WEEKEND
PREVIEW
NIHL
NORTH DIVISION 1 (MORALEE)
Saturday 3rd November 2018
Sheffield
Steeldogs vs.
Billingham Stars
Sunday 4th November 2018
Whitley Warriors vs. Sheffield Steeldogs
Solihull
Barons vs. Solway Sharks
Fixture:
Sheffield
Steeldogs vs. Billingham Stars
Date: 3rd November 2018
Venue: Ice Sheffield
Faceoff: 5:30 pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Enduring
a difficult run of form at present, Billingham Stars will make the trip to Ice
Sheffield on Saturday with hopes of improving on their recent performances at
the very least. Despite winning just one of their last five league games and losing
seven of the eight fixtures they have played in October, the Stars have shown
themselves to be capable of far more already this campaign, having only just lost
4-3 to the Steeldogs on the opening day of the season. In this fixture, Billingham
went ahead in the game just thirty four seconds after faceoff when forward Jack Davies
stunned the opposition to present his team with a 1-0 lead. Even though
Sheffield were able to recover from this setback with two power play goals, the
Stars fought to level the scoring before bouncing back with a third goal when they found themselves trailing by four
goals to two at the end of the second period. As such, it is hoped that the
Teessiders can demonstrate the same level of determination on Saturday in order
to challenge the league leaders who are unbeaten at the moment with
fourteen points from seven league games.
Whilst
the Stars are aware of the challenge ahead, the side have a great deal of
talent in their line-up, including top points scorer Chris Sykes, who has so
far achieved 13 points in 8 league fixtures, and Canadian Kevin Boyd who has tallied
6 goals and 3 assists in just 6 games to date, recording the same number of
points as Captain Michael Elder and James Moss who have both played two games
more than the import. Meanwhile, youngsters Ethan Hehir, James Hellens and
Shaun Galloway also continue to work hard for the senior team and go from
strength-to-strength in their efforts to improve their team’s current position. As such, should this trio be available to ice on Saturday
alongside the Stars’ top points scorers, Billingham could pose a real threat to
the Steeldogs. However, currently unbeaten and prepared to fight for
every point this season, Ben Morgan’s defending champions will not settle for anything less than a win now that Solway Sharks, Telford
Tigers and Hull Pirates are also closing in on the top spot.
A win from this game will
allow the Stars to challenge Sutton Sting for seventh place whilst a victory for
the Steeldogs would see the side begin to put some distance between themselves
and Martin Grubb’s Solway Sharks who have just one fixture this weekend. Hopefully another competitive clash whatever the final outcome, this game will certainly be one to watch with both teams capable of putting on a show.
Fixture:
Whitley
Warriors vs. Sheffield Steeldogs
Date: 4th November 2018
Venue: Whitley Bay Ice Rink
Faceoff: 5:00 pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
|
After
achieving their first home victory of the season last weekend with a win over
Solihull Barons, Whitley Warriors will take to the ice again on Sunday with hopes of competing with Sheffield Steeldogs as a minimum, having
already recorded a 6-2 road defeat to the side this campaign. Though struggling
to contend with the Steeldogs in this recent encounter, the Warriors will take heart from
February’s 4-1 home victory over Sheffield and will feel that they can certainly challenge Ben Morgan’s team in front of their home crowd on Sunday evening. In the space
of four weeks, the Warriors have progressed from ninth place to fifth in the league standings and currently find themselves ahead of Solihull Barons,
having beaten Daniel Brittle’s men 3-1 after picking up a point from a 3-2 overtime loss to Solway Sharks last Saturday.
Building
momentum of late, it is clear that Whitley’s left winger Ben Campbell has been
most influential for the Warriors this season, currently finding himself with
28 points from 13 league games to date. Utilising his speed and skill to consistently impress, Campbell’s ability has provided Whitley
with additional firepower this season whilst Alternate Captain Sam Zajac has
also crucially contributed to the Warriors’ offensive exploits besides being a
reliable member of David Longstaff’s defensive unit. Likewise, new signing Rolands Gritāns
has made a great impact, notching 2 goals and 2 assists
in just 5 league games whilst also cutting a composed figure in
defence. However, up against Slovakian forward Milan Kolena, left winger Ashley Calvert
and former Warrior Nathan Salem this weekend, the Warriors will certainly have
their work cut out on Sunday, although they will be up for the test, having already faced so many
challenges this season.
Set
to be another enthralling encounter, a win for Whitley would be a fantastic
achievement and would allow the Warriors to widen the gap between themselves
and Solihull Barons whereas two points for Sheffield would enable the side to continue their domination at the top of the table.
Fixture:
Solihull
Barons vs. Solway Sharks
Date: 4th November 2018
Venue: Hobs Moat Road
Faceoff: 6:00 pm
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia – Ian Hanlon
|
Set
to play Solihull Barons for a second time this season, Solway Sharks will
head into this fixture knowing the unpredictability of Daniel Brittle’s outfit
whilst also taking confidence from their convincing 8-2 home victory against
the side in September. Looking to avoid complacency to ensure they remain close
to Sheffield Steeldogs at the top of the league standings, Solway will aim for maximum points against the Barons, having lost just one of their
five league fixtures this month; their lone defeat unfolding against Sutton
Sting. By comparison, Solihull’s form has deteriorated over the last few weeks,
with the side losing their last three league games to Hull Pirates, Telford
Tigers and Whitley Warriors, though they started the month positively with
their second consecutive win over Blackburn Hawks. With the margins between
teams so close at present in NIHL North’s Division One, both the Sharks and
the Barons will go all out for the points with the knowledge that a
victory on Sunday could make a huge difference in the coming weeks.
Standing
out for the Sharks so far this season, top goal scorer Rick Bentham has 10
goals and 8 assists to his name in just 8 league games whilst left winger Steven Moore
has racked up 5 goals and 11 assists over the same time period, displaying
diligence and dexterity as usual. Likewise, forwards Joe Coulter and Lewis
Houston have also made a positive impact, together contributing 19 assists
to facilitate their team’s attacking play. Boasting a strong squad with a
balance of youth and experience this season, Solway will be more than ready to
compete with the Barons who have mostly relied on Swedish import Niklas
Ottosson and forward Luke Brittle in offence, the duo
finding themselves the second and third highest points scorers in the league at
present with 55 points between them. As such, this pairing could prove to be
the difference for the Barons on Sunday and will no doubt cause problems for
Solway’s defence which will be required to show strength under pressure,
particularly as Solihull have a reputation for high-scoring games.
Set
to be another challenging clash for both teams, a victory for Solway will
ensure the side’s current league position is not a temporary one whilst a
successful home game for the Barons would allow the side to reclaim fifth place
from Whitley Warriors should David Longstaff’s men lose to the league leaders
on Sunday.
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