NIHL Weekend Action

Blackburn claw points as Warriors lose out in narrow road defeat

Blackburn Hawks 2

Whitley Warriors   1

Whilst it was expected that this game would pose a great challenge to the short benched visitors, especially after their 9-2 defeat to Solway Sharks last weekend, David Longstaff’s depleted line up took to the ice prepared for the contest against an equally diminished Blackburn Hawks side.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Though the first period commenced with Blackburn winning the puck from faceoff, the Warriors battled for early possession and soon took the lead through defenceman Niall Simpson, who grabbed his first goal in a Warriors’ shirt with less than five minutes played. Soon after, a slashing call against enforcer Andre Payette saw the Hawks go on a power play but Matt Darlow’s men failed to draw level, despite a superb effort from forward Philip Mulcahy. With Whitley returning to full strength, it was not long before the Warriors acquired a power play of their own when Swedish import Patrik Nyman conceded two minutes for tripping. Though gaining the advantage, Whitley were forced to endure a successful penalty kill from the home side, having failed to place the puck past netminder Stuart Ashton. With six minutes remaining in the period, the Warriors defended well as Hawk Aaron Davies ignited Blackburn’s offence but the Hillheads outfit held onto their narrow 1-0 lead going into the second period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Filing onto the ice for the middle section of the game, both teams resumed play with the same level of intensity and pace shown in the opening stanza, although neither appeared to match the quality they demonstrated against each other last season. Whilst the Hawks continued to pile the pressure onto Whitley’s blue line, forward James Riddoch found it difficult to link up with Nyman which, in turn, hindered the side’s attempts in finding an equaliser. Meanwhile, Longstaff’s men continued to work hard at both ends of the ice but were unable to make their chances count in their opposition’s defensive zone, despite DJ Good, Callum Watson and Dean Holland setting their sights on goal. As both sides struggled to find the back of the net, Whitley incurred a bench penalty for an ice infringement which presented Blackburn with their second power play opportunity of the game. Again defending well on the penalty kill to prevent their opposition from snatching a goal, the Warriors suffered a further setback minutes later when forward Martin Crammond was shown to the sin bin for hooking. Whilst the Hawks were unable to capitalise from this advantage, Darlow’s men found themselves in control of the puck when the Warriors returned to full strength. It was this switch in momentum which enabled the Lancashire outfit to get back on level terms; Bobby Streetly and Nick Oliver linking up to send Finnish import Mikko Sierman through on goal. Disappointed to concede, Whitley strove to get ahead in the game for a second time but it was not to be as the period was brought to a close with tensions rising between Warrior Shaun Kippin and Hawk Steven Duncombe who were swiftly separated by officials.

The final instalment of the game beginning with Kippin and Duncombe serving minor penalties for roughing, the teams each took to the ice with four skaters. It was in the early stages of this period that the power of Reece Cairney-Witter became evident when the defenceman made a hit on blue liner Josh Maddock who careered into the bench with some force. This clash was then followed by the collision of Blackburn’s Ollie Lomax with Nyman before Whitley Warriors conceded yet another penalty when Crammond found himself side-lined for a second time in the game. This leading to a favourable situation for Blackburn, the side fought hard to create some chances with the additional man, repeatedly testing Lawson. Whilst Davies, Sierman and Nyman all came close to adding to the Hawks’ tally subsequent to this advantage, the period was a mixed one for Riddoch who came close to the target, having struggled to thread and receive passes to and from his Swedish line mate throughout the game.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Equally, the Warriors saw several of their chances go wide of the mark as Watson broke free to try his luck whilst Longstaff hit the puck at Ashton. It was the Hawks that were next to light the lamp however, their work ethic paying off as Davies fired home a fantastic winner, with Riddoch and Oliver picking up assists. Just over one minute later, a tripping call against Liam Brown caused the Warriors to go shorthanded. Killing the penalty effectively, Longstaff’s team then returned to full strength only to ice too many men. Whilst Holland was made to sit out as a result, Hawks’ blue liner Duncombe also incurred a minor penalty for holding. Unhappy with the decision, Duncombe made referee Tom Pering aware of his feelings only to receive an additional ten minute misconduct penalty. In the meantime, Whitley opted to pull shot stopper Lawson from his net in a bid to find a second goal, with hopes that they could claim a league point from this fixture which would then take the game into overtime as per the regulations of the NIHL North Cup competition. Despite this six-on-four situation being in Whitley’s favour, possession soon fell to Blackburn which allowed Davies to chance his luck at an empty net goal. With Davies failing to increase his team’s lead, and the Warriors unable to beat Ashton, the score line remained 2-1 to leave Whitley at the foot of the league standings, with valuable points missed in both the league and cup competitions. 

Solway triumphant as Sutton lack Sting

Solway Sharks 4

Sutton Sting     1

After much success against Billingham Stars and Whitley Warriors last weekend, Solway Sharks took to the ice against Sutton Sting with aspirations of a third consecutive victory. Travelling with just thirteen skaters and two netminders, Simon Butterworth’s team lined up against an almost full strength Sharks squad as captain Struan Tonnar made his return to Grubb’s line up.

Whilst Solway clearly set out to test netminder Dmitri Zimozdra in the early stages of the game, it was the Sting who opened the scoring on 6:39, Benjamin Jones slotting past netminder Kieran Hobbins after a pass from former Spartan Scott Morris. Less than two minutes later, Sutton’s captain James Spurr was shown to the sin bin for hooking. Though unable to find the back of the net on the power play, Solway retained control of the puck long enough to light the lamp after the visitors had returned to full strength, Daniel Abercrombie drawing level for the Sharks. Seconds later, Tonnar found himself sinbinned for a boarding penalty which reduced the Dumfries outfit to four men. Working hard on the penalty kill to prevent Sutton from scoring a second goal, the Sharks continued to battle against their tough opposition. Firing several shots at Zimozdra, Grubb’s men finally netted on 17:36 through Richard Bentham, following support from Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen and fellow forward Joe Coulter. Though dominating in front of goal, Solway were unable to add to their tally ahead of the break, largely due to Sutton’s sturdy defence and Zimozdra’s efforts to keep his side in the game.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The teams returning for the second period, the momentum was still very much with Solway whose pressure in the opening minutes paid off when Coulter hit home to achieve his first goal for the Sharks this season; Bentham snatching an assist alongside blue liner James Wallace. With the Sharks exhibiting quality in offence, Solway’s shot stopper Hobbins was called upon from time to time as a trailing Sutton Sting sought an opportunity to get back in the game before it was too late to do so. Placed on the power play just before the halfway point of the period courtesy of Tonnar, the Sting looked to alter the score line but their efforts were to no avail as Solway were effective on the penalty kill once again. Outshooting the visitors by twenty four shots to eight, it was clear that there would be another goal in the game for the Sharks but it was to Sutton’s credit that the home side were unable to make it 4-1 until 37:58, Abercrombie grabbing his second of the game with forward Connor Henderson and Slovakian defenceman Juraj Senko assisting the youngster before the break.

Whilst Solway were eager to hold onto their lead going into the final stanza of the game, Butterworth’s team recognised the need to reduce their three-goal deficit but were equally conscious to remain unified in defence, this being one of the side’s greatest strengths. Despite seeing the better share of possession during this period, the home side were unable to make their chances count as the Sting laboured on the blue line to prevent Solway from extending their lead further. Again, Zimozdra was one of the most hardworking players on the ice as the Sharks outshot Sutton by seventeen attempts to six but, with no further goals in the game, the 4-1 score line sealed Solway’s win well in advance of the final buzzer. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Now sitting at the top of the NIHL table with six points, Solway have enjoyed a very different start to their 2016-17 campaign than that of last season, having recorded three consecutive league victories as well as claiming maximum points from an NIHL North Cup game against Whitley Warriors last weekend. Reflecting on the game, Head Coach Martin Grubb told NIHL Northern Trio: “I am happy to have made it three wins from three games but we still know we need to improve on areas in our game. I thought we played a hardworking and organised Sutton team and, although we dominated possession, they never gave us loads of scoring chances. We played well in spells and I told the players I want us to play for the whole sixty minutes and set ourselves high standards, and we also need to take the chances that come our way. We had lots of shots but a mixture of good goaltending and poor finishing made the game harder than it needed to be. We have to be happy at the start we have made and the players should take confidence from that but I need to stress it’s only a start and we are striving for consistency and we will continue improving as a new group.”

Warriors vanquished as Barons claim Hillheads victory

Whitley Warriors 2

Solihull Barons   4

Following last weekend’s abysmal performance against Solway Sharks on home ice, Whitley Warriors were hoping for an improvement in their play if nothing else, though David Longstaff’s side would head into this fixture without defencemen Harry Harley and Joe Stamp as well as and forwards Callum Watson and Alan Yarrow. Perry Doyle’s travelling Barons were also without a full squad however, as Slovakian import Tomas Janak, forward Ed Eaton and defenceman Phil Knight were amongst Solihull’s absentees.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off for the first period, both teams began the game with great fervour in their efforts to gain possession, Whitley racing into the Barons defensive zone to apply some early pressure to netminder Josh Nicholls whilst Solihull also had a few chances of their own to test shot stopper Richie Lawson. Working hard to prevent the Barons from scoring one of these opportunities, Warrior Craig Johnson hurled the puck into the stands in his efforts to clear Whitley’s defensive zone and found himself sinbinned for delaying the game as a result. Organising an effective penalty kill with experienced teammate Andre Payette, David Longstaff ensured that his side did not concede in the early stages of the game. No sooner had Johnson returned to the ice however, than he found himself back in the sin bin, charging his offence on this occasion. Again on the power play, Solihull attempted to get ahead on the advantage but could not break down the systematic Warriors and watched another opportunity slip by. Shortly afterwards, the visitors were punished for their inability to capitalise when captain Dean Holland fired home a fantastic shot on 14:56 to beat Nicholls, following passing play between player-coach Longstaff and forward Martin Crammond. Whitley’s celebration proved to be short lived though as returning Warrior Dan Pye conceded a minor penalty for tripping. Certain that they would not allow another power play to pass by without finding the back of the net, just thirty nine seconds of the advantage were played before Thomas Soar slotted past Lawson courtesy of fellow forwards Joe Henry and Niklas Ottosson. As Longstaff’s line up returned to full strength, the Barons were buoyed by their equaliser ahead of the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Aware that the next goal in the game would be a crucial one, Longstaff’s men demonstrated great intent on the offensive in the opening seconds of the middle stanza, Jordan Barnes playing the puck perfectly for captain Holland who lifted it beyond Nicholls to claim his second of the evening. The score line 2-1, Solihull recognised the need to find a rapid equaliser and quickly responded through Ottosson who was helped onto the score sheet by defenceman Dale White and alternate captain Josh Bruce. In response to this goal, the Warriors battled hard for the puck, particularly power forward Barnes who was effective across all areas of the ice, digging in deep to send his line mates through on goal. Meanwhile, the Barons also saw their fair share of possession as the war of attrition continued, skilled forwards Soar and Ottosson trying to get their side ahead in the game. However, whilst Solihull outshot Whitley by twenty shots to eight in the first period, the tables were turned in the middle section to evidence the laborious work of the home side who looked to create as many chances as possible in the hope that they could eventually punish Doyle’s team. Gaining the advantage courtesy of an interference call against White appeared to provide the advantage that the Warriors were looking for with a little under three minutes of the period left to play and, whilst Longstaff’s organisation of his power play line was visible, the side failed to make their mark with the additional man and consequently went in at the break with nothing separating them from their opposition.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

In the same way that the Warriors opened the second period with intensity, Solihull took to the ice with great conviction which enabled the Barons to take the lead for the first time in the game. This time it was youngster Matthew Maurice who accomplished a goal when assisted by former Dragon Paul Davies and ‘D’ man Jacob Smith. Sensing that the game was slipping from their grasp, the Warriors’ work rate did not falter as they were forced back into their defensive zone time and again by the Barons. Initially soaking up the pressure, Lawson found himself beaten by Andrew Whitehouse following a blue line shot from Dave Rogers which was helped on its way by forward Richard Slater. The wind taken from their sails, the Warriors attempted to reduce the two-goal deficit but it was to be to no avail, despite the efforts of Whitley’s best players on the night, including Barnes, Holland and young forward Ben Richards. Conceding a penalty late in the game for icing too many men for a second consecutive night, Whitley took a bench minor which was served by Richards and, despite a late attempt by Longstaff to challenge Solihull’s defence, the score line remained 4-2 when the final buzzer sounded. Sharing his views after this game, player-coach David Longstaff had the following to say: “I thought the boys were great all weekend. We are gradually getting there and it’s a process for us. We’re getting better every time we get on the ice which is very pleasing from a coaching point of view. We had chances in both games and were a massive improvement on last weekend.”

Stars blaze to glory against bewildered Blackburn

Billingham Stars   3

Blackburn Hawks 2

Icing in front of a home crowd for the first time this season, Terry Ward’s squad was strengthened further by the return of Stars’ veteran Paul Windridge as the Teessiders lined up against a weakened Blackburn Hawks outfit, Matt Darlow’s side having travelled with just two lines.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking to the ice for faceoff, Billingham entered into a battle for possession against the Hawks who went into this game with much momentum, having achieved victory over Whitley Warriors on Saturday. Applying some early pressure to the Stars’ defence, it was not long before Blackburn were able to open the scoring as Aaron Davies achieved his second goal of his 2016-17 campaign with just over six minutes played, following link up play between Swedish import Patrik Nyman and captain Ollie Lomax. Though falling behind at this stage of the game, the Stars regrouped to set their sights on an equaliser which was delivered on 9:57 by player-coach Michael Bowman who was sent through on goal by Dennis Boström, the Swede having struck Stuart Ashton’s mask just moments before. Forty seven seconds later, Blackburn conceded the first penalty of the game as Lomax found himself sinbinned for a slashing offence. Working hard on the power play, the Stars strove to take the lead through both Boström and Chris Sykes but it was not to be on this occasion as the Hawks successfully killed the penalty. Approximately three minutes later, it was the turn of Bowman to be shown to the penalty box but, no sooner had Billingham returned to full strength, than Hawks’ ‘D’ man Nick Oliver was made to sit out for tripping. As defenceman Tom Keeley attempted to make the most of this advantage for the home side, referee David Emmerson then called for tripping against netminder James Flavell which saw the power play ruled out. However, there was time yet in the period for the spectacular as blue liner Ben Davison raced into Blackburn’s defensive zone to fire home with just one second of the period remaining.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

The score line 2-1, Billingham were aware that the visitors would try all they could to find a way back into the game and immediately went on the offensive. Believing that they had placed the puck beyond Ashton just minutes into the second stanza, Billingham were left disappointed to find that the spirited netminder had successfully made the save to prevent the Stars from sneaking even further ahead. Shortly after this attempt, the Hawks were shorthanded once again when alternate captain Nyman found himself side-lined for a cross check. Efforts from Sykes and forward Callum Davies failing to make an impact, Billingham were unable to add to their tally on the power play but the team were handed a second chance on 28:17 when Oliver made way to serve a minor for slashing. Frittering away this opportunity, the Stars were again handed the advantage when Nyman was considered to be guilty of roughing but it was over a minute after this power play before the Teessiders could light the lamp, Michael Elder slotting home with assists from Sykes and Davies. This goal provoked a retaliation from the Hawks who were quick to test shot stopper Flavell at the other end of the ice but the Stars headed in at the interval with their 3-1 lead intact.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Outshooting their opposition in the first and second periods, Billingham were aiming to hold onto their lead going into the final stanza, aware that victory could easily be snatched from their grasp. Seeking goals, the Stars set out to test Ashton and the shot stopper was forced into action by Elder with less than a minute of the period played. Meanwhile, the Hawks also appeared dangerous with possession as Nyman, Davies and James Riddoch worked hard on the offensive in a bid to reduce the deficit. Their efforts were rewarded with a power play on 49:55 when Scott Cooper was made to serve time for a crosscheck and Blackburn were thrown a further lifeline when a five-on-three situation arose as captain Richie Thornton joined his teammate in the sin bin. Just nine seconds into this two-man advantage, the Hawks were able to capitalise through alternate captain Steven Duncombe, following passing play from Davies and Nyman. It was shortly after this goal that Darlow’s men conceded a penalty of their own however, as Nyman was shown to the sin bin for a hooking misdemeanour. Returning to five men, the Stars were unable to place the puck beyond Ashton on this short power play and instead clung to their narrow lead. The dying minutes of the game proving tense, Billingham were subjected to further anxiety when Darlow called a timeout on 58:49 but, as possession fell to the Stars from faceoff, Blackburn could not find a way to level the scoring, allowing Ward’s men to claim victory.

After the final buzzer, forward Chris Sykes shared his thoughts on the game: “What a way to start the home opener with a big win for the Stars! The Hawks brought twelve players to The Forum and we knew we could take them at home after last weekend’s disappointment. We stuck to our plan, it paid off for us and we got a massive two points and a good start on home ice. We made a few mistakes but we can rectify them this week in practice and be ready for Solway next weekend in the Cup.”

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