Stars entertain Hawks in Play Off Final

2013-05-02 14:19:19
The final 2 games of the NIHL North Division 1 2012/13 campaign will be played over the weekend of the 4th/5th May when Warriors local rivals the Billingham Stars who finished runners up in the league standings take on the Blackburn Hawks in a 2 legged Play Off final match up. Billingham claimed their place in the final as the Stars beat the Sutton Sting 7-5 on aggregate in their protracted semi final series. Billingham initially looked to have been thrown out of the play offs for failing to agree to suitable dates with Ian Johnson’s Sting organisation however common sense prevailed in the end and the 2 sides were able to play the contests over the last 2 weekends. Stars won both games  by a single goal claiming a victory in Sheffield by 2 goals to 1 before triumphing on home ice by 5 goals to 4 to the delight of the Billingham fans who packed the Forum out for that crucial match up. The other semi final match saw the league champions and cup winners the Solway Sharks taking on 4th placed Blackburn Hawks. Many fans throughout the league felt Sharks who had only been beaten once all season long would easily be able to get the better of Hawks over 120 minutes of hockey. The first leg went to plan for Solway as they claimed a fairly comfortbale 5-3 victory in Dumfries. However Blackburn sprang the shock of season in the 2nd leg as Hawks picked up a superb 6-1 victory over Solway which saw the Lancashire side take the semi final by 9 goals to 6 setting up a repeat of last years finale in the NIHL North 1 when Billingham Stars also faced the Blackburn Hawks  in the end of season play off final. Any Warrior fans who would like one last fix of hockey this term can see Stars in action away from home at Blackburn on Saturday the 4th May face off 5.45pm before the 2 sides face each other once more the following evening at 6.30pm at the Billingham Forum on Teesside. By Chris Mackenzie

Sharks get the better of Warriors

2013-03-25 13:09:31
Whitley Warriors played their final game of the 2012/3 campaign last weekend when they took on the NIHL North Division 1 Champions the Solway Sharks on Saturday night in a very snowy Dumfries. Whitley were without a number of senior players for this fixture as defencemen Simon Hehir, Garry Dowd and Josh Maddock were all out of action due to injury while forwards Callum Watson, Callum Pattison and Mark Good were unavailable. Solway started the game brightly and Sharks opened the scoring with less than 2 minutes played when Ross Murray fired past Warriors young netminder Joe Harley. Solway continued to create plenty of opportunities and Murray once again got the better of Harley after 12 minutes of play after some precise build up play from John Connolly. Warriors showed their own offensive quality at the beginning of the 2nd period as skipper DJ Good fired just over the bar while youngster Ben Richards hit the post. However it was the home side who managed to net the games next goal when the diminutive Bob Chalmers fired home from close range. Solway extended their advantage to 4-0 towards the end of the 2nd session of play when Stuart Tonnar found the back of the net after some nice work from both Mark Gallagher and Craig Mitchell. Sharks made it 5-0 after 42 minutes of play when Stevie Adams netted unassisted. Solway decided to give their back up netminder Kieran Hobbins some game time late on as the youngster replaced Sharks 1st choice goalie Gary Russell for the final 12 and a half minutes of action. Warriors had a late 5 on 3 powerplay opportunity when Solway picked up 2 minor penalties after 58 minutes of play allowing Whitley a chance to grab a late consolation goal. Solway struggled to contain Warriors offensive efforts and just as it appeared Whitley were going to get on the scoresheet a Sharks defenceman dislodged the net to prevent a goal. This resulted in Whitley being awarded a penalty shot which was taken by Harry Harley however the youngster was thwarted by Hobbins in the Solway net. Sharks Ross Murray was named Man of the Match for Solway while DJ Good was selected as Warriors top player on the night. Warriors coach Dave Holland gave his views on the game “Solway are a very strong team and we came here with a weakened side. We were missing a lot of guys who could have made a difference today. “We came up here and we put in a good performance. We closed them down well and limited their chances. “Just a few weeks ago, we were battling to not be involved in the relegation play offs so to finish mid table is a great achievement for the club and a very respectable position to be in.”Supporters are reminded that the end of season presentation night which includes a disco and a buffet takes place on Friday 5th April in the Seahorse Pub, tickets are priced at £5 and it would be great to see as many supporters as possible at the event. Whitley’s 2013/14 season will get underway in early September. By Chris Mackenzie 

Watson nets a hat-trick as Whitley smash Titans

2013-03-18 08:38:26
Whitley took on the Telford Titans in Warriors last home game of the 2012/13 on Sunday evening. Whitley’s squad was missing several experienced performers as senior goaltenders Richie Lawson and Liam McAllister were both unavailable while the Warriors were also without their experienced defensive duo of Simon Hehir and Garry Dowd who were both ruled out due to injury. These absentees meant that Joe Harley started the game in goal for Whitley with youngster Jordan Boyle backing him up. In defence Tommy Ralph, Nathan Ryder, Phil Pritchard and Callum Clark all spent much time on the blue line against Titans while teenager Daniel Anderson was given a few defensive shifts to ease the workload on the other d men. Up front Warriors were able to play with 3 forward lines, Whitley’s main offensive unit was Callum Watson, DJ Good and Jamie Tinsley. Both sides ran into penalty trouble early on as Warriors picked up minor penalties for hooking and high sticking against Anthony Price and Phil Pritchard while the Titans were also penalised for hooking which led to a stop start opening period of action. Whitley got their offensive game going towards the end of the opening session of play though as Harry Harley broke the deadlock with 15 minutes on the clock. Warriors lifted their game in the 2nd period as Telford’s small roster (11 players including their netminder) tired, Whitley netted 4 goals in the middle session of play with Callum Watson, Callum Pattison and Jamie Tinsley (2) all getting on the scoresheet. Despite conceding 5 goals in the opening 40 minutes of play Titans netminder Ben Hunt made several top class saves which prevented Warriors from holding a larger advantage after 2 periods of hockey. Just 36 seconds into the final period Callum Watson fired home after some nice work from blue liner Callum Clark to make it 6-0 to Whitley. Warriors continued to create opportunities and Mark Good fired home unassisted 5 minutes later before Callum Watson grabbed his third of the evening when he lit the lamp after some pleasing build up play from Whitley skipper DJ Good. Despite being short benched and 8 goals behind Telford kept going and the Titans were rewarded for their efforts when youngster Joshua Hustwick scored for the Shropshire side with under 90 seconds of the game remaining denying Whitley goaltender Joe Harley the first shut out of his senior career. Whitley Man of the Match went to power forward Callum Pattison while Telford’s Mark Asson was selected as his side’s best player on the night.Whitley Points- Callum Watson 3+1, Jamie Tinsley 2+0, Mark Good, Harry Harley and Callum Pattison 1+0, DJ Good 0+3, Nathan Ryder 0+2, Phil Pritchard, Callum Clark, Anthony Price, Tommy Ralph and Jordan Barnes 0+1Period Scores – 1st (1-0) 2nd (4-0) 3rd (3-1)Penalty Minutes – 1st (4,2) 2nd (0,0) 3rd (0,0)Referee – Steve Brown Linesmen – Hunter and WardellWarriors coach Dave Holland shared his thoughts on the game “I’m pleased with the performance, we played well against Titans.“Nathan Ryder had a good game, we asked him to go back into defence and he did a good job for the team. Jamie Tinsley played well too, a lot of our players did well tonight. “It was a good way to end our season with a good victory at home, we’ve endured some tough times this campaign but we are improving as a side.”Warriors final game in the NIHL North Division 1 campaign is next Saturday evening (7pm face off) when Whitley travel north of the border to take on the Champions the Solway Sharks in what should be a tremendous match up as Sharks look to maintain their impressive form ahead of the Championship play offs while Whitley will be aiming to end their campaign on a high note. Warriors supporters are reminded that the clubs end of season presentation night takes place on Friday April 5th at the Seahorse pub, with tickets priced at £5. All playing and coaching staff will be present and it would great to see as many fans as possible at the event. By Chris Mackenzie

Warriors lose out to Sutton

2013-03-11 10:47:26
Whitley Warriors were only in action on one occasion last weekend when they took on the Sutton Sting in a NIHL North Division 1 match up at Hillheads on Sunday evening. Warriors went into the contest with a strong squad though they without  Simon Hehir, Martin Crammond and Josh Maddock who were all out of action due to either illness or injury. Netminder Liam McAllister was also missing from the roster as he was unavailable. Senior goaltender Richie Lawson started the game in nets for Warriors while DJ Good, Callum Watson and Jamie Tinsley were on Whitley’s principle forward unit. Player/Coach Garry Dowd and the versatile Christian Johnson were Warriors top defensive duo against Sting. The match got off to a superb start for Warriors as Jamie Tinsley netted the game’s opening goal after only 2 minutes of play after some neat build up play from Mark Good and d man Christian Johnson. Sting were creating plenty of chances though and Shaun Ashton levelled the game up with 11 minutes on the clock. Sutton went on to take the lead shortly before the 1st intermission when youngster Craig Thurston fired home after being set up by the veteran Simon Butterworth. In the middle session of play 5 minor penalties were called, Warriors picking up penalties for kneeing and tripping (against Christian Johnson and Tommy Ralph) while Sting were penalised for interference, hooking and having too many men on the ice which led to numerous powerplay opportunities however neither side was able to light the lamp. Warriors were forced into a personnel change just after the half hour mark when goaltender Richie Lawson left the ice after picking up a leg injury. Young netminder Joe Harley replaced Lawson in the Warriors goal and the youngster was quickly called into action as he made a number of fine stops moments after taking to the ice.Whitley went into the 3rd period of the contest with everything to play for as the match was intriguingly poised at 2-1 to the visitors. With the game so tight Warriors made the decision to drop down from 4 to 3 forward lines. Sutton quickly extended their lead though as Simon Butterworth netted his 8th goal of the campaign for Sting just 2 minutes into the final session of play. Shortly afterwards Whitley’s Nathan Ryder picked up a minor penalty for tripping and on the resulting powerplay opportunity Sutton’s prolific forward Chris Sykes fired home. Warriors continued to create plenty of openings however Sutton goalie Dmitri Zimzodra was in scintillating form as he made several top class saves which ensured his side left Tyneside with the 2 points on offer thanks to their 4-1 victory. Whitley’s Man of the Match award went to Jamie Tinsley while Sutton’s Shaun Ashton was selected as the visitor’s best player. Warriors Points – Jamie Tinsley 1+0, Mark Good and Christian Johnson 0+1Period Scores – 1st (1-2) 2nd (0-0) 3rd (0-2)Penalty Minutes – 1st (2,0) 2nd (4,6) 3rd (6,0)Referee – Steve Brown Linesmen – Smith and HunterWarriors coach Dave Holland gave his views on the match up “A disappointing result but a good performance, we dominated that game in spells and took the game to them. “We started the game well however our level then dropped a bit but then we got the intensity going once more. “Their goalie was great today and you can’t take that away from them.“Martin Crammond was a miss tonight as the line of him, Harry Harley and Mark Good normally works well but unfortunately he was unavailable as he wasn’t well.”Warriors will be hoping to get a positive result next weekend when the Telford Titans visit Hillheads  for Whitley’s final home fixture of the 2012/13 campaign(face off 5pm). This will be the Titans first visit to Tyneside this season as Telford were unable to travel to Whitley Bay back in October due to transportation problems. By Chris Mackenzie

Stars get the better of Warriors in Tyne Tees derby

2013-03-04 10:10:37
Warriors were in action just the once over the weekend when Whitley took on their local rivals the Billingham Stars in the final Tyne Tees derby of the 2012/13 campaign at Hillheads. Warriors went into the game full of confidence as they had won their last 4 games on home ice. Whitley were able to ice an extremely strong roster as senior netminder Richie Lawson was available to play in goal while the only significant absentee of the remainder of Warriors squad was the experienced blue liner Simon Hehir who is unfortunately out for the remainder of the season due to a serious leg injury he suffered in last Sunday’s victory over the Sheffield Spartans. Such a healthy roster allowed Warriors coach Dave Holland to ice 4 forward lines and 3 defensive pairings with DJ Good, Jamie Tinsley and Callum Watson making up Whitley’s top offensive unit while Garry Dowd and Christian Johnson began the match in defence. The game got off to a pulsating start as both sides traded chances in the opening minutes of the contest. Minor penalties were called on both teams but neither side could capitalise when they held the man advantage. Stars got the opening goal of the game on 14 minutes though when ex Warrior Paul Windridge fired home to send the travelling Stars fans into raptures. Warriors continued to battle away in the 2nd session of play however Billingham netminder Mark Watson was in great form and the young goalie pulled off some superb stops to maintain his side’s lead. Whitley’s Phil Pritchard picked up a minor penalty for holding after 28 minutes and Billingham took full advantage as James Moss fired home a powerplay goal. Warriors continued to run into penalty trouble and when Callum Pattison received 2 minutes in the sin bin for interference Stars netted their 2nd powerplay goal of the evening through Michael Bowman. Billingham continued to create offense and the Stars made it 4-0 just before the end of the middle period when Callum Davies lit the lamp after some nice work from his linemate Michael Elder. Whitley changed things round a little in the 3rd period with some line alterations, Warriors switched to 3 forward lines (from 4) with Anthony Price stepping up to centre the 3rd forward unit. Warriors skipper DJ Good netted a consolation goal for the home side after 52 minutes when he found the back of the net at the far post after a dangerous centre from winger Callum Watson. Both sides continued to create opportunities in the latter stages of the game however neither side managed to trouble the scorers which saw Billingham record a 4-1 victory. Warriors combative defenceman Ali Brummit was selected as Whitley’s best player on the night for a commited display while Stars Australian import forward David Manning was chosen as Billingham’s top performer on the evening. Warriors Points – DJ Good 1+0, Callum Watson 0+1Period Scores – 1st (0,1) 2nd (0,3), 3rd (1,0)Penalty Minutes – 1st (2,2) 2nd (6,0) 3rd (2,0)Whitley coach Dave Holland spoke about how he saw the game“It’s a very disappointing result, we did put the effort in but if we get beat on the 1 on 1’s like we did they are going to take the game. “I thought Richie Lawson made some good stops, he faced 65 shots! He shouldn’t be facing that number of shots, we should be cutting that down. “Simon Hehir was a massive miss tonight, he’s a good solid d man you know what you’re going to get from him and you know what he’s going to produce and that’s all you want from a player.”Warriors will be hoping to get back to winning ways next weekend when they take on the Sutton Sting at home this coming Sunday evening (5pm face off) in what should be an end to end affair between 2 of the in form teams in NIHL North Division 1 at this moment in time. By Chris Mackenzie