Sharks v Sheffield

The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks travelled South on Saturday evening to take on the Berkshire Bees for the first time this season, facing a narrow 5-3 victory after the hosts clenched an empty netter in the final moments of the game.

The Sharks lined up with the addition of #88 Kyle Carruth and #9 Mason Alderson from the previous weekend, whilst #15 Kieran Hair, #16 Bailey Thomson and #55 Owen Rae remained on the injury list. Solway opted for #33 Jordan Marr between the pipes once again, backed up by #37 Logan Reid. Meanwhile #42 Max Wright was given the start for the Bees, following the departure of Brett Shepherd.

1st period

Despite the long road trip South, the Sharks made their presence known early in Slough and immediately fired shots on Wright, forcing #21 Marcel Balaz to give up a hooking penalty at 1:34. Sharks skipper #10 Liam Stenton made the breakthrough just a second after the powerplay opportunity to give Solway a 1-0 lead after just 3:35. However, the Sharks goal scorer found himself in the box for tripping soon after, allowing #21 Marcel Balaz to return the favour for the Bees at 6:11 to equalise.

Both sides continued to battle for possession throughout the opening 20 minutes and were an even match-up for each other as the officials allowed the game to flow for the majority of the 1st period. The Sharks created multiple chances through the ever-threatening first line of Dunbar, Robertson and Gardiner, having almost double the amount of shots on goal, although the scoreline remained equal at 1-1 heading into the middle frame.

2nd period

The Bees returned for the 2nd period eager to claim the lead for the first time in the game, causing a miscommunication between the Sharks bench; #88 Kyle Carruth sat a bench minor penalty for Solway at 22:13 after having too many players on the ice. Berkshire’s #21 Marcel Balaz claimed his 2nd of the evening, flicking the puck backhand into the net on the back door after #33 Marr spilled the initial rebound.

Another penalty for the Sharks at 24:54 on #6 Stuart Kerr for hooking ended in the same result for the hosts. Another clinical play on the advantage from #21 Marcel Balaz, assisted by #9 Vanya Antonov, who fired over Marr’s glove at 25:30 extended the lead to 2 goals for the Bees. Berkshire landed themselves a player short at 26:48 as #2 Adam Rosbottom was called for tripping, however the Sharks failed to reduce the deficit.

Solway continued to apply pressure on the Bees for the second half of the middle frame, which eventually paid off at 34:48. Sharks Captain #10 Liam Stenton claimed his 2nd marker of the evening after firing from the left wing over Wright’s shoulder, assisted by Canadian imports #5 Olivier Arseneau and #22 John Dunbar. The visitors swarmed the Bees zone in the final minutes of the period, but a strong defensive shift from Berkshire prevented Solway equalising.

3rd period

The Sharks found themselves on the back-foot shortly after puck drop as #14 Lewis Young sat 2 minutes for tripping, however a strong performance on the blue line denied another power-play opportunity for the Bees. Solway pushed for a more attacking presence, which Berkshire later capitalised on at 46:17 as #19 Will Stead cleaned up the rebound following #16 Adam Erskine’s initial shot, posting the score 4-2 in favour to the hosts.

Solway created multiple chances but failed to find a way past Wright who was putting in all the stops for the Bees in the crease. However, on his return back into the squad, #9 Mason Alderson fired wide of Wright’s catcher from point at 54:57, assisted by #10 Liam Stenton and #43 Nolan Gardiner to reduce the deficit back to a 1-goal game inside the final 5 minutes.

The Sharks opted to call a time-out at 58:40, which saw #33 Jordan Marr remain on the bench in favour of an extra attacker as Solway looked to level the score. Despite multiple blocks by #5 Olivier Arseneau on the blue line, #23 Dominik Gabaj sealed the victory for the Bees at 59:47 with an empty-net goal. Tensions spilled simultaneously, which resulted in 4on4 play for the remaining seconds of the game as both #21 Torran Anderson and #74 Liam Morris were sent to the penalty box.

MVPs were awarded to Solway Skipper #10 Liam Stenton following his prolific offensive performance for the Sharks. Meanwhile, #21 Marcel Balaz claimed the title for the Berkshire Bees after securing a hat-trick for his side.

ssihc