SHARKS LOSE OUT AT THE WIGWAM
On Sunday evening the Magnox Ltd. sponsored Solway Sharks returned from Whitley Bay with their first defeat of the season in a Northern Cup tie where they never really hit any real sort of form until the closing minutes of the game.

The Warriors were clearly out for revenge for the previous nights defeat at the Shark Tank and as they hit the ice for the first period they went straight onto the offensive. This seemed to unsettle Solway and throw them off their natural passing play as they had to chase the puck and the game from the beginning. It was of no real surprise when the home side took the lead in the fourth minute when Bryan Dunn and Ali Brummitt combined to send Jamie Tinsley away up the right and he scored with an excellent rising shot from ten yards. The Sharks had almost four minutes of powerplay in the middle of the session with back to back powerplays but failed to find the key to unlock the Warriors defence, a story that was to repeat throughout the night and the first session ended with no further scoring.

Five minutes into the second period the Sharks did get on the board when Struan Tonnar collected a Michael McKay pass on the right wing and he found an accurate slapshot from the blueline to beat the excellent Whitley netminder, David Lawrence. Two minutes later the first incident of an untoward nature took place when Frazer Goldie took exception to a Callum Pattison slash and both players received two-plus-two minute penalties for roughing with the Whitley man receiving an extra two minutes for roughing and two for the original slash. But the home side were not to be denied and just after the midway point in the game Daniel Good netted a short-handed goal to give the home side the advantage once more after good build-up play from Callum Watson and Steven Pritchard. Six minutes later they doubled that advantage when Callum Watson found the net with assists going to Kevin Bucas and Daniel Good. The bad blood resurfaced two minutes before the second interval when the referee called a halt to play with the Sharks heading towards goal, one-on-one with the keeper, when Callum Pattison appeared to attack Frazer Goldie from behind. The referee certainly seemed to see it that way as the Warrior was given both a match penalty and a five plus game for his trouble while the Sharks player was deemed innocent and received no penalty against him.

The final session simmered with tension still high, but the Sharks failed to take advantage of their ten minute powerplay even when it became a full two minute five-on-three man advantage. This, in the end, was to cost them the game. Even with a numerical advantage Solway constantly seemed to be pushing too hard for an immediate reply and play continually broke down on the rock that was the Warriors penalty kill. Indeed it was to be Callum Watson who put his side three ahead with a superb short-handed solo effort in the forty-sixth minute when he robbed a Solway defender and rounded the keeper before slipping his shot into the net. But Solway, to their credit, refused to lie down and Frazer Goldie collected an Adam Reynolds pass with ten minutes to go and produced an excellent wrist shot to beat the Warriors keeper. With just over a minute remaining Adam Reynolds and Mark Gallagher combined to create the chance for Nathan Salem to cut the deficit to one. While the Sharks pulled their netminder in favour of a sixth skater for the remaining seconds it transpired that they had left themselves with just a little too much to do and the Warriors were able to run down the clock to record a four-three victory.