LANCASHIRE, UK – Sheffield Steeldogs moved three points clear at the top of Moralee D1 with a 4-2 victory at Whitley Warriors – Ben Morgan (2) topped their scoring.
Hull Pirates are now second in the table after an 8-3 home win against Billingham Stars – Bobby Chamberlain weighed in with a couple of goals.
Kyle Horne’s late goal secured a 3-2 success for Solway Sharks at Solihull Barons. The Midlands side enjoyed better fortunes at Nottingham Lions as they eased to a comfortable 8-1 victory.
Nottingham bounced back from that setback with an 8-1 home win against Deeside Dragons – Ruskin Hughes bagged a hat-trick for the Lions.
Kieran Brown scored twice for Blackburn Hawks in their 5-3 victory at Billingham Stars. Blackburn also recorded a 4-3 win at Solway in the NIHL National Cup.
Sheffield lost 6-1 at Peterborough in the cup, while Telford Tigers triumphed 4-1 at home to Swindon Wildcats.
Altrincham Aces still lead the way in Laidler D2 after sealing an 8-3 home victory against Bradford Bulldogs – Tom Gilbert (2) led their scoring.
Hull Jets are now second in the table after winning 2-1 at Coventry Blaze NIHL and 20-3 at Deeside Dragons 2. Coventry had better luck at Sutton Sting as they picked up a surprise 4-0 win.
Telford Tigers 2 also enjoyed a four point weekend, winning 6-4 at home to Sheffield Senators and 12-0 at Blackburn Hawks 2. That result completed another miserable weekend for Blackburn as they also lost 6-2 at Bradford.
PHN’s top two talking points
Zajac’s return is massive for Whitley
Sam Zajac’s return to Whitley Warriors is great news for both the club and NIHL North.
The defender is back at Hillheads after almost a decade in the Elite League and EPL and his signing significantly strengthens Whitley’s roster.
The demise of the EPL has led to a spreading out of the players who previously played at a higher level and it’s great to see the North East benefiting from this.
Hull keep rolling in D2
Ten wins in a row has fired Hull Jets up to second in D2, just a point behind leaders Altrincham Aces.
The two sides meet in Hull on Saturday and the game promises to be a cracker.
Altrincham, Widnes Wild and Sutton Sting were tipped to fight for promotion, but Hull’s run of form means they have to be considered as serious contenders for the D2 title.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Moralee D1
Billingham Stars 3-5 Blackburn Hawks
Hull Pirates 8-3 Billingham Stars
Nottingham Lions 8-1 Deeside Dragons
Nottingham Lions 1-8 Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons 2-3 Solway Sharks
Whitley Warriors 2-4 Sheffield Steeldogs
Laidler D2
Bradford Bulldogs 6-2 Blackburn Hawks 2
Coventry Blaze NIHL 1-2 Hull Jets
Telford Tigers 2 6-4 Sheffield Senators
Altrincham Aces 8-3 Bradford Bulldogs
Blackburn Hawks 2 0-12 Telford Tigers 2
Deeside Dragons 2 3-20 Hull Jets
Sutton Sting 0-4 Coventry Blaze NIHL
NIHL National Cup
Peterborough Phantoms 6-1 Sheffield Steeldogs
Solway Sharks 3-4 Blackburn Hawks
Telford Tigers 4-1 Swindon Wildcats
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