Match Report: Sharks vs Great Britain u20s Saturday 7th September 2024

The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks faced Great Britain u20s on Saturday night in their final pre-season game, claiming a 9-3 victory, following a 4-3 penalty shootout win the evening prior.

Great Britain made several changes to their roster, giving #20 Dan Norton the start in net and handed #15 Fin Bradon captaincy for the evening. Meanwhile, the Sharks opted for #30 Calum Hepburn between the pipes but were missing #12 Kell Beattie and #55 Owen Rae due to injuries.

1st period

Great Britain u20s came out fighting from the initial face-off and made a breakthrough early at 03:39 through #21 Joe Lynch, assisted by #6 Tommy Spraggon. The Sharks were handed the first penalty of the game on #9 Mason Alderson for cross-checking, but a strong defensive display prevented GB from extending their lead.

Solway landed themselves on 2 more penalty kills but denied Great Britain on both occasions who created chances through #23 Carruth and #15 Bradon to conclude the first period 0-1 in favour to the visitors.

2nd period

The Sharks answered back quickly at 22:06 with a strike from #9 Mason Alderson, closely followed by #92 Caly Robertson who gave Solway the advantage at 23:38. GB’s #9 Kian Shevlin was called for hooking at 28:00, which allowed Canadian import #43 Nolan Gardiner to capitalise on the man advantage just 31 seconds later.

A feed from #22 Dunbar allowed #92 Robertson to fire home his 2nd goal of the evening sending the puck over Norton’s catcher at 31:44, posting the score at 4-1 to the Sharks. Forward #15 Kieran Hair flicked the 5th goal for Solway over Norton’s pad at 35:22 in his first game after returning from injury.

The Sharks were relentless with the offensive pressure which allowed #89 Scott Henderson to tip the puck past the line on the back post at 37:53. Canadian import #22 John Dunbar further extended the lead in the final moments of the middle frame at 39:50 after deking past the GB defence and slotting the puck between Norton’s pads.

3rd period

The 6-goal lead created by Solway in the 2nd period was soon reduced by a strike from #22 Torran Anderson inside the opening minute at 40:59. This then shifted momentum towards GB early in the final frame. Another offensive effort for Great Britain found its way past #30 Hepburn at 43:12 after a shot by #23 Kyle Carruth made it 7-3.

Despite being short-handed, the Sharks added to their total once again at 52:16 through #63 Joey Coulter who squeezed the puck between Norton and the near post. The final goal of the game came from #43 Nolan Gardiner who fired top shelf at 54:26 to secure a healthy 9-3 victory for the home side.