The Dynamic property services Solway Sharks returned to home ice on Sunday evening following 3 straight road games but failed to claim a win over the visitors as they took a 1-6 victory in the Shark Tank.
The Sharks lined up with the same squad they travelled South with on Saturday, giving #33 Jordan Marr the nod between the pipes once again, backed up by u19 #37 Logan Reid. Meanwhile, the Sheffield Steeldogs opted for #30 Dan Norton in goal for the 4th consecutive game.
1st period
The Steeldogs claimed early possession in the opening period however the Sharks fought back applying their own offensive pressure on Norton. However, it was the Steeldogs who made the first breakthrough at 6:46 after #37 Elmeri Hallförs overturned the puck and fired top corner past Marr from the left wing, giving Sheffield the lead.
The Sharks looked to quickly answer back, utilising the firepower of the first line through #43 Nolan Gardiner but Norton made the stops to retain the edge for the visitors. The first penalty of the game was handed to Sheffield’s #29 Nathan Ripley for hooking, but the hosts failed to punish the Steeldogs on the man advantage. Solway’s leading goal-scorer #43 Nolan Gardiner then returned the favour for the visitors after he was called for interference at 19:45.
2nd period
Despite starting the period short-handed, the Sharks prevented the Steeldogs doubling their lead early in the middle frame after a strong shift from Skipper, #10 Liam Stenton. Solway’s biggest chance of the period came from #21 Torran Anderson after he claimed a breakaway, but Norton made the stop against the near post to deny an equaliser.
Sheffield put their advantage at risk at 31:04 as #22 Ollie Turner sat for cross-checking, however the Sharks failed to utilise their chance and failed to find a way past #30 Norton. The Steeldogs resumed the offensive pressure once the penalty expired and later doubled their lead through assistant captain, #5 Brady Doxey who fired wide of Marr from point assisted by #71 Jack Brammer at 36:23. The Sharks power-play unit was in action once again at 38:03 after #18 Sam Tremblay was called for tripping late in the middle frame.
3rd period
The Steeldogs saw off the remainder of Tremblay’s infraction and he quickly assisted Sheffield to their 3rd goal after #13 Morgan Clarke-Pizzo slotted the puck past the line following the feed from #37 Elmeri Hallförs on the left wing. The visitors found themselves a player short once again at 43:59 as #9 Tom Barry was handed a tripping penalty. History repeated itself for the Sharks as they failed to punish Sheffield during their power-play.
Sheffield maintained their attacking force in the Solway zone, forcing #21 Torran Anderson to give away a hooking call at 50:43 which the Sharks killed off successfully thanks to multiple saves from #33 Jordan Marr. The visitors added another marker to the scoreline at 55:59 as #71 Jack Brammer tucked away the finish for Sheffield after the initial breakout by #98 Tate Shudra. Frustration hit the Sharks as they fell 4 behind, seeing #12 Kell Beattie sit 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct simultaneously.
Just 39 seconds later, #98 Tate Shudra claimed a goal of his own, assisted by imports #18 Sam Tremblay and #8 Walker Sommer, pushing the Steeldogs 5 goals clear after 56:38 of play. Sheffield sent a final shot past Marr at 59:15 via #29 Nathan Ripley with a one-timer after the feed by #20 Jonathan Philips. However, Solway claimed a consolation goal with just 6 seconds remaining thanks to a strike by #14 Lewis Young from a tight angle on the left wing, assisted by #88 Kyle Carruth, concluding the game with a 1-6 victory to the Sheffield Steeldogs.
MVPs were awarded to Solway’s #21 Torran Anderson after applying consistent pressure on the Steeldogs. Meanwhile, Sheffield’s #30 Ben Norton claimed the title for the visitors following a superb performance in between the pipes to deny the Sharks until the final moment.
The Sharks will look to return to winning ways as they are set to take on the Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday evening in the Shark Tank. 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.