(Image permission: Steve Brodie)
LANCASHIRE, UK – Hull Pirates moved to the top of Moralee D1 with a 14-1 home victory over Solihull Barons – Lee Bonner (3) and Bobby Chamberlain (3) led their scoring.
Solihull had better luck on home ice, with Josh Bruce’s four-goal haul the highlight of their 7-4 home win against Blackburn Hawks.
The Lancashire club’s miserable weekend was completed the following day when their home match against Nottingham Lions was abandoned due to an unsafe ice surface.
Solway Sharks had a mixed weekend, losing 6-3 at home to Sutton Sting before bouncing back with a gritty 5-3 victory at Billingham Stars.
Doug Clarkson (4) led the way for Telford Tigers as they ran out 7-1 winners at Whitley Warriors.
The Canadian (pictured above) also bagged a couple of goals in Telford’s 6-0 home victory over Billingham in the NIHL North Cup.
Sheffield Steeldogs maintained their unbeaten record in the same competition with home wins over Hull and Murrayfield Racers.
In Laidler D2, Widnes Wild moved to the top of the table with a 5-3 success at Bradford Bulldogs.
Altrincham Aces enjoyed a four-point weekend, winning 10-5 at Blackburn Hawks 2 and 6-3 at home to Coventry Blaze NIHL.
James Parsons and Simon Furnival both weighed in with hat-tricks as Deeside Dragons romped to a 17-1 home victory over Blackburn.
Sheffield Senators won 3-2 at Hull Jets and followed up with a 7-3 win on home ice against Bradford.
The Jets ended the weekend on a high note, winning 3-2 after overtime at Telford Tigers 2.
PHN’s top two talking points
Abandonment was inevitable
It is fair to say that the abandonment of Sunday’s game at Blackburn was one of the most unsurprising events of the season so far.
The game was called off following discussions between the officials and both teams over a damaged area of the playing surface that was deemed to be unsafe.
The hump in the middle of the ice has become a long-standing source of amusement in NIHL circles, but it will stop being funny the minute a player ends up injured by it and is unable to work for a few weeks.
Player safety should be paramount in this situation. Is the time now right for the league to step in and stop games being played on the ice until it is rectified?
Classy Stars deserve a pat on the back
There has been plenty written on a variety of platforms regarding Billingham Stars’ U13 team being heavily beaten by Manchester Storm Academy over the weekend.
The rights and wrongs of that particular debate are far too complex to discuss here, but what can be acknowledged is how well the Stars’ organisation handled the fall-out.
The gesture of sending the team out onto the ice for the senior side’s game against Solway was a memory the youngsters will treasure.
Enjoyment of the sport is hugely important at junior level. That fact appears to have been lost in certain quarters, so well done Stars for bringing it back to the forefront.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Moralee D1
Billingham Stars 3-5 Solway Sharks
Blackburn Hawks A-A Nottingham Lions
Hull Pirates 14-1 Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons 7-4 Blackburn Hawks
Solway Sharks 3-6 Sutton Sting
Whitley Warriors 1-7 Telford Tigers
Laidler D2
Altrincham Aces 6-3 Coventry Blaze NIHL
Blackburn Hawks 2 5-10 Altrincham Aces
Bradford Bulldogs 3-5 Widnes Wild
Deeside Dragons 17-1 Blackburn Hawks 2
Hull Jets 2-3 Sheffield Senators
Sheffield Senators 7-3 Bradford Bulldogs
Telford Tigers 2 2-3 Hull Jets (OT)
NIHL North Cup
Sheffield Steeldogs 2-1 Hull Pirates (OT)
Telford Tigers 6-0 Billingham Stars
Sheffield Steeldogs 3-0 Murrayfield Racers
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