NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)

Saturday 1st December 2018

Telford Tigers vs. Billingham Stars

Sunday 2nd December 2018

Whitley Warriors vs. Nottingham Lions

Blackburn Hawks vs. Solway Sharks

Fixture:    Telford Tigers vs. Billingham Stars

Date:        1^st December 2018

Venue:     Telford Ice Rink

Faceoff:  7:00 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Having already played the Tigers in two cup fixtures and one league game this season, Billingham Stars will prepare to travel to Telford Ice Rink for one last time with the objective of improving on their recent 8-1 defeat to the side. In their previous outing against Telford, the Stars made the trip with just thirteen skaters and netminder Mark Watson in their line-up so it was little surprise that the Teessiders could not contend with the former EPL outfit who found the net through Canadian Doug Clarkson, defenceman Daniel Mitchell and stand-in Captain Scott McKenzie to name but a few. Three goals down by the early stages of the second period, Billingham managed to snatch a power play goal in the twenty ninth minute when Alternate Captain Chris Sykes printed his name onto the scoresheet but, as the shots rained down on Watson’s net in the final stanza, the Tigers scored five unanswered goals to hammer home Billingham’s defeat. Yet, playing Telford in a cup fixture at The Forum just one week before this 8-1 loss, the Stars’ twenty-man team contended with Tom Watkins’ Tigers after taking the lead on the power play through defenceman Darren Stattersfield at the close of the first period. Though Telford responded with two goals after the first interval, the Teessiders showed some resolve as Sykes achieved two further power play goals to take a narrow 3-2 lead into the final period. Though unable to hold onto this one-goal advantage in the final twenty minutes, Billingham could content themselves with their performance in spite of their defeat.

After falling into ninth place at the start of November, the Stars have been unable to climb the league table since, their only win in their last five league games arising against tenth-placed Nottingham Lions two weeks ago. With 9 losses in 13 league games, Billingham have a total of 8 points to their name and currently find themselves just one win away from challenging Blackburn for eighth position, although the Hawks have the advantage of two games in hand on the side which will no doubt prove crucial in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, this is Telford’s first league game since they triumphed over Billingham three weeks ago. Over the last two weekends, the Tigers have recorded four cup wins, claiming victories against Solway Sharks, Hull Pirates, Sheffield Steeldogs and Blackburn Hawks, meaning the outfit take a great deal of momentum into Saturday’s encounter with the Stars. Prior to these games, Watkins’ men recorded 8 wins from 9 league fixtures, with their only league defeat a 5-4 overtime loss to Sheffield Steeldogs back in September. As such, Billingham will certainly have their work cut out on Saturday, although the side know that they are capable of challenging the Tigers should they travel well.

With this game likely to be another intriguing encounter, Billingham will take heart from their recent cup fixture against Telford, knowing that two points will provide the Stars with a huge boost ahead of next Sunday’s home game against the Tigers. In contrast, Telford find themselves just one point away from a place in the top four and will therefore aim to recover lost ground following their descent into fifth place in recent weeks. So far the side have played just 9 games, the fewest of any NIHL North Division One side, meaning the Tigers will be looking to catch up as they prepare to pursue the league title once again.

Fixture:    Whitley Warriors vs. Nottingham Lions

Date:        2^nd December 2018

Venue:     Whitley Bay Ice Rink

Faceoff:  5:00 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Preparing to play host to Nottingham Lions on Sunday, Whitley Warriors will head out with a view to make more of their chances count against Matt Bradbury’s men, having won 6-1 in their last home game against the side, despite firing 90 shots at netminder Miles Finney. After recording a 9-1 road victory against Nottingham in October, Whitley took the lead just thirty six seconds into their most recent contest against the Lions as left winger Ben Campbell hit the target and achieved his second with just over fifteen minutes played. This was then added to by Captain Dean Holland who netted to send his team in with a 3-0 lead at the first interval. Despite their attacking approach however, the Warriors saw many of their chances go to waste, managing to add just one goal from the eighteen shots they unleashed in the second period. Goals for forward Callum Watson and Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns were then scored either side of Ruskin Hughes’ deflected shot at the midpoint of the third period but again, the Warriors failed to convert the majority of chances that came their way, racking up 32 shots in the final stanza alone. In consequence, whilst Whitley will aim for a third victory over Nottingham on Sunday, they will also set out to be more productive in front of goal to ensure they make the best possible start to December’s busy schedule.

Dropping into sixth place in recent weeks, the Warriors now find themselves four points adrift of fifth placed Telford Tigers, with close competitors Solihull Barons now in fourth position following last weekend’s victories against the Hillheads outfit and Billingham Stars. Recording 5 wins, 3 overtime losses and 9 regulation defeats, the Warriors have so far accumulated 13 points from 17 league games to find themselves competing mid-table. The Lions, by comparison, have yet to achieve a single point this season, suffering a total of 16 losses. Besides conceding 154 goals and managing to score on just 27 occasions, Nottingham are also the second most punished team in the league at present, amounting 353 PIMs. Whilst poor discipline continues to hinder the Lions, Nottingham have also found that they have been unable to ice consistent line-ups this season, with younger players often fulfilling commitments to their Under 18s or Under 20s teams whilst some more experienced players have been unavailable to ice on occasions. As such, the side will aim to travel well on Sunday in the hope that they can find strength in numbers against the Warriors who will be determined to make up for last weekend’s home performance against Solway Sharks.

From faceoff on Sunday, Whitley will aim for two points to narrow the gap between themselves and Telford whereas Nottingham will set their hearts on the first victory of their season which could spur the side on ahead of some difficult upcoming clashes, including a double header against the Tigers before Christmas. On the whole, this game promises to be a difficult tussle for the Warriors, with Nottingham in the habit of fighting until the final buzzer.

Fixture:    Blackburn Hawks vs. Solway Sharks  

Date:        2^nd December 2018

Venue:     Blackburn Ice Arena

Faceoff:  6:00 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

After a fantastic four-point weekend, Solway Sharks will take to the ice on Sunday with a view to avenge their recent 7-3 defeat to Blackburn Hawks as they continue to make progress in their quest to compete with the best. Having won twice against Steven Duncombe’s men in the cup competition this season, the Sharks were disappointed with their league loss to the Lancashire outfit on the 10^th November and will therefore seek no less than maximum points this weekend. In this encounter, the Sharks went 2-0 down with just 2:31 played and, despite hitting back to draw level just after the halfway point in the period, Solway conceded a third on 15:52 which spelled trouble for the Dumfries team as young prospect Kieran Brown scored just eleven seconds after the first interval before two-way player Adam Barnes hit the target a little under two minutes later to make it 5-2. Though salvaging a goal moments later through forward Joe Coulter, Barnes responded with another to quash Solway’s spirit and a power play goal for the Hawks in the latter stages of the contest sealed Blackburn’s victory to make this an uncomfortable loss for Martin Grubb’s men. As a result, the Sharks will head into this fixture with the objective to triumph over the eighth placed side, particularly as they are now just four points behind Sheffield Steeldogs who do not have a game this weekend, meaning Solway could close this gap to just two points should they achieve a win against Blackburn on Sunday. 

Though so much is at stake this weekend, Grubb’s men can travel to Blackburn Ice Arena full of confidence after handing Hull Pirates their first league defeat of the season on Saturday and battling for a 6-4 road win at Hillheads on Sunday. So far this season, Solway have accomplished 9 regulation wins from a possible 13 besides an overtime victory against Whitley Warriors in October to see the side challenging at the top of the table. Ironically, their only defeat in their last five league fixtures arose against the Hawks which further enhances the significance of this clash as Solway make the trip with a point to prove. Meanwhile, Blackburn are currently placed just one point behind Sutton Sting and just three points behind Whitley Warriors which should make the mid-table battle an intense one as the weeks progress with each point can now making a huge difference to the present league standings. Suffering two difficult league defeats prior to last weekend’s consecutive cup losses, the Hawks will prepare to contend for the points on Sunday, knowing that a quick recovery will be essential if they are to leave eighth place behind this weekend. Taking 10 points from 11 league games means that the Hawks have struggled for consistency so far but, should they succeed against the Sharks on Sunday, one positive result could be all they need to spur the side on to a higher league position.

A win for Solway will be a huge achievement and one which would be incredibly important in the race for silverware this season but Blackburn will surely do all they can to jeopardise the Sharks’ objective, not least because two points will allow the Hawks to contend with their close competitors in Division One. Set to be another extremely entertaining encounter between two of the NIHL’s longstanding clubs, this game will certainly be one to watch.

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.       

NIHL North

NIHL Weekend Round-up

Solway Sharks achieved a fantastic 3-2 victory over Hull Pirates at the Dumfries Ice Bowl on Saturday evening to move into second place.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Falling behind when Pirates’ Player-Coach Jason Hewitt beat netminder Jordan McLaughlin on 1:29, the Sharks hit back just under five minutes later as Captain Struan Tonnar equalised following assists from Slovakian left winger Peter Gápa and fellow forward Joe Coulter. The score line remaining 1-1 as the teams headed into the second period, Solway found themselves unsuccessful on the power play when Hull’s Captain Jamie Chilcott made way for tripping. After the Pirates’ return to full strength, the Sharks found the tables turned when forward Rick Bentham was called to the sin bin for the same offence. Despite having the advantage of the additional skater, Hull could not take the lead and instead suffered a setback of their own as Haywood caught Bentham in the face with his stick, breaking the Shark’s tooth in the process. This offence resulted in a penalty of five minutes plus game for the Pirate to present Martin Grubb’s men with a lengthy power play. Just thirty five seconds later, forward Matty Davies was also sidelined for high sticks, though his penalty was only a minor one. Switching injured netminder Ashley Smith for shot stopper Joseph Gent two minutes after Davies was sinbinned, the Pirates prevented the Sharks from achieving a power play goal in the final stages of the second stanza and were offered some reprieve when the interval interrupted play. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson       

Determined to gain something from this encounter however, Solway hit their opposition hard in the opening minute of the final period when forward Iain Bowie made it 2-1 courtesy of Canadian left winger Cale Tanaka and defenceman Lewis Baldwin on 40:47. Unwilling to let this lead slide, the Sharks achieved a third goal when Coulter linked up with Baldwin to help Gápa onto the scoresheet with a little over fifty three minutes played. Realising that their progress was slow, the Pirates called a timeout and it was a decision which paid off as Swedish winger Sonny Karlsson buried his unassisted effort just eleven seconds after play resumed. Remaining composed in spite of this late goal, the Dumfries outfit protected their narrow 3-2 lead to claim a well-deserved victory in front of their home crowd.

Meanwhile, Whitley Warriors suffered a narrow 6-5 defeat to Solihull Barons as their close clash at Hobs Moat Road resulted in overtime and penalty shots.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

After a late arrival for the Warriors, David Longstaff’s men took the lead when left winger Ben Campbell stunned Barons’ netminding Player-Coach Daniel Brittle on 2:37, courtesy of Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes. Retaliating, Solihull equalised just under four minutes later when forward Luke Brittle surpassed Whitley’s defence alongside forward Ed Eaton and Alternate Captain Marcus Maynard to bury the puck beyond shot stopper Richie Lawson. Thirty five seconds after Solihull’s equaliser, Whitley reclaimed their lead as Campbell returned the favour for Barnes who bagged his fifth goal of the season as he made it 2-1. Returning to full strength after successfully killing Captain Dean Holland’s roughing penalty, the Hillheads outfit added a third goal to their tally as defenceman Ross Connolly linked up with experienced Warrior DJ Good to play in versatile forward Ryan Sample who did not miss his mark with almost three quarters of the first period played.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading in with their 3-1 lead intact at the first interval, the Warriors were keen to continue their hard work in the second stanza but a string of minor penalties for the visitors disrupted play in the first half of the period before the Barons took control, scoring three goals in the space of four minutes: forward Matthew Maurice hit the target after skilled play from Swedish import Niklas Ottosson, Captain Josh Bruce levelled the scoring with a shot from a tight angle and Ottosson made it 4-3 with just over a minute remaining in the middle stanza.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

As Holland incurred a penalty of 2+10 for holding on 39:09, Solihull began the third stanza on the power play but it was only when more than half of the period had been played that the next goal arrived, the Warriors achieving an equaliser as Campbell bagged his second of the game before completing his hat trick less than two minutes later. Though Whitley strove to hold onto this lead, Solihull dealt the Warriors a blow when forward Macaulay Halford defeated Lawson on 58:35; this goal was swiftly followed by a clash between Halford and Barnes to see both receive penalties of 2+2 for fighting. The game spilled into overtime as a result of this goal but the score line remained 5-5 after five minutes of play, prompting penalty shots. First to step up was Solihull’s Captain Josh Bruce who buried his shot, his effort then equalled by Warrior Phil Edgar. Likewise, youngster Andrew Haywood did not disappoint the Barons but his successful shot was followed by Campbell’s attempt which flew beyond Brittle to level the playing field. A miss from Ottosson was then emulated by Holland before Luke Brittle netted to send his team into the lead. Stepping up again, Campbell found his second shot saved by netminder Brittle which confirmed the Barons’ 6-5 win over the Hillheads outfit.

Similarly, Billingham Stars lost out to Solihull Barons by just one goal on Sunday evening as the Teessiders suffered a 4-3 defeat on home ice.

After Solihull took the lead on 4:32 through forward Adam Brittle, the Teessiders equalised on their third power play as Swedish forward Niklas Ottosson made way for interference. This allowed Canadian forward Kevin Boyd the chance to capitalise after strong play from Alternate Captain Chris Sykes and defenceman James Hellens with just under three minutes of the first period remaining.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Responding with a goal forty one seconds into the second period as Adam Brittle snatched his second of the evening, Solihull remained strong against the Stars but saw their discipline slide in this stanza. As such, Billingham gained a power play when forward Andrew Whitehouse was sidelined for a late hit but, unable to capitalise, the Stars and the Barons respectively lost forwards Ethan Hehir and Elliot Farrell to the sin bin moments later. Spurred on, the Teessiders made it 2-2 just past the midpoint of the game when forward James Moss beat shot stopper Sam Hewitt with support from Sykes and blue liner Andy Finn.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Heading in on level terms as a result, Solihull were eager to get ahead in the fixture once again and did so, scoring on 42:41 when Bruce and forward Macaulay Halford linked up to allow Adam Brittle the chance to claim his hat trick. Just under six minutes later, defenceman Matthew Campbell got his side back on level terms courtesy of Lithuanian blue liner Edgar Protčenko and Alternate Captain Callum Davies. It was not long after this goal that Protčenko clashed with Halford to see both earn minor roughing penalties whilst Halford incurred an additional penalty for interference. Though shorthanded, the Barons’ desire to avoid overtime showed as Ottosson recovered his team’s lead on 54:36, assisted by Luke Brittle and Alternate Captain Marcus Maynard. Just over a minute later, Stars’ forward Craig Thurston earned himself 2+2 for hooking and interference but, as Solihull were also punished in the final stages of the period, Billingham opted for a timeout with forty seconds remaining in their efforts to achieve a fourth equaliser. However, time was not on the Stars’ side and Tom Brown’s team were forced to accept their narrow 4-3 defeat.

Last but not least, Whitley Warriors recorded a 6-4 home loss to Solway Sharks on Sunday evening as Martin Grubb’s men accomplished a fantastic four-point weekend.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Taking the lead on 3:12 through Alternate Captain Ross Murray, Solway then doubled their tally when Captain Struan Tonnar bundled the puck into the net to achieve a power play goal on 11:40 after Warrior Ryan Sample was punished for a high sticks offence. Hitting back forty five seconds after this goal, Whitley’s experienced Alternate Captain Sam Zajac netted from close range following assists from Player-Coach David Longstaff and versatile defenceman Phil Edgar to see the home team head in with a one-goal deficit at the first interval.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Maintaining control, the Sharks extended their lead on 24:43 when Murray fired the puck at the boards before burying the rebound beyond netminder Richie Lawson. Though trying to battle back from this, Whitley found themselves under increasing pressure so it was little surprise when the side went 4-1 down as Canadian Cale Tanaka stole possession from defenceman Ross Connolly to play in Murray who fired home to achieve a well-deserved hat trick. Responding to this goal, the Warriors retaliated just over three minutes later when quick work from Edgar and Captain Dean Holland resulted in Campbell calmly surpassing netminder Jordan McLaughlin to make it 4-2 ahead of the second interval. 

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Returning to the ice, Whitley were keen to alter their fortunes and events took a promising turn when an interference penalty for Sharks’ defenceman Kyle Horne allowed blue liner Harry Harley to punish Solway’s misdemeanour as he struck his rebounded shot past McLaughlin. Setting their sights on an equaliser, the Warriors began to work tirelessly and levelled the scoring on 51:53 when Holland slapped a backhanded shot into the net courtesy of Campbell and blue liner Liam Smedley. Whitley’s hopes of victory were soon dashed though as Slovakian Peter Gápa flashed a shot to Lawson’s left just fifty nine seconds later to restore his side’s lead before Shark Scott Henderson wrapped up the scoring with less than two minutes remaining in the game to confirm Solway’s 6-4 victory. As tempers flared after the final buzzer, a bench clearance broke out to result in a minor roughing penalty for Kippin whilst Warriors Connolly and Holland, and Sharks defencemen Lewis Baldwin and Josh Grieveson each received 2+2 for fighting on 60:00. Following this unexpected brawl, Solway left the ice to diffuse the situation, taking with them another two points to leave the Dumfries outfit just 4 points adrift of league leaders Sheffield Steeldogs.

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.        

NIHL Weekend Preview

WEEKEND

PREVIEW

NIHL NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)

Saturday 24th November 2018

Solihull Barons vs. Whitley Warriors

Solway Sharks vs. Hull Pirates

Sunday 25th November 2018

Whitley Warriors vs. Solway Sharks

Billingham Stars vs. Solihull Barons

Fixture:    Solihull Barons vs. Whitley Warriors

Date:        24^th November 2018

Venue:     Hobs Moat Road

Faceoff:  5:15 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Travelling to Hobs Moat Road for a second time this season, Whitley Warriors will prepare for another tough encounter having so far recorded an overtime loss and a home win against Solihull Barons. In September’s fixture, Whitley fell behind by three goals to one but levelled the scoring to take the Barons into overtime during which forward Adam Brittle bagged both points for his side with just seven seconds of the five-minute period remaining. Content with a point from this clash, the Warriors then avenged their defeat with a 3-1 win on home ice last month, this time responding with three goals subsequent to forward Matthew Maurice’s power play goal in the early stages of the first period. With very little separating the sides in this game for the most part, Whitley’s third meeting with the Barons is expected to be another highly competitive encounter, particularly as the margin between these teams in the league standings is a fine one at the moment. In their last five league games, the Warriors have won three fixtures whereas Solihull have triumphed in two, recording a narrow 6-5 win against Sutton Sting before edging last Sunday’s contest with a 5-4 victory over Blackburn Hawks. Meanwhile, in addition to beating the Barons last month, the Warriors’ most recent results consist of two wins against tenth-placed Nottingham Lions. Like the Barons, Whitley’s defeats arose against Sheffield Steeldogs and Solway Sharks, although the side were able to claim a point in overtime against the Dumfries outfit.

At the moment, Solihull’s Swedish import Niklas Ottosson is NIHL North Division One’s second highest points scorer with 7 goals and 26 assists in 15 league games whereas forward Luke Brittle has achieved 30 points from 13 fixtures. Likewise, Whitley Warriors’ top points scorer Ben Campbell has also achieved 30 points to date having played one more game than the Baron, tallying 19 goals and 11 assists. Continuing to work hard to make up for their difficult start to their 2018-19 campaign, David Longstaff’s side have rallied to improve on their early performances. Notably, Alternate Captain Sam Zajac has contributed a great deal to Whitley’s offensive play whilst on the blue line, chipping in with 17 points in 13 league games. Meanwhile, Player-Coach Longstaff has assisted on 10 occasions to find himself Whitley’s third highest points scorer whilst skilled forwards DJ Good, Shaun Kippin and Callum Watson have all achieved 9 points so far. Packed with pace, power and skill this season, these teams are very evenly matched which should make for another energetic encounter if the sides’ recent meetings are anything to go by.

With Solihull two points ahead of Whitley going into this fixture, neither team will want to miss out on the chance to defeat their closest league rivals. As such, the Barons will aim for a victory to widen the margin between themselves and the Warriors whereas Longstaff’s line-up will seek to close this gap ahead of Sunday’s home game against Solway Sharks. Expected to be another difficult clash, the result of this fixture will be an interesting one as the mid-table battle continues.

 

Fixture:    Solway Sharks  vs. Hull Pirates

Date:        24^th November 2018

Venue:     Dumfries Ice Bowl

Faceoff:  7:00 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Preparing themselves for a visit from Hull Pirates on Saturday evening, Solway Sharks will go into this fixture with hopes of achieving their first league victory over Jason Hewitt's men since they bounced back from a 4-0 loss to the outfit with a 5-4 cup win at the beginning of the month. Last season, Solway failed to pick up a single point against the Pirates, first suffering a 6-3 defeat before being crushed by the same score line just over a month later at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. Hunting a win at home in February to avenge these defeats, the Sharks were disappointed to go 4-1 down in the early stages of the second period and, despite their efforts to battle their way into the lead, ultimately missed out on the points as Hull retaliated with four goals to triumph 8-5. Confronting the Pirates one week later, Solway endured a further setback as they found themselves on the wrong end of a heavier loss of 11-2. In consequence, the Sharks will head out onto the ice on Saturday with the knowledge that victory will be no easy task but that it is certainly possible if they throw everything into this fixture for the full sixty minutes.

Whilst Solway’s usual core of forwards have put in some excellent performances of late to allow their team to compete with their immediate competition in NIHL North’s Division One, the Sharks will also rely on defencemen Lewis Baldwin, Stuart Kerr and Liam Stenton to break up Hull’s creative play whilst complementing their side’s offensive work. Knowing that a single slip in concentration could significantly hamper their efforts against the Pirates, the Sharks will aim to be at their most clinical. Last season, Solway’s forward Iain Bowie proved to be most effective against Hewitt’s men, notching 3 goals and 3 assists against Hull and, as such, it is hoped the Shark can match, if not better, this feat against the Pirates this season. In comparison, Hull also have a great deal of skill within their roster, not least top points scorer Hewitt, right winger Bobby Chamberlain and forward Matty Davies who have so far collectively accumulated 40 goals and 61 assists to allow their side to contend in some incredibly difficult fixtures this season. Winning all of their last five games, the Pirates will aim to add another victory to this season’s record as the outfit vie for silverware having narrowly missed out on the NIHL North Division One (Moralee) title in March.

Whilst Solway will aim to take points off Hull to progress from fourth position, a win for the Pirates would allow Hewitt’s men to widen the gap between themselves and third-placed Telford Tigers whilst putting pressure on league leaders Sheffield Steeldogs. Due to the challenges Solway faced against Hull last season, this game will provide an interesting insight into the Sharks’ ability to compete with the former EPL outfit as they head out with the objective of building on last season’s fourth place finish. 

Fixture:    Whitley Warriors vs. Solway Sharks

Date:        25^th November 2018

Venue:     Whitley Bay Ice Rink

Faceoff:  5:00 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

As Whitley Warriors and Solway Sharks prepare to face each other for a third time this season, David Longstaff’s men will head out onto the ice with the hopes of making amends for their previous home fixture against the Dumfries outfit, having found themselves on the receiving end of a 9-4 defeat in September. Since this disappointment, the Warriors have visited the Ice Bowl and stunned the Sharks to pick up a point from a 3-2 overtime loss after initially gaining a 2-0 lead in this game. With Solway currently in fourth position, and just two points separating them from second-placed Hull Pirates ahead of this weekend, the Sharks continue to compete at a very high level and have only lost one of their last five league fixtures, recently suffering a surprise 7-3 defeat to Steven Duncombe’s Blackburn Hawks. However, as the Warriors are still in the process of turning their season around, Whitley will aim to establish some good form, having lost every alternate league game since the end of September.

Solway’s forwards Iain Bowie, Joe Coulter and Rick Bentham have been most influential over the course of their last five league games. Whilst Bowie has 4 goals and 4 assists to his name in recent encounters with Blackburn, Solihull, Whitley and Billingham, both Coulter and Bentham have achieved 6 points to make a great difference to the Dumfries outfit. Also making an impact, forward Lewis Houston and Slovakian import Peter Gápa have both contributed to Solway’s offensive exploits of late, collectively tallying 10 points over the course of recent league fixtures. Hoping to combat the Sharks’ attacking play will be Whitley’s strong defensive unit which includes former Solway ‘D’ man Ross Connolly, skilled blue liner Liam Smedley, versatile Canadian Phil Edgar and Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns. Whilst recent additions Gritāns and Edgar did not experience Whitley’s 9-4 home defeat to the Sharks at the beginning of the season, the duo will certainly do all they can to prevent a result of this nature on Sunday evening, with Gritāns a force to be reckoned with and Edgar cutting a composed figure in recent games. Further to these players, defenceman Harry Harley has returned to the Hillheads outfit after a short spell with Hull Pirates and will therefore aim to add to an already strong defensive line-up when he takes to the ice with the Warriors this weekend.

Set to be another important clash in terms of the league standings, Whitley will aim for two points to keep pace with Solihull Barons whereas Solway once again need to secure a victory to contend with their close league rivals Telford Tigers, Hull Pirates and Sheffield Steeldogs at the top of the table.

Fixture:    Billingham Stars vs. Solihull Barons

Date:        25^th November 2018

Venue:     The Forum

Faceoff:  6:30 pm

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Preparing to face Solihull Barons for a second time this season having already achieved a narrow 5-4 away victory over the side on the opening weekend of their 2018-19 campaign, Billingham Stars will hope to be as successful against Daniel Brittle’s outfit this Sunday. In their last encounter with the Barons, the Teessiders found themselves up against a shortbenched Solihull in what proved to be an incredibly close game. Taking the lead on the power play through forward James Moss on 8:23 before extending their tally to 3-0 in the early stages of the second period, the Stars were troubled when the Barons responded to go within one goal of their visitors. Though recovering their two-goal lead before the midpoint of the game, the Stars then allowed the Barons back into the contest as defenceman Daniel Harrison and forward Luke Brittle hit the target to make it 4-4. Continuing to pursue maximum points, Billingham did not give up on their hopes of a victory which paid off when youngster Ethan Hehir beat netminder Sam Hewitt to secure a win for his side. Due to the close nature of this clash, it was unsurprising that play became tempestuous to result in a total of 119 penalty minutes being dished out during this fixture; Barons’ Andrew Whitehouse, Niklas Ottosson and Marcus Maynard received fighting penalties alongside Billingham’s Cain Taylor, Thomas Keeley and Jack Davies. In consequence, this game has the potential to be another bad-tempered affair, particularly as Solihull will be out to avenge their defeat.

Setting out to prevent the Barons from taking points from The Forum on Sunday, Billingham will turn to current top points scorers Chris Sykes, James Moss, Kevin Boyd and Michael Elder to facilitate their victory, the quartet having collectively accomplished 24 points in their last five league games, with Sykes achieving 5 goals and 4 assists to lead the way in points production for his team. Also making an impact in recent weeks is forward Cain Taylor who has scored 3 goals and contributed a further 3 assists whilst Hehir continues to be an important member of Billingham’s line-up, so far chipping in with 7 points in 11 league games. Meanwhile, Solihull’s two-way player Matthew Maurice has presented himself as a real threat once again this season, notching 14 points in 11 league games to date whilst forward Adam Brittle has also stood out with 5 goals and an assist in Solihull’s last five league games; notably achieving a hat trick against Sutton Sting. Similarly, Slovakian forward Filip Supa achieved 6 points during the same time period. As a result of this talent, this game is likely to be another high scoring one with both teams demonstrating their ability in recent games.

Whilst Billingham will hope that they can accomplish another two points to build on last weekend’s 13-1 win over Nottingham Lions, Solihull will hope to head into this game on the back of a victory over Whitley Warriors and, should this be the case, Brittle’s men will most certainly set their sights on a four-point weekend which would greatly disappoint the Stars who hope to displace Sutton Sting from eighth place prior to next Saturday’s league fixture against Telford Tigers.

For more photos from IceHockeyMedia, please visit: http://www.icehockeymedia.co.uk/.        

NIHL North

NIHL Weekend Round-up

In what was their only league game this weekend, Billingham Stars achieved a 13-1 win over Nottingham Lions to narrow the gap between themselves and Sutton Sting.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Firing his team into the lead with just 1:24 played, Captain Michael Elder beat netminder Alan Levers following build up play from defenceman Matthew Campbell and forward James Moss to immediately place Nottingham on the back foot. As the Stars persisted in their offensive efforts, Alternate Captain Chris Sykes attempted a wraparound and found Canadian forward Kevin Boyd on hand to place the puck top shelf on 8:02. Fifty eight seconds later, Boyd notched his second of the contest, though Levers saved his initial shot. With the Stars continuing to pile on the pressure, forward Cain Taylor then added to the Lions’ deficit on 11:53, converting a lightning shot from defenceman Darren Stattersfield to make it 4-0, a score line Billingham maintained ahead of the second period.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Despite the fact that Sykes was sinbinned at the very start of the middle stanza, the shorthanded Stars returned to the ice with the objective to continue their domination. Killing this penalty with success, Billingham added a fifth to their tally when Campbell bagged his first league goal of the season on 25:38 to trouble the home team further. It was not long after this that both sides clashed when a heavy hit from defenceman Callum Medcalf caused tempers to flare, resulting in the Lion receiving 2+10 for a check to the head in addition to a minor roughing penalty whilst Sykes was also sidelined for his part in the incident. With just under seven minutes remaining in this period, defenceman Joseph Gretton reacted to pressure placed on Levers’ net by dropping the gloves with Stattersfield to see both earn 2+2 for fighting. In spite of this, Billingham continued to be relentless in front of goal and filed from the ice on a positive note when Sykes buried blue liner Tom Keeley’s shot on 38:52 to make it 6-0.

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Picking up from where they left off going into the final period, Billingham’s forward Alex Preston scrambled on the loose puck and lifted it into the Lions’ net with close to two minutes played, assisted by Sykes and Boyd. Struggling to compete, Nottingham eventually found the goal that they were searching for on the power play as ‘D’ man Ruslan Cernych surpassed the Stars’ defence to play the puck in to seventeen-year-old forward Jack Crowston who beat Watson to make it 7-1. It was only past the halfway point of the period that the Teessiders added to the score line again as Campbell achieved his second of the evening on 52:14. This was soon followed by Taylor’s second goal as the Lions failed to maintain possession after a faceoff in their defensive zone, presenting the Star with the opportunity to hit the target. Less than two minutes later, Moss saw his shot trickle into Nottingham’s net following Levers’ attempts to stop the puck; young forward Ethan Hehir having worked hard to supply a pass to his teammate. The Lions then switched Levers with young netminder Luca Sheldon to allow their backup some ice time but, just twenty seven seconds after his introduction, Sheldon was beaten by Campbell who accomplished his hat trick. Shortly afterwards, Stattersfield printed his name onto the scoresheet when his deflected shot made its way past Sheldon to take the Stars’ tally up to twelve. Despite the Lions’ best efforts however, Billingham only completed their scoring on 58:28 when Preston bagged himself a second, with Sheldon’s pad save not enough to prevent the forward from securing a thirteenth goal for his team.

Achieving a 13-1 win over Nottingham, the Stars remain in ninth place but now find themselves just one point behind Sutton Sting going into next weekend’s league fixture against Solihull Barons. 

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