NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE

Saturday 20th February 2016

Solway Sharks vs. Billingham Stars

Sunday 21st  February 2016

Whitley Warriors vs. Sheffield Senators

Blackburn Hawks vs. Solway Sharks

Billingham Stars vs. Sutton Sting

Following last weekend’s short fixture list, this Saturday and Sunday are set to be action-packed by comparison, with crucial double headers for both Solway Sharks and Billingham Stars. With the NIHL so closely contested at present, and with very little separating one team from another, a single point has the potential to alter league standings and the fortunes of those still competing for playoff spots.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The most significant game taking place this weekend is indeed the fixture between Solway Sharks and Billingham Stars, the two teams having just played each other last Saturday in an NIHL North Cup contest. As Sutton Sting switched spots with Sheffield Spartans last weekend to move ahead of the Dumfries outfit, the Sharks remain in seventh place with six games in hand on the former, and seven games in hand on the latter. Tied on twenty one points with both the Sting and the Spartans, Solway must win against the Teesiders in order to claim sixth place and go level on points with close rivals Billingham Stars. This outcome would make for an interesting few weeks as both the Stars and the Sharks set their sights on a much-desired top four finish. However, should Billingham claim victory on Saturday, Solway would suffer a great setback, remaining in seventh place whilst the Stars shoot up to twenty five points to put Jason Parry’s Telford Tigers under pressure once again.

So far, the Stars have triumphed over the Sharks, winning by five goals to three at the Dumfries Ice Bowl in September and repeating the same score line against the side on home ice in November. In Stars’ first game against Grubb’s line-up this campaign, alternate captain Callum Davies, Michael Elder and Scott Ward grabbed themselves a goal each whilst Chris Sykes hit the back of the net twice. Also dangerous in front of goal, James Moss has caused problems for the team in the past and, just last weekend, snatched a game-winning goal in overtime to rob the Sharks of their first win in the North Cup. Yet, four weeks ago Solway defeated the Stars on the road with a 7-4 win at The Forum and fought hard to ensure that they returned home with two points and a much-needed confidence boost. Import Martin Cingel is Solway’s top points scorer at present, with fourteen goals and ten assists, and the Sharks will be hoping that the Slovakian left winger is again at his best this weekend, though the side also require usual points scorers Iain Bowie, Steven Moore and Ross Murray to light the lamp if they are to shoot down the Stars this weekend.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Looking ahead, Star Chris Sykes took time to speak to NIHL Northern Trio: “This weekend is the biggest weekend of the season and we have to take four points to keep ourselves in touch with those all-important playoff spots. On Saturday we travel up to Solway which is a reverse fixture of Saturday just gone. Hoping we can take that momentum into it, we can beat them in their own rink and take two points back to Teesside. It’s massive, we must have a win!” 

Likewise, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb also imparted his views as he considered the magnitude of Solway’s clash with the Stars: “This is a massive weekend for us, especially if we want to make the playoffs. Saturday may be our biggest game of the season so far as both teams are battling for a spot. We know each other very well and I think the game will be about who executes their game plan better and who can take the scoring chances that come their way. We know what to expect when Billingham come to town, as they play attacking hockey, so we need to be ready to play for the full sixty minutes and do whatever it takes to win as whoever loses may find it difficult to make that top four.”

Meanwhile, set to ice on Sunday, Whitley Warriors will play host to foot-of-the-table side Sheffield Senators who have yet to find a win this season. Should the Yorkshire outfit fail to tally a single point, they will not be the first team to do so; Manchester Minotaurs suffered relegation last season having lost all twenty four games and, in the English National League,  Bradford Bulldogs failed to find success, finishing on zero points in both 2001 and 2003.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

To date, the Warriors have faced the Senators twice, winning by six goals to one at Ice Sheffield in which the home side proved tricky opposition for Whitley. Though David Longstaff’s men took an early lead, the Senators kept their visitors at bay and managed to equalise on 43:25, prompting the Warriors to take action as the third period played out. An 11-1 home victory for the Hillheads outfit in November was a far more accurate representation of the deficits suffered by the Senators this season, their worst a 14-0 loss to Solway Sharks. Whilst the Senators still continue to hunt for their first win, Whitley are in search of two points to extend their tally further as they aim to continue their fantastic home run, having won eleven games and drawn twice at Whitley Bay Ice Rink this season.

Though the Senators have several goal scorers on their roster, the Sheffield outfit has struggled to achieve more than four goals per game this season. The Senators’ top three points scorers, Nathan Parkes-Britton, Thomas Humphries and Alexander Harding, have sixty seven points between them; by comparison, Whitley player-coach David Longstaff, forward DJ Good and youngster Callum Queenan have accumulated twenty five points more than that total. Whilst the Warriors will be without the injured Queenan once again, the side go into this game on the back of a 2-1 away win over the Senators’ sister club, Sheffield Spartans and the return of blue liner Andre Payette will boost Longstaff’s squad, Whitley having iced without seven players last weekend. Despite this, Longstaff and his team will be careful of complacency as the Senators give their all to acquire their first points of the season. Player-Coach David Longstaff told NIHL Northern Trio: “We have some of the players back and a strong enough team to win the game. Players will be getting a lot of ice time who don’t normally get a lot and we’ll try different power play and penalty kill options. Richie Lawson will be getting the week off and the two younger goalies will be getting some valuable time in goal.”

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

In the meantime, Solway Sharks will travel to Blackburn Ice Arena to encounter Daniel MacKriel’s Hawks on Sunday in what will be the side’s last trip to Lancashire this campaign. Having suffered a 5-1 road defeat to Blackburn and a 7-2 home loss, Solway stunned mid-January when they made their way back from a 3-2 deficit to record a victory over the Hawks. Whilst the reigning champions have dominated this season, Blackburn have shown moments of vulnerability. In November, MacKriel’s team drew with Sutton Sting before a loss to Whitley Warriors ended their eighteen month unbeaten run. Since then, the Hawks have also drawn with the Hillheads outfit and suffered losses to both Solway Sharks and Solihull Barons. As a result, Blackburn’s unassailability has been shaken in recent months to reveal that it is possible for most teams in the NIHL to conquer their opposition no matter who it may be.

Having lost import RJ Berra to the Elite League’s Edinburgh Capitals last week, it should be remembered that the Hawks remain an incredibly strong team with a great deal of skill, pace and power. Currently, Blackburn’s Adam Brittle is the NIHL’s most valuable player, having amassed twenty eight goals and an outstanding forty three assists whilst former Shark Richard Bentham is not far behind him. As a result, Solway have a great task on their hands as they take on the Hawks but it is not impossible for the Dumfries outfit to once again vanquish the reigning champions.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

According to Grubb, “Sunday is extremely tough as Blackburn are league leaders and a quality team but we have to go there, compete for every puck and look to get something from the game. We have managed to beat them at home this season and we need to take confidence from that, go there and do our jobs. If we stay focused and play solid, we will have a chance. There are some huge games for us to come and we need to find consistency and a desire to win that allows us to have the best chance possible to qualify and it has to start this weekend.”

Last to faceoff on Sunday will be Billingham Stars who will make the trip back from the Dumfries Ice Bowl to take on Matt Darlow’s Sutton Sting. Having played twenty seven games, the Sting are tied on twenty one points with Solway Sharks and Sheffield Spartans but the side climbed into sixth place last weekend, following improved form in recent games. Whilst Sutton have lost out in their last two fixtures, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Whitley Warriors and conceding seven unanswered goals to Blackburn Hawks, the side have won five of their last eight games, scoring thirty seven goals and conceding twenty four. With Dmitri Zimozdra in net, the Sting’s defence is often difficult to break down as captain Simon Offord, alternate captain Ryan Johnson and Latvian import Sergevs Jegorovs prove tough opposition; in their last eight games, the trio have contributed nine goals and sixteen assists.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

In contrast, Billingham’s last eight games consist of four wins and four losses in which the Stars have lit the lamp twenty seven times and conceded on thirty eight occasions. Included in these fixtures is an encounter between the Sting and the Stars in which visitors Billingham left emptyhanded following a 5-2 defeat to the South Yorkshire outfit. Like the Sting, the Stars have several offensive threats of their own including forwards James Moss, Michael Elder and Dennis Boström who have collectively contributed sixteen goals since the New Year.  Should Billingham triumph over Solway and Sutton this weekend, the Teesiders will move up to twenty seven points to either equal or surpass Telford Tigers’ tally, depending on the performance of Parry’s men when they face Solihull Barons on Sunday.

Recognising the importance of victory this weekend, Sykes added: “Sunday is back on home ice against Sutton. They hit some form over the last few games but then they lost to Blackburn, so hopefully we can get a nice home ice win and make the weekend a four point one. It’s a must. We know what we have to do and we know what we have to bring into both games. Doing everything we know we can and are capable of, we will get wins. It’s getting to the business end of the season and every game is a cup final as they say. We know it’s going to be tough but we are ready and we want these four points.”

For fans hoping to attend these games, Solway Sharks face off against Billingham Stars from 7:00pm on Saturday at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Whitley Warriors host Sheffield Senators at Hillheads from 5:00pm, the Sharks prepare to take on Blackburn Hawks from 5:45pm and the Stars return to The Forum for a 6:30pm encounter against Sutton Sting.

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