The Tynesiders were left feeling frustrated on a night where nothing seemed to go their way, it meant they ended the league stage of the competition with back-to-back 8-2 defeats in the Steel City, following the result with the Don Valley Vikings back in June.
With one or two players unavailable for the game it meant coach Stu Davis had something of a selection headache prior to face off. He switched Derek Hodgkiss, fresh from his recent honeymoon in Jamaica, Jake Shanks and Curt Elgie back to the blue line to give him three defensive pairings and went with two forward lines.
Former Solway Sharks forward Anthony Charters started on a line with ex-Warriors import Peter Tomek and Stu Darby, while Coach Davis centered the second line with Ian Russell and Doug Penaluna. The defensive pairings began with Lee Gill partnering Elgie, Graeme Nelson and Mark Bone forming their usual formidable partnership and Hodgkiss lining up alongside Shanks.
The Predators actually had an embarrassment of riches in the goaltending department though with three of their registered shot stoppers making the trip down the A1. Michigan-born Ron Pierce got the start, with Canadian Brent Hope as back-up and Simon Barry on gate duty from the bench.
Although the overall outcome of the game counted for very little in the end given that all remaining sides in the competition will automatically qualify for the playoffs, a Newcastle win would have meant a home semi-final against the Ice Bears, rather than having to make the journey to Grimsby to play on their postage stamp-sized rink. Something Left Wing, Ian Russell was keen to point out as a reminder during the second intermission.
The Ice Tigers already knew their fate meant a ‘road game’ to face Don Valley so the pressure was off for them and they began the contest trying to disrupt the Predators free flowing game. Davis had called for his players not to match their hosts in a physical contest but to simply out-work them and out-compete them by sticking to playing hockey. Sheffield were having none of it though and were intent to drag the visitors down to their level with scrappy play and sneaky misdemeanours off the puck which went unpunished by the officials.
The opening period wasn’t even half-way complete when Doug The Thug Penaluna decided he’d had enough of the Ice Tigers shenanigans. After getting butt-ended by an opponent’s stick, he swiftly dropped the gloves and started feeding his assailant what people in Canada would call ‘the ole right to left’ leaving his victim in a heap on the ice. With Rec hockey a lot harsher in their treatment of fighting, Doug was ejected from the game and had to watch the remainder of it from the stands. The worry is he may now face a lengthy ban having already served a three game suspension earlier on in the competition.
The Ice Tigers scored early on in the opening period but the Predators had the game tied up before the session was complete. With Doug now out of the line-up, Curt Elgie switched back to his more natural position of forward and immediately started reaping the benefits. The former ENL Vipers player was at the heart of every attacking move the Predators made and was forcing the Sheffield defensemen to turn the puck over on their own blue line, leaving him with several one-on-one opportunities. However the Ice Tigers goalie played well between the pipes and thwarted Elgie each time.
The second period was where the game started to get away from the Predators. Their hosts, happy with the damage they had caused early on in the game decided it was now time to actually play hockey. Unfortunately, the Predators found it hard to re-gain their momentum of earlier and that saw their hosts take control of the game.
With an ice cut scheduled to take place between the second and third periods it gave the players a few minutes to re-group and it seemed to work. The Predators came out and gave a much better performance in the final session and even pulled a goal back to make it 4-2. Ron Pierce, also made a string of important saves in goal, which kept his side in the game and there was a feeling that there might just be a comeback. However, Sheffield were intent on disrupting their visitors at every opportunity. Anthony Charters was assessed a second 10 minute penalty and therefore game misconduct, after former Sheffield Steeler and GB international Alan Hague provoked him into an exchange, which eventually saw Charters wave his stick in a way Tim ‘Dr Hook’ McCraken of Slap Shot would have been proud of.
Frustration was starting to boil over as the officials refused to call penalties on the Ice Tigers. With just a few seconds left in the game, experienced defenseman Graeme Nelson also had enough and earned himself a slightly early shower when he reacted to an elbow to the head. The referee eventually did call a 2+10 penalty for elbowing but by then it was too late and three Predators players had now been sent to the dressing room for nothing more than retaliation.
By now the Ice Tigers had built up a score line which flattered them and was much to the delight of the drunk students who were sitting watching in the stands at 12:30am and hurling abuse at the Predators players.
All in all it was a very frustrating evening down in South Yorkshire and with the daunting prospect of having to travel to Humberside now for the semi-final, with suspensions potentially looming, the Predators will have to fight extra hard if they are to skate off with some silverware this season.
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