PREVIEW: MATCH WEEK 4
BILLINGHAM STARS will be making an early season trip down to the Midlands for a National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 clash with Solihull Barons tomorrow with both sides campaigns still very much taking shape.
Solihull go into tomorrow’s game wounded by an unexpected 1-6 defeat by Hull Jets at Hobs Moat Road last Sunday. Despite the Jets being a much tougher proposition than last year, the Barons would still have expected to put up a fight at least on their home ice so such a comprehensive loss will hurt. Solihull have retained one of, if not the best, top line in the League in Niklas Ottosson and the Mulcahy brothers Dan and Phil, but they lost the physical presence of Richard Crowe in the summer as the imposing defenceman moved to Australia. The defeat by Hull could well provoke a reaction from the Barons who will be keen to right some wrongs in front of their own fans, so the Stars should be prepared for a battle against last season’s League runners-up.
🔗 Solihull Barons on Elite Prospects: https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/1525/solihull-barons
The Stars picked up all six points last weekend, but in two very different manners as they followed up an 11-1 demolition of Deeside Dragons with a much tamer (and closer) 3-6 win on the road at Widnes Wild. Billingham need to inject the intensity and ruthlessness of Saturday’s display if they are to get past the Barons in what is always a very tricky place to play. The Stars will be without several key players for the long trek down to the Midlands tomorrow, not least missing defenceman Darren Stattersfield who has incurred a four-match suspension following a review request by the Dragons last weekend.
🔗 EIH discipline update: https://englandicehockey.com/disciplinary-saturday-21-september/
Billingham are on the road at Solihull Barons in National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 tomorrow evening, face off 5.30pm.
Weekend Fixtures:
NIHL N1 Saturday:
🗡️ Sheffield Scimitars 🆚 Whitley Warriors 🏹
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 🆚 Hull Jets ✈️
🦅 Blackburn Hawks 🆚 Nottingham Lions 🦁
NIHL N1 Sunday:
✈️ Hull Jets 🆚 Sheffield Scimitars 🗡️
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 🆚 Blackburn Hawks 🦅
⚜️ Solihull Barons 🆚 Billingham Stars 💫
🐾 Widnes Wild 🆚 Deeside Dragons 🐉