Boys from the Bay battling on

WHITLEY BAY, UK – There are few clubs remaining in the UK with as much history as the Whitley Warriors. Founded in 1955 the Tyneside based outfit have been a major force in British ice hockey over the years and have included the likes of current Detroit Redwings coach Mike Babcock on their past rosters. Much like their Scottish colleagues in the Northern league the Warriors have been geographically ostracised from progressing through the current British hockey set up. Currently competing in ENL North and also the Northern League, the Geordies have started the season strongly with some key wins on the road. Former Durham junior and now longstanding Warrior Andrew Tindale is approaching his tenth year at Hillheads, and the winger acknowledges that the mothballing of fierce North East rivals Billingham Bombers has given the team an unexpected boost: “Yeah I think they have definitely given us a boost.  I think most of us have played against Spike (Paul Windridge), Dowdy (Garry Dowd), and Flav (James Flavell) a good few times over the years and the first two have both played here already with some of the older lads in the team so I think everyone knew what to expect” “Flav has taken over the starting position in nets after Thomas Murdy signed for Coventry Blaze, Dowdy has already settled in with some bone crunching hits on the blue line and Spike is a proven goal scorer and great playmaker. As well as that we have signed Adam Reynolds from Peterborough and Karl Culley out of retirement who have added some great scoring depth which I think we missed a little last year down the stretch”.   The Warriors form on the road has been a concern in recent years and with the junior systems of Nottingham and Sheffield continuing to produce top class players, Tindale is delighted with the wins over both clubs in their own barns:   “I think for the last few years Sheffield and Nottingham have been our main rivals in the ENL north.  Nottingham seem to have lost a few players to the higher leagues, but are still very competitive and Sheffield have a similar squad to the one that did so well last year, so we have started well with wins against these teams. Our coaching staff (Simon Leach, Kevin Dean, and Adam Hendry) have recognised our weaknesses from last year and gone out and signed guys that can fill these positions”. With the ENL title a real possibility this year, many would expect the Northern league to be a distraction. Long road trips up to Dundee and Fife in Scotland are bound to take their toll on any squad, but Tindale insists that the extra competition is valuable: “I don’t think it distracts any of the guys. It’s a great set up here and it’s the reason why players like me come back year after year. The games against the Scottish sides are much tighter than the majority we play in the ENL. Most of the other sides go with a couple of good quality imports and the games are generally more physical than those in the ENL. We started off this season with a great penalty shoot out win away to Fife Flyers but slipped a little with a 6-0 loss away against Solway and a 2-1 loss at home to Dundee Stars so we really need to get back to winning ways in that league”. Despite his appreciation of the standard of the Northern league, Tindale is keen to point out that the ENL has plenty of its own prospects:   “There are lots of great players in the league, Jared Owen from Telford, Richie Oliver from Sheffield, and Andrew Wile from Kingston. I think a few in our side will be up in the top ten scorers towards the end of the season. Karl Culley, Adam Reynolds, Paul Windridge, and Nathen Taylor all have a good chance of that”.   “In terms of juniors, there are always good players coming through. At Whitley, Callum Watson and Nathen Ryder are both doing great, seeing a lot of ice time at the minute with all the injuries and are putting up good numbers. Sheffield and Nottingham always have great junior players coming through too. I think over the years most of the good youngsters in the North have gone onto play in the EPL or Elite, so it’s a great league for progression. Last year we had three (Thomas Murdy, Nathen Salem and Jack Watkins) who all went straight into Elite league line ups this year so that just shows the quality in the youngsters up here”. As for the famous Hillheads crowd, it seems that despite a lack of progression the team are still getting decent numbers through the door: “We have a great fan base at home with between 500 and 1000 coming to watch week in, week out. We also have a loyal hard core following of fans that follow us on the road and usually make more noise than the home supporters. They are a real credit to the club and it’s great to play in front of them every week” With the closure of Durham, Billingham and Sunderland ice rinks and therefore the disappearance of the Wasps, Bombers and Chiefs, the Whitley Warriors are the last remaining remnant of a golden age that made the North East one of the biggest forces in UK hockey. Stubborn and proud the Warriors fight on and the hockey community of the North East hope that fight continues for a long time yet. Thanks for reading and stay safe. Carrsy Contact the author david.carr@prohockeynews.com