WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 MORALEE CONFERENCE
Saturday 10th September 2016
Solway Sharks vs. Billingham Stars
Sunday
11th September 2016
Whitley Warriors vs. Solway Sharks
Blackburn Hawks vs. Billingham Stars
Though the NIHL’s 2016-17 season officially began
last Sunday with a fixture in Deeside between Billingham Stars and Scott
McKenzie’s Dragons, there is far more action in the Moralee Conference this
weekend as each outfit in Division One prepares to take to the ice.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Amongst them, Martin Grubb’s Solway Sharks get set
for a visit from league rivals Billingham Stars who will be out to claim a
second road victory, having defeated The Dragons last weekend. With this their
first game of the season, the Sharks head out in front of a home crowd hoping
to demonstrate that they are a very different side to that which conceded a 5-3
defeat to the Teesside club on the same weekend of their previous campaign. Last
season, Solway suffered twelve losses before securing fourth spot and, whilst
this proved to be a great recovery for a side which initially haunted the lower
positions of the NIHL, it was also the club’s worst league placement since
2008. Aiming to get back to their best, the Sharks will hope to showcase the
skill of their new signings as well as that of some familiar faces who make
their return for Solway’s 2016-17 campaign. New recruit Richard Bentham will no
doubt pose a threat to Billingham’s defence, the forward having notched five
goals and four assists against the Stars in all competitions last season, whilst
‘D’ man James Hutchinson makes his debut in the NIHL, bolstering Solway’s blue
line alongside Finnish import and former Hawk Kim Miettinen who was the second
highest points scoring defenceman in the league last season alongside Juraj
Senko. Led by Struan Tonnar once again, the Sharks have retained some of their
greatest assets, including consistent forward Marc Fowley. Returning for a
third season, Fowley’s previous outing saw him achieve a personal best with a
score of thirty eight points in twenty eight games and he will endeavour to
replicate, if not better, his achievement this term. For Solway as a whole
however, snatching two points from the Stars will be vital as the side embark
on a quest for silverware this season. Initially losing twice to Billingham,
both at home and on the road, the Sharks were triumphant against Terry Ward’s
men as they raced towards the playoff spots in their last campaign and it is
this result which Grubb will aim to pull off on Saturday: “We
are looking forward to getting our season underway but we know we have a very
tough weekend against two top teams. We come in to face a Billingham team who
can be considered one of the favourites for the league with the offensive
talent they have signed and we know we will need to be able to contain their
attack and look to take our chances. We have a solid defensive unit to build
from and I like the speed, skill and depth we have offensively so we will go
into the game confident and looking for a home win.”
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Equally, Billingham will be striving for maximum
points as they endure their second road trip of the season which follows the
side’s 8-1 win over The Dragons. Already, the Stars have revealed their power
in offence as forwards Chris Sykes and Dennis Boström both picked up two goals
each against McKenzie’s men whilst Michael Elder, Jack Emerson, Jack Watkins
and James Moss also ensured their names were printed on the score sheet last
Sunday. Aiming for a similar result at the Dumfries Ice Bowl, the Stars will
hope that their Swedish influence can cause damage in front of the Sharks’
goal. Scoring two goals for Billingham last weekend, Boström’s skill was
certainly not lacking against The Dragons as he placed his unassisted effort
past young netminder Ashley Smith with ease having already slotted home in the
second period. As Billingham’s top points scorer in their previous term, Boström
was the Stars’ most creative player, hitting the target on thirty three
occasions and successfully sending his teammates through on goal a further
seventeen times. Though it is trusted that the forward can repeat this feat, it
is also hoped that former Tegs SK teammate, Daniel Palmebjörk can follow in his
footsteps to be as equally effective on the ice. Last weekend, the forward demonstrated
his ability to tally an assist against The Dragons and Billingham will
be hoping for more of the same against the Sharks on Saturday. Winning two of
the four league games they played against Solway last season, the Stars will
seek to better this form as they take on their rivals this campaign,
particularly as the Sharks snatched the remaining playoff place from Billingham’s
grasp in March. As a result, Ward’s men will be relentless in their quest for a
win as they look to build some early good form now that the competition is well
and truly underway.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Following a season opener against the Stars, Solway
will then make the trip to Hillheads as David Longstaff’s Whitley Warriors
prepare to play host to the Dumfries outfit in their first home game of the
2016-17 campaign. However, with this game both a league and a cup fixture, the
stakes will be high as the sides compete for double points; the winner accomplishing
complete glory across both competitions whilst the loser suffers twofold. Achieving
a 7-4 victory against Grubb’s side last September, the Warriors will seek a
similar result on Sunday as they embark on their latest quest for success in
the Moralee Conference. Though the Sharks have often had the upper hand against
Whitley since their promotion to Division One in 2012, this was certainly not
the case last season as Grubb’s men conceded two losses on the road to the
Warriors besides a 2-1 home defeat in January and, as Solway snatched the final
playoff spot, Whitley comfortably claimed second place to considerably improve
on their previous league position. As a result, the Hillheads outfit begin this
campaign with aspirations of a top four finish as they contend against strengthened
opposition in the NIHL. Though the loss of youngsters Callum Queenan and Kyle
Hindmarsh-Ross, captain Jamie Tinsley, defenceman Scott Cooper and netminder
Mark Turnbull over the summer should not be overlooked, the Warriors have added
to their roster this summer, signing shot stopper Rory Dunn as well as former
recreational players Liam Brown, Lawson Glasby and Niall Simpson. Whilst it is
hoped that these signings can adapt to life in the Moralee Conference swiftly,
the Hillheads club will also ice several of their longest serving forwards on
Sunday, including DJ Good, Callum Watson and Shaun Kippin. Acquiring much
experience in the league over the years, and having collectively contributed
ninety points to the Warriors’ efforts last season, the trio will surely waste
little time in punishing the Sharks and could certainly prove tricky opposition
for Solway’s first choice netminder Kieran Hobbins who again takes his place
between the pipes.
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Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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The last encounter between these two sides at
Whitley Bay Ice Rink ending in a 6-3 loss for the Sharks, Hobbins certainly had
his work cut out but it was not for the want of trying on Solway’s part; the
side utilised Slovakian forward Martin Cingel who grabbed the outfit’s first
goal of the game before Joe Coulter and Struan Tonnar attempted to reduce the
deficit. Looking to avoid this situation on Sunday, the Sharks will give their all to
ensure they turn the tables on Longstaff’s line-up, though they will be without
former player-assistant coach Cingel who took up a coaching role with Edinburgh
Capitals’ SNL team in April. Also assisting Solway in their attempts to triumph over
the Warriors will be the side’s young cohort. Working hard to gain as much ice
time as possible, the Sharks’ newest prospects contributed a great deal to the
team’s recovery in the latter stages of the season, with forward Daniel
Abercrombie picking up seven points in just eight games and defenceman Stuart
Kerr icing in twenty seven games to become a consistent member of Solway’s blue
line. Turning to these youngsters as well as the more experienced players in
their squad, the Dumfries outfit will aim for maximum points as they head into
this four point game but it will not be without its difficulties as they must
contend with the Warriors who will throw themselves into the contest from
faceoff to secure their first home victory of the season.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Speaking ahead of the new campaign, player-coach
David Longstaff took the time to share his views with NIHL Northern Trio: “I
think it’ll be an interesting game to see exactly where we are after losing so
many players during the summer. I’m not sure we could have had a harder game to
start off the season. We’re playing against a vastly improved team which under
achieved last season who no doubt will be looking to show everyone how good
they are.” Further to this, Head Coach
Martin Grubb also imparted his views ahead of the fixture: “Sunday will be a
very tough game as Whitley are a very good side who are well-coached and have
ability throughout their team. It is always a very difficult place to play and
they have a good home crowd behind them so we will need to match their energy
and execute our systems well to get the points we want. I’m sure both games
will be good hockey games and we now want to get started and get points on the
board.”
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Meanwhile, Billingham Stars leave behind the
Dumfries Ice Bowl and head for Lancashire to compete in their third consecutive
away fixture of the season, this time taking on Blackburn Hawks. Encountering the NIHL’s reigning
champions on Sunday, the Teesside outfit will ice against a new look Hawks team
who, though almost unrecognisable, will likely cause damage in front of goal under the
guidance of Head Coach Matt Darlow. Though the Stars failed to get the better
of Blackburn in their last campaign, taking only one point from a possible
eight in the league with a 3-3 draw in the final game of the season, Terry
Ward’s men will be hoping to make amends for their previous performances
against the side. In particular, the Stars will seek to bury any trace of the
10-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Hawks in January but whether or
not they can take two points from Blackburn in this game remains to be seen.
Darlow’s men have eleven new faces joining their roster this season, including
imports Mikko Sierman and Patrik Nyman, former EPL ‘D’ man Steven Duncombe and
ex-Spartan Thomas Parkinson, whereas Billingham have retained much of their
roster, only adding forward Jack Watkins, Swedish import Daniel Palmebjörk,
defenceman Callum Read and former Warrior Scott Cooper. With four points up for
grabs this weekend, the Teessiders will do their utmost to gain in this game to show that
they are able to keep pace with their opposition in the NIHL league standings. As
this is the Hawks’ first game of the season, Billingham may even find
themselves at a slight advantage as the momentum of two road trips steers the
side into this encounter, though Blackburn will also be searching for two points as they fight for first place with hopes of defending their NIHL title.
Looking ahead to a busy weekend for Billingham Stars, Chris Sykes took
the time to share his views: “Solway away on Saturday is a
first big test for us. We all know that they have recruited over the summer,
and playing at their place will always be a tough game, but we know we can give
them our best and pinch two points. Then Sunday sees us take on a very, very
much-changed side at Blackburn; not quite sure what to expect from them but
they have played Steeldogs in a pre-season game and they lost 10-2. So we will
see on Sunday what they bring but a double header to get the season really
rolling is what we want and we know we are capable of doing it. ”
For those interested in attending any of the above
games, Solway Sharks host Billingham Stars at the Dumfries Ice Bowl from 7:00pm
on Saturday 10th September. Following this game, Solway will then
make the trip to Hillheads for a 5:00pm clash against Whitley Warriors on
Sunday whilst the Stars travel to Blackburn to take on the Hawks from 5:45pm. Not able to make it to a game? Fear
not! Below are the listening details for NIHL Radio.
NIHL Radio Weekend Listings
5:30pm
on NIHL Radio 1
Telford Tigers vs. Solihull Barons
7:00pm
on NIHL Radio 2
Solway
Sharks vs. Billingham Stars
5:00pm
on NIHL Radio 1
Whitley Warriors vs. Solway Sharks
5:30pm
on NIHL Radio 2
The
Dragons vs. Sutton Sting
5:45pm
on NIHL Radio 3
Blackburn Hawks vs. Billingham Stars
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