NIHL National News
***Update****
Around the League
Even before the start of the season we have seen a key departure from one of the leagues teams, the Raiders had signed import forward Ryan Shaw but on the eve of the season he has returned to Canada for a career opportunity outside of hockey. It is expected that they will have a replacement in the team soon but it is not ideal preparation for a new season.
Last weekend teams got their preseason campaigns underway, our Wildcats faced off against Bristol in a double header that saw Swindon get the win on both evenings by a 5-3 score line. Peterborough took on the Raiders in a pair of games and they shared the spoils, in Peterborough it was the Raiders who prevailed, 6-5. Then the next night in Romford the Phantoms got their revenge with a 4-3 win.
There was another pair of local rivals who took each other on in preseason friendlies last weekend. On Saturday night the Basingstoke Bison hosted the Bees and won the game 5-4. The following night both teams travelled to Slough and this time the win went to the Bees who won the game 2-1 after overtime.
Up north the Leeds Knights were in Sheffield on the Friday night and in a close game the Knights managed to secure the win 3-1. They then followed this up with another 3-1 win but this time against the Hull Seahawks who they hosted in Leeds on the Saturday night.
The Hull Seahawks hosted their first game when they welcomed the Steeldogs to Hull and it was the visitors who managed to get the victory as they won the game 5-3.
We are still in the midst of the preseason for the NIHL National teams and while it’s great to get a warmup, every team will be chomping at the bit to get their competitive campaigns underway.
In Town Tonight
The visitors to the Link Centre tonight are last season’s League champions, the Telford Tigers. This will be the Tigers first game of the 2022-23 season and they’ll be looking to hit the ground running against the Wildcats who have already made their debut this season.
Head coach Tom Watkins remains in charge, this will be his 13th consecutive season in Telford and coming off back-to-back league title wins the Tigers will once more be strong on the ice.
Starting at the back end, Brad Day is back once more in net for Telford and he’ll be a very strong presence in goal that will give the Tigers a solid base in every game they play. He is backed up by young goalie, Ryan Lewis, who has joined from the Tigers 2nd team. While there is a clear starter Lewis will be looking to push Day for starts all season long.
On the blue line there is continuity and the majority of the Tigers defensive corps have returned for this season and the key signings to look out for are veteran 45 year-old Jonathan Weaver and the experienced 27 year-old Daniel Rose.
In the forward ranks there is a real split when it comes to age and experience, the Tigers have 3 forwards over the age of 40. Imports Jason Silverthorn and Vladimir Luka both return and so does veteran British forward Rick Plant. These players bring a wealth of skill and experience to the team but that has to be offset against age catching up with all three. You then contrast this with two up and coming forwards who have already been performing to a high level and are both poised to have real breakout seasons and establish themselves as top level players in the NIHL National. Bayley Harewood and Finley Howells are back for the Tigers and will be very important to the success of the team on the ice.
