Solway in impressive form

Nov 13 2009 by Our Correspondent, Dumfries Standard Friday

SOLWAY Sharks began their 2009/10 Scottish Cup campaign on Saturday with a comfortable 11-one victory over the Dundee Comets at the Ice Bowl.

After dominating the opening exchanges of this match-up, the home side almost took the lead when a Roby Brown wrist shot cannoned off the goal frame.

However a loose pass in defence could also have gifted the opener to the visitors but for a superb diving poke-check from the alert Ross Edgar.

Brown then tested the Dundee goal for second time when he picked off a loose pass from Baxter and fired in a shot that forced netminder Stark into a fine glove save.

However, from the re-start Brown was instrumental in the opening goal when his pass was teed up by Chris Wilson for Pavol Melichercik to find the net at the second attempt.

Most of the play continued to be around the Comets goal but another loose pass in the Solway defensive zone almost gifted Smith the equaliser but Chris Rae had read the danger and was well positioned to make a fine glove save.

Immediately Chris Grace sent fellow defenceman Alan Crane up the right-hand boards and, while Stark did well to block the shot, he could do nothing to prevent Graeme McCamley from putting Solway ahead by two.

Within 90 seconds, the advantage was three when Melichercik and Juraj Senko combined on the right to find Wilson at the back post and he calmly swung back across the goal before clawing his shot back into the net.

On the 16-minute mark, a slashing penalty on McEchran gave the home side a powerplay and some excellent scrimmaging on the boards behind the Dundee goal from Wilson and Melichercik saw the puck find Senko in front of goal from where he expertly found the back of the net.

But it was not all one-way traffic by any means and another Comets attack lead to a moment of high drama.

A scramble in the Sharks’ goalmouth saw Crane cover the puck on the ice with his glove and referee Cowan was well placed to correctly award a penalty shot to the visitors.

Gavin Gunn stepped up to the mark, he took the puck straight up the middle and fired a wicked, rising wrist-shot into the roof of the Solway goal from eight yards.

If the measure of a team is how they respond to a set back, then the Sharks are well placed for success this year.

From the restart, Gracie sent Euan Edgar up the left wing. As he crossed the Dundee blueline he looked for support but finding himself alone he unleashed a tremendous slapshot that flew like a bullet into the top right-hand corner of the Comets’ goal to give Solway a four-goal cushion at the first interval.

The home support were expecting more of the same in the second period. These expectations were rewarded when a Melichercik shot, from Edgar’s astute pass, was blocked by Stark. Unfortunately for the Comets, Corrie Telfer was on hand to prod the rebound home.

For some reason, the expected goal feast never materialised. With a little more than two minutes left in the session a penalty on McCamley for hooking saw the Sharks penalty-kill unit on the ice but they could do nothing to prevent Johnstone and Smith combining to set up Findlay to score with a slapshot from right point.

The home support hoped for more from their favourites in the final period and they got their wish in devastating three-minute spell from the 46-minute mark.

Firstly Melichercik and Wilson combined to allow Senko to score his second of the night from close range.

Almost immediately Laing had the chance to reply for the visitors but with goal at his mercy but he took too long and Wilson bundled the Comet to safety. Frazer Goldie immediately sent Edgar up the wing and his pass allowed Telfer to find the net from the high slot position.

Telfer then became the provider as his pass was converted via the keepers pads by Goldie from a narrow angle. Two penalties on the home side one after another then gave the Comets an extended powerplay and Smith found himself in the right position to score Dundee’s third after good work from McEchran and Baxter.

Normal service was resumed on the 53-minute mark when David Orr made it double figures for the home side when he converted superbly after being set up by Wilson and McCamley.

However, the Comets never gave up trying and a loose pass in the Solway D by Senko was intercepted by McCluskey and he slipped the puck square for Johnstone to score Dundee’s third powerplay goal of the evening.

Almost immediately another Sharks penalty saw the penalty-kill unit on the ice once more this time however Goldie and Telfer combined to allow Roby Brown a free run at the Comets goal and he finished with a cool head to give the Sharks an 11-4 victory.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks were as follows: Corrie Telfer two goals and two assists, Juraj Senko 2+1, Chris Wilson and Pavol Melichercik both 1+4, Frazer Goldie and Euan Edgar both 1+2, Roby Brown and Graeme McCamley both 1+1, David Orr 1+0, Chris Gracie 0+2 and Alan Crane 0+1. Sharks netminder Chris Rae saved 17 of the 21 shots that he faced for a save percentage of 80.95 per cent.

Alan Crane was presented with the Magnox North man of the match award for the home side while Josh McCluskey was given that accolade for the visitors.

Sunday

On Sunday evening the Sharks were back on the road with a tricky visit to the always intimidating atmosphere of Hillhead’s ice rink in Whitley Bay.

The Dumfries side went into the match knowing that a victory would be required over the hard-hitting Warriors to main top spot in the Northern League.

They didn’t disappoint their small band of travelling supporters as they returned with a magnificent seven-one victory.

After a tense start, where play swung at speed from end to end, the Warriors got a break when the referee, Mr Brown, who had an excellent game throughout, called Chris Wilson for high sticks just before the five minute mark.

After the Solway penalty-kill unit repelled the first wave of attacks, Whitley regrouped deep in their own D for a second rush.

Unfortunately for them a terrible pass from Rob Wilson was picked off by Graeme McCamley and he instantly flashed a shot into the net for the Sharks’ second short-handed goal of the weekend.

The Warriors returned to the attack and the visitors had to repel a strong Whitley surge before they gradually started to take control of the game and Juraj Senko was first to test home netminder Flavell from long range.

On the nine-minute mark McCamley’s tenacity was rewarded when he once more latched onto a loose pass in the Warriors’ defence and cut in on goal from the right wing.

With little to aim at, and no support in the middle, the Solway forward fired at goal from a narrow angle. While Flavell made a good block with his pads, McCamley was first to react to the rebound as he slid the puck into the empty net.

The Sharks were in no mood to ease up on their opponents and their constant pressure brought Solway’s powerplay unit onto the ice for the first time when Dowd was called for high sticks.

The Doonhamers laid siege to the home goal and Flavell did well to divert a shot the he probably saw late high into the air. Both Frazer Goldie and a Whitley defender went for the loose puck with high sticks but it was diverted into the net by the Dumfries man.

Despite the complaints from both home crowd and Warriors players, the referee adjudged that it was six of one and half a dozen of the other and allowed the disputed goal to stand.

Whitley were on another powerplay of their own as the clock approached the 17-minute mark but despite their efforts they could not penetrate the effective Solway penalty-kill.

Eventually the puck came back to Dale Howey close to centre-ice and he unleashed a slapshot that screamed across the ice and past the unsighted Gary Russell to give the home support their only joy of the night.

Predictably Whitley returned to the ice in determined mood for the second session and the Sharks had to survive a period of intense pressure from their hosts .

Just on the midway point in the game Euan Edgar was put through one-on-one with Flavell but the Whitley keeper held his nerve, guessed the right way and made a fine block low at his right-hand post. However, the Sharks breakthrough was not to be long in coming. Within a minute Chris Wilson picked up a loose puck on the right wing close to the goal line, with no-one free he fired in a speculative shot that found its way into the net via the netminder’s pads.

Solway had to survive another period of intense pressure on the penalty-kill soon afterwards but the defence remained sound.

With 30 seconds remaining in the period, a Mark Gallagher pass sent Pavol Melichercik around behind the home goal. He calmly picked out Bari McKenzie arriving in front of goal, the Solway snipers shot once more found a hole in Flavells pads and the Sharks were up by four.

Again the Warriors took the game to Solway at the beginning of the final session but overall the Dumfries side looked sound at the back. The greatest danger came from ex-Solway forward Shaun Kippin when he breezed past two defenders and fired in a shot that cannoned to safety from the Sharks’ goal frame.

With seven minutes remaining the Sharks were enjoying a spell of pressure when the puck fell to Senko eight yards from goal. The defenceman immediately fired in a powerful wrist shot that Flavell did well to get a good glove on.

Unfortunately for the home keeper he could only watch in despair as the puck squirmed from his glove and fell kindly just over the line to give Solway their sixth goal.

With three minutes remaining Melichercik broke free in the centre of the Whitley D and Flavell had to be at his best to block the puck out to the wing.

To sum up the netminder’s luck on the night, possession was picked up by David Orr who quickly threaded a pass through the defence to Melichercik who was waiting unmarked at the back post and the Slovakian forward completed a superb seven-one victory for the Sharks.

Scoring statistics for the Sharks was as follows: Graeme McCamley two goals and no assists, Pavol Melichercik 1+1, Frazer Goldie, Chris Wilson, Juraj Senko and Bari McKenzie all 1+0, Mark Gallagher and David Orr both 0+2.

Gary Russell in the Solway goal saved 29 of the 30 shots that he faced for a save percentage of 96.67 per cent.