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Billingham Stars need a draw from their final four games to secure their place in the NIHL North Moralee D1 play-offs after a four-point weekend.
Michael Elder hit a hat-trick in their 8-0 victory at Manchester Minotaurs and Stars followed up with a 6-3 win at home to Solway Sharks – Chris Sykes (left) scored twice.
Sharks boosted their hopes of a top four finish with a 4-1 success at home to Sheffield Spartans. Blackburn Hawks won 3-0 on home ice against Sutton Sting and 5-2 at Whitley Warriors.
Sheffield Senators moved closer to promotion from Laidler D2 after a 13-2 victory at Bradford Bulldogs.
Solihull Barons extended their winning streak to 50 after a 12-2 home success against Bradford. Hull Jets made it six wins from their last eight games with a 2-0 victory at home to Widnes Wild. Deeside Dragons triumphed 3-1 on home ice against Nottingham Lions.
NIHL1 South leaders Chelmsford Chieftains drew 3-3 at Cardiff NIHL, but enjoyed better fortunes back at the Riverside with a 5-2 success against MK Thunder.
Invicta Dynamos won 7-2 at home to Streatham Redskins – Michal Oravec (2) led their scoring. Jacob Ranson & Alan Lack both scored twice in London Raiders’ 6-3 victory at Wightlink Raiders. Solent Devils won 4-2 at MK Thunder, but they failed to follow up on home ice as they fell 5-4 to Oxford City Stars.
In NIHL2S, Slough Jets maintained their 100% record with a pair of wins. Josh Ealey-Newman scored six in their 8-2 home win against Invicta Mustangs, while Alan Green bagged a hat-trick in Jets’ 7-3 success at Lee Valley Lions.
Chelmsford Warriors won 9-1 at home to Peterborough Islanders. Haringey Racers battled to a 1-0 victory at Lee Valley.
Telford Tigers need one more win to claim the EPL title after a 3-0 success at home to Manchester Phoenix and a 4-3 shoot-out victory at Bracknell Bees.
Guildford Flames picked up four points on home ice, beating Basingstoke Bison 4-3 and Swindon Wildcats 6-2. Flames failed to add a third win as they crashed 5-2 at Manchester.
Swindon won 5-1 at home to MK Lightning and 5-2 at Peterborough Phantoms. Lightning bounced back to win 4-3 at Bracknell and 3-1 on home ice against Sheffield Steeldogs. Ciaran Long hit the decider for Basingstoke as they won 3-2 at home to Sheffield.
Elite League leaders Braehead Clan collected four points from their weekend double-header against Dundee Stars, winning 3-0 on home ice and 5-0 in the reverse fixture. The results confirmed Clan as Gardiner Conference champions.
Sheffield Steelers lost 2-1 at home to Coventry Blaze, but recovered to win 5-4 after overtime at Belfast Giants. Cardiff Devils stay in the title mix after a 3-2 success at Nottingham Panthers and a 3-1 home victory against Fife Flyers.
Edinburgh Capitals won 6-4 at Belfast and 5-4 after a shoot-out at home to Hull Stingrays. Matt Reber & Scott Fleming both scored twice for Fife in their 5-0 home win against Hull. Nottingham’s title hopes look to be over after a 2-1 defeat at Coventry.
In the Elite Challenge Cup semi-final first leg, Cardiff won 4-1 at Coventry and Nottingham triumphed 3-1 at Sheffield.
(Image permission: Dean Reeve)
