WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 13th October 2018
Solway
Sharks
vs. Sutton Sting
Sunday 14th October 2018
Whitley Warriors vs. Telford
Tigers
Billingham Stars vs. Solway Sharks
Fixture:
Solway Sharks vs. Sutton
Sting
Date: 13th October 2018
Venue: Dumfries Ice Bowl
Faceoff: 7:00 pm
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
|
Readying themselves to face newly promoted outfit Sutton Sting for the
first time this season, Solway Sharks will expect a tough encounter with the
knowledge that Simon Butterworth’s men have never been a team to give up
easily. In their 2016-17 campaign, Sutton showed determination, perseverance and fortitude when faced with the Sharks. Though Solway previously won in all four of their fixtures against
the side, the Sting certainly put up a fight against the 2016-17 title winners,
first losing 4-1 on the road before missing out by a three-goal
margin one month later. Whilst the Sharks were able to build on this with a 5-1
victory at Ice Sheffield in December 2016, Sutton conceded just a single goal
against the league champions on home ice in January, an excellent
achievement against a difficult opponent. As such, Solway will recognise the
threat that Sutton pose when they faceoff on Saturday evening, with
the Sting ready to make an impact against familiar opposition. Having already recorded
two victories from six games so far, Sutton have picked up points against Solihull
Barons and Billingham Stars whilst narrowly missing out to Blackburn Hawks in a
3-2 defeat.
As Sutton have always been difficult to break down, Solway’s offence
will no doubt have their work cut out on Saturday and the Dumfries outfit will
therefore rely on current in-form forwards Rick Bentham, Steven Moore and Cale
Tanaka to supply goals, the trio having so far contributed 34 points in 5
league games to date. Meanwhile, Sutton
will look to combat with their strong defence, which currently consists of
Swedish blue liner Jonas Fredriksson, dual national Peter Tóth and Latvian Niks
Veiss, besides harnessing the goal scoring prowess of top points
scorers Stanislav Lašček, Craig Elliot and Ryan Johnson who have collectively
accomplished 10 goals and 12 assists since their opening game against Hull
Pirates. Having won two of their last five games, the Sting have shown their
strength of character already this season after bouncing back from a difficult
weekend against Hull to triumph against the Barons after finding themselves 4-1
down early in the second period. As such, it is this mind set which could prove
problematic for the Sharks when the sides meet on Saturday but Solway will try
everything in their power to win now that they are contending with those at the top of the table.
Whilst two points would see the Sharks challenge Hull Pirates and
Sheffield Steeldogs for top spot, Sutton will look to take something from this
fixture to continue their progression in the league standings, having fallen
from sixth to ninth place last weekend. Promising to be a tough contest
whatever the final result, this game will have a great impact on teams at
both ends of the league table.
Fixture:
Whitley
Warriors vs. Telford
Tigers
Date: 14th October 2018
Venue: Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Faceoff: 5:00 pm
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
|
Preparing to face Tom Watkins’ Telford Tigers for a
third time this season, Whitley Warriors will be ready for another gruelling
encounter, having already lost twice to the Shropshire outfit by considerable
margins. On the opening weekend of their 2018-19 campaign, the Warriors
suffered an 8-2 defeat to Telford at Hillheads before losing 12-6 to the side
in a more competitive fixture on the road one week later. Having conceded twenty
goals to the Tigers, defence will be key for the Warriors when
they face Telford again this weekend but already David Longstaff has bolstered
his blue line with the addition of Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns and
versatile Canadian Phil Edgar who can operate as a ‘D’ man when required. As
such, it is hoped that Whitley can contend more closely with their opposition
on Sunday, particularly as the Warriors found themselves 3-0 up at Telford Ice
Rink last month, in which Alternate Captain Sam Zajac and left winger Ben Campbell stunned netminder Denis Bell to worry the Tigers in the early stages of the
third period. However, with Telford’s recovery quick, the Warriors know that there
will be no room for error on Sunday if they are to gain anything from this
clash.
Most influential for the Warriors so far this
campaign has undoubtedly been left winger Ben Campbell who has achieved 19
points in 9 games whilst experienced defenceman Zajac has also been hugely
instrumental in Whitley’s progression from ninth place, having provided
2 goals and 8 assists in 8 games after missing one fixture through injury. Also
making an impact, skilled forward Callum Watson has scored on five
occasions to boost the Warriors’ offence and he will therefore hope to challenge the Tigers on Sunday. Telford, by comparison, head into this game on the back of nine consecutive
cup fixtures, having played just four league games to date. Ready to
get back in the title race with three games in hand on Solihull Barons, the Tigers will set out to make
this fixture count and will find additional strength through the presence of
Canadian left winger Doug Clarkson who linked up with Telford last weekend
after signing for the club over the summer. With Captain Jason Silverthorn,
Alternate Captain Rick Plant and forward Scott McKenzie also set to feature,
the Tigers will make the long journey north with a great deal of firepower in
their ranks and the ability to make this game another incredibly demanding one
for the Warriors.
Likely to be a fantastic meeting between these
two teams, Whitley will head out with the aim to at least compete with their
opposition on home ice, having recently achieved two road victories, whilst the
Tigers will hunt down two points to climb the league table in their quest for
silverware.
Fixture:
Billingham
Stars vs. Solway Sharks
Date: 14th October 2018
Venue: The Forum
Faceoff: 6:30 pm
 |
Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
|
Facing close rivals Solway Sharks on home ice on Sunday evening,
Billingham Stars will look to make a positive start against the Dumfries
outfit, having so far defeated Martin Grubb’s men twice in the NIHL North Cup
competition this season, first recording a 5-4 overtime win at the Dumfries Ice
Bowl before triumphing again on home ice by the wider margin of 5-2. Looking
back on last season’s league results however, the Stars won just one of four fixtures
against Solway, first suffering a 5-3 home defeat in which Billingham responded
to Ross Murray’s opening goal with two of their own in the space of forty two
seconds before adding a third in the first minute of the second period. The
Sharks showed resilience to bounce back, scoring moments later before
tallying three goals in the latter stages of the final period to claim a
victory over the Teessiders. This was then followed up with a 5-2 loss for the
Stars last December but, even though Billingham exacted their revenge one month
later with a 7-5 win over the Sharks at The Forum, it was Solway who had the
final say at the Dumfries Ice Bowl in February, winning by seven goals to three
to ensure that their previous result against the Stars was simply an isolated
error, Grubb’s men having also triumphed over Billingham in all four cup games
last season.
As such, the Stars will take confidence from recent cup victories and will go into this clash with the hope that current top points
scorers Chris Sykes, Michael Elder and James Moss can make a difference, having
already notched 12 goals and 15 assists in 5 league games. The
Sharks, meanwhile, have assembled a strong team this season as they look to
build on the fourth place finish of their previous campaign and, continuing to set their sights on the league title in competition with current
silverware hopefuls Hull Pirates and Sheffield Steeldogs, the Dumfries outfit will do all they can to
combat Billingham’s attacking play. Should the Stars record a victory over Solway on Sunday evening,
Billingham could progress from sixth position but this will largely depend on
other results, with fifth-placed Telford Tigers and seventh-placed Blackburn
Hawks also in action this weekend. However, a victory for Solway would see the
Sharks pose a real threat to former EPL clubs Hull and Sheffield further to cementing their place above Solihull Barons who have played two more
games than the Sharks.
Developing a rivalry over the last few seasons,
this game is expected to be another ferocious battle between two of the NIHL’s
toughest competitors and, despite the fact that Solway have not achieved the
results they would have hoped against the Stars in the cup competition of late,
the Dumfries outfit can by no means be ruled out of what promises to be another
enthralling encounter.
For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.
No comments:
Post a Comment