REPORT: MATCH WEEK 8

ANOTHER DOUBLE HEADER weekend returned another six points as Billingham Stars avoided two potential National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 banana skins and put both Sheffield Scimitars and Leeds Knights to the sword.

Credit: RDG Digital

IceSheffield has produced a somewhat mixed bag of results for Billingham over the years, and Saturday was not going to be a straightforward game with the Scimitars having overturned Hull Jets on Humberside in their previous match for their first win of the season. Light on defence, the Stars were at least able to welcome back Darren Stattersfield following his four-game suspension.

Credit: RDG Digital

The early signs were good for the visitors as Iain Brown opened the scoring in the third minute, but Sheffield cancelled it out when Kristian Pelling swept his effort into the far corner two minutes later. Billingham kept plugging away and were rewarded just past the halfway mark when Brown slotted his second into the bottom corner. Three minutes later and the advantage was two when James Moss found the smallest gap over netminder Nick Winters’ shoulder to make it a 1-3 game at the break.

Credit: RDG Digital

For all their best efforts, the Stars could not find a way past Winters in a goalless second period that would be remembered for a nasty hit on Michael Elder that saw the Billingham captain lose part of a tooth.

Credit: RDG Digital

The visitors continued to pepper Winters in the final stanza, the resolute defence finally broken with Brown’s hat trick marker in the 43rd minute. Lucas Dowdle rounded out the scoring in the 49th minute to send the Teessiders and their travelling fans home happy, a dominating performance rewarded with all three points.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Iain Brown.

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Scimitars Stats:

Kristian Pelling 1+0; Jack Dransfield 0+1

SOG: Nick Winters 43 (14 / 15 / 14)

Stars Stats:

Iain Brown 3+0; Lucas Dowdle 1+1; James Moss 1+0; Joe Dowdle 0+3; Conner McNulty 0+1; Callum Wilkinson 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 13 (4 / 3 / 6)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

The Forum welcomed the League’s new boys for the first time on Sunday as Leeds Knights 2 made the trip up the A1 on the back of an overtime defeat on home ice to Solihull Barons on Saturday evening. Despite the hosts being on top for the vast majority of the game, it was the Knights who shocked the home crowd by taking the lead in the fifth minute when Edgars Vengis was on hand at the far post to tip past Jacob Hammond. Turning possession into something tangible took until the ninth minute, the Stars finally off the mark through Callum Wilkinson on the turn, then it was Brown continuing his rich vein of scoring form in the 18th minute when he created his own space to slot home and edge the home side ahead at the break.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Billingham were off to a quicker start in the middle session, Brown once again with the finish in the 23rd minute after being released by Wilkinson. Dan Norton in the Leeds net was very much the busier of the two goaltenders and was successful in keeping the Stars at bay until the 33rd minute when Chris Sykes went short-side and a trademark pinpoint finish. Rolands Gritāns lasered one past Norton three minutes later to make the game look well beyond the visitors going into the final twenty.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Billingham turned on the style in the third period, Conner McNulty getting his name on the scoresheet in the 44th minute before Brown went bar-down for his hat-trick six minutes later. Gritāns finished a one-touch passing move in the 52nd minute before two goals in a minute from McNulty and Moss rounded off the scoring with a little over four minutes remaining. 10-1 the final score, with Norton to thank for keeping the Billingham goal tally from climbing higher than it did.

Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was Darren Stattersfield.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Stars Stats:

Iain Brown 3+0; Rolands Gritāns 2+1; Conner McNulty 2+0; Chris Sykes 1+1; Callum Wilkinson 1+1; James Moss 1+0; Michael Elder 0+4; Ben Greenhalgh 0+2; Tommy Spraggon 0+2; Darren Stattersfield 0+2; Lucas Dowdle 0+2; James Hellens 0+1; Joe Dowdle 0+1; Stuart Jackson 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 19 (8 / 9 / 2)

Knights Stats:

Edgars Vengis 1+0; Thomas Dermott 0+1; Owen Dell 0+1

SOG: Dan Norton 54 (14 / 20 / 20)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Weekend Results:

NIHL N1 Saturday:

🗡️ Sheffield Scimitars 1️⃣ - 5️⃣ Billingham Stars 💫

⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 5️⃣ - 6️⃣ Solihull Barons  ⚜️ (after overtime)

🦅 Blackburn Hawks 3️⃣ - 4️⃣ Whitley Warriors 🏹

NIHL N1 Sunday:

💫 Billingham Stars 1️⃣0️⃣ - 0️⃣ Leeds Knights 2 ⚔️

⚜️ Solihull Barons 2️⃣ - 7️⃣ Deeside Dragons 🐉

🐾 Widnes Wild 2️⃣ - 1️⃣6️⃣ Blackburn Hawks 🦅