NIHL North News

NIHL North News

With September fast approaching, the moment most ice hockey fans were waiting for arrived this week as the EIHA published fixtures for NIHL North’s upcoming 2016-17 season. To add to this news, it has also been confirmed that Billingham Stars, Solway Sharks and Whitley Warriors will compete in an NIHL North Cup with Lancashire outfit Blackburn Hawks. 

In just a few weeks’ time, Billingham Stars will be the first of the Northern Trio to get their season underway with an away fixture against the newly promoted Deeside Dragons on Sunday 4^th September whilst both Solway Sharks and Whitley Warriors will ice on the following weekend; Solway first taking on the Stars at home before making the trip to Hillheads for a 5:00pm faceoff against David Longstaff’s men. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Beginning their campaign with three away fixtures, the Stars are set to play their first home game at The Forum on the 18^th September against league champions Blackburn Hawks before embarking on the defence of their NIHL North Cup title when they take on Solway Sharks a week later in front of a home crowd. It has also been confirmed that Terry Ward’s men will encounter their first Tyne-Tees derby of the season on the 2^nd October which will be played for double the reward, the winner gaining points in both the league and cup competition as the Stars travel to Hillheads. A second double points clash will then be played in February when Ward’s men take their turn to play host.  As a result of league and cup competition fixtures, the upcoming season will certainly not be short of a Tyne-Tees derby so it is perhaps fitting that the two clubs encounter each other on the final day of the season as the Warriors make the short road trip to Billingham on the 26^th March.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Solway Sharks, on the other hand, will follow up their opening weekend against their North Eastern rivals with a third league game against Sutton Sting, and cup contests against Blackburn Hawks and Billingham Stars. From there, the Dumfries outfit will hope to build some good form, the side playing five home fixtures between the 1^st October and the 12^th November which will commence with a visit from Perry Doyle’s Solihull Barons. The Sharks will also host Sutton Sting, endure two consecutive cup games against the Stars and play Whitley Warriors and Telford Tigers on home ice during this period. Other standout fixtures include back-to-back encounters with NIHL North champions Blackburn Hawks, a post-Christmas home game against the Warriors and a final road trip to Deeside as the season draws to a close.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Meanwhile, Whitley Warriors will prepare themselves for another challenging season in the Moralee Conference, taking on Matt Darlow’s Hawks in the NIHL North Cup prior to hosting Perry Doyle’s Solihull Barons in the second weekend of their campaign. The Warriors will then face consecutive games against local rivals Billingham Stars early in October before enduring three further contests against Blackburn in the same month. Playing Deeside Dragons ahead of the Christmas break, the Warriors will then make a trip to the Dumfries Ice Bowl on the 7^th January before heading home to face the Stars in the same weekend. The side will then hit the road from the 25^th February, paying a visit to Sutton Sting before travelling twice to Solihull and finally making longer trips to Deeside and Telford. Whitley’s last NIHL home game of their campaign will be played on the 19^th March against Sutton Sting prior to the Warriors’ final Derby Day fixture at The Forum, as previously mentioned.  

To see the full fixture lists for Whitley Warriors, Solway Sharks and Billingham Stars, click on ‘Fixtures’ at the top of this page or  view via the following link:  http://nihlnortherntrio.blogspot.co.uk/p/fixtures_8.html. 

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