NIHL Playoff Preview

PLAYOFF

PREVIEW

Saturday 8th April

10:30am: Widnes Wild vs. Altrincham Aces

1:30pm Billingham Stars vs. Blackburn Hawks

4:30pm Blackburn Eagles vs. Sheffield Senators

7:30pm Solway Sharks vs. Solihull Barons

Sunday 9th April

1:30pm Laidler Final

4:30pm Moralee Final

NIHL North Division One Moralee Conference

Solway Sharks

Claiming both the NIHL North Division One Moralee Conference title and the NIHL North Cup this season, Solway Sharks head to Ice Sheffield with their sights set on the treble as the Dumfries outfit prepare to clash with Perry Doyle’s well-organised Solihull Barons in their playoff semi-final.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Starting their season with a fantastic 9-2 combined league and cup victory over Whitley Warriors, the Sharks set a precedent from their first faceoff of the season to triumph in twenty three of their twenty eight league games, only losing out to Billingham Stars and Blackburn Hawks in the Moralee Conference, both of whom will be in attendance this weekend. Icing the youngest roster in Division One this campaign, the Sharks have worked hard to evolve as a unit, progressing from last season’s fourth place finish to top of the table. Despite losing signing Rick Bentham in October as the forward made his return to former club Blackburn Hawks, the Sharks were unchanged as a result of his departure, instead utilising their immense firepower to remain dominant over their opposition. With nine of Solway’s players contributing more than twenty points and a total of twelve making it into double figures, it is clear that the Sharks have sourced goals from all areas of the ice this season, as evidenced by the points production of defenceman Kim Miettinen who has tallied thirty four points in twenty seven games. Also making a great impression, hardworking left winger Steven Moore is currently the side’s top points scorer with eleven goals and twenty six assists whilst alternate captain Ross Murray continues to be the Sharks’ most penalised player having racked up sixty seven penalty minutes this season. This is twenty one minutes less than that of his previous campaign and seemingly reflects the team's improved discipline; the Dumfries outfit have accumulated only two hundred and thirty two penalty minutes as opposed to last season’s three hundred and eighty four, the side proving themselves to be the most disciplined team in the league for a second consecutive season.

Photo Credit: David Morrison 

With so much team spirit, character and flare, the Sharks will be aiming for no less than playoff silverware but this will be no easy task as the team head out onto the ice against the challenging Solihull Barons who have made for tough competition once again and will no doubt set out for a win over Martin Grubb’s men to avenge this season’s defeats to Solway at playoff weekend. Taking to the ice without their Head Coach, the Sharks will rely on Grubb’s assistant Scott McMeeken to guide the side to the best possible result. Speaking ahead of his team’s semi-final, McMeeken shared: “This has been a really successful season for us but we still have one more goal to achieve at playoffs. As the league and cup title were wrapped up in early February, we have been trying to build momentum for a while now and preparing ourselves for the semi-final on Saturday in Sheffield. Taking one game at a time has been our approach all year and we won’t be changing that now. Solihull are a good team with a high level of offensive ability. Games between us have been close all year and we have managed to come out on top in those games so we will go in with confidence that we can turn them over on the big ice in Sheffield but it won’t be easy and we will have to be at our best on the night. I hope the quality of hockey over the whole weekend is high as it will make a great weekend for the fans. We will certainly be doing what we can to be at our best and bring the last piece of silverware of the season back to Dumfries.”

Billingham Stars

Finishing second in the Moralee Conference, Billingham Stars were delighted to secure their place at playoff weekend this season, having missed out to Solway Sharks in the latter stages of their previous campaign. Set to take on Blackburn Hawks in their semi-final, the Stars will be aiming for an all-important victory to claim a spot in Sunday’s grand finale but whether they can defeat Steven Duncombe’s resilient Hawks remains to be seen, the Teessiders having won as many league games as they have lost against the Lancashire outfit this season, their most recent a 5-3 home defeat.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Opening their campaign with three consecutive away games, the Stars were pleased to accomplish a road win over the newly promoted Dragons but they then suffered losses to both Solway Sharks and playoff opponents Blackburn Hawks. From here, Billingham endured some mixed form before finally enjoying a spell of success which spanned from the end of November to mid-December, winning eight of their nine games across both competitions; losing only to Sutton Sting at Ice Sheffield in a narrow 3-2 defeat. Whilst the larger ice surface could once again prove difficult for the Stars, the side will certainly give their all in their quest for silverware, no doubt deploying the skill of top points scorer Chris Sykes not to mention Swedish imports Dennis Boström and Daniel Palmebjörk, assist specialist Callum Davies and former EPL forward Jack Watkins. Collectively accumulating two hundred and twenty seven points this season, these forwards are some of the league’s finest, with Billingham’s goal scoring prowess second to none; the team have scored one hundred and thirty five goals in their league campaign, surpassing Solway’s goal tally by one. Recently displaced as the top points scorer of the Moralee Conference by Dragon Scott McKenzie, Sykes’ twenty three goals and twenty eight assists do not quite compare to the dominance of last season’s top points scoring Hawk Adam Brittle but the Star’s hard work should not be diminished and instead is testament to the highly competitive atmosphere of the NIHL in which each team has shown their potential to contend in Division One regardless of their placement in the league at present.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Working hard to accomplish victories, Billingham have demonstrated an all-or-nothing attitude, winning eighteen of their twenty eight league games and losing ten others. As such, the Stars are currently the only team in the Moralee Conference without a draw and it is this mentality which will ultimately see the side throw themselves into this contest as they aim to showcase the high standards of ice hockey they have been capable of this season. Reflecting on Billingham’s success, forward Chris Sykes shared his thoughts on the Stars’ campaign and his team’s playoff hopes: “Playoff weekend. The entire season everyone fights for their spot in the top four and this season we have made it as second place in the league. We have had a good season with a few blips here and there but overall it’s been good. We are happy to be here at playoff weekend and it’s what we aimed for at the start of the season; two more games to go and we can lift a trophy. That’s all it is and that’s how we are looking at it: one hundred and twenty minutes away from silverware. We know who we face in the semis and it will be a battle but we are ready and we know what we are capable of. We just need to execute our systems and make sure we play the best game we are capable of playing. I, for one, am very excited and cannot wait to get on the ice and play. We are ready. We are hungry to win.”

Blackburn Hawks

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Following the heights of last season’s success, Blackburn Hawks have accomplished a great deal since September, the side fighting at the foot of the table to climb away from the relegation spots and finally finish their season in third place. As a result, Blackburn’s playoff qualification is undeniably one of the greatest surprises of the 2016-17 campaign, particularly as the team had such a difficult start to their season, losing four of their first seven league games, as well as two of four cup games, before parting company with Head Coach Matt Darlow after a 6-0 combined league and cup defeat to Whitley Warriors in October. Alternate captain Steven Duncombe then taking on the role of player-coach at the club, the Hawks strove to improve on their poor start to the season but the side’s form went from bad to worse as a 7-4 cup victory over Billingham Stars was swiftly followed up by eight straight defeats in all competitions between the 30th October and the 4th December. It is only in recent weeks that the Hawks have managed to really impress, picking up points in five consecutive league games, beginning with a 3-3 draw against Sutton Sting before triumphing over the Stars, Solway Sharks and twice over Solihull Barons to surpass their faltering competition and end their season on a high note. Once again, forward Rick Bentham has contributed hugely to his team’s success with fifty two points from twenty games to become the league’s second highest points scorer this campaign whereas experienced forward Aaron Davies has attained forty two points in twenty eight games, scoring four against the Dragons last weekend. Besides this points scoring duo, it is also important to note that player-coach Duncombe, imports Mikko Sierman and Jozef Istocy, and former Tiger Philip Mulcahy have each achieved more than twenty points to add to their team’s success. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Showing resilience to make it into third place, the Hawks will set their sights on the only trophy still available to them after suffering as a result of their own poor performances early on in the season which left the side adrift of their competition and with too much ground to recover in the latter stages of their campaign. Whilst icing against the second placed Stars will be no mean feat, the Hawks can take heart from their recent 5-3 road victory over the Teessiders which ignited Blackburn’s momentum in their quest for a playoff spot and will no doubt be at the forefront of the their minds when they head into this clash on Saturday. Considering the importance of this fixture, player-coach Steven Duncombe took the time to contemplate playoff weekend in light of his team’s great accomplishments this season: “The whole team are extremely excited for this weekend. We’ve had a roller coaster of a season and everyone pretty much wrote us off at Christmas so to be in the position we are in, and to have made playoffs, is a major achievement by everyone involved. I couldn’t be happier with what we have achieved this season. We were at the bottom of the league, losing game after game, then everyone has pulled together to make this success story a team effort. The Hawks have beaten every team that has made playoffs this season and therefore I see no reason as to why we would be deemed the ‘underdogs’ this weekend. With this in mind, we will be ready to give any team a good battle and hopefully take home some silverware.”

Solihull Barons

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Competing with the best in the Moralee Conference this season, Perry Doyle’s Solihull Barons are set to appear in a playoff semi-final for a second consecutive season. Despite their occupation of third place for most of their campaign, the success of Blackburn Hawks in recent weeks has seen the side slip into fourth place but the Barons’ fate could have been far worse if not for Whitley Warriors’ points deduction. Though appearing dangerous from the start of the season, with the skill, pace and power of forwards Joe Henry, Niklas Ottosson, Thomas Soar, Josh Bruce and Matthew Maurice, not to mention a strong defensive unit led by alternate captains Ryan Selwood and Phil Knight, the Barons began with some mixed results, winning two, losing two and drawing one in their first five fixtures. Although their form has fluctuated throughout the season, the Barons have certainly not been short of goal scoring opportunities, hitting the back of the net one hundred and seventeen times, with only Billingham Stars and league champions Solway Sharks achieving more goals than themselves. Utilising their characteristic energy and forcefulness, Solihull have once again been no stranger to the sin bin this season, racking up five hundred and fifteen penalty minutes over the course of their campaign. Besides Whitley Warriors, the Sharks are the only other team that the Barons have shown the greatest discipline against this campaign which could be crucial in determining the side’s success when they take to the ice against the Dumfries outfit this weekend as Doyle’s men will need to give their all to ensure that they do not fall foul of their own physical presence on the ice. On hand to ensure that this does not happen will be Solihull’s Head Coach Perry Doyle who, making the decision to coach from the bench at the start of the season, has played only five games and has instead worked hard to put systems in place to counter those of his opposition and thereby guide his team to their playoff qualification. Whilst current form will be cast aside, the Barons appear to have less momentum than that of their opposition going into this weekend, having lost their last four games. This can be compared to the form of their semi-final opposition Solway Sharks who have won three of their last four across the league and the cup competitions, drawing with The Dragons in the other, to give the Moralee Conference champions an edge which the Barons will be out to obliterate as they take to the ice on Saturday.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Sharing his thoughts on Solihull’s season, his transition from player to coach and his side’s playoff hopes, Barons’ Head Coach Perry Doyle stated: “It is great to be here again for the end of season playoffs and I look forward to watching some good hockey games as we did last year. This season we have had mixed results and, in games we should have won, we did not put the effort in and then in games which others have said we would be beaten, we have produced results. Like so many other teams in this league we have seen a rollercoaster of results which, in my view, makes it one of the best leagues around at the moment. You only have to look at the final league table and how close the teams are on points. From a personal point of view, I am disappointed that we did not achieve more this season but I will be looking to strengthen and add to the team for next season, building on the core I inherited two seasons ago. We have the benefit of a good, loyal fan base at Solihull and, working with my off-ice team, we are looking to make Solihull a better team all round. It was a hard decision to hang up the skates this season after a long career playing hockey but I need to start establishing the next generation of younger players such as Matt Maurice, James Moeller, Richard Slater and Andy Whitehouse. This is the future at Solihull. As for our game against Solway, well, anything can happen. Last year we came here expecting to lose to Whitley and the guys turned up to play. We produced a great result on neutral ice and made sure we worked hard for our place in the final. I wish all the teams, supporters, staff and organisers a safe and joyous weekend.”

NIHL North Division One Laidler Conference

Blackburn Eagles

After claiming the NIHL North’s Laidler Conference title and promotion to Division One as a result, Blackburn Eagles were dealt a huge blow as considerable changes to the side’s ice contract and alterations to sponsorship guidelines left the team with no choice but to make playoff weekend their last outing. Set to face Sheffield Senators, the Eagles will head out with the aim to end their campaign on a high note in spite of recent events and will therefore strive for a place in the playoff final as they set their sights on the silverware, having already achieved so much this season.

Beginning their campaign with nine consecutive victories before drawing to Nottingham Lions in November, the Eagles then recorded a 3-1 win over Widnes Wild before suffering their first defeat of the season to playoff opponents Sheffield Senators and a second loss soon after as the side found themselves on the wrong end of the same result against the Wild in a road fixture. Since then, the Eagles have achieved a fantastic ten wins from fourteen games, drawing twice on the first weekend in February and losing their last two games of their campaign to Altrincham Aces and Nottingham Lions. Unable to play their final game of their regular season against Coventry Blaze due to recent circumstances, the Eagles last iced almost three weeks ago and will therefore aim to put those losses behind them to recover the outstanding form that they have accomplished throughout the season. Crucial to the success of the team this campaign, besides hardworking player-coach Scott Barnett, assistant coach Paul Burns and team manager Darren Shaw, forwards Chris Jones, Jordan Ashington and Aaron Jordan have been the side’s top three points scorers this season, collectively scoring fifty seven goals and fifty four assists to outdo Slovakian imports Michal Fico and Tomas Mitrik. Scoring one hundred and fifty five goals this season and conceding only sixty seven, the Eagles will not be short of firepower as they head into their playoff semi-final and they are also the most disciplined outfit in the Laidler Conference’s top four, with a difference of two hundred and twenty two penalty minutes between themselves and fellow playoff semi-finalists Sheffield Senators. Looking forward to playoff weekend after the Eagles’ hugely disappointing news surrounding the future of the club, player-coach Scott Barnett took the time to consider his team’s upcoming encounter with Sheffield Senators: “This season has exceeded even my expectations. We knew we had built a team but never classed ourselves as league favourites because other teams had made some big moves last summer. Ten games in that changed and people were saying it was ours to throw away and they were right. When we got to the top, we never looked back and we did a professional job. I am proud that we have continued to develop as a team and each season we have showed obvious progress. I expect the playoffs to be a great weekend with how close both leagues have been this year. Sheffield have given us some good games; they were the first team to beat us this season but we had the better of them over the four game series. It will certainly be an interesting match.”

Widnes Wild

Preparing to be one of the first teams to take to the ice on Saturday having secured second spot in the Laidler Conference yet again, Widnes Wild not only earned themselves a place at Ice Sheffield this weekend but also qualified for last Sunday’s league placement playoff in their attempts to fight for promotion to the Moralee Conference. Suffering defeat to Scott McKenzie’s Dragons at Blackburn Ice Arena in this game, the side will now put this clash behind them to compete for the highly coveted Laidler Conference playoff trophy. Facing third placed Altrincham Aces, the Wild will be hopeful of further success against Robyn Crebbin’s team, having already achieved a 3-3 draw on the road and a home win against the side back in November, before recovering from a 6-3 defeat to the Aces in January with a 7-5 victory against the outfit mid-March. Like the Eagles, Widnes have recorded twenty victories this season and were very close to winning the league title, only failing to pick up points in six of their twenty eight fixtures which was no mean feat for the hardworking team. Signing several former Sheffield Spartans over the summer months as a result of the club folding, the Wild were able to acquire the services of Barron brothers Ollie and Will, alternate captain Stuart Brittle, forwards Nick Manning and Michael Mawer, netminder Matthew Croyle and defenceman Andrew Turner. These players boosting Widnes’ roster following the departure of player-coach Scott McKenzie, forwards Geoff Wigglesworth and Chris Gee, defenceman Ryan Jones and netminder Jonah Armstrong to The Dragons, the Wild have enjoyed some high scoring games this season and have yet to lose out by more than three goals, meaning they have mostly lost points in those games which were far more closely contested and have generally triumphed by great margins. This is demonstrated by the side’s 10-2 away win against Hull Jets in September and a more recent 8-3 road victory over Bradford Bulldogs. 

Making it to the playoff final last season only to lose out to The Dragons, the Wild will be eager to make amends with a successful weekend in which they will strive to defeat Altrincham Aces to ensure that they are in with a chance of claiming the silverware in the final. Aware that this will be no easy task, player-coach Ollie Barron looked ahead to this hugely important fixture and revealed what it would mean for his side: “After finding myself without a team after the demise of the Spartans, I had received a few offers to play both in the Moralee and Laidler. However, the coaching position was one with a new challenge and I always try to push myself so I am glad I took the opportunity. I was keen to strengthen our squad with some new experience and was fortunate that lots of players were eager to join the Wild. Before joining Widnes, I hadn’t seen the rink or the setup and I was impressed with the professionalism, the facilities and the fan base. It was always going to take some time for the squad to gel and come together, after bringing in new players, a new coaching philosophy and new systems. I feel as the season has gone on, we have grown together as a group and got better with every game. Our last game was a big challenge for the squad, narrowly losing out in the promotion playoff game in overtime. I was really impressed with our team’s togetherness and work rate. We need to match this going into playoff weekend. ”

Altrincham Aces

Completing their season with a third place finish in the Laidler Conference, Altrincham Aces have performed to a high standard this campaign to improve on last season in which the side found themselves just six points away from a playoff place and were disappointed not to qualify. Opening their season with a 4-1 loss to Widnes Wild in an exhibition game, the Aces were quick to turn their fortunes around, accomplishing maximum points against Hull Jets and Nottingham Lions in the first weekend of their campaign. Despite this superb start, the Aces were quickly brought back down to earth with consecutive losses to the Eagles the following weekend. These early fixtures representing the fluctuation of Altrincham’s form this season, the Aces have managed to win over 50% of their twenty eight fixtures to seal their playoff place with thirty five points, finishing just one point ahead of Sheffield Senators. Racking up the most penalty minutes in the Laidler Conference with eight hundred and thirty four PIMs to their name, the Aces have utilised their power to their advantage, with forward Joe Greaves responsible for one hundred and sixty five of his side’s penalty minutes and it will be this quality that Altrincham will be required to use with caution as they head into their playoff semi-final against Widnes Wild when they look to balance their scoring prowess with their physicality. Led by experienced captain Brian Worrall and alternate captains Jake Nurse and Daniel Berry, the Aces have a great deal of quality in their line-up which includes former Manchester Storm forward Jared Dickinson, long-serving forward John Murray and goal scorer Michael Gilbert. Of the twenty four games Worrall has played this season, he has hit home thirteen goals and notched twenty six assists to become his team’s top points scorer whereas Murray has tallied thirty six points in twenty three games and Gilbert has thirty two points to his name, seventeen of which are goals; Greaves the only team mate matching his goal count. Hoping to demonstrate their offensive ability against the Wild in their playoff semi-final on Saturday as they endeavour to reach Sunday’s final, the Aces will have to be at their very best to beat Ollie Barron’s well-organised Widnes who will certainly be out to put Altrincham to the test. 

Reflecting on his team’s season, captain Worrall also took time to consider this fixture and his team’s playoff hopes: “To think we were in a similar position to the Eagles moneywise at the start of the year, we have had a good season both on and off the ice. Everything within and around the club has been positive and productive. Yes, we’ve had some slip-ups along the way but in the past, these would have really affected us. This year we’ve had the right mentality to learn and stick together to move past it and move on. Outside influences being removed from certain areas has worked wonders for us and is positive for the future of the club. There wasn’t a time when I could say we didn’t believe we’d make it to the playoffs. I had all the confidence in this group and they certainly have shown that they are worth the time and effort that the behind-the-scenes team put in to make sure we had a team to ice this year. Looking to the weekend, it’s going to be tough. All three teams we can potentially face are very good sides. We have had better games against some more than others but we have belief that on our day we can get results. It will be a challenge but that it something we are very used to. Challenges are not something we fear as a group. Our focus first and foremost is Widnes. Ollie Barron has put a good side together and they have been consistent throughout the year so we will need to be on our game. That being said, the respect ends there and I’m confident we can get the job done against them. We know it’s all or nothing and we are prepared to give it everything we have.”

Sheffield Senators

Following their relegation to the Laidler Conference, after a season in which the side struggled to pick up a single point and suffered heavy defeats to their Division One opposition week in, week out, Sheffield Senators have bounced back from the disappointments of their last campaign to earn themselves a fourth place finish and the final playoff spot in their division. Winning half of their league fixtures this season and drawing on a further six occasions, Andrew Chapman’s Senators have laboured for consistency over the course of the season and, whilst managing convincing victories such as a 12-3 win over seventh placed Bradford Bulldogs, the side have equally been on the wrong end of some one-sided results evidenced by a 7-0 loss to Widnes Wild at the beginning of February. Facing Blackburn Eagles in their playoff semi-final, the Senators can head into this game knowing that they have already recorded a victory over the side this season, winning 3-0 at Blackburn Ice Arena in November as forwards Elliot Knell, George Crawshaw and Shaun Wild printed their names onto the scoresheet to inflict the Eagles’ first defeat of the season. Losing twice to Scott Barnett’s team since then, the Senators have also claimed a draw against the outfit this campaign to present Sheffield with some hope heading into this clash, although the Yorkshire outfit will be aware of the challenge awaiting them in the wake of recent events, with their opposition set to stop at nothing to add to their trophy cabinet before bowing out. For a second consecutive season, forward Nathan Parkes-Britton has finished as the Senators’ top points scorer, this time achieving fifty four points in twenty eight games, whilst former Spartan Knell has also put in some standout performances to tally nineteen goals and twenty assists alongside Thomas Proctor, Alexander Harding and Thomas Humphries who have also shone this season to reach thirty points or more for their team. Meanwhile, racking up the penalty minutes rather than the points, forward Paul Lofthouse continues to be as effective as he was last season, using his strength to prove problematic for the opposition and will no doubt be a key influence in the Senators’ semi-final on Saturday as his team go out in search of victory.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Commenting in the build up to playoff weekend, Senators’ netminder Mark Hartley looked back on his season with the club and revealed his team’s expectations ahead of playoff weekend: “As we approach the playoffs, the team are working really hard as they have continued to do so throughout the season. We have had some unlucky results that meant we were not able to clinch a potential spot for promotion. However, I cannot fault the way the team has rallied throughout the year. With the playoffs coming up, we are preparing to go all the way. We have won and lost to all teams taking part in the playoff weekend meaning anything is possible. We have played a solid game throughout the year and aren’t planning to make any dramatic changes in the run up to playoffs. Our aim is to continue with the work ethic we have shown all year round and gain ourselves a trophy.”

Good luck to all teams taking part in the NIHL North Playoff Weekend and thank you to Scott McMeeken, Chris Sykes, Steven Duncombe, Perry Doyle, Scott Barnett, Ollie Barron, Brian Worrall and Mark Hartley for taking the time to share their views ahead of playoff weekend. 

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