Friday 18 October 2019

PLAYER AWARDS GET AN ODDBALL SPONSOR

The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) are delighted to welcome OddBalls as sponsor of the Player of the Month awards.

Each divisional winner will receive one of the iconic OddBalls 'Obble' hats which will soon be available in 37 amazing colourways.

OddBalls was founded in 2014 with two main objectives: raising awareness of Testicular Cancer; and providing customers with the best underwear in the world.

The Oddballs Foundation was set up in 2016 after the success of OddBalls. Profits from OddBalls are donated to the Foundation to raise awareness of Testicular Cancer. Every single penny that is raised or donated is used to raise awareness, the Foundation has no overheads or costs and it is something they are proud to promote.

OddBalls have expanded their ranges recently to include accessories and clothing for women, teens and kids - all in fantastic designs and all raising funds for and awareness of Testicular Cancer.

We can also confirm that the Player of the Month awards have been expanded to include the WNIHL (Women's National Ice Hockey League) which began at the start of October. Five divisional players will be awarded their own OddBalls Obble and recognised as the player of that particular month.



NIHL/WNIHL media officer Craig Simpson said: "I am delighted to welcome OddBalls as the first sponsor of our Player of the Month awards, and am grateful to Will and his team for their fantastic support.

"We are also pleased to be able to extend the awards to cover the WNIHL which matches OddBalls' recent move to provide clothing for women.

"I can't wait to see the first OddBalls Player of the Month winners with their iconic headwear."

OddBalls managing director Will Cooper said: "It’s fantastic to partner with the National Ice Hockey League, hopefully it is the first step into becoming a recognised brand in the ice hockey world."

To see the full range of OddBalls underwear, sportswear and accessories visit
www.myoddballs.com.

For more about the NIHL and WNIHL visit
www.eiha.co.uk

Dumfries To Host International Four Team U18 Women’s Tournament

Ice Hockey UK will link-up with Dumfries and Galloway Council to host a four-team international women’s tournament in Dumfries in November.


Great Britain Under-18 Women will be joined by Poland U18 Women, Spain U18 Women and Iceland Women for the tournament at the Dumfries Ice Bowl from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th November 2019.


GB Women head coach, Cheryl Smith, said: “Tournaments like this are fantastic preparation for a World Championship and they benefit the squad so much.
“I am sure there will be new faces on the under-18 roster this year, so getting them competitive games ahead of a World Championship is important.
“It is important for them and also for the coaches as we will get to see how they react in a game situation.”


It’s the fifth year of the tournament but this season Iceland Women will take the place of Hungary U18 Women.


Andy French, IHUK general secretary, said: “It is fantastic to be holding the four-team tournament once again.


“This year we welcome Iceland to the tournament and I would like to thank all the nations and Dumfries council for their co-operation.”


Councillor Adam Wilson, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Events Champion, said: “We are excited to hold another international tournament at the Ice Bowl in Dumfries.


“We have a great working relationship with Ice Hockey UK and we look forward to welcoming GB, Poland, Spain and Iceland to the Ice Bowl.”


Schedule and ticket prices will be confirmed in due course.

Thursday 10 October 2019

NIHL Player of the Month Awards - September 2019



The National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) are pleased to announce the winners of September’s Player of the Month in each of our five competition divisions. A panel of independent media experts have deliberated and the winners can be revealed.


The Players of the Month for September are:

NIHL National – Tomasz Malasinski (Swindon Wildcats)
Malasinski has been the go-to player for the Wildcats and although he has been scoring an average of 2.5ppg, this is against a background of very strong line and team mates which has made standing out far harder than it would have been were he on another team.


Also shortlisted – Matty Davies (Hull Pirates), Nathan Salem (Sheffield Steeldogs), Radek Meidl (Leeds Chiefs)


NIHL North 1 – David Longstaff (Whitley Warriors)
Six goals and six assists for the evergreen forward, scoring a goal in 30 consecutive seasons. Has spearheaded the Warriors’ offence in their early games including a hat-trick against Solway Sharks. Still possesses uncanny passing ability around the net.


Also shortlisted – Jaakko Heiskanen (Solway Sharks), Thomas Soar (Solihull Barons)


NIHL South 1 – Sean Norris (Slough Jets)
Highly rated Slough Jets forward Sean Norris has lived up to his billing, leading the scoring charts in the Britton Conference. The youngster’s eight goals and eight assists have helped his side top the table losing just once in their opening six games.


Also shortlisted – Vanya Antonov (Streatham), Adam Carr (Streatham), Sam Talbot (Slough Jets)


NIHL North 2 – Thomas Humphries (Sheffield Senators)
In the ultra-competitive Laidler divison, Humphries has led the Sens to third place in the league with 2-1-1 record. Humphries has potted eight goals and added four assists which included a hat-trick at Telford, scoring the OT winner for good measure.


Also shortlisted – Mark Florence (Hull Jets), Joshua Stockton (Bradford Bulldogs)


NIHL South 2 – Stephen Woodford (Haringey Huskies)
Huskies captain Stephen Woodford impressed in the month of September, leading from the front as he scored seven goals and assisted on a further five to help the North London club to an unbeaten start to the league campaign.


Also shortlisted – Kamil Kinkor (Streatham 2), James Pentecost (Haringey Huskies)




An NIHL spokesman said: “Congratulations to all of the winners, even early in this season the teams are playing some great hockey and it was not an easy decision for our panels to pick their shortlist let alone the eventual winner.
“The October contest begins today and we’re looking forward to another fantastic month of NIHL hockey right across all divisions and here’s to another closely fought Player of the Month award.”


Photo credits: Tomasz Malasinski by Steve Brodie. David Longstaff by IceHockeyMedia. Sean Norris by Slough Jets. Thomas Humphries by Steve Brodie. Stephen Woodford by Phil3 Productions