The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks completed their first 4 point weekend of the 24/25 season with a thrilling 5-6 victory over the Hull Seahawks in the Hull ice Arena following a 5-4 OT win in the Sharktank the previous evening.
Solway travelled with a healthy squad of 17+2 as Widnes Wild 2-way forward #16 Bailey Thomson was called up to strengthen numbers, whilst #33 Jordan Marr guarded the pipes for the Sharks, backed up by #30 Calum Hepburn. Meanwhile, Seahawks lined up with the same number and gave #34 Dmitri Zimozdra the start in goal with #72 Jordan McLaughlin on the bench.
1st period
The Sharks began Sunday’s game in the same fashion as Saturday, opening the scoring in the first few minutes of play. Forward #9 Mason Alderson fired the puck over Zimozdra’s pads for Solway after the feed from #21 Torran Anderson at 03:10, giving the visitors the lead. The Seahawks gave Solway a chance to double their lead as #21 Bobby Chamberlain sat 2 minutes for boarding at 3:39 but Dmitri Zimozdra matched the Sharks efforts during the penalty kill.
After a shift in momentum, the Seahawks found an equalising goal at 6:56 after a blue line shot from former Shark #6 Calum McGill was tipped into the net by #96 Owen Sobchak. Solway’s #53 Kian Shevlin was handed the first penalty for the visitors at 10:43, but a solid shift from the PK unit prevented a go-ahead goal for Hull.
Tensions began to spill over between the Seahawks offence and Sharks defence, resulting in #5 Olivier Arseneau heading to the box for roughing at 15:21. Hull created a major chance in the final seconds of the opening period through Svec and Sobchak but a sliding block by Torran Anderson made the difference for Solway leaving the score tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.
2nd period
Hull generated firepower through their top line of Sobchak, Svec and Corneil early but Marr stood tall for Solway. Canadian import #5 Olivier Arseneau returned to the penalty box at 24:49, this time for holding but Sharks successfully killed the infraction. Solway’s top goal scorer #43 Nolan Gardiner added another to his tally, sending #34 Zimozdra’s bottle flying to reclaim the lead for his side, assisted by #92 Robertson and #5 Arseneau.
Solway’s #63 Joe Coulter received a hit behind the play, which he later retaliated on causing him to sit for roughing at 30:08, giving Hull yet another chance to equalise. The man advantage was then returned as Seahawks captain #21 Bobby Chamberlain was called for a check to the head on #22 John Dunbar at 33:03.
Unlike the Seahawks, the Sharks clinically converted the advantage into another goal for #9 Mason Alderson at 33:17 via Canadian imports #43 Gardiner and #22 Dunbar to extend the lead to 1-3. However within the same minute, #71 Emil Svec answered back from the left wing for Hull, courtesy of #96 Sobchak and #56 Stubley.
A turnover in puck possession by the Seahawks allowed #71 Svec to grab his 2nd of the period and tie the score once more, assisted by linemates #9 Corneil and #96 Sobchak at 37:07. Hull’s #74 Lee Bonner gave away a late penalty for the home side in the 2nd period for hooking, creating another powerplay chance for Solway.
Sharks captain #10 Liam Stenton fired the 4th past Zimozdra from point after the feed from Alderson in the Seahawks zone at 39:32 to make it 2 consecutive powerplay goals for Solway. The late strike from the skipper saw the visitors take a slim lead into the final frame.
3rd period
The Seahawks made multiple changes to their forward line combinations in an attempt to find a way past #33 Jordan Marr who had been the consistent backstop for Solway. Hull’s first line posed the biggest threat for the Sharks defence as the NIHL’s top-points scorer claimed his 2nd goal of the evening at 44:39, levelling the score once more assisted by his linemates.
Tensions between the 2 sides spilled over in Marr’s crease, resulting in #53 Kian Shevlin returning to the locker room early after receiving a 5+game penalty for a check to the head. After a strong defensive display, the Sharks prevented a powerplay goal for the Seahawks to retain a tied scoreline.
After returning to full strength, Solway’s skipper wasted no time in securing the lead for the visitors with a strike from point that landed top shelf into the net, assisted by #9 Alderson and #14 Young at 53:18. The Sharks controlled the puck in the closing minutes of the game, forcing Hull head coach Matty Davies to call a timeout at 58:05.
Play resumed as the Seahawks opted to keep #34 Dmitri Zimozdra on the bench in favour of an extra forward. However, just 26 seconds later, #92 Caly Robertson sealed an empty-netter for the Sharks after a play by #22 John Dunbar and #5 Olivier Arseneau, putting Solway 4-6 ahead.
Hull threw everything they had at Solway netminder #33 Jordan Marr which resulted in GB u20 #11 Owen Bruton firing a 5th goal for the Seahawks with just seconds to spare and left the net empty once more. Despite their efforts, Hull fell short to the Sharks as the final buzzer sounded with the scoreline sat at 5-6 to Solway, claiming a 4 point weekend.
MVPs were awarded to forward #43 Nolan Gardiner after a threatening offensive performance for the Solway Sharks. Meanwhile, #71 Emil Svec claimed the title for the Hull Seahawks after a 3 point performance.
Solway Sharks forward, Mason Alderson had this to say regarding the results over the weekend:
This weekend was a real team effort, with everyone pitching in when it counted most. We won both games thanks to great goaltending, and important players performed well under pressure. Our team’s resilience and depth were shown in these back-to-back wins, which include a hard-fought battle in Hull and that incredible overtime success on Saturday. As far as, a four-point weekend, this is a huge boost, and we as a team intend to build on these performances.”
The Sharks return to the Shark Tank this Saturday, taking on the Telford Tigers. Doors open at 5:30pm for a 7:00pm face-off at the Dumfries Ice Bowl – tickets are available now from the official Solway Sharks IHC website, https://sharksihc.com/tickets/, or in person at the Dumfries Ice Bowl.