NIHL North

NIHL Weekend Round-up

On Saturday, Billingham Stars bagged themselves another two points in an 8-4 win over Nottingham Lions at The Forum.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon

With fifteen skaters available to them, Billingham took to the ice with the aim to progress further in the league standings. However, the Stars did not get off to the best start when young forward Cain Taylor was sinbinned for hooking early in the first period to place Nottingham on the power play. Though unable to make their advantage count, the Lions opened the scoring less than two minutes later when forward Ruskin Hughes beat netminder Mark Watson following hard work from Captain Elliot Perrin. An interference penalty for Nottingham’s Alternate Captain Callum Medcalf presented Billingham with a power play but, unable to equalise with the additional skater, the Stars then lost defenceman Darren Stattersfield to the sin bin twelve seconds after the Lions returned to full strength. Despite this, Tom Brown’s team drew level whilst shorthanded, Canadian Kevin Boyd finding the net. Though play was even in the opening stanza, Billingham fired themselves into the lead on 16:17 when Lithuanian Edgar Protčenko teamed up with Alternate Captain Chris Sykes to allow skilled forward James Moss to make it 2-1 ahead of the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Under fire on their return to the ice, Nottingham’s sixteen-year-old netminder Luca Sheldon and his defence found themselves dealing with an onslaught but, in spite of this, the visitors found an equaliser on 33:53, Hughes again causing havoc for Billingham’s defence alongside forward Cameron Pywell. The Stars did not take much time to retaliate however, as Boyd snatched his second of the evening less than two minutes later following passing play between Sykes and fellow forward Jack Emerson. As the period came to a close, the Teessiders added a fourth goal to their tally, Sykes receiving the puck from shot stopper Watson to achieve his third assist by playing in goalscorer Moss who made it 4-2.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

A penalty for Hughes early in the third period awarded Billingham a power play but the side only capitalised as the Lions’ penalty terminated, Boyd with an unassisted effort to claim his hat trick. Again though, Nottingham showed that they were not about to accept defeat and responded on 47:19 as Hughes notched another to complete his hat trick courtesy of Pywell. An interference penalty for defenceman Joseph Gretton just past the fifty-minute mark allowed the Stars to punish the Lion’s misdemeanour, this time forward Alex Preston burying the puck past Sheldon to make the most of link-up play between Sykes and Moss. Eight seconds later and the puck was again in the net, although Watson was the defeated netminder on this occasion as the Lions rallied to reduce their deficit; Hughes turning assist for Pywell. The score line 6-4, Billingham widened the gap when a charging penalty against Medcalf on 56:00 placed them on the power play, Alternate Captain Callum Davies achieving his first goal of the game fifty one seconds later after neat work from Captain Michael Elder. Trailing by three goals, Nottingham found it difficult to recover, particularly as both teams lost discipline in the final stages of the game; Sykes earning himself 2+2 for goaltender interference and roughing whilst fellow Star Stattersfield and Lions Pywell and Zachary Glossop also received minors for roughing. Subsequently placed on a power play, Nottingham removed Sheldon from his net in the final minute of the game but this decision did not pay off as Boyd achieved a shorthanded empty net goal for the Stars to see Billingham achieve an 8-4 victory which leaves them in sixth spot with six points from five league games.

By Comparison, Whitley Warriors faced a double header on the road this weekend which saw the Hillheads outfit record a 6-2 loss to Sheffield Steeldogs and a 4-2 win against Blackburn Hawks.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

After falling behind to the Steeldogs within the first seventeen seconds of the game as forward Nathan Salem buried the puck beyond netminder Mark Turnbull, Whitley retaliated with an equaliser on 7:54 through skilled left winger Ben Campbell who made the most of a pass from forward Callum Watson to find the target. Determined to have the final say in the first period however, the Steeldogs regained their lead when Salem netted again just over two minutes before the interval, forward Andrew Hirst teaming up with defenceman Jamie Scott on this occasion. Early in the second period, Sheffield lost ‘D’ man Thomas Relf to the sin bin but this made little difference to the home team who scored shorthanded fifty two seconds later when Hirst assisted Slovakian Milan Kolena following a pass from Alternate Captain Tim Smith to make it 3-1. Though trying to get back into the game, Whitley’s deficit was added to just after the halfway point in the contest as Player-Coach Ben Morgan worked with forward Joe Cross to assist Slovakian winger Adrian Palak. Shortly after this goal, the Warriors beat shot stopper Brandon Stones for a second time, Ross Douglass receiving the puck from defenceman Liam Smedley to break clear of the Steeldogs’ defence as he played in fellow forward Anthony Wetherell who hit the target on 35:44. Soon after, a clipping penalty for Kolena allowed the Warriors a power play but a delayed tripping penalty against stand-in Captain Shaun Kippin presented left winger Liam Charnock with the opportunity to score a shorthanded, unassisted effort as the period drew to a close. Following Ben Richards’ clipping misdemeanour in the opening stages of the final stanza, the Warriors strove to beat Stones without success and one last goal for the Steeldogs wrapped up the scoring on 49:27 as Salem assisted forward Duncan Speirs to make it 6-2.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Whitley then made the trip to Blackburn Ice Arena where they again fell behind in the first minute as Hawks’ two-way player Adam Barnes fired top shelf to beat Turnbull. Replying with an equaliser on 3:34, Warriors’ Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes slotted the puck beneath Blackburn’s young netminder Harrison Walker to make it 1-1 with assistance from Player-Coach David Longstaff. However, the Hawks responded quickly, taking the lead for a second time as Adam Barnes netted again on 6:53, prompting a change of netminder for the Warriors as backup Jordan Boyle took Turnbull’s place. As Blackburn carried their 2-1 lead into the second period, play became end-to-end and tempers flared on occasions but still the score line remained unchanged ahead of the final stanza. Though unable to make the most of an early power play following a tripping call against forward James Riddoch, the Warriors scored soon after, Campbell capitalising on his partnership with Watson to draw level. Subsequent to this goal, Hawks’ Captain Luke Boothroyd was sinbinned for delaying the game and it took just thirteen seconds for Whitley to punish this error as Alternate Captain Sam Zajac achieved a power play goal following neat build up play between Longstaff and Campbell. Though both teams ran into penalty trouble after this goal, it was clear that the momentum was with the Warriors who extended their lead to 4-2 on 53:23 when Campbell bagged his second goal of the evening courtesy of Kippin. As Blackburn’s Czech forward Petr Valusiak received 2+10 for a hooking offence in the dying minutes of the game, Whitley were able to see out their victory comfortably, this result allowing the side to move into seventh place with five points from nine games.

Last but not least, Solway Sharks achieved a 6-3 win against Nottingham Lions at the National Ice Centre on Sunday evening, Captain Struan Tonnar opening the scoring with a power play goal on 10:19 following a tripping offence from netminder Alan Levers. Gradually building momentum against a compact Nottingham team, the Sharks doubled their lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first period,  left winger Steven Moore making the most of skilled play from Canadian Cale Tanaka and experienced defenceman Kyle Horne. Putting up a fight, the Lions retaliated just sixty eight seconds later when sixteen-year-old forward Jack Parker surpassed Solway’s defence with support from Thomas Parkinson to make it 2-1 before the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The Sharks then snatched a second power play goal at the midpoint of the game when Nottingham’s defenceman Callum Medcalf was sidelined for hooking to present forward Scott Henderson with the opportunity to capitalise, Tanaka and Moore combining to assist. A tripping penalty for Parker followed but, just six seconds later, the Lions accomplished a shorthanded goal when Cameron Pywell played the puck to fellow forward Ruskin Hughes to surprise netminder Kyle Johnston. With the game so close, the two sides clashed, Lion Joseph Gretton and Shark Ross Murray dropping the gloves to each earn themselves 2+2 for fighting before Tanaka picked up a crosschecking penalty to see Solway finish the period shorthanded. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The score line 3-2 going into the final stanza, Nottingham returned to the ice with a will to take something from the contest and a second goal for Hughes, scored just eighteen seconds into the period, placed the teams on level ground. It was only when Medcalf again made way for hooking that Martin Grubb’s men could regain their lead, Tanaka assisting Moore for a second time following neat play from forward Lewis Houston. Less than two minutes later, Solway recovered their two-goal lead when Slovakian Peter Gápa made it 5-3 after link-up play between forwards Joe Coulter and Iain Bowie. This goal brought about a timeout for the Lions who sensed that the game was slipping away and it proved to be the case as the Dumfries outfit concluded their scoring with a fourth power play goal on 58:12 when Horne and Moore worked together to allow Tanaka to print his name on the scoresheet. Due to this 6-3 win, Solway Sharks now sit in third place with eight points from five league games, just two points behind Hull Pirates and Sheffield Steeldogs. 

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.