NIHL North News

NIHL North Bulletin

Solway Sharks have announced the signing of Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen who joins the Dumfries club following last season’s league and playoff successes with Lancashire outfit Blackburn Hawks. Starting out as a junior with Kiekko-Vantaa Under 16s team, Miettinen went on to feature for Sport-T in the Junior A. SM-Liiga before making the switch to the Northern States Hockey League. It was here that Miettinen played for the Massachusetts Junior Mariners, picking up eleven goals and thirty assists in the forty games he featured. This was only the beginning of Miettinen’s excellent points production however as, icing in the NIHL for the first time last season, the defenceman racked up thirty five points in thirty one league games to become one of the best blue liners in the Moralee Conference. Bringing with him strength and skill, Miettinen is another positive addition to the Sharks’ defensive corps which now holds the experience of Slovakian import Juraj Senko, former EIHL player James Hutchinson, young prospect Stuart Kerr and composed ‘D’ men Stuart Andrews and James Wallace.

Meanwhile, Blackburn Hawks have swooped into action to secure the services of former Team GB defenceman Steven Duncombe. Starting out with Sheffield Rapiers in the England Under 16s, Duncombe eventually broke through the ranks of Sheffield’s junior setup to ice in the Elite League. In his 2005-06 campaign, Duncombe divided his time between the Steelers and EPL outfit, Sheffield Scimitars and went on to play for the Yorkshire-based club at this level for a further ten seasons, during which time the side rebranded to become known as the Steeldogs. Achieving twenty points or more for three consecutive seasons between 2012 and 2015, Duncombe’s leadership skills were acknowledged by his previous club with an ‘A’ on his shirt and the one-time Elite League champion will once again fulfil the role of alternate captain when he takes to the ice with Matt Darlow’s Blackburn Hawks in September.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Further to this news, it has been confirmed that former Whitley Warrior Scott Cooper has made the switch to local rivals Billingham Stars. Sustaining a serious injury at Hillheads in February, Cooper was prevented from icing with the Warriors for the remainder of their 2015-16 campaign but had signed up for a third season which was announced mid-July. However, a change in personal circumstances recently led to the confirmation that Cooper would not ice for Whitley Warriors next season and today, Billingham Stars have unveiled the ‘D’ man as the newest addition to their blue line. Returning to the club he iced with as a junior, the defenceman finds himself lining up with player-assistant coach Richie Thornton, long-serving Stars Ben Davison and Andrew Finn, youngster Will Robson and fellow newcomer Callum Read.

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