Sting add two more

Sutton Sting have added two more to their roster as they continue to build for the new season. Andy Dunn has joined from Trafford Metros, while Simon Butterworth (left) returns for his fourth year with the club.

Sting boss Ian Johnson was delighted to secure the pair: "Andy brings exactly what we need to strengthen our defence," said Johnson. "He has size, a good understanding of the game and is happy to join the rush offensively. However, his biggest strength is he knows exactly what a coach wants out of a defenseman."

Dunn joins Sting after a difficult year in Altrincham which saw the Metros relegated from NIHL1 North: "I'm looking forward to a new challenge with Sutton," said Dunn. "I've been in talks with Ian for a year about signing and once this season ended, I felt it was the right time to make the move across the Pennines. With the majority of players staying I can't think of a better side on paper to sign for. I'm really looking forward to playing under Ian and helping the lads deliver even more. Sting have achieved massively in such a short time and I hope it continues."

Butterworth's return sees him reunited on the Sting top line with Jamie Spurr and Chris Sykes: "Having these three together from the start of the season is a massive boost," said Johnson. "I thought Simon might have hung them up this summer due to family commitments, but he's told me he feels we have some unfinished business to sort."

Sykes was confirmed last week and Johnson feels he could be the key to a title challenge: "Chris joined us late in the season, but soon posted an average of three points per game and pushed his way up the stats tables. As we entered the run-in he contracted glandular fever and then a swollen spleen which put him out and boy did we miss him. He made a cameo appearance at home against Solway which almost killed him and then laced them up for the second leg of the play-off semi-final, but I knew he should have rested. A few weeks later he's 100% and back on the ice. He's a massive signing for us."

Solway Sharks' top scorer Nathan Salem has moved up to the EPL with Telford Tigers. Salem will be a tough act to follow after notching over 100 goals in his two seasons with the Dumfries outfit.

Coventry Blaze Coach Reg Wilcox has retired - James Pease is understood to be in line to take over. Blaze have confirmed forward Gareth Owen and netminder Josh Nicholls are leaving the club - with Nicholls believed to be on his way to Solihull. The Barons have already snapped up another Blaze man, with Kieran Papps agreeing a move to Hobs Moat Road.

Widnes Wild have made their first signings ahead of their debut NIHL2 North season. Forward Bobby Caunce has joined from Fylde Flyers, while ex-Deeside Dragons defender Calum Ruddick returns to the ice after a spell away from the game. Ken Armstrong, Stewart Marriott & Richard Charles have also been confirmed to the Wild roster.

In NIHL1 South Wightlink Raiders have signed Steve Osman from Cardiff Devils. Arran Strawson has agreed a further year with Invicta Dynamos.

Three more for Sting

Sutton Sting have announced another trio of returnees as they continue to build for the 2013/14 NIHL1 North season.

Forwards Jamie Spurr & Chris Sykes and defenseman Ryan Johnson have all agreed another year with the club as Sting look to improve on last year's third placed finish.

Spurr joined Sting last summer after spells in the EPL with Manchester Phoenix & Peterborough Phantoms and Coach Ian Johnson was delighted to have him back: "Spurr is an all round winger who packs a punch for his size," said Johnson. "He's great in front of the net and has a nose for goal. His fitness levels and technical ability also enable him to deliver excellent execution as a two-way player."

Although keen to test himself higher up the scale, Spurr admitted he was pleased to re-sign: "I'm just happy to be around the Sting and the guys who support it," said Spurr. "Our Coach works hard with everyone and everything is such a buzz. It's more than hockey at Sting and long may it continue. I was gutted at being knocked out of the play-offs by Billingham but what a game to be a part of. The standard in this league has been exceptional and I like many more at Sutton have loved it."

Spurr re-joins his line-mate Chris Sykes for next season, while Johnson remains hopeful Simon Butterworth will also agree to return.

Sting's third signing is defender Ryan Johnson. The ex-Phoenix man enjoyed an impressive debut year with Sting - bagging 14 goals with 23 assists. Ian Johnson was full of praise for his namesake: "He's got loads of talent, he's tough, but most of all he's a true leader. When we signed him last year I didn't know how things would pan out, but Jonno was more of a player than I gave him credit for and he's got to be one of the best 'D' men in this league."

In NIHL1 South Wightlink have confirmed Nathan Taylor has signed for a fourth year, while the Raiders are understood to be interested in Invicta forward Nat Rose. Dynamos have already been dealt a blow as defenseman Tim Smith announced he is leaving the club after six years. A return to the EPL with Sheffield Steeldogs is on the cards.

Sting announce three

Dmitri Zimozdra (left), James Goodman and Simon Offord have all agreed their return to Sutton Sting for season 2013/14.

After finishing third in their first year in NIHL1 North, Sting Coach Ian Johnson was keen to lay early foundations for another successful campaign: "Dimi brought a professionalism last season which I hadn't witnessed before and it was essential we maintained our strength at the back," said Johnson. "Goody is one of the best 'D' men in the league. He has a wealth of experience and brings along his passion to every practice and game. Offord reads the game well, has size and is a great skater. Most of all his hands are amazing for such a big guy, especially in front of the netminder on the powerplay."

Offord was delighted to return for his fourth season with the club: "It's been a roller-coaster since signing at the Sting and one I've thoroughly enjoyed. We have a very tight locker room and everyone is enjoying what we're trying to do. Last season flew by and with Dimi on board we'll be a strong force straight from the off next season."

Solihull Barons have secured the signing of Josh Bruce from Coventry Blaze. Last season Bruce iced for Blaze in the Elite League and NIHL1, and Barons' Coach Darren Bellerby was understandably delighted to get the Scot on board: "I've known Josh for a long time and coached him back when he was in the Under-19s at Coventry," said Bellerby. "It's a big signing for us. He had an offer to go back to Coventry and there were a few EPL teams also showing a lot of interest." Barons have also confirmed Eddie & Richard Slater and Rob Eley have agreed another season with the club.

Solway Sharks defenseman Declan Balmer has moved to the EPL with Peterborough Phantoms, while Bracknell Bees defenseman Andy Munroe is believed to be wanted by Billingham. However, the Stars face competition for his signature from Sheffield Steeldogs. Ex-Blackburn Hawks defender Michael Alexander is on his way back to the UK after a successful season in Canada. Alexander was part of the Bradford Rattlers GMHL squad who enjoyed an unbeaten regular campaign, before lifting the post-season Russell Cup. Trafford Metros have appointed Kevin Cassidy as their new Head Coach.

In NIHL1 South Wightlink Raiders have signed Alex Barker from the EPL's Slough Jets, while Dan Pye has agreed another year on the island. Bees forward Alan Lack has joined Invicta Dynamos.

(Image permission: David Morrison)

NIHL North season review 2012/13

As the dust settles on another exciting season in NIHL North, C2C asked fans around the league for their opinions on their team's season.

Mark McCreadie (Solway Sharks) - What a season. We came up not expecting the year we've just had, but with the additions of Craig Mitchell and John Connolly, Coach Martin Grubb showed he meant business. Billingham gave us our only league defeat and Sutton pushed us all the way in every game, but for me our hardest games were against the Hawks. We scraped through in a few games with Nathan Salem being the main man along with Gary Russell. What lies ahead for Sharks I can't answer. We've already lost Balmer, while Mitchell and Connolly are rumoured to be moving on. But after two trophies in our first year at this level, next season can't come quickly enough. Over to Coach Grubb to work his magic once again.

Carol Ramsden (Billingham Stars) - We entered the season with high hopes – a double-winning side that lost very few players whilst gaining two top-class forwards in Wallace and Bowman. However, two things quickly became evident – the overall quality of the league had gone up, plus we weren't going to have the luck we had previously with injuries. We did look good at the start of the season – motoring through to the Cup Final, plus there was the wonderful 5-0 road win at Solway. From that point it seemed someone had broken a mirror in the dressing room with a run of injuries that bordered on ridiculous. The biggest loss was James Flavell to Sheffield Steeldogs, leaving Mark Watson with huge skates to fill. The arrival of Dave Manning was a welcome boost – not afraid to forecheck and stick up for his teammates, ‘Bruce’ soon became a fans favourite. The title was lost with games to spare, leaving us with just the play-offs to concentrate on. The final disappointment against the Hawks leaves us looking at a very different summer. But second in all competitions is still an achievement – an interesting close season awaits.

William Hayman (Sutton Sting) - We set out this season to make a name for themselves in the league. After a fairly rough start September 29th saw the first Spartans game and our first win. This heated the strong rivalry, which Sutton dominated throughout the season. We continued our new winning ways and with a few new signings, particularly Chris Sykes and Dmitri Zimozdra, we found ourselves in third place – an outstanding achievement. The play-off series was closely fought and very exciting - both teams competed to a very high standard. The effort Sutton put in did everyone proud and was a great end to a great season.

Nick Riley (Blackburn Hawks) - Before the season began we lost some key individuals. With little information coming out of the Arena on any new signings it led to some fans getting frustrated. But when the season got underway Jared's final roster didn't look too bad. One major difference has been the name on the front has been more important than the one on the back. Ashington, Cairney-Witter and Dacres added some energy into the team, while Latvian Ivo Dimitijevs has been different class. I'll never forget the night he took Whitley apart scoring some truly amazing goals. Our two most important signings though were Aaron Davies' return from Deeside and Dan MacKriel coming out of retirement. His quality and experience stood out a country mile in the play-off games. If Jared and Dangy are supported as they should by the Arena we'll be a formidable outfit next year.

Chris McKenzie (Whitley Warriors) - We went into the season having finished runners-up last time around. However, we lost several key members of the 12/13 squad as Shaun Kippin, Kevin Bucas and Rob Wilson all departed Hillheads over the summer months. We started well, picking up five points from the opening three games, but a slump in results saw Warriors lying towards the bottom of the standings. The arrival of bench coach Dave Holland saw an upturn and Warriors were able to move into mid-table to eventually finish fifth. Skipper DJ Good and winger Callum Watson both enjoyed fine personal campaigns, regularly picking up points and were voted into the Prohockey News All Star Team of the 2012/13 season.

Phil Holden (Sheffield Spartans) - Spartans started with great hopes and expectations, but it’s safe to say we were more than disappointed by not securing a play-off spot. We’d identified general fitness & player levels as areas to address in order to be more competitive, but it took longer than expected for the team to gel and overall it’s been a frustrating season. We’ve played some great hockey but just couldn’t get the wins on the board to seriously challenge, although a good run in the New Year saw us ensure NIHL1 safety. There were many positives though to take forward, including getting Martin White on board as our new Coach, which gives us reason to be optimistic next season.

Steve Gordon (Telford Titans) - We didn’t start off too well - with having no rink to train in it was difficult to keep the momentum we finished with the previous year. Then we forfeited our first game because our coach company cancelled the day before our fixture in Whitley. Our season was one of inconsistency, short benches and penalties. We are a team who wear our hearts on our sleeves and this sometimes gets the better of us. You can’t win games from the penalty box, but when we have five players on the ice we are a match for anyone. We had some close games with the top four and could have nicked a win more often, if we could just control ourselves better in certain situations. The future is bright - a few good juniors have stepped up and performed well this season, which shows development at Telford is moving the right way.

Marion Frankland (Coventry Blaze) - It’s been a frustrating season of mixed fortunes for NIHL Blaze. We’ve had games where we’ve been so short benched we’ve joked about dressing the bench staff and somehow found the strength to win; we’ve had others where we’ve been at full strength and looked as if we’d never played together before. We lost two of our new signings to the Elite team early in the season, but the core of guys who turned up week in, week out played some great hockey and in many cases made vast improvements on the ice. The new signings showed what they were picked for and the old guard continued to develop, in sometimes challenging circumstances. Here’s hoping we can hold on to most of them next season.

Stuart Latham (Deeside Dragons) - Last season, Dragons' weak spot was poor passing and discipline. These were addressed this year as they were the best passing team in the team and far more disciplined. Brian Worrall perfected his unstoppable shots from the blueline to become top points scorer. The turning point of the season was finding the final piece to the jigsaw when they signed Jordan Bannon from Telford. He cemented the team together and from his arrival, there was no turning back for the Dragons as victories away at Nottingham, Sheffield and Hull brought a very creditable runners-up spot. This brought play-off hockey to Wales, but in a physical encounter against Coventry Blaze, they ultimately came up short. A very positive season which they can build upon.

Paul Jackson (Solihull Barons) - At the start of the season the fans were buzzing. Our home form was fantastic, but we struggled away. We still nearly made the play-off against Coventry after beating Nottingham 8-0 in front of over 800 fans, but lost the return 6-2 to leave the door open for Deeside. There've been too many stand out players to name them all, but Mikey Rodger is a class act, while the Slaters have been doing their thing again. Joe Henry was an instant success and what can you say about the signing of Perry Doyle, what a character! His level of fitness seemed incredible and I was surprised at his skating ability. All-in-all it was a good season - it’s just a shame we couldn’t finish second, as the prospect of a derby play-off would have been something else.

Barbara Wilkie (Fylde Flyers) - Our season was a rollercoaster. Greg Ruxton came in as netminder and showed great potential, while Peter Bleakley contributed greatly to our coaching set-up. Danny Jones and Joe Charlton made the move up from rec hockey and were quickly followed by Ryan Johnson – all three proved you can make the step up. The signing of Jason Pirie brought some excitement to the play and a few excellent boxing matches! However, short-handed away matches and low attendance at training took its toll. The prima-donnas will remain unnamed, but their lack of commitment had an impact leaving the Fylde Coast saying farewell to league hockey.

Tod White (Blackburn Eagles) - This was a season which saw the team take a new name as the Raptors became the Eagles. Most of the old squad returned with new faces including the Barnett brothers, Adam Leaver and Greg Newton adding experience to what was essentially still a development squad. Unfortunately the club couldn’t improve on the previous season and failed to win a game. Despite conceding over 200 goals, keeper Nick Saxton achieved an 88% save ratio, while facing an average of over 75 shots on goal per match throughout the season. Goals and points were scarce with top goal scorer Kenny Armstrong bagging seven goals and Steven Hetherington topping the points with 15. Highlight of the season was the home performance against Solihull Barons when the Eagles lost by the odd goal in nine.

(Our fans from Nottingham & Sheffield Senators didn't submit in time, while no-one from Trafford would share their thoughts. Hull's Donna Jackson passed her apologies as other commitments prevented her from contributing).

NIHL1 North play-off final

Davies celebrates Saturday's opener

Blackburn Hawks clinched the NIHL1 North play-off crown with a 9-5 aggregate win over Billingham Stars.

Saturday's first leg at Blackburn Arena was a tense affair, with neither team able to find a breakthrough in the first. Hawks came out firing in the second as two quick goals by Aaron Davies and Sam Dunford put them 2-0 ahead.

Billingham hit back early in the final period through Stephen Wallace & Adam Robinson, but Myles Dacres soon restored Hawks' lead.

Stars pressed for an equaliser, with Hawks content to hit their opponents on the break, but neither side could find another goal leaving Hawks with a one goal advantage going into the second leg.

The return at TFM Ice Arena on Sunday saw Hawks stun their hosts as they raced into a 3-0 lead on the night - Chris Arnone, Matt Viney and Dave Meikle got the goals. Robinson pulled one back just before the first break to make it 6-3 to the Hawks overall.

Davies extended Hawks' lead in the middle session, and Hawks put the result beyond doubt in the final period with further goals from Dunford and Meikle. James Udell and Paul Windridge hit late consolation goals for Stars, but Hawks held firm to claim a deserved victory.

(Image permission: PSD-Images)