BAKERS DOZEN KEEPS SHARKS ON THE RISE
Last Saturday the Solway Sharks entertained the Sheffield Senators at the “Shark Tank” and despite a spirited rearguard action from the visitors, and while many eyes were on the following days top of the table clash with the Sutton Sting, the Dumfries based side produced a professional performance to run out victors by seventeen goals to one.

For Solway the fixture did not follow the pre-match plan in the early minutes. Instead of jumping out to an early lead the home side were frustrated by hard-working opponents who were prepared to finish there forechecks and who moved forward and backwards in two lines with both forwards and defenders working as one unit. When a little inventiveness did unlock the Senators defence they found netminder David Roxburgh to be in excellent form and he duly produced several excellent saves. However, the Sharks eventually did open the scoring in the seventh minute when an Aaron Greger pass found Lewis Gold at left point. His low shot into a crowded goalmouth appeared to be redirected into the net by Alan Gibson but the touch was missed by the referee and the goal was credited to Gold. The Sharks upped a gear and pressure on the visitors forced a powerplay midway through the first session and crisp passing between Gold and Stevie Adams set up Bob Chalmers to fire home from the slot. Encouraged by this success the Sharks began hunting in packs and a minute later another interchange of passes between Mark Gallagher and Adam Reynolds allowed Calum Henderson to net from close range at the back post. A defensive error, forced by Jamie Kerr, five minutes from the first break allowed Terry Robertson to slot a cross along the hash marks for Nathan Salem to fire in number four and the same player netted again three minutes later, on another powerplay, to give Solway a five goal advantage at the first interval.

The Sharks could possibly have been forgiven if they had taken things easy from there on but spurred on by Sutton’s attempts to talk up the following days potential title decider Coach Grubb was in no mood to let his charges idle and poor Sheffield found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Within fifteen seconds of the restart Adam Reynolds produced a clinical finish to Mark Gallagher’s pass and the number six went up on the scoreboard. The Senators again regrouped and no-one could begrudge them a reward for their efforts when Tom Humphries produced an excellent wrist shot to beat Gary Russell, from the high slot after good work on the boards behind the Solway goal by Martin Gray and Stephen Weeks. Unfortunately for the visitors it only served to remind the home side that they were in a game and Mark Gallagher restored Solway’s six goal advantage on another powerplay after thirty-two minutes. The Sharks then produced a devastating spell of hockey that saw them run in no less than four goals in a little under two and a half minutes through Nathan Salem, Adam Reynolds and Mark Gallagher (2) to make the score at the second interval eleven one in their favour.

Throughout the third period Solway continued to perform to a high standard and while Sheffield continued to fight for every puck the goals continued to flow for the home side. Within five minutes of the restart Solway had added three more goals through exciting young prospect Calum Henderson, Stevie Adams on a delayed penalty call and Struan Tonnar on another powerplay. Tonnar was on hand again two minutes later to net after good build-up play from Gallagher and Reynolds before dogged resistance from the visitors starved the home fans of a goal until Salem converted Robertson’s pass with a sharp wrist-shot in the fifty-second minute. With a little more than five minutes remaining Stevie Adams wrapped up the scoring for the Sharks from close range after Sheffield back-up netminder Robert Browne had performed heroics to block several Solway shots in quick succession.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Nathan Salem four goals and no assists, Mark Gallagher 3+6, Adam Reynolds 2+5, Struan Tonnar 2+2, Stephen Adams 2+1, Calum Henderson 2+0, Lewis Gold 1+2, Robert Chalmers 1+1, Aaron Greger 0+3, Frazer Goldie 0+2, Jamie Kerr and Conor McCallum both 0+1. Gary Russell in the Sharks gaol saved four of the five shots that he faced (save percentage 80%) before being replaced at the second interval by Kieran Hobbins who saved all four shots that he faced. Match sponsors Russell Brown MP presented the man of the match award to Thomas Humphries for Sheffield and Elaine Murray MSP presented the award to Mark Gallagher for the Sharks.