By Anthony Blass

Week 17 in NIHL Division 1 play saw the Brewerkz Bruins rattle off their 7th consecutive victory by a 5 – 4 margin over the Linear Technology Lions. Although a tight contest, Brewerkz maintained the lead throughout and controlled the majority of the play. Russell Ramos in the Lion net was particularly sharp in keeping the Bruins snipers at bay. Brewerkz snipers included Greg Blakney, John Ward, Darryl Eisler, Paul Robson, and Andrew Delios. The Bruins last lost on December 2, 2004 and have since outscored their opponents 58 to 26 over those 7 matches.

... the 2nd place Bulls won a close but decisive victory over the L’Estaminet Beers by a 5 – 3 score...

Brewerkz Bruins remain atop the standings with a 13 win – 3 loss – 1 overtime loss record and hold a 3 point advantage over the 2nd place Coq ‘N’ Bull Bulls. Five Bruins sit atop the league scoring race with only perennial scoring champ Jarko Salo breaking up the clean sweep. Delios and newcomer Timo Rasanen lead the way with 52 points each through 16 contests. Salo sits only 3 points back and is positioned nicely to strike to regain his title

In the early game, the 2nd place Bulls won a close but decisive victory over the L’Estaminet Beers by a 5 – 3 score. Only Beers netminder Chris Poohachoff prevented a route by the Bulls as they largely controlled play

There is no action next week due to Lunar New Year festivities and the league will resume play on February 17th with another double header. The Bruins will tackle their closest adversaries in the Bulls while the Beers try and rebound against the revitalized Lions. Both matches will be held at the Fuji Ice Palace, Jurong Entertainment Centre, Jurong East

For more information on the Singapore National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), visit www.singaporeicehockey.com.