WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 22nd September 2018
Solihull
Barons
vs. Whitley Warriors
Solway
Sharks vs. Nottingham Lions
Sunday 23rd September 2018
Whitley Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks
Billingham
Stars vs. Sutton Sting
Fixture:
Solihull
Barons vs. Whitley Warriors
Date: 22nd September 2018
Venue: Hobs Moat Road
Faceoff: 5:15pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Readying themselves for their
first trip to Hobs Moat Road this campaign, Whitley Warriors will be under no
illusion as to the difficulty of the task which lies ahead on Saturday evening,
David Longstaff’s line-up having lost out in three of their last four encounters
against Daniel Brittle’s men. Losing by five goals to two on the
road last November, the Warriors battled for a 5-3 win on home ice after
establishing a two-goal cushion which was cancelled out by goals from
Solihull’s Swedish import Niklas Ottosson and left winger Josh Bruce, before Alternate Captain Marcus Maynard edged his team in front to cause Whitley some anxiety but the home side showed resilience to grab both points in the end. Struggling to contend with the Barons’ strength across all areas of the ice, the Warriors also recorded a 5-4 overtime loss at Hillheads and a
7-3 road defeat, meaning the
side will expect no less than a challenge from Solihull this weekend.
A strong unit last
season, Solihull finished fifth in the league table, claiming 41 points from 36
games and the Barons will no doubt aim to better the performances of their previous
campaign having re-signed the core of their team over the summer months with
the exception of forward Thomas Soar who parted ways with the club in April due to work
commitments. Whilst Player-Coach Daniel Brittle could once again feature between the pipes to ice alongside his brothers Luke and Adam, the Barons also have
at their disposal skilled forwards Elliot Farrell, Matthew Maurice and Andrew
Whitehouse, not to mention Swedish forward Ottosson, Slovakian Filip Supa and Captain Bruce.
Hoping to match this offensive unit, the Warriors will deploy left winger Ben Campbell
who has exhibited impressive skill in recent games, scoring 4 goals and 4
assists to provide his team with a fighting chance during some incredibly
difficult opening fixtures. However, it is unfortunate that due to an injury
sustained against Solway Sharks last Sunday that Whitley’s experienced
defenceman Sam Zajac will be highly unlikely to feature. Currently the team’s
second highest points scorer with 1 goal and 6 assists in 4 league games, Zajac
is fantastically influential on the ice and his absence was certainly felt following his second period departure.
Whilst a win for Whitley is
very much needed to give the team a confidence boost as they continue to search
for the first points of their 2018-19 campaign, a victory for Solihull would
allow the Barons to bounce back from last weekend’s surprise defeat to
Sutton Sting which saw the side lose 5-4, despite the fact that they had established
a 4-1 lead early in the middle period of this game. Often packing a punch as
well as pace and power, contests between these two challengers
always make for an interesting watch and Saturday should prove no different.
Fixture:
Solway Sharks vs. Nottingham
Lions
Date: 22nd September 2018
Venue: Dumfries Ice Bowl
Faceoff: 7:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Set to face off against
Nottingham Lions at the Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday evening, Solway Sharks
will be prepared for an unpredictable contest in which Matt Bradbury’s men will
no doubt show fortitude, resilience and determination after a tricky start to
their campaign which has left the outfit at the foot of the league table. Last season, Solway
picked up all eight points against the Lions, though score lines against the
outfit varied greatly. In their first trip to the National Ice Centre in
September, the Sharks recorded a 5-3 victory after falling behind by three
goals to one just past the halfway point of the game. Two weeks later, Solway
again triumphed over the Lions, this time winning by the slightly wider margin
of 6-2; Captain Struan Tonnar, forward Iain Bowie and experienced defenceman
James Hutchinson amongst those on the scoresheet for the Sharks. However, after
putting in some strong defensive performances to increase their chances of taking something from these games, Nottingham suffered two
heavy defeats to the Dumfries outfit in November, first enduring a 9-1 loss at
home before finding themselves beaten 15-0 on the road.
Whilst Solway earned themselves a fourth place
finish last season, the Lions were able to showcase their hard work on occasions, recording
some narrow defeats to the toughest teams in the league, including a
respectable 4-2 loss to Sheffield Steeldogs, and the side also accomplished a
3-2 win against Whitley Warriors at Hillheads in November. This season, the Sharks again possess a great deal of offensive threat in Slovakian left winger Peter Gápa,
Canadian Cale Tanaka, former Hawk Rick Bentham and skilled left winger Steven
Moore to name but a few whereas Nottingham will once more rely on the strong work ethic of their
assiduous defence to ensure they can take something from this clash.
With both teams currently
requiring two points to further their progression in NIHL North’s Division One,
a win for Solway Sharks could see the outfit move away from eighth position now that they are tied on two points with Solihull, Sutton and Blackburn. Meanwhile, a victory for Nottingham may allow the outfit to move away from the
foot of the table ahead of Sunday’s game against Solihull should Whitley
Warriors lose out to the Barons on Saturday. These fixtures often unpredictable but
engrossing, fans can expect both sides to give their all, whatever
the final outcome of the game.
Fixture:
Whitley
Warriors vs. Blackburn Hawks
Date: 23rd September 2018
Venue: Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Faceoff: 5:00pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Taking on Blackburn Hawks
at Hillheads for the first time this season, Whitley Warriors will prepare for
another challenging encounter against Steven Duncombe’s side who overcame their
5-1 defeat to Hull Pirates on the opening day of the season with a narrow 3-2
win over Sutton Sting last Sunday. Narrowly losing out by three goals to two in
their opening home encounter against the Lancashire outfit last season, the
Warriors went on to record a heavier 6-2 defeat in October. However, David
Longstaff’s men were able to recover from these defeats to record successive
victories against Blackburn in January, first notching a 5-2 road win before triumphing by six goals to two on home ice the following evening. So far this season, the Warriors have yet to achieve a win, instead suffering several heavy defeats including a 9-4 loss to Solway Sharks last weekend. Demonstrating their offensive prowess in spite
of some disheartening results, the skill of left winger Ben Campbell, defenceman
Sam Zajac and Captain Dean Holland has made up for a depleted defence in Whitley’s opening contests. Blackburn, meanwhile, have managed to claim 2 points from 2 games
as the side embark on their quest to improve on last season’s seventh place
finish which saw Duncombe’s men end the season with 33 points from 36 games,
just 3 points adrift of the Warriors.
Strengthening their team
over the summer months, Blackburn will surely benefit from the addition of
imports Danielius Nomanovas and Petr Valusiak, whilst two-way player Adam
Barnes and former Dragons’ defenceman Ross Kennedy could also make a huge
impact should they ice on Sunday. Besides the addition of these players, the
Hawks have once again secured the services of experienced defenceman and
Player-Assistant Coach James Neil who made his debut with the Lancashire outfit
last season, racking up 6 goals and 23 assists in 34 games to finish as the
Hawks’ fourth highest points scorer of their 2017-18 campaign. Also returning
for another season is blue liner Luke Boothroyd who has been named captain whilst ‘D’ man Bobby Streetly and young forward James Royds will fulfil
the role of alternate captains this season. Hoping to combat Blackburn’s strong
leadership, Whitley will look to utilise their skill and maintain a high level
of intensity throughout the game to ensure they have the best chances of
victory.
Whilst a home win for
Whitley would mean a great deal to players and fans alike, the Hawks will be
hoping for two points to build on their current league position, the side
sitting in fifth place with two games in hand on close competition Sutton Sting.
With these outfits having formed a
fierce rivalry in recent seasons, these fixtures often prove fast-paced and
feisty and, as such, this encounter is expected to be another
intriguing contest between two longstanding NIHL teams.
Fixture: Billingham
Stars vs. Sutton Sting
Date: 23rd September 2018
Venue: The Forum
Faceoff: 6:30pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
Taking on Sutton Sting
for the first time this season, Billingham Stars will prepare for a tough game
with the knowledge that Simon Butterworth’s team has never been one to give up points easily. When the Stars and the Sting faced each other in their
2016-17 campaign, Sutton were able to record a victory over the Teessiders,
just edging the contest by four goals to three at Ice Sheffield. The Stars,
however, were keen to avoid a repeat of this result and went on to win their
three remaining games against the side, managing an 8-6 win on home ice in
December before triumphing 5-3 in January. Playing the side again in March,
Billingham claimed a further two points against Sutton on the road in a season
which saw the Sting finish sixth (just one place above the league placement
playoff place) before the club requested relegation to NIHL North’s Division Two. As a result of this, Billingham will
hope that this game will be one that they can control but recent
results show that the Sting should not be underestimated.
Signing Swedish defenceman
Jonas Fredriksson from Åmåls SK, besides adding former Sheffield Senators
Dominic Martin and Craig Elliot in their efforts to strengthen their roster
over the summer, Sutton have managed to hold onto influential captain Scott
Morris, who achieved 71 points in 33 games for the Sting last season, as well re-signing Slovakian Stanislav Laščcek who bagged himself a hat trick against Solihull Barons last
weekend. Also returning for the 2018-19 campaign is skilled prospect Joseph
Colton who fulfilled the role of alternate captain for his club last season, tallying 30
goals and 47 assists in 34 games to prove impressive for his club. Amongst
those Stars looking to counter the offensive presence of Sutton’s top points scorers
will be Captain Michael Elder, Alternate Captain Chris Sykes and new addition
Kevin Boyd. Already, Boyd has 3 assists to his name and he will look to add to this when he
takes to ice against the Sting for the first time on Sunday evening. So far,
Boyd appears to be an excellent acquisition for Billingham and, alongside
long-serving Stars Elder, Sykes and Alternate Captain Callum Davies, will no
doubt prove a real threat against Sutton’s netminder Warren Gilfoyle.
Whilst a victory for
Billingham would mean that the side could extend the gap between themselves and
the close competition sitting in mid-table at present, Sutton require two
points to build momentum ahead of next weekend’s clash against Whitley Warriors.
With the Stars and the Sting both strong
outfits, this game will be a meeting between two incredibly stubborn
competitors who will prepare to give their all as they strive to accomplish
as much as they possibly can within Division One this season.
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