REPORT: CUP FINAL

BILLINGHAM STARS finally got their hands on the Moralee Cup at the third time of asking after a 9-8 aggregate win over Blackburn Hawks at the weekend.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

A trophy that Billingham last won nine long years ago, this third consecutive Final offered a chance to put the demons of 2024 to bed once and for all. An almost full squad travelled to Blackburn for the first leg on Saturday evening along with a huge contingent of travelling fans who greeted their team onto the ice with a sea of red and a wall of noise. Despite not having trained in the week leading up to the Final due to ice plant issues at the Forum, Billingham flew out of the blocks and were three goals up in the first four minutes, Chris Sykes with the opener with just 25 seconds on the clock followed by Tommy Spraggon and Rolands Gritāns, all top corner efforts that Hawks netminder Ben Keddie could do nothing about. To their credit, Keddie and his teammates rallied well and by the interval they were back within a single goal, James Riddoch’s low shot beating Jacob Hammond in the eighth minute and Darragh Spawforth benefiting from a lapse in defence two minutes later.

Credit: Steve Pollitt

The second session saw both sides tighten up at the back and try to limit the chances that the first period had seen, but a brace in 10 seconds either side of the 34-minute mark moved Billingham further ahead. Iain Brown was quick to capitalise on a defensive error to fire home from the slot before Gritāns bagged his second from the face off.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

The Stars seemed content to control the play in the third stanza, but the expected Blackburn onslaught needed to be reined in, and Billingham had Hammond to thank for keeping the Hawks largely at bay. The session’s only goal came from Adam Barnes who managed to squeeze one off Hammond’s back in the 50th minute, but with the home side unable to make further inroads, the Stars took a two-goal lead back to the Forum for the second leg.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Jacob Hammond.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Hawks Stats:

James Riddoch 1+1; Adam Barnes 1+1; Darragh Spawforth 1+0; Ethan Mayoh 0+2; Petr Valusiak 0+1

SOG: Ben Keddie 37 (19 / 12 / 6)

Stars Stats:

Rolands Gritāns 2+0; Tommy Spraggon 1+1; Iain Brown 1+1; Chris Sykes 1+0; James Moss 0+2; James Hellens 0+1 Conner McNulty 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 44 (11 / 17 / 16)

Credit: SL SportsPhotos

Another wall of sound greeted both teams back on Teesside on Sunday evening as a full house at the Forum was treated to a back-and-forth thriller. James Moss got the scoring underway in the fourth minute with a shot straight through Keddie from the high slot. A fortuitous shorthanded goal from Jacob Lutwyche on the breakaway in the sixth minute got the Hawks back into it with the Stars looking for a penalty as Michael Elder was impeded on the boards. Some lovely interplay between Sykes and Brown was finished low by Brown to reestablish the three-goal aggregate cushion in the ninth minute.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Blackburn came roaring back in the middle period, determined not to give up their trophy without a fight. Andy McKinney found the smallest of gaps over Hammond’s shoulder in the final few seconds of a five-on-three power play in the 21st minute. Callum Wilkinson responded with a tap into the empty net on the power play in the 33rd minute, but goals in the final five minutes from Aaron Davies and James Royds ensured it would be a tense final period to decide who would get their hands on the first silverware of the season.

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

It was noise and nerves for the final twenty. Sykes went a long way to calming those nerves with a well set up power play marker from the right circle in the 50th minute, but a terrible line change less than two minutes later let in danger man Barnes who made no mistake. A frantic last nine minutes ensued, with the Hawks eventually pulling Keddie to try and secure the goal that would take the game to overtime, but it was the Stars who ‘scored’ with just a second remaining – Sykes beating his man to the puck and wrapping it into the empty net, but the ‘goal’ was inexplicably ruled out. It didn’t matter as Blackburn were all out of time, players and fans alike going wild at the final buzzer as Billingham finally got the trophy they’ve craved for three long years.

Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was Chris Sykes.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Stars Stats:

Iain Brown 1+2; Chris Sykes 1+1; James Moss 1+0; Callum Wilkinson 1+0; Tommy Spraggon 0+1; James Hellens 0+1; Rolands Gritāns 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 48 (18 / 14 / 16)

Hawks Stats:

Adam Barnes 1+2; Andy McKinney 1+2; Aaron Davies 1+0; Jacob Lutwyche 1+0; James Royds 1+0; Matty Cross 0+1; Ethan Mayoh 0+1; Darragh Spawforth 0+1

SOG: Ben Keddie 37 (10 / 18 / 9)

Credit: SL SportsPhotos

Weekend Results:

Moralee Cup Final Saturday:

🦅 Blackburn Hawks 3️⃣ - 5️⃣ Billingham Stars 💫

NIHL N1 Saturday:

🐉 Deeside Dragons 9️⃣ - 8️⃣ Widnes Wild 🐾

Moralee Cup Final Sunday:

💫 Billingham Stars 4️⃣ - 5️⃣ Blackburn Hawks 🦅

Stars win the Cup 9️⃣ - 8️⃣ on aggregate

NIHL N1 Sunday:

🏹 Whitley Warriors 3️⃣ - 1️⃣ Hull Jets ✈️

🦁 Nottingham Lions 6️⃣ - 2️⃣ Widnes Wild 🐾

⚜️ Solihull Barons 6️⃣ - 7️⃣ Deeside Dragons 🐉 (after overtime)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos