Solway Sharks were presented with the NIHL North 1 Moralee League Trophy at the Ice Bowl on Saturday night.
The title had already been secured by virtue of the team’s enviable performance over the season so far but before the celebrations, it was business first as the Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen Dumfries, took on Sheffield Scimitars.
Ross Murray set the tone for the game with his opening goal at 6.21, on the end of a Lewis Houston pass. Seconds afterwards Scott Henderson got in on the action, assists coming from Peter Gapa and Struan Tonnar.
As the huge crowd lapped up the action Sharks added another just past the half-way point of the period, Kieran Hair on target this time, assisted by Henderson and Gapa. As the period drew to a close there was just time for Houston to add to the tally, scoring in the final 20 seconds courtesy of a pass from Callum Boyd. At the first break Sharks had a comfortable 4-0 lead.
The second period was quieter by comparison, though still plenty of good hockey on display to entertain the crowd, with a spell of more even play early on as Scimitars battled hard to keep the Sharks at bay. In the 15th minute they clawed back a goal, Thomas Palmer taking advantage of a Sharks penalty for a powerplay strike.
In the final minute Henderson restored the gap, the helper coming from Gapa. The second break saw the score at Sharks 5 Scimitars 1.
The final stanza saw Sharks again take control of the game and use their momentum to their advantage, Houston knocking in his second at 42.14, assisted by Murray. This was followed up a minute later when Hair added his second, a powerplay goal assisted by Gapa and Rick Bentham.
Calum Hepburn stepped aside from the Sharks’ goal, making way for Euan Simpson between the pipes for the final 15 minutes of the game. Despite being peppered by Scimitar shots Simpson stood firm, while Sharks piled on the pressure at the other end.
Gapa added to the tally at 49.11 from Henderson, making it 8-1, before Scott Crane found the net at 51.35 from Ruairi Lockerbie.
With Simpson backstopping effectively Sharks withstood all attempts at a comeback from the Scimitars, and the final whistle saw the Sharks emerge 9-1 victors. Calum Hepburn was Sharks’ man of the match.
Once the Scimitars had acknowledged their fans and left the ice Sharks began the much-anticipated celebration of their NIHL North 1 Moralee League victory. Martin Grubb invited Sharks fans onto the ice to celebrate with the team, as the players received championship medals before captain Struan Tonnar was presented with the league trophy by Haydn Hunter, officiating manager and performance coach for Ice Hockey UK.
Coach Martin Grubb said: “We knew coming into Saturday’s game that we wanted to make sure we put on a performance for both ourselves and the supporters.
“We have set high standards all season and with the playoffs fast approaching we wanted to keep winning. We started well and fed off the energy in the building and got ourselves into a good first period lead and scored some nice goals.
“We were a little flat in the second period and credit to Sheffield for never stopping working but we knew we needed to improve.
“The third period was all about finishing the game on a high note and we set about doing that from the start of the period. It was a good team performance with everybody contributing as that has been one of our main strengths in his season and it was great to see the players being able to get that celebratory moment together as the buzzer went.
“It’s been a very good league season for us so far and the best and most consistent team always wins the league and that has been us this season. The players have bought in to what was asked of them from the beginning and put the work in night in, night out and found ways to win. That’s a testament to not only their ability but also their character and we are all proud of them at the club.
“The night was made special by our unbelievable supporters, volunteers and board and it was a fitting celebration and showed how important the Sharks family is to the players and staff. I always take great pleasure in seeing the players being able to celebrate with their families and we were all able to do that along with the extended Sharks’ family and we thank everyone for their support. Saturday has also given the boys a little more motivation to go on and try and lift the remaining trophies so we can have an even bigger party to end the season.”
Captain Struan Tonnar added: “Obviously we are thrilled to be back on top and be able to share this championship with the fans before we get into the business end of the season.
“Winning the league is a massive achievement for us, many of the players have never won a league title before so to be able to cross the line and give them this experience is second to none. But that’s only one goal achieved, we have our sights set firmly on a playoff title and a first national title.
Sharks are back in home action on Saturday when they play Billingham Stars in a bid to maintain their unbeaten home record. Face off 7pm.
