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.

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