Tomahawks find Sharks a challenge

WHITLEY Tomahawks hosted Solway Sharks in a challenge match at Hillheads - the return fixture of a two-game series between the two sides.

The previous encounter was in Dumfries which Solway won 10-4 - and that result was repeated this time.

The Tomahawks went into the game without Jack Rook, Holly Johnson, Matthew Wood, Ben Fryer and Josh Hutton while Liam Rowell made the step-up from the Mohawks’ (under-13) squad.

Alex Nergaard, who finished as the Tomahawks’ second-leading points scorer with 27 goals and 11 assists, gave Whitley a fourthminute lead.

Liam Stenton levelled things up three minutes later, racing clear following an inch-perfect pass from his twin brother Lewis.

Liam Stenton gave the visitors the lead less than two minutes later - and it was his brother who made it 3-1 in the 10th minute.

The deficit was cut one minute later when Nergaard (pictured) nabbed his second goal of the game.

However, the two-goal cushion was restored five seconds from the end of the opening period when Liam Stenton registered his hat-trick marker.

It was Lewis Stenton’s turn to grab a treble when he notched twice in the space of seven seconds in the 20th minute.

His first came from a long pass from his twin and then straight from the face-off he raced clear to send Sharks 6-2 ahead.

After being penalised by having too many players on the ice, the Tomahawks conceeded - Aidan Nicol scoring on the powerplay for a 7-2 second-period advantage.

In the final period there were plenty of scoring opportunities for both sides but it was the home side’s Jack McCumiskey who reduced the deficit just 36 seconds into the period.

Within three minutes the Stentons scored a goal apiece to give Solway a 9-3 advantage.

Matthew Betham pulled a goal back in the 40th minute.

However, two minutes later Liam Stenton’s fifth goal of the match completed a victory with a similar scoreline to that in Dumfries in February.