NIHL Weekend Action

Warriors extinguish Dragons’ fire to secure sixth place

The Dragons            5

Whitley Warriors       9

Making the trip to Deeside with sixteen skaters and netminders Richie Lawson and Rory Dunn, Whitley Warriors travelled without forwards Callum Watson, Adam Finlinson and Anthony Wetherell as well as defencemen Will Robson, Josh Maddock, Dan Pye and Sam Zajac to equal The Dragons in number. Hoping to make an impact in their final league game of their 2017-18 campaign, Gary Shaw’s side lined up with a strong team which included captain James Parsons, fan favourite Owen Bennett and hardworking defenceman Ross Kennedy.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson     

Ready to battle, The Dragons were prepared to make this contest a difficult one for their visitors and though the Warriors were able to pepper netminder Graeme Bird with shot after shot, the home team worked hard in defence to prevent Whitley from grabbing an early lead. Continuing to break down the Dragons’ defence in response to their opposition’s defiance, the Warriors finally reaped the rewards of their efforts when forward Ryan Sample hit the net on 10:12, versatile defenceman Stuart Tomlinson teaming up with blue liner Harry Harley to make it 1-0. Shortly afterwards, captain Dean Holland clashed with Dragons’ defenceman Craig Lutkevitch to see both players sinbinned for slashing. Undeterred by this penalty, the Warriors doubled their lead just thirty seconds later when Harley teamed up with player-coach David Longstaff to allow Canadian import Philip Edgar a chance on goal and the skilled forward did not miss his mark. Thirty nine seconds later, Bird was again picking the puck from his net, this time alternate captain Jordan Barnes printing his name on the scoresheet courtesy of fellow forward Ben Richards. Moments later, the Warriors went shorthanded when blue liner Kyle Ross was shown to the sin bin for boarding on 13:37 to award the Dragons a power play but despite their efforts, the home team could not contend with Whitley’s penalty kill to allow the Hillheads outfit to return to full strength with their 3-0 lead intact. Seventeen seconds after this penalty was served, Lutkevitch and Holland clashed for a second time, the duo respectively sinbinned for crosschecking and embellishment. With forty two seconds of this penalty remaining, the Dragons then found themselves shorthanded when forward Paul Davies made way for boarding. However, the Welsh outfit worked effectively on the penalty kill and were able to beat shot stopper Lawson just five seconds after returning to full strength as Parsons led by example to chip away at his team’s deficit following neat play from Kennedy and defenceman Joshua Richardson to head in at the break with some hope as a result of the narrow 3-1 score line.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice with the aim to build on their lead, the Warriors were again faced with the difficult Dragons who headed out in search of a second goal to claw their way back into the game. As a result, Whitley were again forced to battle against the home team’s defence which remained strong until 30:29 when long serving Warrior DJ Good linked up with Holland to see his captain find the target to make it 4-1. Whilst the Dragons strove to retaliate, the side struggled to beat Lawson for a second time as Whitley’s defence remained resolute to keep the Deeside outfit at bay. Though outshooting Bird’s team by fifteen shots to six as a result of their strong offensive work and prolonged possession, the Warriors could not find a fifth goal in this period and as such, headed in at the second interval with just a three-goal margin between themselves and their opposition.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off for the third and final period, the Warriors switched netminder Lawson for Dunn to allow the latter some ice time and were disappointed to lose a man to the sin bin with just over two minutes played when Edgar incurred a penalty for slashing to hand the Dragons a power play. Just thirteen seconds later, Whitley notched a shorthanded goal when alternate captain Shaun Kippin scored against his former club, Barnes and Harley bagging assists. Less than a minute later, the puck again struck the net but this time for the Dragons who were able to achieve a power play goal as a result of Edgar’s punishment, Parsons turning assist for Kennedy who altered the scoreboard to 5-2. Wasting no time, the Warriors then hit back on 44:44 as Richards achieved his thirteenth league goal of the season with an unassisted shot to beat Bird. The Dragons responded to this by beating Dunn for a second time in the period as ‘D’ man Ryan Jones netted with support arriving from Bennett and Kennedy. Continuing to attack, the Warriors then made it 7-3 when Barnes achieved his second of the evening as Richards received the puck from blue liner Liam Smedley to assist their alternate captain. A holding penalty for Smedley soon followed this goal to present the Dragons with a power play and, though unable to make the most of their additional man, the Welsh side were able to build momentum to score a fourth on 54:54 as Davies surpassed Whitley’s defence following play from Kennedy to reduce his side’s deficit to three. Sixteen seconds later, Longstaff’s line-up added another to their tally as Holland turned assist for Good alongside Sample to recover their four-goal lead. Again though, the Dragons were able to demonstrate their resilience when defenceman Chad Wynne achieved a fifth goal for his side after passing play between fellow blue liner Kenneth Williams and forward Bennett on 56:22. In consequence of this goal, the Warriors were keen to have the final say, Barnes completing his hat trick to make it 9-5 following neat work from Kippin and Holland, the alternate captain earning himself Man of the Match in the process.

Hawks outshine Stars to swoop on points

Blackburn Hawks     6

Billingham Stars        4 

Journeying to Blackburn Ice Arena with just thirteen skaters, Billingham Stars found themselves without forwards Josh Nertney, Scott Ward and Ethan Hehir as well as defencemen Andy Finn, Darren Stattersfield, James Hellens, Ben Davison and Ross Hanlon, the side opting for backup netminder Mark Watson between the pipes in place of usual shot stopper James Flavell. Blackburn, meanwhile, filed onto the ice with just one skater more than their visitors, their line-up including forwards Corey Stones, Rick Bentham and Kieran Brown.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Setting out to bounce back from last weekend’s derby defeat, Billingham Stars were quick off the mark in this contest, Alex Preston making an early impression when he hit the net on 2:29, fellow forward Jack Emerson and Latvian defenceman Artūrs Ozols working together to assist. Disappointed to concede with less the three minutes on the clock, the Hawks levelled the scoring just over a minute later as Bentham made his unassisted effort count to cancel out Billingham’s advantage. Moments later, Hawks’ captain Ollie Lomax and Stars’ defenceman Matthew Campbell sat out for slashing as tempers began to flare. With both teams continuing to work hard to compete for their next goal, netminders Watson and Niks Trapans found themselves tested but for the second time in the game, it was Billingham who were able to take the lead as Ozols fired home an unassisted effort on 13:13 to make it 2-1 in favour of the Stars. The Hawks rallied once again to ensure a quick response to this goal and were able to equalise for a second time as Stones printed his name on the scoresheet with an unassisted shot of his own just over a minute later. Outshooting the Stars by seventeen shots to ten in this period, Blackburn continued to strive for a third goal in their efforts to take the lead but it wasn’t to be as both sides saw their offensive work go to waste ahead of the first interval and as such, headed in with two goals apiece.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the second period, both teams were keen to get ahead in the contest but neither could do so, the outfits working as equally hard to find the net. Though both teams battled for possession, it was not until 29:06 that the next goal arrived and this time it was Blackburn who took the lead, the side making it 3-2 when Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen found the target following a pass from experienced forward Aaron Davies. Forty one seconds later, the Hawks added a fourth to their tally to create a two-goal cushion between themselves and the Stars as defenceman Lewis Baldwin linked up with forward James Riddoch to present Slovakian import Jozef Ištocy with an opportunity to achieve his thirteenth league goal of the season much to Billingham’s dismay. Fifty three seconds later, the Stars conceded another, this time Stones bagging his second of the evening to make it 5-2 on 30:40, two-way player Brown and alternate captain James Neil assisting. This goal prompted a time out from the Teessiders who were stunned to have conceded three goals in the space of ninety four seconds and as play resumed, Billingham clawed back a goal on 33:01 as Latvian import Deniss Baškatovs beat Trapans following build-up play from fellow forward James Moss. Focused on chipping away at their deficit, the Stars sought to wear down Blackburn’s defence further and were able to go within a goal of their opposition with less than two minutes remaining in the period as Chris Sykes claimed his thirty ninth league goal of the season following a pass from fellow alternate captain Callum Davies to make the score line 5-4 going into the third period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Facing off for the third and final stanza, Billingham were hopeful that they could still recover the points from this game and their situation appeared to improve when Hawks’ forward Riddoch headed to the sin bin for tripping. However, thirty eight seconds into this penalty, Blackburn accomplished a shorthanded goal to make it 6-4 as Brown once again worked his magic to bury the puck beyond Watson without assistance. Despondent to find themselves two goals behind yet again, the Stars fought for opportunities to test Trapans but, despite their many attempts, Billingham could not grab another goal and were forced to work in defence as the Hawks sought to extend their lead. As the period progressed without further scoring, Blackburn then found themselves a man short as Stones was ejected from the game for a high sticks offence against Sykes to see the visitors handed a five minute power play as a result. Try as they might to make this count, Billingham struggled as the Hawks worked effectively to kill the penalty with success. With just over a minute of this penalty remaining, Blackburn’s skilled youngster James Royds provoked a reaction from Star Jack Davies following a slashing offence which saw both players receive 2+2 for fighting whilst Royds incurred two minutes for his original offence and Davies was handed an additional minor for roughing, these penalties timed at 57:47. This incident disrupting play, neither side were able to achieve another goal, meaning the final buzzer brought with it a 6-4 loss for the Stars.

Sharks fail to tame Tigers as Solway suffers narrow home defeat 

Solway Sharks       2

Telford Tigers          3

Taking to the ice with just thirteen skaters, Solway Sharks knew that this game would be a challenging one as the Dumfries outfit had a lengthy absentee list made up of defencemen Kyle Horne and Scott Cooper, two-way player Jordan Buesa and youngsters Ben Coughtrie, Liam Stenton and Luke and Lewis Houston. By comparison, Telford Tigers made the lengthy trip with sixteen players, including youngsters Jed Moreland, Daniel Mitchell and Brodie Jesson.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Immediately making a positive impact in the early stages of the first period, Telford fired themselves into the lead on 1:46 through forward Jack Watkins who was helped onto the scoresheet by defenceman Adam Jones and former Dragon Scott McKenzie. Responding to this goal as quickly as possible, the Sharks reacted just sixteen seconds later as forward Duncan Speirs collected the puck from forward Joe Coulter to rush on goal, making a pass to the side’s top points scorer Iain Bowie who slotted home on 2:02. The score level, Solway strove to achieve as much as possible from their last game of the regular season and tested shot stopper Denis Bell whereas the Tigers looked to battle with the side’s defence to regain their lead in the clash. An interference penalty against Canadian captain Jason Silverthorn saw Solway gain a power play on 14:11 but the side could not make their offensive efforts count with the additional skater and eventually regretted their missed chances as the side went shorthanded themselves just over two minutes later; Coulter making way for tripping. As such, the Tigers punished the Shark’s misdemeanour to snatch a second goal before the break, this time forward Warren Tait the man on target as alternate captain Rick Plant and defenceman Corey Goodison linked up to make it 2-1 on 19:09. Still within reach of the points, Solway went in at the break with the knowledge that they could get back into this game.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

As play resumed for the middle stanza, the Tigers beat Sharks’ netminder Calum Hepburn just twenty four seconds into the period as Plant linked up with Silverthorn to assist his captain. Though disappointed to have conceded a goal so quickly in the period, Solway continued to battle for possession whilst working hard in defence to prevent Tom Watkins’ team from further increasing the margin between the two sides. With both netminders equally tested at either end of the ice, a stalemate ensued to see the teams struggle to get on the scoreboard, though they strove to carve a path through on goal time and again. In consequence of the closely competitive nature of this period, the score line remained unchanged to see Telford go into the final third with a 3-1 lead as the Sharks continued to search for a way back into the game without success.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning for the final stanza, the Sharks were pleased to gain their second power play of the game when Telford’s forward McKenzie made way for holding on 41:45. Unable to beat the Tigers with the additional skater, though they tried their luck against shot stopper Bell on more than one occasion, Solway were pleased to be handed another opportunity to grab a goal with the advantage when the Tigers incurred a bench infringement penalty less than two minutes after returning to full strength. Again though, the home team could not make the most of their chances and consequently remained two goals behind their opposition. As both teams persevered in their offensive efforts without making an impact in front of goal for much of the period, it was only on 56:59 that the next goal was scored, Bowie playing the puck to blue liner James Hutchinson who unleashed a shot which rocketed past Bell to make it 3-2. Now just one goal away from drawing level, the Sharks opted for a timeout just under two minutes later and made the decision to pull netminder Hepburn in the final stages of the contest in a push for an equalising goal. Despite many attempts from Solway though, this outcome was not to be as Telford’s defence held out until the final buzzer to claim a 3-2 victory in regulation time.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Looking back on his team’s defeat, Solway’s Head Coach Martin Grubb shared: “We knew that this would be a difficult game against a skilled and well organised team and we didn’t help ourselves by starting poorly in both the first and second periods. We had spells in the first two periods where we had to defend and make sure we were difficult to break down but I would have liked us to be better on the puck. In the third period, we changed a few things; we were more aggressive, I felt we were much better and I was happy with that period. We pulled the goalie and had one chance to equalise but ultimately got nothing although there were lots of positives to take from the game, especially with four ‘D’ men all night. We now know it’s knockout hockey so we will learn from this game and get ready for the playoffs.”

Stars over moon with derby day win over Warriors

Billingham Stars      7

Whitley Warriors       4

Playing host to Whitley Warriors with a strong line-up of sixteen skaters including alternate captain Chris Sykes, young defenceman James Hellens and forward Jack Emerson, Billingham Stars opted for shot stopper James Flavell between the pipes as they headed out with a clear objective to avenge last weekend’s derby defeat. In comparison, David Longstaff’s squad of nineteen took to the ice against the Teessiders with the aim to end their season with a derby victory, the Hillheads outfit made up of its usual core which included alternate captain Shaun Kippin, Canadian import Philip Edgar and hardworking forward Ben Richards.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon

Beginning the game with pace and power, the Stars targeted Richie Lawson’s net from the outset and this paid off less than two minutes in as forward James Moss set up Latvian import Deniss Baškatovs to see his teammate open the scoring on 1:11. Shortly after this, the home team then suffered a setback as blue liner Ben Davison incurred an interference penalty to hand Whitley a power play. Making the most of this opportunity, the Warriors were able to bury the puck thirty eight seconds later when Edgar broke free of the Stars’ defence to fire past Flavell following assists from defenceman Harry Harley and captain Dean Holland to level the scoring. Less than a minute later, both teams ran into penalty trouble as Billingham’s player-coach Michael Bowman was sinbinned for delaying the game alongside Holland whilst Warriors’ alternate captain Barnes was also made to sit out for holding. Working hard to capitalise on this power play, the Teessiders were able to double their tally with just one second of their advantage remaining, this time Baškatovs turning assist for forward Jack Davies who did not miss his mark to make it 2-1. The game fast-paced and fiery, the Warriors tried to hunt down their second equaliser of the evening but Billingham were able to break down Whitley’s play to regain possession, the visitors finding it difficult to beat Flavell who remained sturdy between the pipes whilst Lawson also put in a good performance at the other end of the ice to see off fifteen of the seventeen shots he faced in the first period. With tension building between the close rivals, Barnes incurred a penalty for crosschecking on 18:44 but, even with this advantage, Billingham were unable to grab another goal before the first interval, the side filing from the ice with a narrow one-goal lead.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning on the power play, the Stars looked to build on their positive start to the game and as such, notched their third goal of the evening on 22:55 courtesy of forward Jack Emerson who eased past Whitley’s defence to beat Lawson, with support arriving from Davison and Baškatovs. Realising their need to retaliate before their deficit became too much, the Warriors launched an attack as blue liner Liam Smedley threaded a pass to Kippin who looped the puck into the net over Flavell to make it 3-2. Rallying as a result of this goal, Whitley then levelled the scoring just over a minute later when defenceman Josh Maddock teamed up with Smedley to allow Richards to find the net. Moments later, the Warriors endured a further setback when netminder Lawson was punished for a slashing offence which reduced his team to four men. Just twenty six seconds before the termination of this penalty, the Stars regained their lead through Sykes who fired the puck beyond Lawson to punish the netminder’s earlier misdemeanour. The wind in their sails, Billingham hit home a fifth just seven seconds later to further frustrate the Warriors, this time an unfortunate netminding error allowing defenceman Matthew Campbell to play the puck to player-coach Michael Bowman who made it 5-3 on 29:17, thereby prompting a change of shot stopper for the Hillheads outfit as Jordan Boyle switched places with Lawson. Unstoppable, the Teessiders then achieved their sixth goal of the evening when Emerson snatched his second of the game, this time forward Alex Preston receiving the puck from Bowman to assist. Less than two minutes later, a hit on Billingham’s blue liner Davison saw Barnes incur a match penalty for a check to the head but just fifty seconds after the Warrior’s departure from the game, Stars’ player-coach Bowman was found guilty of high sticks against Richards who was struck in the process of breaking free of Whitley’s defensive zone. This led to Bowman’s ejection from the game to level the playing field. However, Billingham were undeterred by this penalty and claimed a seventh goal as Sykes struck the net for a second time in the game with support from Moss on 36:50 to increase Whitley’s deficit to four. With the Warriors struggling to compete with the Stars now that they found themselves so far behind, the side were disappointed further when Edgar headed to the sin bin for roughing in the final minute of the period to see Billingham return on a power play in the third stanza.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon

Unable to make their additional skater count after the break in play, Billingham then picked up a penalty of their own when Campbell made his way to the sin bin for slashing on 42:37. Just over a minute into this advantage, the Warriors capitalised through Edgar who was able to achieve his second power play goal of the evening following a neat pass from Kyle Ross to make it 7-4. A slashing penalty against Stars’ defenceman Ross Hanlon just before the halfway point in the period then prompted a timeout from the Warriors whose power play was then extended when ‘D’ man Thomas Keeley made way for delaying the game moments later. Try as they might, the Warriors sought to carve a path through Billingham’s defence but could not beat Flavell who pulled off some strong saves to prevent the visitors from achieving a fifth goal. After serving these penalties, it was then the turn of the Stars to go on the power play as Ross was sidelined for holding on 55:54. Though seeking possession against the Warriors who had increased their intensity in this period, Billingham could not contend with Whitley’s penalty kill and then ran into some penalty trouble of their own before Ross had served his punishment as Stars’ forward Jack Davies and Warriors’ import Edgar dropped the gloves to each earn penalties for delaying the game. The game well and truly won with time fast running out, offensive efforts from both teams tailed off as the final buzzer confirmed Billingham’s first derby win of their 2017-18 campaign.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon

Reflecting on his side’s loss, player-coach David Longstaff observed: “I thought the game was pretty poor to be honest or at least we were pretty poor for two periods. I think my players thought they could just turn up to beat them and got a shock. I was very pleased with how we played in the third period and showed how we can play with intensity but it was too late. The Billingham lad in goal was outstanding in the third when his team really needed him.” Meanwhile, Stars’ alternate captain Chris Sykes reflected: “It was a good weekend to finish with a derby win and it’s onto playoffs now.”

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