Written by club volunteer, Leon Higgins.
Metros suffer defeat as title race goes to final round.
Manchester Metros 3-4 Northumbria Kings
It was a frustrating Friday night for the Metros as the quest for the Checking Division 2 North title goes onto the final set of games.
The Metros knew before the game that victory would have been enough to win the league title but faced a Northumbria team have came off 2 good victories.
Artem Pavlov got the Kings off to the best possible start after 3 minutes with Luke Pambrun assisting. With just over a minute left on the clock of the 1st first period, the Metros were on the board with link up play from Dominik Weaver and Mark Wolstenholme, which was finished off by Oliver Massey.
The Metros got off to a quick start in the 2nd period with Anrich Landman firing in to put the Metros ahead for the first time in the game with the assists coming from James Ashton and Rocky Bhala.
Heading into the 3rd and final quarter the Metros looked like they were heading towards the league title until Will Ellington got the Kings level 2 minutes into the quarter with neat build up play from Adam Toulson and Artem Pavlov. A Power Play 8 minutes later caused disaster for the Metros with Artem Pavlov getting his second goal of the game, Rhodri Gibbon the assister, which was followed 2 minutes later by Daniel Caple getting Northumbria’s 4th with Artem Pavlov once again getting another goal involvement. Going into the last 6 minutes the Metros switched to a all attacking lineup to find a way to get back into the game and eventually did in the 58th minute with Anrich Landman getting his second of the match assisted by Jake Frost and Chris Kelly-Wong.
Ultimately that turned out to be a consolation goal as the Kings hung on to win 4-3 in a enthralling game of Ice Hockey and to send the travelling fans back to the North East with a chance of a league title. The title remains in the Metro’s hands though knowing that a win against Sheffield Bears B and Northumbria failing to beat the Glasgow Stags by a margin that would have to beat the Metros goal difference with the Metro’s goal difference currently at +39 compared to the Kings +6.
The Metros player of the match was awarded to Dominik Weaver with his 1 assist and strong defensive play while Northumbria’s MVP went to Artem Pavlov for his match winning 2 goals and 2 assists.
Next up for the Metros is Sheffield Bears B in a title deciding game at Planet Ice Altrincham on Friday the 7th March before the historic Battle Of Oxford Road match between the University of Manchester and the Manchester Metropolitan University at Planet Ice Altrincham where over 100 tickets have already been sold.
Manchester Metros Scoresheet:
Anrich Landman - 4 Points (2 Goals)
Oliver Massey - 1 Point (1 Goal)
Chris Kelly Wong - 1 Point (1 Assist)
James Ashton - 1 Point (1 Assist)
Rocky Bhala - 1 Point (1 Assist)
Dominik Weaver - 1 Point (1 Assist)
Mark Wolstenholme - 1 Point (1 Assist)
Jake Frost - 1 Point (1 Assist)
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