We have reached the penultimate weekend of regular season fixtures in the Planet Ice NIHL National Division, with top-eight spots still up for grabs.
With the league title decided after Leeds Knights were crowned champions for the second successive year last weekend, attention turns to who will be joining them in the play-0ffs.
It is very much a three-horse race in terms of who will clinch the final two places, with Raiders IHC currently leading the way in seventh spot.
They sit two points clear of Bees IHC and a further two ahead of Solway Sharks, who collected three points from a possible four last weekend to leave them well-placed to capitalise on any potential slip-ups.
It will be a huge weekend for Bees IHC, who face both of their play-off rivals over the coming days – starting with a trip to Raiders IHC on Saturday evening before hosting Solway the following day.
Raiders IHC’s weekend finishes with a trip to Peterborough Phantoms – whose top-eight position is already guaranteed – while in Dumfries on Saturday evening, the Sharks welcome Telford Tigers – who guaranteed themselves a play-off place after enjoying a perfect weekend last time around.
Elsewhere, Leeds Knights’ champions tour sees them face Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Steeldogs home and away this weekend.
Second-placed MK Lightning were in action on Wednesday night as they sealed a superb 5-4 comeback win at Hull Seahawks in the first leg of this season’s National Cup final. They round off their week with a trip to Swindon Wildcats on Saturday before hosting Bristol Pitbulls on Sunday.
It continues to be a busy time for Lightning, with the second leg of the National Cup final taking place on Tuesday night.
Below the NIHL National Division, it is the final weekend of regular season fixtures across the other four senior men’s divisions, with some play-off positions still undecided heading into the final games.
Full fixtures for the weekend can be found below. Thanks to our friends at NIHL Stats, you can also check out the latest fixtures from the WNIHL and junior leagues.
Fri 22nd Mar 7:30pm Bristol Pitbulls vs Swindon Wildcats L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:30pm Hull Seahawks vs Peterborough Phantoms L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:15pm Raiders IHC vs Bees IHC L
Sat 23rd Mar 7:30pm Sheffield Steeldogs vs Leeds Knights L
Sat 23rd Mar 6:00pm Solway Sharks vs Telford Tigers L
Sat 23rd Mar 6:30pm Swindon Wildcats vs Milton Keynes Lightning L
Sun 24th Mar 5:00pm Bees IHC vs Solway Sharks L
Sun 24th Mar 5:15pm Leeds Knights vs Sheffield Steeldogs L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Milton Keynes Lightning vs Bristol Pitbulls L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Peterborough Phantoms vs Raiders IHC L
Sun 24th Mar 6:00pm Telford Tigers vs Hull Seahawks L
Sat 23rd Mar 1:30pm Nottingham Lions vs Whitley Warriors L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Billingham Stars vs Whitley Warriors L
Sun 24th Mar 5:15pm Deeside Dragons vs Widnes Wild L
Sun 24th Mar 5:10pm Sheffield Scimitars vs Hull Jets L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Solihull Barons vs Blackburn Hawks L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:30pm Chelmsford Chieftains vs Oxford City Stars BC
Sat 23rd Mar 6:30pm Slough Jets vs Invicta Dynamos BC
Sat 23rd Mar 5:00pm Solent Devils vs Romford Buccaneers L
Sun 24th Mar 5:45pm Invicta Dynamos vs Chelmsford Chieftains BC
Sun 24th Mar 6:15pm Oxford City Stars vs Slough Jets BC
Sun 24th Mar 5:15pm Romford Buccaneers vs Milton Keynes Thunder L
Sun 24th Mar 6:45pm Streatham Redhawks vs Solent Devils L
Sat 23rd Mar 7:00pm Coventry NIHL Blaze vs Altrincham Aces L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:40pm Sutton Sting vs Bradford Bulldogs L
Sun 24th Mar 5:45pm Altrincham Aces vs Sheffield Titans L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Kingston Sharks vs Telford Tigers NIHL 2 L
Sun 24th Mar 7:20pm Nottingham Lions NIHL 2 vs Sutton Sting L
Sat 23rd Mar 6:30pm Bristol Pitbulls NIHL 2 vs Peterborough Phantoms NIHL 2 L
Sat 23rd Mar 6:45pm Cardiff Fire vs Streatham Black Hawks L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:30pm Haringey Huskies vs Guildford Phoenix L
Sat 23rd Mar 5:30pm Lee Valley Lions vs Basingstoke Buffalo L
Sun 24th Mar 5:30pm Guildford Phoenix vs Chelmsford Warriors L
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