NIHL North Laidler Conference Round Up - Weekend of 25th & 26th January 2014

Deeside Dragons missed out on the chance to close the gap on leaders Solihull Barons as they crashed to a 4-2 defeat away at Coventry Blaze on Sunday night. The Barons - who were without a game this weekend - remain 3 points clear at the top of the table and now also have a game in hand over the Welsh side.

Blaze had a good weekend all round, having not had a game themselves for three weeks. They also won 9-3 away at Blackburn Eagles on Saturday night and are now 4 points clear in third place.

Fourth place Nottingham Lions' attempts to keep up with Blaze received a serious set back, however, as they crashed to a 5-1 defeat at Widnes Wild (in photo).  This was a welcome 2 points for the NIHL's newest team and came after a run of 8 straight defeats.

Hull Jets are now just 2 points behind the Lions after they also enjoyed a 4 point weekend, with a 5-1 win away at Sheffield Senators on Saturday followed up by a 5-3 victory at home to Blackburn on Sunday.

Photo: Widnes Wild v Nottingham Lions by Geoff White / www.gw-images.co.uk