WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 20th January 2018
Billingham
Stars vs. Solihull Barons
Blackburn
Hawks
vs. Whitley Warriors
Solway
Sharks vs. Sheffield Steeldogs (League and National Cup)
Sunday
21st January 2018
Whitley Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks
Sheffield
Steeldogs vs. Solway Sharks (League and National Cup)
Solihull
Barons vs. Billingham Stars
Fixture:
Billingham
Stars vs. Solihull Barons
Date: 20th January 2018
Venue: The Forum
Faceoff: 5:30pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Preparing
for the first game of their double header against Solihull, Billingham Stars
will head into this encounter hoping to achieve a better result than that of
their last outing against the Barons. Though recording a 7-4 road defeat to the
side just last month, the Teessiders will aim to build on their recent form
which consists of three home victories punctuated by a single away loss to
former EPL outfit Telford Tigers. After falling behind in their previous contest to the Barons by 2-0, the Stars were able to pull a goal back
through Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs, only for Solihull’s Adam Brittle to
restore their deficit. A late power play goal for Billingham then narrowed the
margin which separated the contenders at the end of the second period but it was the
Barons who were able to secure the points in the third stanza with goals from Dave
Rogers, Josh Bruce and Niklas Ottosson whilst Latvian defenceman Artūrs Ozols
and forward James Moss strove to be the difference for Billingham but without
success. As such, Billingham are aware of the offensive threat that Solihull
pose in front of goal and the Barons’ 3-2 win over Telford Tigers last weekend serves as a significant reminder that any team can triumph over any other this season, meaning this game will be another unpredictable one
if recent results are anything to go by. Still placed in eighth position heading into this contest, the Stars will look to add to their eleven
points but, with competition incredibly close mid-table, sixth-placed Solihull
will also give their all to achieve an away victory with the objective to edge further ahead
of Whitley Warriors with whom they are currently tied on points.
Fixture:
Blackburn
Hawks vs. Whitley Warriors
Date: 20th January 2018
Venue: Blackburn Ice Arena
Faceoff: 5:45pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Set to play Blackburn Hawks on the road in the
first game of their double header against Steven Duncombe’s men, Whitley
Warriors will head out onto the ice with the aim to achieve their first victory
over the Lancashire outfit, having so far managed to gain a point from a 3-2
overtime loss in the opening home game of their season, besides losing out by
six goals to two at Blackburn Ice Arena in October. The Warriors’ last away
fixture to Blackburn saw Whitley gain a two-goal lead through alternate captain
Shaun Kippin and Canadian import Philip Edgar, only for the Hawks to snatch it
away; Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy and forwards Rick Bentham, Aaron Davies,
Matt Viney and Lee Pollitt all on the scoresheet for Blackburn.
Neither team has shown good form of late, with
Blackburn collecting just two points since the New Year, their first win of 2018 arriving last
weekend in the form of a 7-2 victory over Nottingham Lions, the side having lost out in the home and away legs of their NIHL National Cup Quarter
Final to Hull Pirates before recording a heavy 9-2 road loss to Solway Sharks last
Saturday. The Warriors, by comparison, have achieved three points since the
conclusion of the festive period, missing out on a win to Solway Sharks away
from home before triumphing over Solihull Barons at Hillheads and then recording consecutive 4-3 defeats to Hull Pirates, though the side were able to pick up a
point in last Sunday’s overtime loss. Knowing that they have what it takes to
at least prove a challenge against their tough opposition in Division One, Whitley Warriors will seek to utilise the same level of intensity and
fortitude they have shown in recent games in an attempt to achieve some points
on the road whilst Blackburn will strive to overpower the Hillheads outfit for
a third time this season, boosted by the knowledge that their previous results against David
Longstaff’s line-up have fallen in their favour this season.
Fixture:
Solway Sharks vs.
Sheffield Steeldogs
Date: 20th January 2018
Venue: Dumfries Ice Bowl
Faceoff: 7:00pm
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Having suffered a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs
following their return to the ice after the festive period, Solway Sharks will
head into this first game of their double header against Ben Morgan’s outfit
with a great deal at stake. Not only will this fixture provide the winner with
valuable league points, but the game also has the dual purpose of being an NIHL
National Cup Quarter Final, meaning both teams cannot afford to lose. Set to be
an excellent contest as a result of this added dimension, Solway will take
heart from the fact that they have so far been able to contend very closely
with the Steeldogs, first managing to gain a point from a 3-2 overtime loss to
the side in November, in which forwards Duncan Speirs and Iain Bowie found the
target for the Sharks, before missing out on the points in Sheffield after conceding three unanswered goals.
Besides this game determining the Sharks’ progression in the NIHL National Cup competition, it will also have a great impact on the league
standings, with currently just four
points separating Martin Grubb’s fourth-placed Solway from league leaders
Sheffield Steeldogs. With the Dumfries outfit also tied on points with Telford
Tigers and just one point behind Hull Pirates, the Sharks will require a
four-point weekend to keep pace with their current competition whereas
Sheffield will similarly go all out to claim maximum points to extend their
lead at the top of the table as they continue their quest for NIHL silverware.
Expected to be a highly competitive game as a result, Solway will look to make
the most of this home fixture to provide themselves with the best possible
start to the weekend ahead of Sunday’s road trip to Ice Sheffield.
Considering the importance of this fixture, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb
revealed:
“We know how
tough this game will be and it now has the added significance with it being a
league and cup game. We will go into the game focused and looking to execute
the game plan like we did on Saturday. If we can stay solid defensively and
take our scoring chances then that will give us a chance to get the win we
want.”
Fixture:
Whitley
Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks
Date: 21st January 2018
Venue: Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Faceoff: 5:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Returning to Hillheads to face Blackburn Hawks for
one last time this season, Whitley Warriors will once again be prepared to give
their all in front of their home crowd, regardless of Saturday’s road result
against the Lancashire outfit. Their previous home clash against the Hawks resulting in a 3-2 overtime defeat for the Warriors on the
opening weekend of their season, Whitley will be out to avenge their loss and
have already proved themselves capable of resilience this season. Coming back
from a power play goal to equalise through Canadian import Philip Edgar in
their last home encounter against Blackburn, the Warriors were forced to draw level
for a second time to see the score line tied on sixty minutes, only to finally be denied the points by young defenceman Lewis Baldwin. Hoping to have the
points secured well in advance of the final buzzer on Sunday, Whitley will set
out to make the most of their firepower which has so far manifested itself in
the form of alternate captain Shaun Kippin, Canadian import Philip Edgar,
captain Dean Holland and forward Ben Richards whilst player-coach David
Longstaff continues to lead by example as the team’s strongest play-maker, so
far racking up twenty nine assists to accompany his four league goals. Likewise, Blackburn will also have a great
deal of skill at their disposal on Sunday should Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy
and forwards Rick Bentham and Aaron Davies make the trip to Hillheads, the trio
having collectively tallied seventy four points in the league so far this campaign. With these two sides showing themselves to be close rivals in recent
seasons, this game is likely to be a greatly entertaining finale to the duo’s
four-game series.
Fixture:
Sheffield
Steeldogs vs. Solway Sharks
Date: 21st January 2018
Venue: Ice Sheffield
Faceoff: 5:30pm
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Making
the trip to Ice Sheffield to complete their double header against the
Steeldogs, not to mention the second leg of their NIHL North Cup Quarter Final,
Solway Sharks will hope to go into this game with positive
foundations on which to build following the outcome of Saturday’s game.
However, regardless of their home performance, the Sharks will look for no less
than maximum points on the road as they prepare to hunt down a victory to
ensure they can continue to improve on their current league position which has
fluctuated of late due to the closely competitive nature of NIHL North’s
Division One. At present, Solway have a great deal of pace, power and proficiency
in their midst, including top points scorer Iain Bowie, who has accomplished
thirty eight points in twenty one games, left winger Steven Moore, forward
Connor Henderson, Czech defenceman Vaclav Kolarik and alternate captain Ross
Murray. Likewise former EPL outfit Sheffield Steeldogs are certainly not
lacking in offence as Slovakian imports Milan Kolena and
Adrian Palak continue to lead the way for their side, the duo having collectively accomplished
thirty five goals and thirty five assists during league performances. With both teams eager
to showcase their ability in front of goal in the hope that they can build on
their recent good form, neither will be satisfied with anything less than
two points from this clash and as such, it is likely to be another challenging
one for both outfits.
Adding to his earlier comments,
Sharks’ Head Coach Grubb reflected on his side’s previous encounter at Ice
Sheffield:
“Our last visit to Sheffield was a close game but one
we didn’t manage to score in so we know we need to solve that issue. We
competed well enough without really hurting the Steeldogs so we need a cutting
edge to our game and we also need to limit any mistakes as they are a very good
team who will punish us. Hopefully, we can perform to our best over both games, take both league points and progress in the cup but we are under no
illusions as to how tough it will be.”
Looking forward to Sheffield’s NIHL
North Cup Quarter Final against the Sharks, Steeldogs’ captain Lewis Bell
admitted:
“We know it’s another tough couple of games and,
obviously with the added incentive of it being a cup quarter final as well, we
know it’s going to add a little bit to it. As ever, I’m sure both games/legs
will be tight and hopefully we come out on the right end of both the league and
cup result.”
Fixture:
Solihull
Barons vs. Billingham Stars
Date: 21st January 2018
Venue: Hobs Moat Road
Faceoff: 6:00pm
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Following
their home encounter with Solihull Barons, Billingham Stars will travel to Hobs
Moat Road on Sunday as they aim to achieve two points away from home, having so
far recorded just two victories on the road this season across all competitions. As such, to triumph over the Barons
away from home will be a great accomplishment for the Stars and would certainly
provide the team with much confidence going into next weekend’s home fixture
against Solway Sharks. Solihull, meanwhile, will be eager to grab a win in
front of a home crowd as the side continue to close the gap between themselves
and Blackburn Hawks, besides aiming to get ahead of close competition Whitley
Warriors. Setting out to grab as many points from the Stars who find themselves
in a lower position than the Barons, Solihull will aim to hinder the goal-scoring prowess of Stars’ alternate captain and top points scorer
Chris Sykes who has racked up forty four points from twenty games to become the
league’s fourth highest points scorer at this stage of the season whilst Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs and Stars’ captain Michael Elder also
continue to contribute to Billingham’s offensive play. Looking to
outdo the Teessiders on Sunday evening, the Barons will hope to make the most of
skilled forwards Niklas Ottosson, Thomas Soar, Brittle brothers Adam and Luke
and captain Josh Bruce who, together, have contributed one hundred and forty
five points to maintain their side’s good form. With both teams strong contenders and as equally in need of a
win to improve on their present situations, neither side will give up on the
points without a fight which will make this contest an interesting one to say
the least.
Speaking ahead of the Stars’ upcoming fixtures against the Barons, alternate captain Chris Sykes shared:
“This week is a double header against the Barons. We’ve
played them once this season and it was a close fought game so another two
games like this will be the same and a very demanding weekend for us. We are doing
well at home at the moment and our only loss in the last four games was against
the Tigers who Solihull beat on home ice last weekend so they are in good form
also. It should be a very good weekend of hockey.”
For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.
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