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Seahawks Rampant Result Against the Steeldogs Maintains Pressure at the top of the Standings

Hull Reckitt Seahawks v Sheffield Steeldogs – 19/10/24

It was another weekend of mixed fortunes for the Hull Reckitt Seahawks, as a dominant display against the Sheffield Steeldogs, on Saturday, resulted in an 8-2 victory over the side from South Yorkshire, but was quickly followed by a 7-5 defeat away in Shropshire to the Telford Tigers.

The Seahawks had key absences from the roster, due to the suspension of Dave Phillips and Emil Svec (on Saturday) and Phillips and Johnny Corneil (on Sunday).

Absences even extended to the coaching staff, with Head Coach, Matty Davies, recovering from knee surgery, which meant the team was under the guidance of Bench Coach, Chris Wilcox for the weekend’s matches.

With Davies watching on from home, the Seahawks laid down another early season marker against title rivals which will have had the gaffer beaming with pride as they expertly dismantled the Steeldogs.

The first period started with a two-minute bench penalty for Sheffield for too many players on the ice.

With the clock running down on the powerplay, the Seahawks made their move as Canadian forward, Owen Sobchak, added to his early season points tally with another goal, assisted by Corneil and Jason Hewitt.

However, moments later, the Steeldogs had drawn level through Nathan Ripley, assisted by Elmeri Hallfors and Samuel Cooper, to take the game into the first period intermission at one-a-piece.

The Seahawks, particularly at home, have shown a tendency to grow into matches so far this season and this game followed that familiar pattern.

A second period blitz, that saw three unanswered goals scored, meant Hull raced into a 4-1 lead.

The first of the three goals came at 22:13, with Owen Bruton completing a brilliant attacking play, assisted by James Spurr and Lee Haywood.

This seemed to momentarily wake the Steeldogs as they rallied to try and tie the game back up, but they couldn’t find a way past Jordan McLaughlin in the Hull net, with the Scottish stopper making not one, but two outstanding pad saves, in quick succession, at the back post to maintain the Seahawks’ advantage.

Eight minutes later, Joshua Hodgkinson, signed earlier in the week as defensive cover, scored the Seahawks’ third, assisted by Sobchak and Kohen Taylor, and the fourth was then added, on the powerplay, at 36:36, with Bruton netting his second of the night, assisted by Sobchak and Tom Stubley.

The third period would only get worse for the Steeldogs. Just two minutes into the final period, Spurr got on the scoresheet with a tap in and a minute later Corneil did the same to extend the Seahawks lead to 6-1.

A dismal night for Sheffield continued at 48:38 when Stubley added to his assist for the evening with a goal of his own, after great play from Hewitt and Bobby Chamberlain.

At 56:09, a penalty was called against Seahawks’ forward, Corneil, for a check to the head to put the Steeldogs on the powerplay.

As they went in search of a way back, Declan Jones countered and netted Hull’s eighth of the night, shorthanded.

A consolation goal did come for the Steeldogs, on 58:37, scored by Samuel Tremblay and assisted by Hallfors, but it was a case of too little, too late.

“We looked good for the win tonight. We played the right way right until the end,” said Wilcox.

“I thought we were a little bit lacklustre in the first period, but we really grew into the match.

“Defensively, we were brilliant. We will win more games than we’ll lose this season when conceding so few goals.”

Wilcox was full of praise for the team as he regularly switched the lines to ‘spread the minutes’.

“Owen (Bruton) always does the right things at the right time and doesn’t look out of place leading the line. Haywood and Stubley played well together. They understand each other’s game and complement each other.

“It is a brilliant result tonight, but it is done, and we now need to look ahead to the Tigers game tomorrow. We want to make it difficult for them and really hound them from the start.

“We know that if we play well, good things will come.”

Unfortunately, as far as descriptions go, those words couldn’t be further away from what was to come on Sunday, as the Tigers took a three-nil, first-period lead with goals from Zachary Yokoyama, Vladimir Luka and Scott McKenzie.

The second period was the start of the Seahawks come back as they closed the deficit to one thanks to a quick-fire double from Lee Bonner and Owen Sobchak, but Telford would score a fourth to take a 4-2 lead into the final period, after Finley Howells found the net.

The Seahawks made a game of it, with a powerplay goal from Bobby Chamberlain and a finish from Lee Haywood sandwiched around Howells’ second of the night for the Tigers.

With the match finely balanced, the Tigers restored a two-goal cushion thanks to Adam Harding.

But a grandstand finish was made possible thanks to Chamberlain scoring on the powerplay while the Tigers’ Joseph Aston sat a two-minute hooking penalty.

With one minute left in the game, the Seahawks pulled Dimitri Zimozdra for the extra skater, but Telford would work the puck free and score on the empty net to complete the 7-5 win.

Next up for the Seahawks is a cup and league double header against the Berkshire Bees this weekend.

By Mark Bateman