NRHC - Durham Dragons vs Whitley Bay Islanders 1-8 - Saturday, May 18, 2019

The Whitley Bay Islanders were back to their devastating best on Sunday in their latest rivalry game with the Durham Dragons. The two sides met just three weeks earlier with them sharing the spoils in an eight-goal thriller, but this time there would be no let-up in what was a strong performance by the Islanders as they put down a marker for their title aspirations this season.

Within the first 30 seconds of the puck dropping, the Islanders, who were the designated away team for this game, showed their intent when Liam Telfer flew down the right wing and got a shot on target after line mate Bobby Bradley had set him away.

However, that early momentum seemed to be put on hold when Bradley was given a penalty for High Sticks seconds later, giving an early powerplay opportunity to the Dragons. The Islanders were able to kill that off well and as the penalty ended Bradley charged straight out of the box and collected a long stretch pass on the Durham blue line. He impressively got his shot away despite being held back by a Dragons defenseman but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Liam Telfer was awarded Man-of-the Match and it was no surprise really, given how prominent he was in this game. He wound up a shot from out on the left wing with just four minutes on the clock but for the time being the game remained scoreless. It wasn’t just Whitley, or Telfer, that had chances to open the scoring. Durham had several of their own but came up against a goalie in Antony Markham who was having one of his best games since he played for the Warriors. Ginge as he is known by his teammatesproduced a smart kick save on three separate occasions early on to keep his side in it. But at 11:15 of the first period the Islanders finally got their breakthrough. Ben Buckley finishing a pass from Liam Brown to give the visitors the lead.

Durham used that as a wakeup call and went looking for an equaliser immediately. A couple of minutes after falling behind, James Udell flashed wide straight from a face off after an icing call on the Islanders had them pegged back in their own zone.

Back came the Islanders with a couple of chances to double their lead before the break. Liam Brown snatched at a shot from out on the left wing, pulling it wide of the net, then a minute later a fast-paced breakout saw Richard Crowe send a great pass to Paul Johnson, but the latter couldn’t connect.

Having rode that particular storm, back came Durham as they started to turn up the pressure on the Islanders goal. However, they were starting to find Markham in near unbeatable form as the Whitley netminder managed to stop four shots in a little over 30 seconds of play. There was a great first stop from Brad Armitage, then he had to react quickly to twist whilst prone on the deck to stop Mark Foster who was hoping to crash home the rebound, then a third shot came in from Ian Greenwood as Durham were queuingup to put the puck home. A fourth shot from the point was then gloved by the Ginger Ninja between the pipes to restore his sides one goal advantage.

Durham were then given a great opportunity to tie the game when they found themselves on a 5-on-3 powerplay, but it was the Islanders who came closest to scoring with a shorthandedmarker when Bobby Bradley closed in on goal,but his shot was saved by Davies. Durham responded a few seconds later and did actually beat Markham but the puck hit the post and came back out. Moments later Ian Spraggon had a shot saved by Ginge twice in ten seconds as following his initial effort the puck cycled back round to him only to find himself stonewalled for a second time.

With the Islanders back to four skaters the pressure had eased slightly, but with 20 seconds of the second penalty left to kill, James Udellshot from distance on the left wing to tie the game.

The Islanders came straight back at the start of the second period and never gave the Dragons time to settle. Ben Buckley had his shot from right on the doorstep saved, before Liam Brown had an effort stopped 30 seconds later. 

Whitley didn’t have to wait long to re-take the lead though. At 22:48, Steven Stocks and Ross Tomlinson combined to set up Stephen Brown, whose shot from the left wing beat Davies to make it 2-1.

Durham would have to try to tie the game up again and nearly did so a couple of minutes later but another great save from Markham restored his side’s lead. It would be a crucial moment in the game as not long after that Liam Telfer swept home at the back post from the left wing after collecting a great pass from Bradley to make 3-1. And just 29 seconds later it would be four. Ross Trail collected a pass from Ben Buckley with his back to goal and somehow tipped it, over his own shoulder as he turned to deceive Davies in the Dragons net.

Towards the end of the middle session a rare Islanders powerplay saw Stu Tomlinson advance forward from the blue line, only to be hauled down by a Dragons defenseman. However, he was still able to play the puck while on the deck and swept home to make it 5-1. Davies was furious with the defending in front of him and you could sense the frustration starting to creep into the Dragons team by now. Indeed, it might very well have been 6-1 just a few seconds later when Telfer attempted to stab home at the back post but couldn’t direct his shot beyond Davies.

The third period started in much the same way as the previous one had ended and that was with the Islanders creating chance after chance. Bobby Bradley shot from the left-wing position forcing a good full length stop from Davies then just moments later the Islanders scored again. Liam Brown collected a pass from Craig Thompson straight from a faceoff and the speed of his snapshot beat Davies. The Islanders very nearly got a seventh seconds later and would have had it not been for another good save from Davies.

Durham still gave it a go though and with around twelve minutes left looked like they had created a chance to score. But as they entered the Islanders zone a great poke check by Stu Tomlinson cut the danger out immediately. 

With just over ten minutes to go the Islanders scored twice in twelve seconds. David Cowey got the first when he fired top shelf over Davies’ left shoulder for 7-1, then Ross Trail poked a loose puck underneath Davies, when played through 1-on-1 by Liam Telfer, whose pass split the Dragons defense to make it 8-1.

There would be no further goals for either team but that didn’t mean the Islanders would stop creating good chances. 

A rink-wide pass from the Islanders zone picked out Liam Brown on the left wing but he couldn’t apply the finish. He would receive a two-minutepenalty for roughing just seconds later and a ten minute misconduct which ended a frustrating game for him early. 

Durham might even have cut the arrears with a couple of minutes to go but Markham who was putting on a goaltending masterclass slid to his right to stop a shot from distance. After making the save he looked behind him just to check the puck hadn’t crept through his body and gone in.

With thirteen seconds left the Islanders were still creating chances. Bobby Bradley had a chance to score at the end, but the puck just got away from him before he could fire home.

Liam Telfer got a deserved Man-of-the Match along with Ian Spraggon for the Dragons. However, a special mention should be made to both goaltenders, Craig Davies faced and stopped a number of shots and without him playing to the level he did the scoreline would have been even larger. 

Antony Markham has always been a well-respected goalie, ever since he first wore the Maroon and Gold jersey of the Whitley Warriors, so a performance like that from him was nothing new. However, the sheer number of saves he made and the way he stopped them was extraordinary. It certainly brought back memories of the 1999 B&H Cup when he was named player of the month in the competition after staring against sides playing two levels above him. On this evidence Ginge could be playing for many more years to come.

Stu Tomlinson was another who deserves a mention playing alongside Kevin Bucas certainly seemed to give him confidence and he put in a great performance on the top defensive pairing.

A great performance from start to finish from the Islanders, and the scary thing about this for their opponents? Simon Leach was missing from the line-up. Imagine what this team will be like when he returns.

Islanders Lines

22 Wafer – 25 Bradley – 3 Telfer

13 Buckley – 88 Thompson – 44 L. Brown

23 S. Brown – 73 Cowey – 19 Johnson

71 S. Tomlinson – 36 Bucas

17 R. Tomlinson – 16 Stocks

55 Laidler – 32 Willis

NRHC - Whitley Bay Islanders v Durham Dragons 4-4 Sunday, April 28, 2019

Simon Leach put in a Man of the Match display on his Rec League debut to help the Whitley Bay Islanders collect their first point of the season, in front of a large crowd at Hillheads.

Leach, who spent most of his illustrious career in the British game with hometown team Whitley Warriors, put on a passing master class in what was his first Whitley v Durham game since the now defunct Durham Wasps last played the Warriors in 1996.

Games between the Islanders and Dragons are often tight affairs and this one was no different with the Islanders looking fired up from the first puck drop. In fact, they would draw first blood just 18 seconds in when Liam Telfer beat Craig Davies in the Durham goal on the blocker side to make it 1-0.

Any thoughts that the Islanders were going to stroll off into the distance were quickly quashed when Durham tied it up a little over a minute later. Kieran Atkinson crashing the net and bundling home the equaliser after Drew Forester made the initial save from Ian Greenwood but couldn’t hold the rebound.

With Leach shaking off any rust that might have been lingering following a few years out of the game due to injury and operations, he showed just how fast his hockey brain was still working. With the Islanders on the Penalty Kill, Leach was sharp enough to pounce on a loose puck, collecting and unleashing a fierce drive all in one action. What was most impressive was the way he read the play, knowing the puck was going to become loose and then his reaction to get to it before anybody else. His brain was two seconds ahead of anybody else. He then had a second opportunity moments later but was foiled by Davies on both occasions.

Durham then took their first lead of the game at 17:14 when Atkinson found Brad Armitage whose initial shot was saved by Forester, but Latvian Winger Sergejvs Kvasys was on hand to fire home the rebound to make it 2-1 Durham.

However, just like the Dragons did at the start of the period, the Islanders tied things up less than two minutes later. Paul ‘Chief’ Willis firing home a rocket of a shot following good build up play from Ben Buckley and Telfer, to level the scores at 2-2.

The opening period was full of action with two goals for each side and both teams also taking the lead. The second period would follow the same pattern.

Durham retook the lead at 23:31 through John Shreeve to make it 2-3 and at this stage the Dragons looked to be the side in the ascendency. They seemed to have an answer for everything the Islanders threw at them including a great double save by Davies. The Dragons goalie made an impressive save initially then had to twist and contort himself to stop the follow up shot. The Islanders looked in disbelief when the near certain goal hadn’t gone in.

Having just passed the mid-point of the game, Whitley Bay still had plenty of time to tie things up, but in a contest as tight as this you must take your opportunities when they come. But cometh the hour, cometh the man and that was the cue for Leach to take control of the game.

His link up play with Craig Thompson and Liam Brown was starting to come together nicely, and in a play making role out on the Left Wing he was connecting with some impressive rink wide passes to the latter. However, at 31:40 it would be Brown who would return the favour to his more experienced line mate.

Kevin Bucas picked out Brown, who in turn spotted Leach open on the Left Wing. Brown slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Leach’s path for him to wind up and one-time a perfect shot into the far corner of the net to tie the game at 3-3 and giving Davies no chance at stopping that one.

The Islanders now seemed to raise their game; Leach’s goal was the perfect confidence boost they needed, and that was evident at 36:51 when they took their second lead of the game. Richard Crowe received a pass from Ross Trail at the back post and he simply had to walk it in as Davies was beaten all ends up, to make it 4-3.

But in a game that was ebbing and flowing from one side to the next it really should have come as no surprise when Durham tied things up again before the end of the second period. Both sides were reduced to four skaters with coincidental minors [Ben Buckley for high-sticking and Sean Croft for a Cross-check] at 38:05.

Moments later the Islanders get another penalty this time Stephen Laidler goes off for hooking, giving the Dragons a 4-on-3 Powerplay. Straight from the ensuing faceoff Greenwood wins the draw and gets it back to Ian Spraggon who in turn finds Armitage, who fired home top shelf from the point to make it 4-4. The extra penalties Whitley Bay had accrued, finally taking their toll after four straight Penalty Kills.

No further goals arrived in the final period and indeed things seemed to calm down somewhat. The Islanders didn’t take any further penalties either, but there was still a considerable pace to the game. The final twenty minutes getting completed much sooner than either of the first two sessions. The closest either side came to winning it, was at 58:59 when Leach went agonisingly close but for another excellent stop by Davies.

So, spoils shared in the first derby of the season, and both sides are due to meet again in 3 weeks’ time. With the Newcastle Predators and Cleveland Comets in the North Conference (along with Kingston Cobras), the local rivalries will be coming thick and fast this season.

Notes

An impressively large crowd was in attendance at Whitley Bay Ice Rink for the game. Whilst no numbers were announced it was visibly clear that there were more fans there than many NIHL teams get.

This was the first time the Islanders and Dragons have met in a competitive fixture since the Summer Cup Playoffs at iceSheffield in August 2017.

With the demise of the Summer Cup Competition both sides found it hard to play games on a regular basis throughout 2018. However, that didn’t stop Durham from cleaning up throughout various tournaments last year [Dumfries & Kingston].

The Islanders did compete in the Sheffield Rec Fest and won that last season, but it was very much a quiet year for a side that won all before them in 2017.

With this season’s Northern Rec Cup expanding to Ten teams that has allowed both the Islanders and Dragons to continue their rivalry and enjoy regular competitive action. There are some familiar faces too. Both sides used to compete in the old Summer Cup competition alongside Cleveland Comets and Kingston Cobras.

This was officially the Islanders second Cup game this campaign. However, their 10-2 reverse at Grimsby has now been expunged following the Lightning’s announcement that they had to withdraw from the competition. That is a great shame for a side that won the regular season competition last year before bowing out in the playoff semi-finals to Don Valley Vikings. Cleveland Comets were subsequently announced as the eleventh-hour replacements, meaning the Islanders’ heavy loss on Humberside has been erased and they go again with a fresh start.

This was the first game to ‘count’ in the North Conference of The HockeyJam.co.ukNorthern Rec Hockey Cup but in the South Conference Seven games have already been played and it’s starting to take shape.

Last seasons champions Peterborough Dynamo have completed their home schedule with a 3-1 record, with wins over Don Valley, Shropshire and Altrincham Jets. They have lost home and away to Sheffield Ice Tigers who find themselves unbeaten at the top of the standings having won three games overall. Shropshire Huskies who were only formed at the end of last year are the only other side to have claimed a win this season, beating Altrincham 10-3. While last season’s beaten playoff finalists Don Valley Vikings haven’t played since their heavy defeat to Peterborough back in January.