WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 10th February 2018
Solihull Barons vs. Whitley Warriors
Billingham
Stars vs. Telford Tigers
Sunday
11th February 2018
Whitley Warriors vs. Solway Sharks
Nottingham
Lions vs. Billingham Stars
Fixture:
Solihull
Barons vs. Whitley Warriors
Date: 10th February 2018
Venue: Hobs Moat Road
Faceoff: 5:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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After last weekend’s triumph over Sheffield
Steeldogs, Whitley Warriors will face their next challenge when they make the journey
to Hobs Moat Road on Saturday, the side set to encounter Solihull’s
skilled Barons who currently sit just one point above the Hillheads outfit in
the league standings at present. Suffering a 5-2 away loss to Solihull in
November, the Warriors then managed a 5-3 win on home ice just after New
Year before narrowly missing out on two points in a 5-4 overtime defeat at the
end of January. With this game set to be the last time these outfits will confront
each other this season, the Warriors will hope to achieve a second victory over Solihull to edge the four-game series,
having so far collected three points to the Barons’ four in these meetings. As Solihull boast a wide range of offensive options, with forwards
Luke Brittle, Thomas Soar and Swedish import Niklas Ottosson each tallying forty
points since September, Whitley will head into this game knowing the threat
that the Barons pose in front of goal, not least due to the spirit that the side have shown this
season to win eleven of the twenty eight games they have played after a
difficult start to their campaign. The Warriors, by comparison, will hope to have a strong squad available, though likely to be shortbenched, and will particularly turn to player-coach David Longstaff, alternate captain
Shaun Kippin, Canadian forward Philip Edgar and captain Dean Holland, who are
the side’s top points scorers at present having collectively racked up fifty
five goals and eighty one assists this season. With mid-table continuing to be incredibly close, a victory will make a great difference to
both sides this weekend and as such, Whitley will head out with the aim to
achieve a win, knowing that two points will displace the Barons from fifth place. Meanwhile, Solihull will equally give their all to triumph over the Warriors to thereby ensure that they remain ahead of their competition. In consequence of both teams’ determination to progress in the
league standings, this game is set to be another hard-fought contest which
should again make for interesting viewing if recent encounters are anything to
go by.
Looking ahead to this contest, Solihull Barons’ forward Adam Brittle
observed:
“This will be
the fourth and final time we face the Warriors this weekend and thankfully,
it’s on home ice. All three games have been closely fought and I expect
Saturday to be no different. I’m sure the Warriors will be looking to take both
points as we battle with each other for fifth place. Like the previous games, I
expect Saturday to be fast-paced and physical so we will need to be ready from
the start if we want to come out on top again.”
Fixture:
Billingham
Stars vs. Telford Tigers
Date: 10th February 2018
Venue: The Forum
Faceoff: 5:30pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Preparing to play host to Telford Tigers this weekend as the Shropshire outfit make the lengthy trip to The Forum on
Saturday, Billingham Stars will be hoping to make the most of their recent form
which consists of four consecutive wins, two four-point weekends and four home
victories out of a possible five since New Year. Triumphing over Solway Sharks, The Dragons and Nottingham Lions
in recent weeks, the Stars will steel themselves ahead of the Tigers’ visit,
with the knowledge that any game against the former EPL outfit and current league leaders
will be difficult, though the Teessiders will perhaps take heart from Whitley
Warriors’ victory over Sheffield Steeldogs, with this result
signifying that a win over a top-of-the-table side is achievable in spite of
the challenges such an encounter presents. This is a feat which was also accomplished by Solihull Barons who triumphed over the Tigers in a 3-2 win last month. Since then, Telford have not lost a league fixture, the outfit claiming
points against The Dragons, Whitley Warriors and Blackburn Hawks as well as title rivals
Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Pirates. However, the Stars will
take encouragement from the fact that the Tigers have lost out in three games
this season besides running into overtime twice which suggests that a positive result is not out of the question for the Teessiders. So far, Billingham narrowly lost out to Telford by four goals to
three on home ice in September before suffering a heavier 8-2 defeat to Tom
Watkins’ team on the road early last month. Aspiring to at least contend with
the Shropshire outfit on Saturday, Billingham will strive to perform to a high standard in front
of their home crowd now that they are just five points away from catching
Blackburn Hawks in seventh place. However, this task will be far from easy as the Tigers will go all
out to bag both points to keep abreast of their competition in NIHL North
Division One.
Considering this challenging encounter, alternate captain Chris Sykes shared:
“It’s a tough
weekend, this weekend. We have the league leaders Telford at home on Saturday
which will be a tough task. Hopefully, we will have a full squad and can put up
a good performance to keep going on our good run and get two vital points.”
Reflecting on Telford’s current league position and looking forward to
Saturday’s game against Billingham Stars, Tigers’ forward Scott McKenzie revealed:
“As a team we are pretty relaxed. We have a lot of experience in our
changing room and we have been in this situation before. Every game we play now
has a little bit more importance to it than perhaps it did a month ago. We have
a huge month in February but we are excited to see where we are at the end of
the month. There’s still a lot of hockey to be played and three potential
winners of the league so we just need to focus on ourselves and try to win all
of our remaining games. Saturday will be tough. Billingham have some real
quality players in their team so we will need to be ready from the start. In my
experiences of playing in Billingham, they start really fast so we will need to
be ready for that. Like I said, all points are extremely valuable to us now so
with two away games this weekend, it won’t be easy.”
Fixture:
Whitley
Warriors vs. Solway Sharks
Date: 11th February 2018
Venue: Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Faceoff: 5:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Playing host to Solway Sharks in a final meeting with the side this season, Whitley Warriors will return
to Hillheads on Sunday to
take on Martin Grubb’s skilled line-up with the hope that they can again achieve
maximum points against the outfit in front of a home crowd, having already
triumphed in a 4-2 win over the Dumfries outfit at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in
October. However, a 3-1 victory for Solway in Whitley’s opening game of the
season at the Dumfries Ice Bowl, followed by a more recent 7-3 win for the
Sharks at the same venue, evidences that last season’s title winners are no
stranger to defeating the Warriors and will therefore set out to accomplish
maximum points from their single-game weekend. At present, the Sharks boast a strong squad which includes top points
scorers Iain Bowie, Steven Moore, Connor Henderson, Ross Murray, Vaclav
Kolarik, Duncan Speirs and Marek Charvát, all of whom have tallied thirty points or more
during their team’s league campaign. With this septet responsible for much of Solway’s points
production this season, the Sharks have again demonstrated that their ability to contend with tough opposition is due to a fantastic team effort, the
side displaying character and an excellent work ethic as shown in last
weekend’s 3-2 comeback against Blackburn Hawks. Also exhibiting a strong work
ethic this season, Whitley Warriors have recorded some outstanding results, not least last weekend’s victory over former EPL outfit Sheffield
Steeldogs. Knowing what they are capable of with a full roster at their
disposal, the Warriors will hope to ice a strong squad in their endeavour to defeat the Sharks. With previous encounters between these sides proving fiery to say the least, maintaining discipline will be crucial on
Sunday for both teams in what is set to be another interesting clash.
Providing an update on his players’ availability, player-coach David Longstaff
noted:
“We’re missing Sam Zajac, Dan Pye, Callum Watson, Ryan Sample, Stu Tomlinson and all of the kids
for Saturday’s game so it’ll be tough. I just hope we don’t run out of steam
for Sunday’s game.”
Looking forward to this contest, Sharks’ Head Coach Martin Grubb shared:
“We will be
facing a Warriors’ team who have been good all season at home and who had a great
result last Sunday so we know this will be a tough game. David has his team
playing really well and they will come out looking to build on last week’s
result so we need to play our own game and ensure we compete with them. I would
also like to pass my condolences on to the family and friends of Frankie
Sherwood and to all at Whitley Warriors. I hope this game is a fitting tribute
to him.”
Also considering this fixture, Sharks’ alternate captain Ross
Murray took time to reflect on his season so far and shared his hopes for Sunday’s game against the Warriors:
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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What do you feel Solway’s highs and lows have been this campaign?
Solway’s high was the overtime win in Telford after our starting goalie got injured and we had to play our Under 20s goalie who hasn’t seen any ice time before. It was great to see all the boys dig deep and do what had to be done. There’s been a few lows but the recent result against Billingham was a tough one. We never turned up that night at all.
After the Sharks’ success last season, what impact have league changes
had on both you personally and also on the team as a whole?
I think it’s made the league a lot more competitive
and for the first time in a few years, we aren’t the team to beat now. On a
personal level, it’s a lot more fun and a challenge, knowing that every game
you need to be 100% or you won’t get anywhere. I’ve seen it as a chance to
prove that we can play with the so-called 'big boys of British ice hockey'.
So far this season, you have thirty six points from twenty seven league
games. How does it feel to be one of Solway’s top points scorers this season and
what do you feel has contributed to this personal success?
It’s not something I really pay attention to but I’ve
been having a lot more fun this year than the last few years. I know as a team
we’ve had great success in the past year but, to be honest, I was finding it
really hard to get motivated compared to this year where I’m loving the fact that every game is hard, fast and good hockey.
As a player who is no stranger to the physical side of the sport, what
do you attribute to your improved discipline this season?
Honestly, I don’t really know. I’ve always said I’m
there for the team when they need me in the physical side but this year, we
need boys who can chip in with points and score a goal now and then. I’ve tried
to do that and it seems to be working.
What are your expectations of Solway’s upcoming game against Whitley Warriors,
given that the Hillheads outfit claimed a win when the Sharks last visited Whitley Bay
Ice Rink?
Whitley Bay is always a hard place to go. We know
we have to outwork them and force them to play with our speed. It’s never easy
and hopefully we can sort our bad record away from home with a win. It’s always
a fixture I find exciting so I’ll be looking forward to it.
Fixture:
Nottingham
Lions vs. Billingham Stars
Date: 11th February 2018
Venue: National Ice Centre
Faceoff: 6:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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After
last weekend’s double header against Nottingham Lions which saw Billingham
Stars claim four points to narrow the gap between themselves and Blackburn Hawks, the Teessiders are set to face Matt Bradbury’s
men for one last time this season in what should be another hard-fought game
against tough competition. After triumphing over the Lions by six goals to one
on the road last weekend, Billingham were then forced to endure a far more
difficult contest at The Forum on Sunday as Nottingham matched the Teessiders
goal for goal during sixty minutes of end-to-end ice hockey before losing out in overtime. Contenting themselves with a
point after putting in an impressive performance on Sunday, the Lions will aim
to emulate their latest effort against the Stars on home ice this weekend, with
a view to better their previous home result at the very
least. Putting in some excellent performances this season, it is clear that Nottingham
will not settle until they have given their all in their quest for victory, the side continuing to persevere though they have just five league wins to show for their efforts this campaign. In contrast, Billingham’s recent run of form means that the Teessiders will equally stop at nothing to achieve a road win and, taking much confidence into this game following last
weekend’s triumphs over Nottingham, the outfit will set their heart on two
points in the hope that they can displace Blackburn Hawks from seventh place in
the coming weeks. Set to be another fantastic encounter between two hardworking
teams, this game will hopefully be as highly competitive as the sides’ previous
outing to make for an interesting battle.
Looking ahead to the Stars’ final
meeting with the Lions, alternate captain Chris Sykes observed:
“Sunday is another away day to Nottingham to finish the
four-game series against them. We’ve done well against them in the last three
games so hopefully it’s another good weekend for the Stars and four more points
would be perfect.”
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