NIHL WEEK 4 PREVIEW
Saturday 5th October:
The first game of the weekend sees a struggling Telford Tigers head to Romford where the Raiders are still unbeaten at home. The Tigers could really do with getting some points on the board to give the team some confidence. The Raiders should have Andrew Shewfelt back in the lineup after missing last weekends games.
The Swindon Wildcats have just one game this weekend where they host the Sheffield Steeldogs for the first time this season. Steeldogs import Sam Tremblay is coming off the back of scoring a hat-trick last weekend. The Wildcats will again be withoutTomasz Malasinski who serves his final game of his ban.
The Berkshire Bees face a tough test in Slough as the table topping Leeds Knights making the long trip down south. The Knights suffered their first defeat last weekend to the Wildcats and will be looking to not lose back to back away games. The Bees were short benched last week with only 14 players so will be hoping a few bodies can come back into the lineup this weekend.
The Bristol Pitbulls are still searching for their first home win of the season and welcome the Peterborough Phantoms. The big news in this one is that Luke Ferrara will not play as he received a three game ban for a check from behind last weekend. Will be a big test for the Phantoms to see if they can still score many goals without their captain. Tommy Nappier did not play last weekend but will be back this weekend!
The final game on the Saturday sees last years cup finalists battle it out again. The MK Lightning host the Hull Seahawks who were the last team to beat the Lightning in the regular season at the start of last season. They will be looking to do the same again with an even more improved team. The Seahawks did drop their first point last season but expecting both teams to be at the top of their game tonight.
Sunday 6th October:
The early game on Sunday sees the Steeldogs host the Bees. The Steeldogs will be looking to make it back-to-back home wins for the first time this season. The Bees got a huge 6-3 away win in Telford last weekend and will be hoping to cause another upset. Marcel Balaz is coming off the back of scoring four goals in Telford, So the Steeldogs must try keep him quiet.
The Knights face the Sharks for the second time this season. Last time out the Knights came out 8-5 winners in Dumfries. Top Goalscorer of the league Nolan Gardiner scored a hat-trick the last time these two sides met so the Knights will have to be wary of him. The Knights have got an 100% record at home so far this season so Ryan Aldridge’s team will be looking to keep it that way.
The next game sees the big derby between the Peterborough Phantoms and MK Lightning. This will be the first time these two sides have met this season and it’s set to be a spicy one with a lot of rivalry built up on social media. The Phantoms will have to try and get the win without Captain Luke Ferrara. Will be interesting to see which goalies play in which game for the Lightning as Kerlin has started the most games so far this season.
Next up is the rematch from last weeks game. Arguably the best game of week three with the Romford Raiders making the comeback to beat the Hull Seahawks 5-4 in overtime. Slough Jets youngster Seb Mohr who is on a two way with the Raiders grabbed the winning goal. Head coach Matty Davies has told the Seahawks fans to make sure it’s a loud one up in Hull on Sunday. Set to be another cracker.
The final game of the weekend sees the Telford Tigers host the Bristol Pitbulls in what is a must win game for both teams. The Tigers still yet to get any points on the board but will be hoping this is the fixture to kick start the season. They haven’t been short of scoring goals and will be looking to concede a lot less to give them a good chance of winning.
Photo Credit: Peter Best
