Sport
| Published date | 18 March 2022 |
| Publication title | Dumfries & Galloway Standard |
After early chances for both teams it was Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen Dumfries, first on the scoreboard, Peter Gapa opening their account at 7.14, the assist coming from Scott Henderson.
Wild were swift to reply, Liam Charnock beating Calum Hepburn in Sharks' net just over a minute later to equalise.
Gapa retook the lead for the home team at 13.12, scoring on a delayed penalty courtesy of passes from Calum Boyd and Ross Murray. With time ticking on, Sharks found time for another, Lewis Houston finding the net at 18.44 from Boyd and Murray.
The first break saw Sharks with a 3-1 lead.
The second stanza saw Sharks draw further ahead, Murray adding to the tally after five minutes, on the end of passes from Boyd and Rick Bentham.
Not to be outdone, Wild pulled one back at 27.16, Thomas Stubley taking advantage of a Sharks penalty to find the net.
Sharks responded with a powerplay goal of their own two minutes later, captain Struan Tonnar netting from
Houston and Gordon Horne. There was a pause in the flurry of goals as the team and the crowd at the Ice Bowl caught their breath before Gapa rattled in his hat-trick goal at 35.38, courtesy of Ewan Anderson.
The score was now Sharks 6 Wild 2 and with no further scoring Sharks went into the period break with a four-goal advantage.
Sharks continued apace in the third, Henderson scoring in the third minute from a Tonnar pass, the home team now
in control of the pace and direction of the game.
Gapa added his fourth of the night at 47.37 from Henderson, swiftly followed by Boyd at 49.25, assisted by Kell Beattie. With the score now 9-2 to Sharks, Hepburn made way for Euan Simpson in Sharks' net.
Swiftly taking advantage of a "cold" goalie Mathew Barlow clawed one back a minute later.
The latter half of the final period saw Wild netminder Evan Coles continue to be peppered by Sharks' shots, with Simpson making saves when called into action at the other end. Despite chances at both goals there was no further scoring, and a thoroughly entertained crowd saw Sharks win the game 9-3.
Peter Gapa was man of the match. Coach Jamie Thomson, said: "Overall that was a fantastic performance over a very good hockey team.
"We have challenged our players of late to show us they can play for 60 minutes and really believe they can win the league title, and tonight they definitely showed up. Full credit to the entre squad as I thought we were exceptional." Whitley Warriors 4 Sharks 5 Sunday saw the Sharks hit the road to Whitley Bay to take on Warriors, their closest rivals in the league title race who were only seven points behind and with two games in hand.
With games usually close and physical between the top two, the large travelling Sharks support were on the edge of their seats from the start.
The first period began with end-to-end play, Sharks matching Warriors' fast pace despite being fewer in number. It was the home team who struck first, Steven Chalmers taking the early lead at 4.27.
Buoyed by the goal, Warriors added another just four minutes later, Adam Wood scoring from the blueline.
As the midpoint of the first approached, advantage shifted to Sharks as Whitley
took a penalty and the visitors made sure to capitalise, taking advantage of the extra man to move the puck round Warriors' net with intent, Stuart Kerr
feeding fellow defenceman Kell Beattie who beat netminder Dean Bowater to open Sharks' account at 12.42.
Play swung back and forth as both teams pressed for another goal, putting Bowater and Calum Hepburn in Sharks' net under pressure.
As the break approached Sharks drew level, Peter Gapa pouncing on the rebound from a Liam Stenton shot to scoop up the puck and after sending Bowater the wrong way beat him to draw level with 42 seconds left on the clock.
The score at the buzzer was two goals apiece, with little to separate the teams.
Whitley fired out onto the ice for the second, Shaun Kippen re-taking the lead for Warriors after just 54 seconds.
Not phased, Sharks struck back less than a minute later, Liam Stenton setting up Callum Boyd who had time in front of net to pick his spot and beat Bowater.
Whitley kept on coming, but Sharks stood firm and the game again swung in their favour at the half-way point, Scott Henderson winning the puck in front of Warriors net and feeding Stuart Kerr who delivered a blistering shot from the point to put Sharks ahead for the first time after 31 minutes.
Sharks faced some hard penalty killing in the latter part of the second, facing an extended five-on-three but withstood the pressure, effectively back-stopped by Hepburn, to take their lead into the break to the delight of their support.
The final period saw the fast, physical play continue and Warriors found themselves on the powerplay after two minutes as a result of a Sharks penalty.
In the face of increase pressure, Sharks dug deep and defended well, before Scott Henderson scooped up a bobbling puck in the neutral zone and made offto Warriors' goal through their defence, knocking it past Bowater for an unassisted, shorthanded goal.
Despite Sharks lead, Whitley kept up their attacks and there was plenty of action all over the ice to keep the spectators entertained.
Warriors' efforts finally found a way past Hepburn with seven minutes remaining, Calum Queenan putting them
back within a goal of the visitors. With at least a point in their sights Warriors were unrelenting in offence, Hepburn kept busy while Sharks defended with everything they had.
With 2.36 left on the clock Warriors pulled Bowater from net to ice an additional skater, and their offensive efforts increased.
Sharks gained possession a few times in the melee and came tantalisingly close to scoring in the empty net but were focused on defending their net, especially when Warriors went six-on-four for the last 30 seconds due to a Sharks' penalty.
To the delight of the team and their support the final whistle saw the score at Warriors 4...
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