NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE

Saturday 30th January 2016

 Sheffield Spartans vs. Billingham Stars

Sheffield Senators vs. Solway Sharks

Sutton Sting vs. Whitley Warriors

Sunday 31st January 2016

Whitley Warriors vs. Billingham Stars

If ever there is a weekend to look forward to, this is it. With our NIHL Northern Trio in action under the same roof on Saturday against the Sheffield sister clubs and South Yorkshire outfit Sutton Sting, travelling to an away game never was so worthwhile with three back-to-back games to look forward to. If that wasn’t enough, Whitley Warriors and Billingham Stars are then to clash at Hillheads in what is, as ever, one of the most highly anticipated games of the season.

Taking to the ice first at Ice Sheffield, Martin White’s Spartans prepare to encounter Billingham Stars but, with the form of both teams unpredictable of late, it would seem that the points could end up with either side when the final buzzer sounds. Since resuming their league campaign after the Christmas period, Billingham have won as many league games as they have lost, with defeats to Sutton Sting, Blackburn Hawks and Solway Sharks following their positive start to their first few fixtures after the New Year. Meanwhile, the Spartans have played five games of which they have drawn once, won once and lost thrice. With the Stars and the Sheffield outfit tied on twenty one points at present, a win could mean all the difference for the Teesiders who look to push on from fifth place and into the playoff spots. However, as the Spartans’ race is not run yet, a win for the home team on Saturday could see Billingham slide into sixth position with Solway Sharks snapping at their heels.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Previous encounters between these sides have resulted in a 4-0 home win and a 6-4 road loss for the Stars which started out as a close contest but swung in the Spartans’ favour in the latter stages of the game. Dennis Boström, Michael Elder and Richie Thornton are among those who have scored against the Spartans this season whilst Chris Sykes has racked up a goal and four assists against the side. October was the last time these two teams faced each other but there was a great deal of fieriness between the line ups as Spartans’ forward Ollie Barron clashed with Michael Elder, having previously fought Billingham’s blue liner Jamie Pattison back in September. As Sheffield’s captain, Barron also poses a clear goal threat alongside forward Nicholas Manning and player-assistant coach Stuart Brittle. The visitors will have to deal with the danger that these players pose if they are to take anything from the game, particularly as the Stars have already endured surprise defeats this season, with their loss to Sutton Sting two weeks ago a prime example of their failure to put such teams under pressure in order to capitalise.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Chris Sykes told NIHL Northern Trio: “Another double header to finish our hectic January off so we are looking for a massive weekend and hopefully four points. Saturday, we go down to Sheffield again to play the Spartans which will be a good game. We know how they play and they are good in their own barn but, as always, we will go with our game plan and hopefully pick up two points on the road.”

Whilst this game is set to have a great impact on league standings with the winner possibly earning themselves a playoff spot should Telford Tigers lose to Blackburn Hawks, Solway’s game against the Senators could also bring the Dumfries outfit that bit closer to a top four finish which continues to be the sole aim of Head Coach Martin Grubb and his players.

The Sharks winning their three previous fixtures 9-1, 12-1 and, more recently, 14-0 against the Senators may fool fans into thinking that the foot-of-the-table side are far from contenders but whilst Andrew Chapman’s side continue to struggle in the league, they can cause problems for the more established sides of the Moralee Conference and, just two weeks ago, took a 2-0 lead against Billingham Stars. Though this lead did not last, the Senators recorded their best result to date in Division One which could easily have been closer if they had not ran into penalty trouble to gift the Stars a power play goal.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

However, as the Sharks appeared to be united by their central objective to earn a playoff place, Solway will attempt to take control of the game against Chapman’s line up as the side fight hard for every point now that their season is finally beginning to go their way. Although Grubb’s team sit in seventh, they are only three points away from both Sheffield Spartans and Billingham Stars with six games in hand on the former and four games in hand on the latter. Ultimately, Solway have the perfect opportunity this weekend to grab two points and they could edge within a point of either of these sides, depending on the outcome of Stars’ game with the Sheffield Spartans.

Speaking to NIHL Northern Trio ahead of this game, Martin Grubb stated: “This is the start of four straight road games for us and it will be important for us to start that sequence with a win in Sheffield on Saturday against the Senators. I have watched the game highlights from their visit to Billingham a few of weeks ago and they are improving with each game and battling hard for their first points so it is important we go into the game focused on the job we need to do. We come into the game on the back of a good character win on Sunday and we need to continue to do whatever it takes to keep alive our playoff hopes. We are playing with confidence right now and the players are desperate to give themselves the best possible chance of making the top four so, although we know it won’t be an easy game, we are going all out for two valuable points.”

To conclude Saturday’s outing at Ice Sheffield, Whitley Warriors will take on Sutton Sting for the third time this season, having already tallied two victories over the South Yorkshire outfit in October. Though the Warriors are still missing some players through injury, such as Alex Lawson and young forward Ben Richards who missed out again last Sunday despite having made his return against the Sharks, David Longstaff is likely to ice a strong team as his side look for yet another positive result against the Sting.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With player-coach Longstaff, new signing Adam Reynolds, captain Jamie Tinsley and blue liner Joe Stamp grabbing the goals for Whitley last weekend, fans will be hoping for more of the same as the Warriors look to cover lost ground between themselves and the NIHL’s top spot. Currently in second, the Warriors are sixteen points better off than they were this time last season and are once again within five points of catching the Hawks but, as Daniel MacKriel’s Blackburn continues to have that edge over their rivals, this will be no mean feat. As a result, the Warriors will hunt down two points against Sutton on the bigger ice in order to make the gap at the top of the table as tight as possible.

Despite their ‘second bottom’ status, Sutton will make life difficult for their visitors on Saturday in the hope that they can build on their recent good run of form, the side having racked up four league wins in the last three weeks against Telford Tigers, Billingham Stars and Sheffield Senators. The momentum of these victories could potentially spur the Sting on to a fourth consecutive home win this weekend which makes the Warriors’ opposition more dangerous than ever before.

Player-coach David Longstaff echoed this sentiment when speaking with NIHL Northern Trio, saying: “We have two hard games again. We struggled the last time we played Sutton but we’re a different team now.” However, as the Hillheads outfit continue to progress, Sutton do too and it could be argued that the home side are not the same team that Whitley played back in October. Richard Oliver, John Ross, Mark Turner and James Spurr found themselves on the score sheet against Billingham Stars recently and, with the skill and strength of other team members, the Sting are still a force to be reckoned with which will make for interesting viewing on Saturday.

Subsequent to this fixture, the Warriors will travel back to Whitley Bay Ice Rink where they will anticipate the return of local rivals, Billingham Stars. As ever, the Tyne-Tees derby remains to be one which attracts a lot of attention, flaring up long-standing rivalries between the two teams.

Whilst this game is crucial in its own right, with the pride of a win and the devastation of a loss keenly felt by all those involved, it could also influence Billingham’s rate of progression, either hindering or helping the side into the playoff spots. With Billingham’s recent injury woes and inconsistent results, the Stars require a victory this weekend to get themselves back on track; a derby day win in Whitley would allow the side to well and truly put the past two weeks behind them. With import Dennis Boström and forward Michael Elder in good form, the Warriors’ resilience, fortitude and determination will surely be pushed to the limit on Sunday.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

When Whitley last played hosts to the Stars in October, a close contest emerged in what was a highly enthralling competition between two very strong sides. Cancelling each other out, the game ended 4-4, the visitors having grabbed an early lead in the twenty sixth second of the first period. With forward Callum Watson, blue liner Scott Cooper and captain Tinsley all on the score sheet for Whitley, the Warriors’ coaching staff will be hoping for the same again with the additional request that the home side snatch both points. With one draw between the two and a 2-1 road victory for Whitley at The Forum, it is the Stars who will be perhaps feeling the pressure to take something from this game but, as the bragging rights are valued far more than the two points, the Warriors will do all they can to ensure they triumph over their local rivals. Speaking about the importance of the Tyne-Tees derby, Longstaff went on to tell NIHL Northern Trio: “The last time we played Billingham at home, it was a draw and could have gone either way but it’s always a great game for the fans and a game they always look forward to.” Meanwhile, Billingham Stars’ Chris Sykes added: “Onto Sunday, this is massive. No matter how each team does in a season, the talk is all about who won the derby games! We’re off to Whitley on Sunday which is another away game for us; only a short trip up the road but we are going there for a battle. A war you might say, but we want those two points to take back to Teesside!”

For those travelling to Ice Sheffield, Billingham Stars are first to face off against the Spartans at 1:30pm, the Senators host Solway Sharks from 4;30pm and Whitley Warriors take to the ice for a 7:30pm face off against Sutton Sting. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Stars travel to Hillheads to take on the Warriors to complete the weekend with some derby day action.

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