NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE

Saturday 17th October 2015

Telford Tigers vs. Billingham Stars

Solway Sharks vs. Blackburn Hawks

Sunday 18th October 2015

Sheffield Senators vs. Solway Sharks

Sutton Sting vs. Whitley Warriors

Billingham Stars vs. Solihull Barons

In what will be jam-packed weekend of ice hockey for the NIHL’s Northern-most teams, the national ice hockey league action gets underway with two rematches as Billingham Stars travel to Telford Ice Rink to take on the tricky Tigers, having just been beaten 3-2 by the side two weeks ago, and Solway invite Blackburn Hawks to Dumfries for a rerun of last weekend’s energetic showdown which saw the Sharks leave empty handed.

Feeling that they could easily have stolen a win against Telford on home ice, the Stars will most definitely be out for revenge on Saturday, requiring just two points to challenge the Spartans for third place. Last weekend, Billingham snapped up a comfortable 9-2 victory over the Senators and coach Terry Ward will hope that this win will restore some of the confidence the Stars have been lacking, though captain Paul Windridge will be more than aware that he leads the Teesside outfit into an entirely different game to the one they faced against the Sheffield-based club. Telford have so far shown themselves to be transformed from the outfit that endured relegation two seasons ago and, as Billingham’s performances have so fluctuated in recent games, this will prove to be a challenge for the former NIHL champions who have lost three of six this campaign. Should the Stars dazzle on Saturday, they will go ahead of the Tigers and the Spartans due to a better goal difference to take third but, if they were to lose, Telford would claim this spot instead, meaning the Stars would have to win against Solihull on Sunday and hope that Whitley defeat Sutton to retain fifth place.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Following this game, Billingham return to the Forum on Sunday to take on the Solihull Barons for the first time this season and they will be up against the might of captain Rob Ely, enforcer-like defenceman Perry Doyle and the skill of two-way player Thomas Soar. To combat this, the Stars will expect Swedish import Dennis Boström, who is currently one of the league’s highest points scorers with a total of twelve points from six games, to break down the Barons’ strong defence, to create opportunities in front of goal and to make life difficult for Solihull netminder Josh Nicholls. Player/coach Perry Doyle appears to have faith in hard-hitting, tactically untidy play so Ward’s men will look to avoid being drawn into this style which is often disruptive to the flow of play and prevents the NIHL’s most disciplined, organised sides from annihilating those teams which fail to play precise, systematic ice hockey. All in all, Ward will require the very best from his line up over the weekend to secure the highest possible league position or risk vulnerability against Sutton Sting and Solihull Barons whom, currently peering over Billingham’s shoulder, are set to encounter the Stars in the first few weeks of November.

Also set to feature on both Saturday and Sunday are the Solway Sharks who will first take on Blackburn Hawks at home in a bid to avenge last Sunday’s defeat against the current league leaders. Yet to drop a single point, Blackburn appear to be the confident, composed side they were last season with the addition of import RJ Berra and the versatile Richard Bentham who have certainly impressed, totting up an outstanding 18 points each to date. Despite Solway’s 5-1 loss, last Sunday’s game was far more closely contested than many would have expected after the Sharks’ poor start to the season; undoubtedly, players have shown their skill on an individual basis but now require time to work cohesively to display this quality as a team when it matters most. Solway remain just above the bottom-placed Senators with a meagre two points from twelve, woeful for a club who were NIHL champions only two seasons ago. In the same way that the Stars utilise their newest import Boström, the Sharks will continue to integrate Martin Cingel’s skill and experience with the abilities of Solway’s long-serving skaters. The Slovakian has laboured to produce goals and create openings but, with the loss of netminder Gary Russell, the exodus of ten key players over the summer and former team captain Alan Crane unavailable for some fixtures, the Sharks do not have as many players at their disposal which has been particularly reflected on the road this season.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

To gain anything from this game Solway must show the same composure as their opponents and avoid exhibiting their frustration, as has been the case in recent games when the Sharks have lost a man or two to the sin bin as a result of undisciplined, impulsive behaviour. In the event that the home side take a win from this game, they could find themselves level on points with Solihull and Sutton, though Solihull would also have to lose against the Senators on the same day for such an outcome to be possible. 

Whatever the outcome, the Sharks will then journey to Ice Sheffield to take on the Senators whom Solway defeated 12-1 when the two clubs last played in mid-September. Senators are also struggling as a side this season and are the only team who have yet to gain a point. With their 2015-2016 campaign underway, the Sheffield outfit lost Latvian Sergejs Jegorovs to rivals Sutton Sting, a player who acquired 59 points from 36 games in the second division of the NIHL. Solway will look to take the two points from the Senators once again but should avoid complacency against a team who always manage to score and try to give their best even if it often falls short now that there is such strong competition in Division One. Currently, the league is so close that two wins from Solway over the weekend would see the Dumfries outfit beginning to compete with Solihull, Sutton and Billingham in mid-table, isolating the Senators further. However, if the Senators surprise Solway with a win, the Sharks would indeed find themselves in a bottom-of-the-table scrap so they will desperately pursue victory this weekend in a bid to progress in the league standings.

Away from this game, Ice Sheffield will also play host to Whitley Warriors who take on Sutton Sting on Sunday afternoon at the earlier time of 4:15pm. Icing on pad 2, Whitley Warriors will search for a way to reduce the gap between themselves and new league leaders Blackburn Hawks who toppled the Hillheads outfit from top spot last weekend with wins against Sheffield Spartans and Solway Sharks. When the sides played almost two weeks ago, the score line was a tight one and the points could have fallen to either team but, an unassisted effort by player/coach David Longstaff and an empty net goal from Harry Harley in the dying minutes secured both points and prevented a comeback from John Ross’ steely squad. Longstaff will require the Warriors to avoid some of the more ‘scrappy’ displays of ice hockey they have played against Solihull Barons, Telford Tigers and the Sting in recent weeks to ensure maximum points and to avoid last minute victories which, though undeniably enthralling for spectators, quite often leave Whitley teetering on the peak of defeat in the latter stages of crucial games. Most recently, the Warriors’ most influential forwards have been the youngest members of their team, with Callum Queenan, Ben Richards and Harry Harley working diligently to generate goals, constructing some imaginative offensive play in the process. Two points for the Warriors would ensure the Hawks continue to look over their shoulder as the Lancashire outfit cling on to the top spot but a victory for Sutton would not only allow the Sting to challenge Billingham for  fifth place, but would also mean that Whitley’s unbeaten run will come to an end.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

When the Warriors played Sutton last, netminder Dmitri Zimozdra was outstanding, fending off 59 of Whitley’s 64 shots to ensure his team were still in with a chance to the very last. With the support of a home crowd, the Russian is likely to be even stronger and Longstaff will be well aware that his team are more than in for a challenge as they face the speed and skill of Latvians Vjaleslavs Movko and Sergevs Jegorovs, not to mention the strength and power of player/coach John Ross and captain Simon Offord. This last fixture was also far from disciplined with both sides conceding penalty minutes, Jordan Barnes and Scott Glover dropping the gloves early in the second period. Whether this fight will be one to boil over into Sunday’s game remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: this game promises the same level of fieriness it always delivers as Sutton will set out to avenge their latest defeat which could easily have gone in their favour had circumstances been different. Longstaff will go into this game assured that his side cannot be overtaken by the Spartans as yet, their single game unable to provide the Sheffield side with enough points to leapfrog the Warriors this weekend should they win. 

For fans who wish to seek out a game of ice hockey this weekend, Billingham travel to Telford Ice Rink on Saturday for a face off of 5:30pm whilst Solway host Blackburn at the Dumfries Ice Bowl from the later time of 7:00pm. This is followed by NIHL action on Sunday as the Sharks clash with the Senators at Ice Sheffield from 5:15pm whilst Whitley Warriors look set to take on Sutton Sting in the same rink on ice pad 2 from 4:15pm. Billingham Stars, on the other hand, remain at home to Solihull Barons with their usual face off of 6:30pm at the Forum. 

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