The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks travelled South to face the Swindon Wildcats in their penultimate road game before returning back home, taking a bitter defeat on the wrong end of a narrow 6-5 score line.
Solway travelled with 16+2, unchanged from their previous game against the Romford Raiders, still missing all 2-way agreement players and injured forward #15 Kieran Hair from the line-up. Meanwhile, the Wildcats iced a squad of 18+2 as #41 Vanya Antonov made his first appearance against the Sharks in a Swindon jersey. Solway opted for #30 Calum Hepburn, giving regular starter #33 Jordan Marr a rest on the bench. However, his younger brother #30 Renny Marr guarded the pipes for Swindon.
1st period – (1-2)
Both sides began their attacks instantly from the initial puck drop, but the netminders reacted well to early pressure. However, Solway’s first line connected inside the opening 5 minutes, allowing #25 Connor Henderson to rifle the puck between Marr’s pad and catcher at 4:48, putting Sharks ahead. Swindon looked to answer back quickly, forcing #30 Calum Hepburn to make multiple saves after shots from #26 Jake Bricknell and #19 Aaron Nell.
The Sharks broke into the Swindon zone once more through #9 Mason Alderson’s solo effort, but his final shot was denied by Marr. Despite the initial block, #89 Scott Henderson picked up the loose change and fed the puck to #10 Liam Stenton who fired top corner at 8:55, taking Sharks 2 goals clear. The visitors maintained momentum and created chances through their third line, yet Marr matched their efforts.
Swindon were handed the first penalty of the evening at 14:29 as #71 Edgars Bebris sat for interference, but they denied Solway extending their lead further. Shortly after the hosts returned to full strength, newly signed #41 Vanya Antonov slotted the rebound of #26 Jake Bricknell’s strike past Hepburn at 17:03, halving the deficit. Player-coach #19 Aaron Nell came close with a wraparound attempt late in the period, but Hepburn made the pad save to retain a 1-2 scoreline after 20 minutes.
2nd period – (3-2)
Sharks landed themselves on their first penalty kill of the evening at 20:59 after #5 Olivier Arseneau was called for delaying the game, which gave Swindon the opportunity to equalise. Despite a strong start, #72 Glenn Billing tucked away the rebound following #73 Ed Bradley’s blue line shot at 22:44 to post the score at 2-2. The Sharks were eager to restore their lead, but Renny Marr closed down the firepower of #43 Nolan Gardiner and #22 John Dunbar with a number of stops.
Nevertheless, Sharks were relentless with their offensive threat and regained the lead thanks to a wraparound from #88 Kyle Carruth at 28:37, after the link-up with linemate #21 Torran Anderson. Just 10 seconds later, after winning the neutral zone face-off, #22 John Dunbar fired top shelf, deking through the Wildcats’ defence, to restore the 2 goal edge for Solway.
However, Solway’s lead was halved once more at 29:48 as player-coach #19 Aaron Nell responded quickly with a wrist shot, assisted by #72 Glenn Billing and #89 Tomasz Malasinski. Sharks were hit with further trouble at 31:27 as #9 Mason Alderson headed to the box for boarding. Solway’s netminder #30 Calum Hepburn made the difference during the player deficit for Solway as they returned to full strength, still ahead by a goal.
Swindon were determined to level the score heading into the final frame and did just so through #89 Tomasz Malasinski as he slotted the puck through the finest of margins at 39:36, tying the score 4-4 after 40 minutes of play.
3rd period – (4-4)
Tensions spilled briefly in the opening minute of the period after #41 Vanya Antonov crashed into Hepburn, looking for any loose change in the crease but quickly simmered once play resumed. Solway’s #9 Mason Alderson came agonisingly close with a solo attempt, forcing #71 Edgars Bebris to give away a hooking penalty at 48:52. However, the Sharks PP unit failed to connect, maintaining a tied scoreline.
Momentum swung in the favour of Swindon after their brief PK stint, resulting in top-points scorer #26 Jake Bricknell adding to his tally at 51:51 to give Swindon the lead for the first time. The Wildcats then doubled their lead through #12 Ryan Wells at 53:43 after firing under Hepburn’s glove. Solway were eager to answer back, leaving their top line out on the ice yet Marr answered all the visitors’ attempts.
Solway fired their 5th goal of the evening at the death after #12 Kell Beattie fired a rocket of a shot past Marr following the backhand feed from #9 Mason Alderson at 59:41 to give Sharks a fighting chance. The visitors threw everything they had at the Swindon net, but Marr held strong in the closing moments to ensure a 6-5 win to the Wildcats.
MVPs were awarded to #9 Mason Alderson after his relentless playmaking pressure. Meanwhile, #12 Ryan Wells claimed the title for Swindon following his game-winning goal.