The Whitley Warriors beat a spirited Sheffield Spartans side on Sunday in what became an important four-point weekend. The visitors were desperate to keep pace in the battle for a play-off spot and proved to be difficult opponents to see off, limiting the Warriors to just 35 SOG.
The game started off brightly enough with David Longstaff opening the scoring 1:47 into the game. A series of Face-offs in the Spartans defensive zone saw the sustained pressure by the home side finally pay off, when first Dean Holland and then Harry Harley slipped the puck to Lobby to beat Brandon Stones between the pipes.
The Warriors doubled their lead at 7:17 when a speculative shot from Jamie Tinsley somehow beat Stones in the goal. The puck looping over the goalies left shoulder much to the amusement of the home fans.
The Warriors were looking like running away with the game at this point but just Eleven seconds later, the Spartans had pulled a goal back. Richie Lawson had made a smart glove save and was looking to release the puck quickly to generate another Whitley attack. However as soon as he released the puck Andrew Turner nipped in, to tuck home into a half empty net.
That was a warning to everyone that Sheffield should not be taken lightly and at 11:19 Whitley restored their two goal lead when Joe Stamp let fly from distance. It was another speculative shot, which went along the ice and somehow through Stones’ legs at the five hole. By now the Whitley fans were relentless in their taunts towards Stones, who is normally one of the best performers in the league. With the game now at 3-1, the evening’s scoring was complete.
David Longstaff who has graced the game in this country for several years now, could never be described as a dirty player, which is why what happened next was all the more bizarre. Lobby was called for roughing twice in the next five minutes by a very red-faced referee David Farren. Presumably Longstaff must have punched himself as he certainly didn’t direct anything towards a Spartans player.
Despite having to kill off two penalties within the last five minutes of the opening period, Whitley were still looking to increase their lead. With Stones looking shaky at this stage of the game one Whitley player decided to test him when he launched a huge slap shot from his own blue line and direct it on target. The fierce drive, which almost travelled the length of the rink, proved to be difficult to save, but Stones did well to hold on to the puck in the end.
With ten seconds of the period remaining, and with Sheffield having the man-advantage, the Spartans went close to making it a one-goal-game but the puck hit the outside of the post and went wide.
The Spartans were clearly focused on salvaging something from the game and were back out onto the ice with over six minutes of the first intermission remaining and were stood waiting for their hosts to join them.
There was still 1:49 on Lobby’s second roughing penalty when the puck dropped. Once again though Whitley didn’t sit back on the Penalty Kill, DJ Good’s slapshot caused Stones further trouble, while at the other end Nick Manning had a great chance to net for his team but failed to take the opportunity.
The second period became a bit stop/start and scrappy as both sides tried to get something going. Kyle Ross produced probably the best skill of the period when he held off David Pyatt before unleashing a good shot towards goal.
Josh Maddock was then called for a bizarre unsportsmanlike penalty, with the Crimson-faced Farren getting very animated when gesturing Whitley’s Defenseman to the penalty box. Maybe it was the series of bizarre calls he made during the game that left him embarrassed and red-in-the-face, or perhaps the puck was travelling so quickly between the players his rotund waistline couldn’t keep up? Either way he looked ready to burst a blood vessel.
With the referee losing control of the game, tempers began to boil over as the teams left the ice for the second intermission. A full bench brawl was avoided, but both Alan ‘Rocket’ Yarrow [he of the fast skates and even faster fists] and Elliott Knell did receive penalties to begin the third period.
The officials decided to have the teams line up 4-on-4 rather than 5-on-5 despite the penalties being co-incidental. This wouldn’t normally have been an issue but Whitley then received a penalty for too many men on the ice which left them defending a 4-on-3 situation. Thankfully Richie Lawson was on hand and he pulled off another good save to go with the ones he made in Dumfries the night before. Lawson would later save another near-certain goal when Martin ‘Helmet’ Finkes wound up a huge slap shot.
In a game of limited clear-cut scoring opportunities it was perhaps difficult to pick out a man-of-the match. For me four players really stood out in this game. DJ Good who looked instrumental in trying to get the offense going all night, Adam Reynolds, who showed great versatility in switching back and forth between defense and forward mid-game, Harry Harley whose turn and shot from the point reminded me of a young Dale Howey and eventual winner Joe Stamp who looked solid all night and read the play well.
The voting system for the Man-of-the-Match does need to be looked at however, as every week the visiting goaltender ends up being named the winner. Don’t get me wrong, Brandon Stones is one of the best goalies in the league, but aside from his late save from Jamie Tinsley, where several Whitley players were queuing up to score, this wouldn’t go down as one of his better games. He was certainly at fault for the Warriors last two goals and while he did do something to lose the ‘Dodgy Keeper Label’ as the game wore on wasn’t his sides best player. That surely would have to go to Martin Finkes, who had a great game for his team and was a lot like Chris Arnone from Blackburn, in that he was trying to generate some offense from the blue-line and seemed to be covering every inch of the ice. Despite missing his bright red helmet, Finkes did have a pair of red gloves on, although it has to be said, not as red as Farren’s face.
It was a hard fought win for the Warriors, but the important thing was the two points, in what was another tough weekend. Sheffield proved they are not quite done yet either. With plenty of points still to play for and several teams around them stuttering at the wrong time of the season, they could yet make an appearance at the end-of-season playoffs, on their own ice.
Team Line-up
The Warriors started the game with the same top line as last week [Longstaff-Kippin-Holland], but with Callum Queenan returning it meant Lobby did have something of a selection headache, where to play the youngster? and who to leave out? Queenan would line up with Jamie Tinsley and the hard working Jordan Barnes. Callum Watson was on a very interesting line with DJ Good and Martin Crammond. That left Andre Payette to play at left wing alongside Kyle Ross and Scott Cooper. As the game wore on Lobby mixed up his lines with Shaun Kippin, DJ Good and Jamie Tinsley taking turns to Center Adam Reynolds and Jordan Barnes. Good and Tinsley both Centered a line with Scott Cooper and Kyle Ross too, while DJ also had a shift with Lobby and Callum Queenan. The Rocket was also available at Forward.
Harry Harley and Joe Stamp started the game as the top defensive pairing with Dan Pye and Josh Maddock also still partnered together. Adam Reynolds spent most of the game alongside Craig Johnson, who was back from injury, but also had shifts at forward. Liam Smedley started the game at forward before quickly switching back to the blue line while his main defensive partner Scott Cooper also took a lot of shifts at forward.
Richie Lawson once again had a very good weekend between the pipes, while Mark Turnbull was his back up, despite taking a knock late on in the game against Telford last week.
25 Longstaff – 11 Kippin – 14 Holland
27 Tinsley – 17 Barnes - 15 Queenan
18 Crammond – 9 DJ Good – 6 Watson
7 Payette – 13 Ross – 21 Cooper
22 Yarrow
24 Harley – 3 Stamp
38 Pye – 19 Maddock
5 Reynolds – 4 Johnson
8 Smedley – 21 Cooper
35 Lawson – 84 Turnbull
After returning from long term injury Ben Richards was rested having played the game in Dumfries a day earlier. Phil Pritchard was also rested as he is likely to be needed on the blue line in the coming weeks. Both Stu Tomlinson and Alex Lawson are out injured while Jordan Boyle sat this one out with Mark Turnbull getting the nod to back-up Lawson.
64 Richards, 23 Pritchard, 71 Tomlinson, 12 Lawson, 29 Boyle
Opposition View
Olli Barron, Stuart Brittle and Shaun Wild formed the top line for the Spartans. Brittle is the brother of Danny, Adam and Luke of Blackburn fame. Barron has been a mainstay of the various Sheffield sides for some time now and was captain. Scott Morris lined up with Nick Manning, who scored his side’s only goal, and Finlay Ellrick. The Third line saw Elliott Knell at Center with Will Barron, Andrew Turner and Michael Mawer taking turns alongside him. Martin Finkes lead the Defense alongside David Pyatt, while Stephen Weeks partnered Chris Wilcox. Daniel Mawer was also named. Brandon Stones started in goal for the Spartans with Andrew Bagshaw backing him up.
The Spartans were without a few players though, Tom Parkinson, Douglas Jordan, Thomas Barry, Ben Jones, Ross Jordan, Cole Shudra, Maros Stefanco and Liam Kirk, while Third choice goalie Matthew Croyle was omitted.
7 O. Barron – 24 Brittle – 19 Wild
14 Morris – 9 Manning – 11 Ellrick
6 W. Barron/29 M. Mawer – 16 Knell – 3 Turner
5 Pyatt – 15 Finkes
10 Weeks – 28 Wilcox
18 D. Mawer
20 Stones – 30 Bagshaw
Quotes
Joe Stamp: 'I think the first period wasn't the best hockey we've played this season, and could of played a hell of a lot better as a team. If we had of played better I think we could of put a few more goals between us and Sheffield.'
'Sheffield Spartans are a good team, so I was glad to get the first period out of the way and take a lead into the break.
I think we picked up the pace for the rest of the game and were unlucky not to get more goals during the remainder of the game. Overall it was a very good weekend for us, and I enjoyed both games.
Hopefully we can do it all over again this weekend.'
Other Results
A surprising second defeat in as many weekends for Blackburn as they lost at Solihull. Goalie Danny Brittle was chased from the game while enforcer Reece Cairney-Witter was about to engage in a scrap with his opposite number at the Barons, Perry Doyle. While Cairney-Witter dropped his gloves, Doyle refused to return the favour. Perhaps he is saving himself for Andre in the coming weeks?
Billingham lost an eleven goal thriller at home to Solway to dent their own playoff aspirations, however something tells me they will be back to their best when they visit Whitley next weekend.
Whitley’s other opponents next week, Sutton, warmed up nicely with two comfortable wins over the Senators. The Sting are a much better team than either their league position or results will have you believe, and will be difficult opponents. It is looking increasingly unlikely Sutton will make the post season this year but that doesn’t mean they will stop competing. I actually think they could play the role of spoilers now, with the pressure off them. They have proved that they are capable of matching anyone this season, they were seconds away from a famous victory over Blackburn back in December, while they have given Whitley two close games already this year.
Saturday, January 23
Sutton v Sheffield Senators 7-3
Blackburn v Billingham 10-0
Sheffield Spartans v Solihull 1-2
Sunday, January 24
Sheffield Senators v Sutton 2-7
Solihull v Blackburn 8-4
Billingham v Solway 4-7
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