Leeds Knights will look to consolidate their position on top of the Planet Ice NIHL National Division this weekend, ahead of what could be a decisive few days across the board.
A 3-1 win for the Knights over Hull Seahawks on Thursday went some way to avenging their National Cup disappointment from a few weeks ago, as the league leaders kicked off the latest round of fixtures in excellent fashion.
That result saw them move six points clear of nearest challengers MK Lightning, with games to come away at bottom-of-the-league Bristol Pitbulls on Saturday then at home to Raiders IHC the following day.
Lightning’s latest week of fixtures also starts with a home game against Hull. They will then travel to Telford Tigers on Sunday night, with the Tigers looking to fend off the chasing pack in the fight for a play-off position.
Third-placed Swindon Wildcats’ opening game of the weekend sees them host Telford, before a trip to Bees IHC the next day. The Wildcats enter the latest round of games both seven points adrift of Milton Keynes in second and seven clear of the teams below.
Elsewhere, Peterborough Phantoms find themselves up against the division’s bottom two this weekend, with Sheffield Steeldogs welcoming them to South Yorkshire on Saturday before the Pitbulls travel to Cambridgeshire the following day.
Bees IHC, Raiders IHC and Solway Sharks all enter the weekend locked on 37 points as they fight it out for the final two top-eight spots.
The Sharks and Raiders will meet in Dumfries on Saturday night, in a game with serious ramifications as we continue into the business end of the season.
Below the NIHL National Division, there is silverware up for grabs across the board as several teams battle it out to be crowned cup champions of their respective leagues.
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.
Thu 22nd Feb Leeds Knights 3-1 Hull Seahawks
Sat 24th Feb 7:00pm Bristol Pitbulls vs Leeds Knights L
Sat 24th Feb 7:00pm Milton Keynes Lightning vs Hull Seahawks L
Sat 24th Feb 7:30pm Sheffield Steeldogs vs Peterborough Phantoms L
Sat 24th Feb 7:00pm Solway Sharks vs Raiders IHC L
Sat 24th Feb 6:30pm Swindon Wildcats vs Telford Tigers L
Sun 25th Feb 5;00pm Bees IHC vs Swindon Wildcats L
Sun 25th Feb 5:30pm Hull Seahawks vs Solway Sharks L
Sun 25th Feb 5:15pm Leeds Knights vs Raiders IHC L
Sun 25th Feb 5:30pm Peterborough Phantoms vs Bristol Pitbulls L
Sun 25th Feb 6:00pm Telford Tigers vs Milton Keynes Lightning L
Sat 24th Feb 6:00pm Blackburn Hawks vs Billingham Stars C F
Sun 25th Feb 5:30pm Billingham Stars vs Blackburn Hawks C F
Sun 25th Feb 5:30pm Widnes Wild vs Sheffield Scimitars L
Sat 24th Feb 6:30pm Slough Jets vs Streatham Redhawks C F
Sun 25th Feb 6:45pm Streatham Redhawks vs Slough Jets C F
Sat 24th Feb 7:00pm Telford Tigers NIHL 2 vs Sutton Sting C F
Sun 25th Feb 7:20pm Nottingham Lions NIHL 2 vs Coventry NIHL Blaze L
Sun 25th Feb 5:20pm Sutton Sting vs Telford Tigers NIHL 2 C F
Sat 24th Feb 5:30pm Guildford Phoenix vs Peterborough Phantoms NIHL 2 C F
Sun 25th Feb 6:00pm Chelmsford Warriors vs Lee Valley Lions L/C
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