he picked up a knee injury in the warm up.
Warriors started the game with 3 forward and defensive lines with Ryan Sample slotting onto the 3rd forward unit in the place of the injured Daniel Murdy. Youngster Ben Richards was also used on Whitley’s 3rd forward unit during the contest with Richie Lawson starting the game in the Warriors net.
Whitley started the game on front foot and when a powerplay chance came Warriors way Jamie Tinsley made no mistake to fire Simon Leach’s side into a 1-0 lead. Warriors made it 2-0 on the 8 minute mark when skipper DJ Good found the top left hand corner of the net after Adam Reynolds pin point pass picked out his team mate.
Despite being 2 goals down NIHL North Champions Sharks were still creating plenty of offensive opportunities though and Ross Murray got a goal back for the visitors after 12 minutes of play. Solway then drew level 3 minutes later when Alane Crane fired past Richie Lawson in the Warriors net after being set up by precisely Iain Bowie.
Towards the end of the opening period of action Jamie Tinsley was given a 2 minute minor penalty for slashing. Solway’s impressive powerplay unit clicked into gear and import defenceman Juraj Senko lit the lamp which saw Sharks hold a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes of incident packed play. Warriors were dealt another blow late in the 1st period when blue liner Nathan Ryder injured his shoulder and took no further part in the game. Following Ryder’s injury Warriors opted to rotate their 5 senior blue liners against Sharks prolific forwards.
The middle period of action was a much quieter affair until the final 4 minutes of the session. Warriors levelled the game up on 36 minutes when Karl Culley found the back of the net after some pleasing build up play from Rob Wilson and Adam Reynolds. Sharks then hit back immediately as Stevie Adams scored under 2 minutes later.
Two penalties were also handed out in the aftermath of the goal as Whitley d man Josh Maddock picked up a boarding penalty for taking out Adams after the Solway number 14 had found the back of the net while Adams himself picked up a roughing penalty for his reaction to the coming together on the boards behind the goal.
Warriors started the 3rd period positively and tied the game up at 4-4 on 44 minutes when Tom Ralph and Karl Culley combined to set up Jamie Tinsley who beat Sharks netminder Gary Russell at his near post for his 2nd goal of the game.
Shortly afterwards Whitley dman Dan Harris was sent to the sin bin on a 2 minute slashing penalty when his infringement prevented a swift Solway counter attack. Sharks took full advantage of their powerplay chance once again and Struan Tonnar fired home to the delight of the group of travelling Sharks fans behind the away bench.
Tonnar was now looking dangerous for Solway when he was on the puck and he made it 6-4 to the Sharks on 53 minutes when he managed to get the puck past Richie Lawson despite the Warriors goaltending coming off his line in an effort to clear the puck to safety.
Whitley were able to hit back straight away though when Jordan Barnes scored from close range to get Warriors within a goal of their opponents. Whitley went on to exert a great deal of pressure on Solway’s defence in the final few minutes of play however Sharks netminder Gary Russell made a number of smart stops.
Whitley Coach Simon Leach opted to pull his netminder for an extra out skater with around a minute of the game remaining. Warriors went onto call a timeout at 59.18 to finalise their offensive plans however when Warriors attacking move broke down Sharks Ross Murray was able to shoot into the empty net which saw Solway claim the 2 points on offer thanks to a 7-5 victory.
Warriors Man of the Match went to the hard working Jamie Tinsley who found the back of the net on 2 occasions while Juraj Senko was selected as Solway’s best player on the night.
Whitley Points –
Jamie Tinsley 2+0, Karl Culley 1+2, DJ Good and Jordan Barnes 1+0, Adam Reynolds and Tommy Ralph 0+2, Rob Wilson, Dan Harris and Martin Crammond 0+1
Solway Points –
Ross Murray and Struan Tonnar 2+0, Alane Crane 1+1, Juraj Senko and Stevie Adams 1+0, Mark Gallagher 0+3, Iain Bowie, Stevie Moore and Frazier Goldie 0+1
Penalty Minutes
Warriors – 10 Sharks – 8
Whitley are next in action this coming Sunday when Warriors make the short journey down the A19 to Teesside to take on fierce rivals the Billingham Stars in a local derby. Warriors then travel up to Scotland to face the Solway Sharks away from home on the 23rd November before returning home to face off against the Sheffield Spartans on the 1st December (face off 5pm) on Tyneside.