Smetham Brothers Combine For Nine Points As Pitbulls Defeat The Sharks 6-2

By Jake Clements

The Pitbulls scored 5 unanswered second-period goals to secure a home opener victory over the Solway Sharks.

Having fallen behind early courtesy of a Dylan Stewart goal, the home side rallied off four goals in four second-period minutes to blow the Sharks out of the metaphorical water.

Rhys Smetham and brother Owen scored three of the four goals, with the former turning provider for Max Wigfield’s first goal for the club.

Rhys added a fifth late in the second before the Pitbulls were pegged back inside the opening 2 minutes of the third period.

The home side weathered the storm, and Rhys Smetham completed his hat-trick with just over seven minutes remaining in the match.

The Pitbulls were deserved victors with a complimentary 6-2 victory over their Scottish rivals.

In the early exchanges it was one-way traffic in favour of the visiting Scottish outfit. Solway carved out a number of opportunities before three of their summer additions combined to break the deadlock.

Bolton’s pass found Buesa down low, and a quick pass out in front onto the tape of Stewart saw the Canadian fire his shot past Tommy Nappier before the Pitbulls’ import netminder could even move.
The first period finished 1-0 with a period of few high-danger scoring opportunities but a deserved lead for the away team.

The second period began like the first, with Solway knocking on the Pitbulls’ door.

That was until the Pitbulls’ third line took over.

First came Rhys Smetham’s game-tying goal. Good forechecking saw the puck come to the young Brit at the back door. His initial shot came back off the left post before a wicked wrist shot kissed the right post on the way into the net.

Rhys then turned provider for younger brother Owen, as a silky backhand saucer pass across the slot saw the 20-year-old beat Jordan Marr with a shot that dissected the veteran Scottish netminder. 
Owen was back on the scoresheet 1:20 later. A strong forecheck from Sean Morris in the neutral zone jarred the puck loose for former Shark, John Dunbar, to gain the offensive zone. Dunbar then slowed the pace down before sliding a pass across to Smetham on the opposite side with the same result.

Just ten seconds later and the Pitbulls extended their lead. A mixture of confusion from the Solway defenceman and a strong forecheck saw Rhys Smetham throw a blind backhand pass straight out in front of the goal, and Max Wigfield was there to snipe the home side’s fourth of the evening into the back of the net.

Four goals in 3:49 put the home side in cruise control and made the visiting Sharks look like ‘fish out of water’.

Rhys Smetham added a fifth late in the period courtesy of strong board work from new import forward Jake Bricknell. The 2024/25 NIHL top goal scorer turned provider to find Smetham off the bench in front of the net, and he whipped a low wrist shot past Marr to extend the Pitbulls’ lead to four.

5-1 at the end of the second is what the big scoreboard read as the buzzer sounded.

Third period began with an early Sharks goal. Calum McGill got caught too far up the ice, and Canadian Derek Osik fought off several backchecking Pitbull players before his shot found the stick of Stewart, and he elevated a shot up over the shoulder of Nappier and into the net.

A combination of stalwart defensive hockey and savvy goaltending saw the Pitbulls drain the clock, with Solway unable to make a dent into the now three-goal deficit they faced.

The home team had the final tally. Rhys Smetham completed what was a NINE-point night for players with Smetham on their backs with his hat trick goal. 

Owen Smetham slid a pass out of the zone, splitting the defence perfectly, allowing Rhys to skate in unopposed to fire a shot past the glove of Marr and into the top corner, much to the jubilation of the home crowd.

Smetham’s had a hand in each of the Pitbulls’ goals, and Rhys was subsequently voted Man of the Match at the final buzzer, with Bristol winning their first home opener since entering the league back in 2022. 

The Pitbulls will be looking to carry on their momentum into next Saturday’s meeting against last year’s league champions, the Leeds Knights.

Puck drop is at 7pm at Planet Ice Bristol.

Get your tickets here. 

https://iceaccount.co.uk/bristol-pitbulls/event-tickets/?event_id=8002&stage=1