NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE

Saturday 5th December 2015

Solway Sharks vs. Telford Tigers

Sunday 6th December 2015

Whitley Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks

Billingham Stars vs. Sheffield Senators

With Billingham Stars and Solway Sharks sitting in sixth and seventh respectively, it is Whitley Warriors who had the most success last weekend, rising into the poll position of the NIHL, having claimed maximum points from two away fixtures.

After Solway’s narrow defeat to the Stars in the NIHL North Cup on Saturday, the Dumfries outfit will look to rebound from the loss at the Ice Bowl with a league encounter against Telford Tigers who go into the game on the back of a 6-3 victory over Sheffield Senators. With the Sharks hoping to triumph over the Shropshire side in a bid to climb the table, the Tigers will want to display the same level of fight they have used to their advantage in recent games, such as that displayed against the struggling Sheffield Senators last Sunday when Andrew Chapman’s team proved to be tough competition for Telford in their quest for a Division One victory.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Whilst Sharks’ form indicates otherwise, both teams are forces to be reckoned with. The Tigers boast the calibre of James Smith, Callum Bowley and Slovakian import Karol Jets who surpassed Adam Brittle’s efforts to become the NIHL’s latest highest points scorer last weekend, having accumulated fourteen goals and twenty one assists. Similarly, Solway have a productive line made up of Ross Murray, Duncan Speirs and Steven Moore who add to the creativity of Martin Grubb’s squad, the trio collectively tallying thirty six player points. Whilst it is clear that the Sharks have players that can cause damage in front of goal, the side must cope without club captain Alan Crane this weekend, the long serving defenceman having suffered a fractured eye socket and cheekbone in the NIHL North Cup game against the Stars last Saturday. This is a blow for a Solway side who have been without a few of their blue liners recently, with Frazer Goldie, Stuart Andrews and Craig Mitchell all missing out on Sharks’ clash with Sutton Sting three weeks ago.

As league places are so closely contested at present, two points could see Solway switch places with league rivals Billingham Stars yet again this season. On the other hand, should the Dumfries outfit lose for a fourth consecutive game in all competitions, ambitious Telford could join Blackburn on twenty one points, though it should be remembered that the Lancashire club currently have four games in hand on the chasing Tigers, not to mention top-of-the-table team Whitley Warriors whom the Hawks are set to clash against on Sunday.

With a face off of 5:00pm, David Longstaff’s Warriors play host to Blackburn for the first time this season as Whitley prepare to encounter the undefeated Hawks four times in five weeks. No mean feat for any NIHL team, the Warriors will have to be at their strongest on Sunday to ensure a gap remains between the two sides, Whitley having toppled Blackburn from the top spot just last weekend.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Not only will Blackburn want to reclaim their previous league placement, they will also want to prove that last weekend’s surprise draw against Sutton Sting was no more than a small slip-up; the Sting had led from the fifteenth minute and former Sharks player Richard Bentham could only equalise with less than four minutes left of the game. Whilst this shock reveals the vulnerability of Hawks’ fabulous run of form, player-coach Daniel MacKriel will ensure his team mates are well prepared for the trip to Hillheads. With Brittle, Bentham and Canadian Italian import RJ Berra all having hit the thirty point mark, the Hawks continue to be a powerful but skilful outfit and, to enhance their squad further, renowned troublemaker Reece Cairney-Witter returns to Blackburn’s ranks for their 2015-16 campaign this month, just in time for their clash with the Warriors.

Fixtures between the Warriors and the Hawks have often been fiery affairs in the past, with Daniel Brittle and Ollie Lomax making their presence felt on the ice but, with enforcer Andre Payette on side, Whitley are more than capable of combatting this physical style of play and the club also have their fair share of goal scorers, most notably Callum Queenan, Callum Watson and captain Jamie Tinsley who are close to double figures. Whether or not Tinsley will feature in this game remains to be seen as the forward sat out against Telford Tigers and Billingham Stars due to injury last week. Also likely to miss out are long term absentees Dean Holland, Alex Lawson and Ben Richards but with an undoubtedly strong roster, Longstaff will not be short of players to choose from and his lines proved adaptable last weekend when talented forward Shaun Kippin took Tinsley’s spot on the first line to play alongside his player-coach and youngster Queenan.

Two points from this game will be extremely hard fought; if Whitley are able to earn a win against the seemingly unbeatable Hawks, this will be one of their greatest achievements this season, allowing the Warriors to extend their lead at the top. However, Blackburn will not lose the points lightly, and are willing to fight tooth and nail for every decision, as yet another victory would allow the Lancashire side to creep within a single point of first place ahead of their next meeting with the Warriors which will take place at Blackburn Ice Arena on the following Sunday.

Also in action this weekend are the Billingham Stars who look to come back stronger than ever from their derby defeat to Whitley Warriors. Taking on the Senators on home ice, coach Terry Ward will be hoping for a repeat of events at Ice Sheffield back in October which saw Billingham triumph 9-2 over Chapman’s line up as Swedish forward Dennis Boström earned himself a hat trick. By far the Stars’ best player, Boström will surely be a threat to Senators’ sturdy netminder Mark Hartley, though Chris Sykes, player-assistant coach Michael Bowman and James Moss also continue to cause trouble for their opposition.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Whilst the bottom placed Senators have had little to celebrate this season, they continue to search for their first win in the Moralee Conference but they managed to compete quite closely with Telford Tigers last Sunday, the score line a far cry from the landslides that the Sheffield outfit usually suffer. Chapman will encourage his team to take heart from this result and move forward with a view to secure their first league point of the season. With nothing to lose, it could be argued that the Senators are a potentially difficult team to play against, particularly as alternate captain Nathan Parkes-Britton, Thomas Humphries and Alexander Harding continue to slot the puck past defences in a bid to spur their side on. Meanwhile, Billingham currently sit in sixth with thirteen points and, though the Stars look to move up the NIHL table, they will also be aware that one defeat could see the Teesiders slip a place as Solway Sharks remain just one point behind. Senators’ sister club, Sheffield Spartans are also just a single point ahead of Stars however, having played three more games, which means the mid-table battle remains very much alive, particularly as Sutton Sting have crept up to nine points in recent games, John Ross’ men presenting themselves with a fighting chance.

With each of the Northern Trio in action over the weekend, there is plenty of opportunity to catch an NIHL ice hockey game. First, Solway Sharks take on Telford Tigers from 7:00pm on Saturday evening. Following this, Whitley Warriors and Blackburn Hawks engage in a top-of-the-table clash from 5:00pm on Sunday at Hillheads whilst Billingham Stars host Sheffield Senators at The Forum from 6:30pm.

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