Greyhounds kept firmly on the leash
WHITLEY Tomahawks defeated Sheffield Greyhounds 4-2 in an English Under-15 North Division Two encounter at Ice Sheffield.
The Tomahawks travelled without the suspended Matthew Wood for what was the first meeting between the teams this season.
The sides in this division meet only once home and once away while in the remaining age group divisions it is twice home and away.
The Greyhounds went ahead against the run of the play after five minutes through George Higginbottom.
The visitors, however, were not long in getting back on to level terms when Owen Curry equalised five minutes later with his fourth goal of the season.
Greyhounds’ netminder Evan Byron-Bates was in fine form to deny the Tomahawks the lead before the first period had ended.
The second period brought no goals as Bobby Campbell in the Whitley net saw very little of the puck, while Byron-Evans made more saves.
The only penalty called in the game was on Sheffield and that did not come until the 32nd minute.
The Tomahawks made their hosts pay as Jack Wilkinson got his stick on the end of a Thomas Fraser shot to put the visitors ahead at 33.51 - his third goal of the season.
It was not too long before the lead was increased when Fraser got in on the scoring act at 37.07.
Five minutes later he was on target again for his 22nd goal of the season for the Tomahawks to increase the advantage to 4-1.
The scoring was completed in the final minute when Sheffield nabbed a second goal through Liam Watson.
The teams will meet again at Hillheads in the return fixture on Sunday, April 1.
Weather problems caused both of Whitley Bay’s youth ice hockey matches to be cancelled.
The Warriors unable to travel to Telford on Sunday for the second leg of their English National Ice Hockey League play-off quarter final.
Sheffield Scimitars did not travel to Hillheads to face Whitley Renegades in the English Under20 League and neither did Sutton Sting for their English Under-13 North Division Two encounter against Whitley Mohawks.