NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE

Sunday 14th February 2016

Sheffield Spartans vs. Whitley Warriors

As Billingham Stars host Solway Sharks in an NIHL North Cup fixture on Saturday, Whitley Warriors are the only ‘Northern Trio’ team to take part in the Moralee Conference action this weekend with a trip to Sheffield on Sunday.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aiming to go within five points of reigning champions Blackburn Hawks once again, the Warriors must triumph over the Spartans, and hope that the Lancashire outfit suffer defeat to Sutton Sting, for this outcome to be possible. Both games taking place at Ice Sheffield, Longstaff’s line-up are set to play first in what will be an unpredictable contest, Whitley having won twice against Martin White’s side on home ice but enduring defeat to the Yorkshire outfit when on the road back in November.

Suffering several absences due to injury and illness, the Warriors’ woes were further added to in last Sunday’s home fixture against Sutton Sting when goal scoring threat Callum Queenan sustained a broken collarbone early in the third period. Matching the player points of long-serving Warriors DJ Good and Callum Watson, Queenan’s input has been invaluable this season, the forward already tallying ten goals and fifteen assists in twenty three games. Also missing out last weekend were defencemen Joe Stamp, Liam Smedley, Harry Harley, Scott Cooper and Stu Tomlinson as well as forwards Ben Richards and Martin Crammond. With the absentee list ever-growing for Whitley, it is likely that the side will be making the trip to Sheffield without several key players.  

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Six consecutive victories for the Warriors may just give the visiting team the advantage of momentum on Sunday however, as the Spartans’ fluctuating form continues to jeopardise the side’s current league position. With Sheffield’s latest loss a 10-2 defeat to Sutton Sting, the Spartans are now level on points with Solway Sharks who were previously a great distance from displacing the side. In effect, White’s team have an opportunity to edge ahead of the Dumfries outfit when hosting Whitley this weekend but any error could be costly, as both the Sting and the Sharks continue to pile the pressure onto their opposition to escape the lowest places in the NIHL table.

Notching four goals in their last five games, Spartan Nicholas Manning has been the team’s standout player whilst captain Ollie Barron and youngster Liam Kirk are not far behind him, each with a goal and two assists to their name. As Sheffield’s top points scorer, Manning has been an asset to his team, scoring fourteen goals and creating eighteen successful offensive opportunities this season. Likewise, leader Barron is equally influential on the ice, his danger in front of goal complemented by his power, whilst rising star Kirk has made an impact in his five appearances with the NIHL outfit, exhibiting his speed and skill to light the lamp for the Spartans, the junior having already iced in the EPL with Sheffield Steeldogs this season. With the gap between places in the NIHL table now closer than ever before, the Spartans will aim to go level on points with both Billingham Stars and Telford Tigers this weekend. However, the side will also be mindful that they have now played twenty seven games, meaning Solway Sharks have six games in hand to give Martin Grubb’s squad leverage as they look to edge closer to those all-important playoff spots in the next few weeks.

For those hoping to travel to Ice Sheffield on Sunday, Whitley Warriors face off against the Spartans at 2:15pm in what will be another interesting contest between two sides.

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