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.
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