Weekend Preview: Match Week 24

BILLINGHAM STARS are on the brink of securing a first National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 title in 12 years, a tough trip to second-placed Solihull Barons potentially all but making the title theirs if they can come away with the two points that will crown them champions in practical terms, if not mathematically.

Solihull have pushed the Stars hard all season, but injuries and suspensions at crucial times have seen them stumble and now they need the win tonight to prolong the title race. Their latest hiccup came just last night at Hull Jets where a Barons outfit reportedly missing six players could not repeat their earlier trip to Humberside and they fell 4-1 to a Jets side continuing their excellent home form. It is the Solihull top line of the Mulcahy brothers and veteran import Niklas Ottosson that does the damage, and it has been whenever any of these players is unavailable that the game plan seems to go wrong for the Barons. Solihull will be hoping that the trio will be fit and firing come playoff time when they will be one of the teams to avoid.

Win today and only an extremely unlikely combination of results will deny the Stars the League title that they have battled so hard to secure. Billingham have approached every game this season in the same way, and today will be no different as they focus on the task in hand rather than the twin distractions of the potential League title and the Cup final looming on the horizon next weekend. Once again they will not be at full strength, Shaun Galloway remains on the treatment table whilst Mark Turnbull is unavailable and some of the Stars two-way players will travel to Nottingham with the Buccaneers as they push for the N2 playoffs.

Billingham take on Solihull Barons in a National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 encounter later today, face off at Hobs Moat Road is 5.30pm.

Weekend Fixtures/Results:

NIHL(N)1:

Sheffield Scimitars 5 Deeside Dragons 13

Hull Jets 4 Solihull Barons 1

Whitley Warriors v Blackburn Hawks, Sunday 5pm

Deeside Dragons v Hull Jets, Sunday 5.15pm

Solihull Barons v Billingham Stars, Sunday 5.30pm

Widnes Wild v Nottingham Lions, Sunday 5.30pm