SHARKS IN ELEVENTH HEAVEN
Last Saturday the Solway Sharks, sponsored by Magnox Ltd, hosted the Lancashire Raptors at the Shark Tank with expectations high for a goal feast and in the end they duly recorded an eleven-one victory to give them a perfect ten league victories to start the season and keep themselves four points clear of second placed Flintshire Freeze.

Sharks supporters arriving late at games this season have gown used to looking at the scoreboard as they enter to see what they’ve missed and yet again the Dumfries based side found the net in the opening seconds of the game. Twenty–two seconds to be precise. Collecting possession almost from the face-off, a Calum Henderson pass sent Mark Gallagher around the visitors goal and the captains’ lay-off was perfect for Adam Reynolds to score from a narrow angle. The short-benched Raptors, who had lost twenty-nil at home to the Sharks in September, worked hard to close down space and held the Sharks at bay until they scored twice within seventeen seconds in the eighth minute. Firstly Nathan Salem netted when he latched onto the rebound after Raptors netminder Matthew Milhench did well to block a short from Calum Adamson. Solway gained possession from the re-start and Salem provided the pass to set Adamson free up the left. The young Sharks forward cut back across the face of goal and while Milhench did well to get a pad on the shot he could do nothing to prevent Gary Russell from sliding the rebound into the net. In just his second game with Solway new signing Adamson, on a two-way contract with Braehead Clan, is already showing what a good pick-up he is and why Coach Grubb was so keen to obtain his services at the beginning of the season. With thirteen minutes on the clock a Struan Tonnar pass from defence set Mark Gallagher free up the left and he outpaced his marker before threading a pass square to the supporting Adam Reynolds who duly made it four-nil. Three minutes later the Salem-Adamson combination clicked once more as they combined to set up regular netminder Gary Russell, playing as a forward for the evening, to score with an excellent wrist-shot from the slot.

With the game realistically over as a contest by the first break the Sharks seemed to find it difficult to maintain their professionalism after the first interval and, while all credit should go to a hard-working Raptors squad, the game seemed to disintegrate into the home side attempting to amass individual points or setting up Gary Russell for shots at goal. Aidan Fulton did add Sharks sixth goal from a Bob Chalmers pass in the twenty-third minute but the home fans had to wait until the midway point until they scored again when Russell and Adamson were the combination that allowed Salem to score. Despite almost constant pressure on the visitors goal there was no further scoring in the period and the second interval arrived with the Sharks ahead seven-nil.

Solway began the final session on a powerplay and immediately swarmed around the Raptors goal. After a full  minute of pressure a blocked Lewis Gold shot found defenceman Michael McKay who duly found the net for the first time this season. While generally outclassed for long periods the Raptors spirit and willingness to work was rewarded four minutes later when Ken Armstrong found himself free in centre-ice. The Lancashire man kept a cool head as he bore down on the Sharks goal before firing a rising wrist-shot past netminder Kieran Hobbins and into the roof of the Shark goal to the delight of their travelling support. Their joy at scoring just their second goal of the season was barely dimmed when Alan Crane latched onto a Mark Gallagher pass to restore the Sharks eight goal advantage just over a minute later. To be truthful Solway never got out of second gear in the entire match but their third period performance was a grade above the session before and Nathan Salem put double figures on the scoreboard when he completed his hat-trick with three minutes to go. However, the final word went to "forward for the night" Gary Russell when he completed his own "hat-trick" from close range with the last touch of the match with one second on the clock.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Gary Russell and Nathan Salem both three goals and two assists, Adam Reynolds 2+0, Michael McKay, Alan Crane and Aiden Fulton all 1+0, Calum Adamson 0+5, Mark Gallagher 0+3, Struan Tonnar 0+2, Robert Chalmers, Lewis Gold and Calum Henderson all 0+1. Chris Rae in the Sharks goal saves all three shots that he faced before being replaced at the thirty-one minute mark by Kieran Hobbins who saved three of the four shots that he faced for a seventy-five percent save percentage.