NIHL Weekend Action

Shining Stars blaze to glory to tame Tigers

Telford Tigers       3

Billingham Stars   4

Travelling to Telford Ice Rink with a strong squad, Billingham Stars went into this game aware that a victory would see the Teesiders go level on points with the fourth placed Tigers ahead of their home clash with Sheffield Spartans on Sunday evening. Also icing an undeniably challenging team with forward James Smith making a return to Telford’s line-up, the Tigers were out to gain two points in the hope that they would be taking one step closer to their playoff qualification.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With the opening minutes of the first period fast-paced and played at a high tempo, the Tigers successfully applied pressure to the Stars to provoke a minor holding penalty from alternate captain Andy Munroe, coincidently earning themselves a power play. Making their additional skater count, the Tigers ensured their punishment of Billingham just over a minute later as some passing play between blue liner Corey Goodison and returnee Smith saw Callum Bowley in on goal to make it 1-0 on 6:32. A stalemate between the two sides soon developed as the Stars were restored to five men, both teams having their fair share of chances but unable to find the back of the net. With the first interval fast approaching, Billingham finally managed to light the lamp through Chris Sykes, assistance arriving from fellow forward Michael Elder and young defenceman Will Robson. A penalty in the last minute of the period saw the Stars playing five-on-four ice hockey as Telford’s Simon Harrison headed to the sin bin for a holding offence before the buzzer sounded to send both teams in at the break with the score line 1-1.

Returning for the second period, the Stars continued with the remaining minute or so of their power play but were unable to capitalise. Handed a second chance soon after, when Adam Taylor took to the sin bin for slashing, Billingham again struggled to take the lead. Telford had not yet been restored to full strength when Goodison was made to sit out for interference and it was a case of third time lucky for the Stars as alternate captain Callum Davies fired the puck past netminder Denis Bell following Taylor’s return to the ice.

Less than two minutes later, the Tigers’ lack of discipline was punished on a second successive occasion, this time for an elbowing call against Smith resulting in another power play goal for the visitors, Davies turning assist alongside Elder to aid ‘D’ man Richie Thornton in his quest for a goal.

The score line now 3-1 to the Stars, the Tigers attempts to recover lost ground were short lived as, just twenty two seconds later, Bowley made his way to the penalty box to serve 2+10 for a check from behind. However, whilst Elder’s shot was swiftly dealt with by Bell at one end of the ice, the Stars’ James Flavell was called into action to keep out the individual attempts of Smith and superb Slovakian import Karol Jets. Link up play between Smith and Taylor though soon saw Jets hit the target to reduce the deficit on 36:03.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

With neither team scoring in the final minutes of the middle section, Billingham went in at the break with a narrow lead which they needed to build on if they were to stand any chance of taking two points away from the fixture. A hooking penalty against alternate captain Daniel Harrison saw the blue liner join Bowley in the sin bin thirty one seconds into the third period. With Dennis Boström the only player to create a chance on this power play, Telford successfully prevented the Stars from regaining their two-goal cushion on this occasion. Five- on-five ice hockey resuming, Billingham had several attempts to extend their lead through Ben Davison and James Moss so it was little surprise when the visitors finally made the score line 4-2, player-assistant coach Michael Bowman slipping the puck past Bell courtesy of Boström.

Minutes later, a hooking offence from Andy Finn saw the defenceman sinbinned to hand the home side a power play. With Smith’s shot saved by Flavell, the Tigers again frittered away the advantage and recognised that more was required of the team to take so much as a share of the spoils. Piling on the pressure, Telford developed their offensive play as the clock ticked away before calling a timeout early in the fifty ninth minute. Parry’s words quickly taking effect, Bowley and Goodison worked the puck in the Stars’ defensive zone and, eventually finding Smith on the blue line, watched on as the forward smashed a shot through Billingham’s defence, a deflection helping the puck on its way. With twelve seconds left, there was not enough time for the Tigers to draw level and it was Terry Ward’s men who went home the happier of the two teams, the 4-3 victory taking the Teesiders up to twenty five points.

Star Chris Sykes kindly shared his thoughts with NIHL Northern Trio: “Last weekend was exactly what we needed and exactly what I had planned the weekend to go like for me and the boys. In practice, we knew we could take all four points and we made sure that we did. Telford are a good team and we managed to break them down and get what we wanted. Two points on the road is always good.”

Super Sharks snap up points as Barons lose out

Solway Sharks   7

Solihull Barons  5

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Their last clash a rather fiery affair, with one hundred and fifty seven penalty minutes racked up between the two teams over the course of the game, Solway Sharks steeled themselves for the return of Perry Doyle’s Solihull on Saturday night. Both teams boasting strong rosters, with Kieran Hobbins in net for the Sharks and Sam Hewitt between the pipes for the Barons, it was no shock that the outfits took to the ice with full force in their aim for victory. 

Attacking from the first face off, the Barons got off to the best start possible with a goal on 1:11, left winger Josh Bruce and forward Thomas Soar combing to set up the skilful Joe Henry who did not miss his mark to give his team an early lead. However, this good work was soon undone as Edward Eaton conceded a minor for tripping exactly one minute later to give the Sharks a power play. Some effective passing in Solihull’s defensive zone saw Slovakian import Martin Cingel thread the puck to Marc Fowley who claimed his ninth goal of his 2015-16 campaign to equalise.

A level playing field reinstated, and possession balanced between the two sides, Solway began to see more of the puck which allowed the Dumfries outfit to build up some effective offensive play which soon paid off, Martin Grubb’s side taking the lead when wingers Steven Moore and Steven Balmer linked up to send Stevie Adams through on goal. Losing by a narrow margin, Solihull responded with several efforts on Hobbins’ net but the Barons were unable to draw level as the Sharks grabbed another goal close to the thirteenth minute mark as James Wallace fired home, Fowley and Cingel on hand with assists.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Subsequent to this, referee David Emmerson then saw fit to send Balmer to the box for clipping, in turn awarding the visitors a power play. Even with the quality of Doyle’s teammates, the Barons could not break down Solway’s defence on the penalty kill. Another opportunity soon followed however, this time Fowley sent to serve two minutes for delaying the game on 17:38. With the Barons still in search of a second goal to reduce the deficit, the Sharks managed to run down the clock to head in at the break with a 3-1 lead.

Both teams taking to the ice for the middle stanza, it was Solway’s turn to stun as Cingel slotted the puck over the red line, on this occasion defenceman Aidan Fulton having found Fowley who ensured that the puck was placed in the import’s path with success. Whilst the Barons were not without chances, the home side appeared to have significantly more, Hewitt facing twenty two shots from the Sharks in this period whilst Hobbins’ encountered fourteen attempts by comparison.

As Solway began to dominate possession in their offensive zone, their next goal was somewhat overdue as it took the side at least thirteen minutes to light the lamp, creative play between Wallace and Cingel printing Struan Tonnar’s name on the scoresheet. Losing by five goals to two, Solihull’s resilience resurfaced as the Barons made it clear that they were not willing to give up those two all-important points in their fight for playoff qualification. Pulling a goal back on 38:11 through Henry, Bruce playing the puck to Tomas Janak who turned it goalwards, the Barons filed off the ice at the end of the second with the knowledge that they had made similar comebacks in the past to take the points.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The Sharks made their return, aware that a win would see them go level on points with both Telford Tigers and Billingham Stars to enhance their chances of a playoff spot. With neither side scoring in the first few minutes of the third period, the Sharks made the most of their possession to finally hit home on 44:37, forwards Joe Coulter and Duncan Speirs getting in on the action with build-up play to set up Wallace for his second of the game. Undeterred, Doyle urged his men to continue their search for yet another goal and a quick response meant Hobbins’ was picking the puck from his net forty seven seconds later, Bruce sliding the puck to captain Rob Eley who integrated fellow forward Andrew Whitehouse into play for his fifth goal of the season. Perhaps feeling that victory was within reach, Doyle called a timeout with over ten minutes left of the game.

For a moment, it seemed as though the player-coach had inspired the ultimate comeback when play swung in the Barons’ favour for a second successive time with Solway’s Stuart Kerr ordered to serve a minor for holding. Not about to let the opportunity pass them by, Solihull’s skilled forward Eaton got on the end of a pass from alternate captain Ryan Selwood, burying his attempt in the net to go within a goal of the Sharks.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking action into the last two minutes of the game, Solway managed to restore their two-goal cushion through Moore whose successful offensive effort was supported by youngster Daniel Abercrombie and blue liner Juraj Senko to take the score line up to 7-5. Pulling shot stopper Hewitt from his net in the last minute of the game, the Barons were ultimately left disappointed that they could not salvage the score line which resulted in two points for the Sharks who are now level with Telford Tigers in the NIHL League Table.

In Martin Grubb’s absence, alternate captain Ross Murray took the time to speak to NIHL Northern Trio after the game: “Solihull was always going to be a tough game but we knew a win would boost our chance of a playoff spot and keep the push alive. It’s always hard playing a team like Solihull who have such a skilled offensive and look dangerous every time they are on the puck. We knew we had to be solid at the back if we had any chance in winning. Hobbins was solid as usual, making some point blank saves to keep the game alive. Also, Scott McMeeken did a solid job stepping in as Head Coach when Martin was unavailable.”

All fight on the night as Warriors battle for points

Whitley Warriors 8

Solihull Barons   4

With much hype surrounding the reunion of enforcers Andre Payette and Perry Doyle at Hillheads on Sunday, Whitley Warriors took to the ice against a determined but troublesome   Solihull Barons outfit who were hoping to accumulate points following their defeat to Solway Sharks on Saturday. Amongst those who did not travel for the visitors were defenceman Jordan Stokes, forward Matthew Maurice and netminder Josh Nicholls whilst Whitley’s Harry Harley and Ben Richards also missed out alongside the injured Alex Lawson, Stu Tomlinson and Callum Queenan.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Both teams having readied themselves for the contest and the first face off over, Solihull claimed possession of the puck in the opening minutes to immediately apply some pressure in Whitley’s defensive zone. The quick pace adding to the fiery temperament of the game, Jordan Barnes and Stephen Heape immediately dropped the gloves in front of Richie Lawson’s goal, each earning 2+2 for roughing on 1:38. A hook from Tomas Janak presented the Warriors with a power play just eleven seconds later but David Longstaff’s line up could not capitalise and the Barons again saw their fair share of possession as they continued to make life difficult for the home side.

A clash between Doyle and Whitley’s Dan Pye along the boards in Solihull’s offensive zone provoked a reaction from Longstaff’s bench and, as the home team moved play forward, Doyle was soon turning round to feel the full wrath of enforcer Payette. Both players incurring 2+2 for roughing, the fighters were engaged in a heated discussion before Longstaff joined the pair in the sin bin for a charging offence. Eight seconds before this minor was due to finish, Whitley conceded yet another penalty, this time blue liner Josh Maddock in the wrong.

With end to end ice hockey, but neither side able to take the lead, Payette and Doyle returned to their respective benches, seemingly continuing their earlier conversation. Just over a minute later, both players were back out on the ice and the punches were flying again as Doyle confronted his nemesis. Unwilling to concede defeat, Payette overpowered Doyle who found himself vanquished for a second time. Penalties of 2+2 for roughing followed as referee Steven Wardell dealt with the incident.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Though Barons appeared offensively stronger in the opening minutes, it was Whitley who then proceeded to open the scoring, Longstaff picking up the puck from Shaun Kippin to find Jamie Tinsley who swiftly punished the Barons’ defence on 13:28. Solihull’s quick response saw the visitors claim an equaliser with a fantastic, unassisted effort just over a minute later from ‘D’ man Richard Crowe. Inspired by this sudden change in fortune, the Warriors battled back with attacking play and only fifteen seconds had ticked by when the Hillheads outfit made it 2-1, Tinsley passing to youngster Liam Smedley who, positioned just inside the blue line, smashed the puck into Hewitt’s net to light the lamp for his team mates. A little less than two minutes later, the Warriors added to their tally, this time Barnes involving Adam Reynolds in Whitley’s quick passing play, the forward locating blue liner Joe Stamp who hit the puck into the Barons’ net from distance. As Solihull began to register the score line, they suffered yet another blow when Warrior Dean Holland fired a close range shot at Hewitt. Failing in his first attempt, the forward persevered, snatching the puck from its rebound to claim a goal before the break.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The second period then underway, the Warriors began to enjoy the shift in possession as Tinsley achieved his second goal of the game just forty two seconds in, Longstaff and Kippin again with the assists. A holding call against Henry saw the forward punished with a stint in the sin bin to hand Whitley the power play. Making the most of this opportunity to extend their lead to 6-1, Callum Watson received the puck from long-serving Warrior DJ Good, following an accurate pass from Tinsley who turned assist to help out his team mates on this occasion. 

Events took an unpleasant turn, however, when Whitley defenceman Scott Cooper attempted to clear the puck from Whitley’s defensive area but instead collided with the boards. As the players came to Cooper’s aid, Payette and Doyle again came to blows, this time dropping the gloves in a far more even battle. With this their third fight, both players were ejected from the game on 25:30. Meanwhile, a twenty minute wait for an ambulance saw play halted, the teams filing from the ice as Cooper received medical attention.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

As the game resumed, officials decided that the third period would be played immediately after the remainder of the middle stanza to avoid further delays. An altered atmosphere was apparent as the teams iced once more, the Warriors having lost their momentum. Capitalising, Swedish import Niklas Ottosson fired the puck past Lawson on 26:52 courtesy of assists from top points scorer Thomas Soar and blue liner Crowe. Solihull soon changed their netminder, switching Hewitt for Connor Ranby, but with the game still flat, and both teams struggling to create effective build up play following this goal, the deficit was only reduced further by the Barons with almost thirty six minutes played, forwards Rob Eley and Josh Bruce stringing neat passes together to involve Janak who set his sights on goal.

With the Barons now just three goals away from an equaliser, the Warriors were forced into action, gradually breaking down Solihull’s defence to add another to their tally, this time Watson slipping the puck from Maddock to Good who slotted home.

A quick changeover at the end of period saw the teams take to centre ice for the faceoff but little alteration was made to the atmosphere as neither side showed great interest in extending their lead. A second goal from Good on 56:19 saw Kyle Hindmarsh-Ross notch an assist to make it 8-3 but it was the Barons who had the last say as Soar and Ottosson demonstrated their skill to help Bruce to a goal over a minute later.

The final score line 8-4, the Warriors have now confirmed that they will not finish anywhere lower than second place with this result, a fantastic achievement for the Hillheads outfit who found themselves in a relegation playoff at the end of last season.  David Longstaff shared his views with NIHL Northern Trio subsequent to the game: “It was a good, fast-paced game. I think the score line flattered us a little bit and the game went a little bit flat after Scott’s injury.” NIHL Northern Trio would like to take this opportunity to wish Warrior Scott Cooper a speedy recovery.

  

Stars dazzle Spartans to shoot into playoff spot

Billingham Stars    7

Sheffield Spartans 3

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aiming for a four point weekend and the heights of an NIHL playoff spot, Billingham Stars were half way there due to a win against rivals Telford Tigers on Saturday but a second victory over Sheffield Spartans was still required for the Stars to leap into fourth place. Missing Scott Ward, Thomas Keeley and Jack Davies, the side faced off against Martin White’s Sheffield Spartans on ‘Swedish Night’ with a view to grab as many goals as they could against the struggling side.

The opening minutes intense with the glare of a full house upon the players, it was, in fact, the Spartans who took the lead, a Stars’ defensive error allowing David Pyatt to go clear of Billingham’s blue liners, his rebound picked up by forward Shaun Wild who did not miss his mark. Not long after, referee David Emmerson dished out a 2+2 for interference and unsportsmanlike conduct to defenceman Andy Finn. Spurred on by this call, alternate captain Callum Davies made a pass to Michael Elder who went on to find the back of the net with a shorthanded effort.

An interference call against Ross Jordan meant four-on-four ice hockey and, Billingham buoyed by their previous goal, soon found another, import Dennis Boström appropriately stretching the twine on ‘Swedish Night’ with a shot that could not be saved by Spartans’ netminder Andy Bagshaw. The score line 2-1, the Stars found themselves hindered when a high sticks penalty for Davies reduced the side to three men with Finn still serving his double minor. Unable to score on the power play though, the Yorkshire outfit looked on as Billingham returned to five men only to light the lamp two minutes later. Receiving a skilled pass from Moss, player-assistant coach Richie Thornton picked out Boström, the Swedish import helping himself to his second goal of the evening. Less than four minutes from the period’s conclusion, defenceman Ben Davison and forward Andrew Turner clashed, both incurring minor penalties ahead of the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Early opportunities in the second period for Stars’ Michael Bowman and Spartans’ Will Barron were frittered away before Finn again took to the box along with Ollie Barron, the latter serving a roughing penalty to create another four-on-four situation. Both teams restored to full strength, Finn delivered a pass to Luke Brown soon after, the forward hitting the puck low to surpass the goaltending abilities of Bagshaw. Later, Moss and Boström again coordinated to find Bowman, this time the experienced right winger burying the puck in Sheffield’s net.

Jordan making his way to the sin bin for delaying the game, the Stars found themselves on the power play but their efforts with the additional skater were to no avail and afterwards, shots from Chris Sykes and James Moss also wide of the mark. As time ticked by, it was only in the thirty fifth minute that the Stars again found themselves on the scoresheet, Davison and Bowman collaborating so that Boström could hit the puck under Bagshaw for his hat trick. The score line 6-1, Billingham’s work was not yet done, Thornton and Davies setting up Elder who was able to light the lamp on 37:34, tapping in his rebounded shot which initially pinged under the cross bar and out of the net.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Action resuming in the final instalment of the game, and Billingham’s dominance reflected in the score line, the Stars opted for a change of netminder, Mark Watson taking to the net. Face off over, both teams revealed the untidy edge to their play and it was not long before the penalties began to rack up, Stars’ forward Moss and Spartans’ Ollie Barron warming seats in the sin bin for roughing. Seven seconds after returning to full strength, Brown visited the penalty box for slashing on 43:31. In the forty eighth minute, Davison and captain Barron dropped the gloves, both players receiving double minors for roughing. Meanwhile, youngster Billy Nicholson was handed a ten minute misconduct penalty for his part in the incident whilst shot stopper Watson also found himself on the wrong end of a minor slashing penalty, having attempted to clear his crease of the Sheffield player.

As a result, the visitors were given a power play opportunity and did not hesitate to make it count, scoring from the face off as Wild notched his second goal of the game, assisted by Jordan and forward Scott Morris. As the bad blood boiled over between the two teams, the fifty first minute brought with it a fight between Brown and Turner, the former made to serve two minutes for slashing and 2+2 for fighting whilst the latter incurred two minutes for interference and 2+2 for fighting. A final consolatory effort from the Spartans saw Elliot Knell and Finlay Ulrick claim assists when skilled forward Stuart Brittle hit the target to make the final score 7-3.

Speaking to NIHL Northern Trio, Chris Sykes reviewed the weekend: “To come back home on ‘Swedish Night’, it was only fitting that Swede Dennis Boström came to play. He scored a hat trick and we buried the Spartans in the second period and cruised to the four point weekend we set out for.”

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