Ice Hockey

The two top teams in the Women's Premier League Sunderland Scorpions and Guildford Lightning played 1-1 draw at Hillheads. The Wearsiders needed a victory to give them a slim hope of taking the title. Going into the match both teams had 22 points from 12 games played.

Sunderland and Guildford failed to produce a goal in the opening period and it was not until 30-56 that the deadlock was broken. The goal went to the visitors.

Guildford did have the puck in the back of the net again in the final period at 45.07. The referee disallowed the goal because the goalscorer's shirt number did not correspond to the number on the game record sheet.

From the resulting powerplay Scorpions scored their equaliser. It came just eight seconds after from Lynsey Emmerson. There were no further goals with both netminders on top especially Lightning's Vicky Robbins as she thwarted any attempts by Scorpions to snatch a winner.

Guildford won 3-1 at Kingston Diamonds to retake top slot.

Scorpions scorers: Lynsey Emmerson 1+0.

Billingham Wildcats home match with Swindon Top Cats in the same competition was cancelled due to poor state of the ice surface. No new date has been confirmed.

Whitley Bay Squaws have clinched their women's division one play-off shot and second place in the North League with a 9-1 win over Blackburn Thunder and Hillheads. Nearest challengers Telford Wrekin Raiders lost at Blackburn the previous day which helped to ease Squaws through.

Squaws got off to a good start against Blackburn going 2-0 ahead in the opening five minutes through Sarah Christie and Claire Oldfield. Five minutes later Oldfield added a third before Blackburn scored their lone reply at 13.11 on the powerplay.

Oldfield hit her hat-trick in the fifth minute of the second period and Sarah Smith struck home Squaws fifth before the end of the period.

Whitley went 6-1 ahead with Oldfield's fourth of the game and the scoring was completed with late goals from Gemma Rolt, Christie and Angela Cay.

Squaws scorers: Claire Oldfield 4+2, Sarah Christie 2+1, Sarah Smith, Jane Brown and Gemma Rolt 1+1, Angela Cay 1+0, Vicky Wood, Jane Brown and Charlotte Willey 0+1.

Sunderland Cherokees completed their English bantam (U12) North A league schedule with a deserved 4-3 victory at Sheffield Lasers. The Wearsiders took the lead at 05.10 through Grant Sharp only for Lasers top get back on level terms three minutes later. Cherokees regained their lead with a Nathan Salem shot at 12.55 and two minutes later he scored his second. Sharp also hit his second goal of the game at 24.23 to put Cherokees 4-1 ahead.

Sheffield pulled a goal back in the 30th minute and with just three seconds to go netted a third. Cherokees winning 4-3 and now await fixtures for their promotion/relegation play-offs which will start this month.

Cherokees scorers: Grant Sharp 2+1, Nathan Salem 2+0, Ross Cameron 0+1.

Sunderland Arrows and Sunderland Commanches warmed up for their U16 and U14 play-offs which commence this weekend by playing challenge matches in Dumfries. Arrows drew 2-2 against Dumfries Raiders.

Jamie Smithson put Commanches ahead in the sixth minute only for Dumfries to go 2-1 ahead, goals either side of the break. There was a little over a minute to go when Darren Shanks scored the equaliser.

Arrows scorers: Jamie Smithson and Darren Shanks 1+0, John Wilson, Kris Hayes and Jeremy Londin 0+1.

Sunderland Commanches were 3-2 winners over Dumfries Warriors. Richard Westgarth gave Commanches the lead in the third minute and James Moutrey double the advantage at 07.23. Dumfries hit back to tie the scores at 2-2 at the interval, Commanches winning goal coming from Westgarth after 26 minutes.

Commanches scorers: Richard Westgarth 2+0, James Moutrey 1+1, David Holland 0+1.

As a curtain raiser to the Superleague play-off final at Nottingham Ice Arena England U19s defeated Scotland U19s 5-1. The North-East had five players in the England squad.

Billingham's David Thomas, James Hutchinson (Whitley Bay) and Adam Carr (Sunderland) were joined by Tom Griffiths and Stephen Wallace, the latter having played for Billingham last season and hailing from the area are this season playing for Nottingham and Hill respectively.

Wallace scored England's third goal in the middle period and assisted on the first and fourth goals.

The opening goal came at 01.30 only for an England error allowed Scotland to draw level just before the end of the first period. Two goals in each of the second and third periods secured victory.

The successful England coach is David Ross a former Whitley Warriors defenceman.

Two of the match officials, linesmen Andre Mao (Stockton) and Gordon Wilson (Cramlington) boosted the North-East connections further