The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks faced the Hull Seahawks in their 3rd consecutive game in the Sharktank, taking a narrow 3-2 victory after the visitors made a comeback despite being 3-0 down initially. The win sees the Sharks narrow the gap between the 2 sides in the overall league standings to just 3 points.
Solway lined up with a squad of 17+2, as #53 Kian Shevlin returned back into the lineup however both #55 Owen Rae and #16 Bailey Thomson iced with their 2-way side, Widnes Wild. Hull travelled with the same number, missing #23 Lee Haywood through injury and opted for #34 Dmitri Zimozdra between the pipes whilst #33 Jordan Marr was given the start for Solway after a night off last weekend.
1st period
Solway’s limited edition Christmas jerseys brought the Sharks luck after they got off to the best start possible when #89 Scott Henderson tipped a strike from #10 Liam Stenton over Zimozdra at 1:38, giving the hosts an early lead. The offensive pressure from Solway’s second line caused #74 Lee Bonner to give up a penalty for holding the stick at 3:59. However, after a strong defensive performance, Hull denied Solway a chance to double the lead.
Sharks continued to dominate possession in the opening period, forcing #71 Emil Svec to break down the play with a slash at 9:37. Despite efforts from #9 Alderson, Solway failed to punish the Seahawks on the powerplay. Scrappy play followed for the remainder of the period as both sides fired breakout chances on the netminders but neither could add to the scoreline, finishing the opening 20 minutes in favour to Solway.
2nd period
Hull returned for the middle frame with a clear plan to level the score and fired a series of shots on Marr through their first line, but Solway retained their narrow lead with a strong defensive display early on. Sharks headed to the penalty kill for the first time at 25:21 as #43 Nolan Gardiner sat for slashing, but a dominant PK unit denied the Seahawks a chance at going level. Neither side could claim a period of possession which led to end-to-end play whilst both keepers posted the stops for their respective sides.
Seahawks were handed another infraction at 30:33 as former Shark, #6 Calum McGill was called for hooking. Just 25 seconds later, #12 Kell Beattie fired a one-timer past Zimozdra from the left face-off circle after a threaded pass from #22 John Dunbar to double the lead for Solway. Tensions began to spill, resulting in #13 Davey Phillips and #89 Scott Henderson sit for roughing after the Seahawks D-man dropped the gloves in his own zone at 31:51.
Hull landed themselves on another PK as #13 Davey Phillips returned to the box minutes later for cross checking #21 Anderson at 35:29 but Solway failed to find a way past Zimozdra seeing the score still sit at 2-0 to the Sharks after the middle frame.
3rd period
Solway’s first line worked the puck around the Hull zone quickly after puck drop for the final period, yet Zimozdra matched their efforts to keep his side in fighting contention. Sharks headed to the PK after #5 Olivier Arseneau planted a hip check on #74 Bonner in open ice, forcing him to sit for interference at 43:52. The hosts killed the penalty after a strong defensive shift and quickly added to their tally. After returning back into play, #5 Arseneau picked up the loose change and threaded the puck to #43 Nolan Gardiner via #22 Dunbar who deked past Zimozdra to extend the lead on 46 minutes.
However, the Seahawks quickly answered back as Captain #21 Bobby Chamberlain fired a one-timer past Marr to open the scoring for the visitors, assisted by linemates #96 Sobchak and #71 Emil Svec at 48:23. The momentum shifted in Hull’s favour after the goal, but Sharks applied the defensive pressure to hold on to their 2-goal edge over the visitors.
Despite their efforts, Seahawks reduced the deficit to a single goal at 53:05 as #73 Josh Hodgkinson slotted the puck past the line, assisted by #96 Owen Sobchak and #21 Bobby Chamberlain. Tensions spilled once more as both imports #5 Olivier Arseneau and #71 Emil Svec returned to the box for roughing at 53:42 following a huddle in the crease.
Both teams battled for the puck in the final 5 minutes in an effort to add to the scoreline but both netminders stood tall. Seahawks pulled #34 Dmitri Zimozdra in favour for an extra attacker in the final minute, but the final score finished at 3-2 sealing a 4th consecutive victory for the Sharks.
MVPs were awarded to both netminders after a thrilling battle; #33 Jordan Marr for Solway and #34 Dmitri Zimzodra for Hull.
STATS
Solway Sharks: Scott Henderson 1+0, Kell Beattie 1+0, Nolan Gardiner 1+0, John Dunbar 0+2, Liam Stenton 0+1, Mason Alderson 0+1, Caly Robertson 0+1, Olivier Arseneau 0+1
Hull Seahawks: Bobby Chamberlain 1+1, Josh Hodgkinson 1+0, Owen Sobchak 0+2, Emil Švec 0+1