WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE
Saturday 19th December 2015
Blackburn Hawks vs. Billingham Stars
Sunday 20th December 2015
Whitley Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks
As
last weekend saw the cancellation of Solway Sharks’ game against Sutton Sting,
and Billingham Stars took a short break from their league campaign, it was Whitley
Warriors’ top of the table clash with Blackburn Hawks that took centre stage
last weekend, and it is set to do so again on Sunday as fans look forward to
one of the most anticipated games in the National Ice Hockey League, the two
teams encountering each other for a third consecutive week.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Before
travelling to Hillheads however, Daniel MacKriel’s Hawks will play host to
fifth placed Billingham Stars who have so far won seven, lost seven and drawn
one. Unpredictable competition at the moment, the Stars will look to give the
game their best as they hunt down two points in a bid to climb within touching
distance of a playoff spot. Though Hawks recently endured a draw against Sutton
Sting and suffered defeat to Whitley Warriors, Blackburn continue to dominate
in the Moralee Conference. Forwards Adam Brittle, RJ Berra and Richard Bentham
are relentless in front of goal at the moment whilst captain Chris Arnone
offers strong leadership qualities out on the ice and Daniel Brittle remains
one of the strongest netminders ever to play in the NIHL.
To
counteract this, Billingham have Dennis Boström in their ranks, the Swedish
import currently the Teesiders’ top goal scorer, having netted on an impressive
seventeen occasions to match that of Solihull Barons’ Thomas Soar. It is this
energy going forward that is required of Stars on Saturday if they are to stand
any chance of defeating the Hawks, and no player contributes more to the team’s
dynamism than player-assistant coach Michael Bowman who has tallied fifteen
assists so far for his side, but has yet to achieve his first league goal of
the season. Hoping that he can light the
lamp in Stars’ encounter with the Hawks, Bowman will look to have a significant
impact on Billingham’s offensive play, once again teaming up with line mates
Boström, Chris Sykes and Thomas Keeley to put Blackburn’s shot stopper, Daniel
Brittle, under pressure from the first face off.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Whichever
approach Billingham take however, one thing remains certain: Hawks’ flawless
organisation, endurance and skill is set to test the Teesiders on Saturday as
the Lancashire outfit embark on yet another four point weekend which could see
MacKriel’s side reclaim the NIHL’s top spot from Whitley Warriors now that the
two are separated by just a single point. Meanwhile, a victory for Billingham
will provide a massive confidence boost to their league campaign going into the
New Year, particularly as the side have yet to defeat any of the top four teams
this season, losing twice to both the Barons and the Tigers, drawing with
Whitley Warriors on away ice before suffering a home loss to their local
rivals, and also conceding defeat to the Hawks in their opening game of the
season.
Crucially,
this game will influence the league standings ahead of Blackburn’s trip to
Hillheads on Sunday where they will encounter David Longstaff’s defiant Whitley
Warriors who narrowly missed out on a draw against the Hawks last weekend,
having made a significant comeback at the Blackburn Ice Arena. At present, the
Warriors sit top of the NIHL league table with twenty six points whereas
MacKriel’s line up are situated in second place, just one victory away from
resuming their former league position. Should Blackburn take four points this
weekend, the Hawks will have twenty nine points with two games in hand; two losses,
on the other hand, will still leave the side hot on the heels of Whitley,
falling three points adrift at worst.
Over
the course of Warriors’ contests with the Hawks, their most valuable player is
none other than David Longstaff, the player-coach achieving a hat trick against
Blackburn two weeks ago and inspiring his side to a near-successful comeback
last Sunday with a goal in the third period. Notably, forwards Callum Watson,
DJ Good and captain Jamie Tinsley have also shown their resilience in recent
games, each breaking down Blackburn’s defence to find a way past Brittle.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Speaking
about last Sunday’s game, Longstaff admitted that penalties proved costly for
his team, Blackburn capitalising twice on the power play and snatching another
just seconds after the Warriors had returned to full strength. In previous
games, Whitley’s penalty kills have been largely successful and the Warriors
will be aware that they need to return to their strong defence of power plays
if they are to challenge Blackburn on Sunday. Besides goal scoring action from
both teams, entertainment is also provided by the ever-intensifying feud
between enforcer Andre Payette and troublemaker Reece Cairney-Witter. The two
made their feelings quite clear in a heated exchange during a warm up at
Hillheads on the 6th December and have since went toe-to-toe,
Payette throwing Cairney-Witter to the ground when a punch failed to connect
with its target. Dissatisfied with this turn of events, Payette has taken to
social media to voice his disapproval of Hawks’ latest signing. As the conflict
between the two players continues to grow, a sequel of last weekend’s events looks
set to precede standard gameplay but, whether or not the enforcer will be
allowed by his coach to go ahead with this, remains to be seen.
The Warriors know they must play at their very best on all areas of the ice to contend with the dominant Hawks. As a result, Payette, being a valued member of Whitley’s leadership team as home alternate captain, is far too influential to be lost to the sin bin in the early stages of the game. With both teams having played and won on home ice, the Warriors require nothing less than a victory to remain shoulder to shoulder with MacKriel’s Hawks in the league standings.
The Warriors know they must play at their very best on all areas of the ice to contend with the dominant Hawks. As a result, Payette, being a valued member of Whitley’s leadership team as home alternate captain, is far too influential to be lost to the sin bin in the early stages of the game. With both teams having played and won on home ice, the Warriors require nothing less than a victory to remain shoulder to shoulder with MacKriel’s Hawks in the league standings.
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