|
 The
Black Bull of Moffat sponsored Solway Sharks travelled to
Blackburn on Sunday night to take on the Hawks and complete
their Northern League regular season campaign. Following the
defeat of the previous night, the team were looking for a
morale-boosting performance against the ever-improving
Lancashire side. With a recent win over the Stars under their
belts and a narrow loss to the Flyers last week, the Sharks knew
it would not be as easy as the ten-one drubbing a fortnight ago
at the Ice Bowl.
If there was supposed to a hangover from the cup
exit, it was definitely not evident from the start as the Sharks
skated to a three-nil first period lead when Corrie Telfer, Tim
McKay and Mark Gallagher scored in succession. Shortly after his
goal Telfer (pictured above left) had to the game suffering from
concussion after being body-checked at the Hawks blueline.
The Hawks scored first in the middle session but
Solway again took the game into their own hands and made it
five-one with fine efforts from McKay and John Ballentyne.
The teams traded third period goals to end the game six-two in
the Sharks favour and improve their record to fourteen wins and
eight losses in the competition to finish a solid third in the
table. McKay notched the final Sharks goal with a pretty
break-away finish to complete his hat-trick.
Reflecting
on the weekend, Sharks coach Kevin Doherty said: "There is no
shame losing to a class act like Fife. all the lads worked hard
for the sixty minutes but you basically have to be perfect when
facing them and cannot give them as many easy chances as we
did." Looking ahead to the next three weeks he added: "The Stars
series is going to be a highlight of the season as there is so
much to play for. we do not want to have the Stars and the
Flyers playing at our rink in the final. Every game from now on
is crucial as we try to finish on a high note. We will be up for
it as every hockey player wants to be involved in big games.
That is why they play." The photograph (right), taken
through Docs windscreen on Sunday, shows what the players (and
supporters) sometimes have to endure to follow their sport.
Thank goodness no-one involved suffered injuries due to the
adverse weather conditions.
Sharks statistics from the Blackburn match were
Tim McKay three goals and no assists, John Ballentyne, Corrie
Telfer and Mark Gallagher all 1+0, Kevin Conway and Bari
McKenzie both 0+3, Chris Gracie and Jamie Kerr both 0+1.
The views and statistics in
this report are individual and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of the Solway Sharks.
Report courtesy of the Dumfries &
Galloway Standard |
