Solway Sharks Ladies celebrate promotion with play-off final victory against the Cardiff Comets

Solway Sharks Ladies have clinched promotion after a historic season with two wins in the Women's National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL) Play-off Final in Sheffield.

The Sharks defeated Peterborough Phantoms in the semi-final before defeating Cardiff Comets in the final.

Player and assistant coach Mo Muir was delighted with the achievements of the team.

She said: "Ten years in the planning but for the most of us it probably hasn’t sunk in yet.

"To go 14 games undefeated in the league we took every game as it came and did not take anything for granted in the final. We just gave 100% on the ice every time we were home and away.

“For me it is a dream come true. I couldn’t watch the last 10 minutes on Sunday I think my nerves had gone by that point. It was 1-1 with one minute to go and we had belief that we were going to do it.”

The Solway Shark Ladies tasted success this season by winning the WNIHL Division 2 North championship title where they defeated Kingston Diamonds 16-0. The side remained undefeated throughout the 14 game league campaign.

That took them into the play-offs where they defeated the Peterborough Phantoms 5-1 in the semi-final and then Cardiff Comets 4-3 in the final.

The Dumfries based team completed the season undefeated on their way to winning the league title. Promotion has now ensured that the team earned promotion to the WNIHL Division 1, the second tier of women's ice hockey in the UK.

Success has been shared between the men and women's teams this season for the Solway Sharks.

Gemma Watt scored the winning goal in the final minute for the Sharks, ensuring a memorable season was rounded off with promotion.

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