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 The
Black Bull of Moffat sponsored Solway Sharks played host to the
Dundee Texol Stars on Sunday night at Dumfries Ice Bowl in the
second leg of their Scottish National League play-off
semi-final. Trailing by five goals to three from the previous
nights first leg in Dundee the Dumfries side knew they had to
win by three clear goals if they were to extend their season by
another week.
The first period began with both sides knowing that the first
goal and an early advantage could be crucial to the result of
the tie and so both sides pressed without over-extending
themselves. The first real period of sustained pressure came
from the home side on a powerplay when Craig Johnstone was
called for high sticks after 05:50. With the penalty approaching
its half-way mark Solways pressure produced a face-off in the
Stars defensive zone, the puck found its way to Kevin Conway who
fed Alan Crane whose powerful wrist shot from close to the
blueline slipped below Matthew Michie’s body and into the Dundee
net. The Sharks were immediately put under pressure from the
re-start and within two minutes Allan Hamilton threaded a pass
across the ice from the half-way line which found John Dolan
un-marked. He took one touch to control the puck before shooting
into the near side of Scott McMeekens’ net from the curling
target closest to the right-hand boards. A series of Sharks
penalties allowed the Stars to keep the pressure on the home
side for the remainder of the period. Firstly Neal Haworth was
called for interference close to the mid-way point in the
session but the real pressure came when Chris Gracie followed
Shaun Kippin into the ‘sin bin’ at 15:22 giving the Stars a five
on three advantage for over a minute. But the Sharks penalty
kill was working well on the night and they survived the
pressure and managed to add some more of their own before John
Downes was called for hooking in the sessions closing seconds.
The Sharks came out for the second period in determined mood
and, while the initial skirmishes were fairly even, the Dumfries
side gradually began to take control of the match as the session
progressed. With the clock showing 29:51 Kevin Conway and Cammy
Curry combined to set up Mark Gallagher who shot the Sharks into
a lead which they would never relinquish. Over the next few
minutes the sides swapped penalties, Kevin Conway for hooking
for Solway and Liam Greig for interference for the visitors. It
was the later penalty that was to prove most costly. On the
powerplay the Sharks won a face-off in the Stars defensive zone
where they passed the puck around the boards to the left of
Matthew Michie’s goal from where Chris Gracie fired in a high
slapshot which the Dundee netminder failed to hold. Ever alert,
Bari McKenzie was onto the rebound in a flash and while Michie
did well to block the first effort the striker made no mistake
second time around. The Sharks were now three-one up on the
night and level at six on aggregate. Over the remaining five
minutes of the session the sides swapped penalties, two apiece,
as the Dumfries side strove to press home their advantage and
the Stars hung on tenaciously. With seconds to go Dundee goalie
Matthew Michie made a superb triple save from John Ballentyne,
Kevin Conway and Mark Gallagher but there was to be no further
scoring as the clock ran down to the forty minute mark.
 There
was a mood of quiet optimism around the rink in the second
interval with the Sharks display giving confidence to the home
fans and the Stars fans knowing that they were far from out of
the contest. The final session began with a powerplay to the
visitors as Mark Gallagher had been given a two minute penalty
for slashing with one second remaining in the previous period.
But with just thirty seconds gone and, with the Stars pressing,
it was Kevin Conway who broke to score a solo short-handed
effort which gave the home side an aggregate lead for the first
time. The frantic pace continued as the Dundee side fought to
get back into the match and within another thirty seconds they
broke at speed into the Sharks defensive zone. Bari McKenzie was
on this occasion the last line of defence and he dived full
length to touch the puck away from the attacker with his stick
which the Stars forward went over sending him head-first into
the Sharks net. Referee Toby Craig saw the incident from a
different angle and gave Bari a two plus two minute penalty for
slashing and tripping. On the resultant powerplay the Stars
moved the puck around behind the Solway net where it came to
John Dolan on the right-hand boards. He passed to Jeff Marshall
in the centre who returned the puck to Dolan who then fired a
fierce slapshot past Scott McMeeken and into the net at his near
post. One minute forty gone in the final period and the
aggregate score was level at seven. Mid-way through the final
session Liam Greig was called for cross-checking and perhaps the
pressure of the situation got to him as he let the referee know
what he thought of the decision. However, that piece of
indiscipline cost the Taysider a further ten minute misconduct
penalty ruling himself out of the remainder of the tie. With
51:24 on the clock and Dundee pressing the Sharks goal a loose
puck fell to Kevin Conway and the veteran forward alertly passed
to a fast-skating Bari McKenzie who took the puck up the centre
of the ice before firing a shot low past the helpless Stars
netminder. As the Dundee side strove to re-group and get
themselves back into the tie a long pass out of defence found
Mark Gallagher on the boards to the left of the Stars net and
his pass inside found McKenzie who made no mistake in completing
his hat-trick. Play then got a little ragged and with four
minutes left what seemed like a minor altercation resulted in
Jamie Kerr receiving a ten minute misconduct penalty for the
home side, while John Dolan received two minutes for holding. As
the Stars player returned to the ice the Sharks won a face-off
in the Dundee defensive zone and the puck was sent around the
backboards and handily for Solway it bounced out to John Downes
who was waiting at the back post. John took one touch to bring
the puck out giving himself a better angle before sending a
back-handed shot into the Stars net, the Sharks into the final
and the home fans into rapture. Any lingering hopes of a Dundee
revival were ended when first John Dolan and then Willie
Nicholson received two minute penalties for cross-checking
leaving the Sharks to play out a five on three powerplay for the
remaining ninety seconds.
 Sharks
seven-two victory on the night gave them a ten-seven aggregate
victory and Scottish National League play-off final tie against
the Fife Flyers. Man-of-the-match for the Sharks was hat-trick
hero Bari McKenzie while John Dolan picked up the honour for the
Stars. Sharks website also made a small presentation to Kevin
Conway to mark the occasion when his daughter India competed in,
and almost won, the Black Bull Shootout. Sharks statistics on
the night were: Bari McKenzie three goals and no assists, Kevin
Conway 1+3, Alan Crane and John Downes both 1+0, Mark Gallagher,
Chris Gracie and Cammy Currie all 0+1. Sharks netminder Scott
McMeeken saved twenty-four of the twenty-six shots that he face
for a save percentage of 92.31.
View more
from Sunday nights on the
match photographs
page.
The views and statistics in
this report are individual and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of the Solway Sharks.
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