WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 8th September 2018
Telford
Tigers
vs. Whitley Warriors
Solway
Sharks vs. Sheffield Steeldogs
Fixture:
Telford Tigers
vs. Whitley Warriors
Date: 8th September 2018
Venue: Telford Ice Rink
Faceoff: 7:00 pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
After
a difficult opening weekend which saw Whitley Warriors collectively concede
sixteen goals to Hull Pirates and Telford Tigers, David Longstaff and his men now prepare to make the lengthy trip to Shropshire on Saturday to take on Tom
Watkins’ team for a second time this season. Losing 8-2 at home to the Tigers last
Sunday, Whitley were challenged by Telford’s line-up which was missing both
experienced defenceman Jonathan Weaver and Canadian-born left winger Doug
Clarkson. Proving to be strong competition despite their absentees, the speed and skill of Watkins’ sixteen-man team was balanced by the side’s ability to contend with Whitley’s physical strength. In particular, right winger
Andrew McKinney made his presence felt across all areas of the ice to cause problems for the home team before registering his industriousness with a goal in the final stanza. Also impressive last Sunday were
Telford’s Captain Jason Silverthorn, who managed to complete a hat trick with less than thirty minutes played, and Alternate Captain Rick Plant who
achieved a goal and four assists during this contest, assisting each of
Silverthorn’s goals and helping young defenceman Joseph Hazeldine onto the
scoresheet in the fifty sixth minute. By comparison, Warriors’ stand-in
defenceman Ryan Sample showed himself to be incredibly effective on the blue
line, breaking down Telford’s attacking
play whilst seeking out offensive options. Likewise, Alternate Captain Sam Zajac was instrumental, picking up assists for both of Whitley’s goals.
With
the first home game of their 2018-19 campaign a hugely challenging one, the
Warriors will also have to grapple for each and every goal
on Saturday evening if they are to achieve an improved score line to build on
last weekend’s performances. Having been short of defencemen, Whitley can only hope that they have more numbers this weekend after utilising third choice netminder Rory Dunn as a skater last Sunday. However, if past
experiences are anything to go by, a bolstered line-up will be unlikely. The
Tigers, on the other hand, have shown that they do not require a full roster to get results and already, there are eight teams sitting between the
Shropshire outfit and the Warriors in the league table. Currently placed in
ninth, Whitley will head out with the aim to improve on their most recent result against Telford whereas the Tigers will need a victory to ensure they are not displaced from top spot by the Steeldogs who could move ahead of Watkins’ outfit before they confront each other on Sunday at Ice Sheffield.
With
this the only encounter that the Warriors will play this weekend, Whitley will seek
to make some progress whilst the Tigers will set out to carry last
weekend’s momentum into this fixture to claim a third consecutive victory. These games always demanding, fans can
expect the Warriors to attempt to exceed their opposition’s skill with their
work rate which should make for an entertaining meeting, whatever the outcome.
Fixture:
Solway Sharks vs. Sheffield
Steeldogs
Date: 8th September 2018
Venue: Dumfries Ice Bowl
Faceoff: 7:00 pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Readying themselves for their first home clash against Sheffield Steeldogs on Saturday after a productive pre-season, Solway Sharks will head out in search of victory against Ben Morgan’s team, having picked up just one point from an overtime loss against the side in their last campaign. In this game, the Sharks hit the Steeldogs with a goal just forty six seconds after faceoff but their opposition were able to retaliate through Slovakian Adrian Palak and forward Cameron Brownley before Solway levelled the scoring to take the game into overtime; Sheffield’s import forward Milan Kolena quashing Solway’s hopes of victory with a winner on 60:43. Subsequent to this home loss, the Sharks endured a narrow 3-0 defeat at Ice Sheffield before missing out in consecutive double points games, first by 6-4 at the Dumfries Ice Bowl and then in a close 4-2 contest on the road. In these games, Kolena notched five goals against Martin Grubb’s men whilst Palak and Brownley each tallied three to prove highly influential for their side. Solway, meanwhile, found the net through skilled forward Duncan Speirs who has since switched allegiance to the Steeldogs for whom he has already tallied four goals and an assist. As such, the Sharks will hope that their former teammate cannot find the back of the net when he returns to the Ice Bowl on Saturday, knowing the danger he can pose in front of goal.
Besides re-signing Kolena and Brownley, the Steeldogs have once again secured the services of Captain Lewis Bell, sturdy netminder Dmitri Zimozdra and forward James Spurr who finished as his side’s third highest points scorer last season. Further to these re-signings and the addition of Speirs to their roster, Sheffield have also added former Phantom Nathan Salem to their squad which can only enhance their offensive prowess, the experienced forward achieving fifty two points in thirty one games at Peterborough last season. Hoping to match the skill, pace and power of the Steeldogs in front of a home crowd, Solway will look to utilise the experience of defencemen James Hutchinson and Kyle Horne whilst harnessing the offensive ability of new additions Cale Tanaka, Peter Gápa and Rick Bentham to break down their difficult opposition.
Whilst a win for the Sharks would allow the team to get their season off to the best possible start, Sheffield require maximum points to keep pace with Telford Tigers with whom they are currently tied on points. With Solway seeking their first win over Sheffield since the outfit joined the NIHL last September, this game promises to be a highly competitive contest in which Martin Grubb’s men must contend to the best of their ability in order to improve on last season’s performances against the top three teams in NIHL North’s Division One.
Besides re-signing Kolena and Brownley, the Steeldogs have once again secured the services of Captain Lewis Bell, sturdy netminder Dmitri Zimozdra and forward James Spurr who finished as his side’s third highest points scorer last season. Further to these re-signings and the addition of Speirs to their roster, Sheffield have also added former Phantom Nathan Salem to their squad which can only enhance their offensive prowess, the experienced forward achieving fifty two points in thirty one games at Peterborough last season. Hoping to match the skill, pace and power of the Steeldogs in front of a home crowd, Solway will look to utilise the experience of defencemen James Hutchinson and Kyle Horne whilst harnessing the offensive ability of new additions Cale Tanaka, Peter Gápa and Rick Bentham to break down their difficult opposition.
Whilst a win for the Sharks would allow the team to get their season off to the best possible start, Sheffield require maximum points to keep pace with Telford Tigers with whom they are currently tied on points. With Solway seeking their first win over Sheffield since the outfit joined the NIHL last September, this game promises to be a highly competitive contest in which Martin Grubb’s men must contend to the best of their ability in order to improve on last season’s performances against the top three teams in NIHL North’s Division One.
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