REPORT: MATCH WEEK 9

BILLINGHAM STARS took all six points on offer in National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1, a return to Humberside yielding another win on Saturday before an incident-packed game on Sunday saw Nottingham Lions humbled at the Forum.

Suspension and unavailability saw the Stars travel to face Hull Jets with changes to all three lines as they sought to make it a second win over the home side in three weeks. That dominant performance was still fresh in the memory, but Hull were in no mood to allow a repeat and came out hungry. The hosts pinned their guests into their own zone for long periods, but the Billingham defence stood resolute and weathered the storm for a goalless opening session.

The middle period saw the Stars start to turn the tables and force the play. The deadlock was finally broken in the 34th minute, Chris Sykes free at the back stick to lift over Zach Brown in the Jets net. The floodgates threatened to open when Rolands Gritāns bagged a quick second a minute later, but Nathan Britton got the last touch on a bobbling puck for a powerplay marker in the 38th minute to ensure the home side were still very much in it with twenty to play.

Billingham might have expected an onslaught in the third period, but one never really materialised and the Stars were able to contain their hosts relatively comfortably. It fell to Iain Brown to make the game safe, his hot streak continuing with a brace in the 45th and 51st minutes to deliver a hard-fought win.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Lucas Dowdle.

Jets Stats:

Nathan Britton 1+0; Rhys Edwards 0+1; Richard Haggar 0+1

SOG: Zach Brown 31 (8 / 12 / 11)

Stars Stats:

Iain Brown 2+1; Chris Sykes 1+2; Rolands Gritāns 1+0; Ben Greenhalgh 0+2; Darren Stattersfield 0+1; Callum Wilkinson 0+1; Lucas Dowdle 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 32 (10 / 10 / 12)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Back at the Forum for ‘Hockeyween’ on Sunday, Billingham were able to fit Conner McNulty back into the line-up for what turned out to be a fractious encounter with Nottingham Lions. The game opened at a frantic pace, Billingham immediately putting the Nottingham defence under pressure and forcing save after save from Lions netminder Isaac Ballinger. It looked like – miraculously – the visitors would survive until the buzzer despite the relentless waves of attack, but with just 69 seconds remaining, McNulty finished under Ballinger after the keeper had failed to hold onto a Ben Greenhalgh effort.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

The second stanza saw the home side move further away from their opponents. Gritāns went top-shelf on the backhand in the 25th minute before James Moss lasered past Ballinger just ten seconds later. Another quick brace in the 36th minute from Sykes extended the lead, a pinpoint low shot stick-side followed up by a poke home behind the goaltender 16 seconds later taking it to 5-0. Nottingham had the final say on the period however, Theo Thomas forcing home at the near post with five seconds remaining.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Brown got the final tip in front in the first minute of the third session to dispel any lingering hopes of a comeback from the away side, before Sykes completed his hat trick in the 51st minute. Jacob Hammond gave way to Jack Wakefield between the Billingham pipes seconds later, then Sykes rifled a fourth into the bottom corner under pressure from the defenceman in the 53rd minute. Matthew Bell netted a consolation from the blue line in the 55th minute, but it was a rocket from James Hellens that rounded off the scoring a minute later despite the home side spending almost the entirety of the final four minutes on the penalty kill. 9-2 the final score, the unsavoury scenes after the final buzzer something for the governing body to consider during the week.

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

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Stars Stats:

Chris Sykes 4+1; Iain Brown 1+4; James Moss 1+2; Conner McNulty 1+1; Rolands Gritāns 1+1; James Hellens 1+0; Tommy Spraggon 0+2; Michael Elder 0+2; Ben Greenhalgh 0+1

SOG: Jacob Hammond 26 (4 / 16 / 6); Jack Wakefield 12

Lions Stats:

Theo Thomas 1+0; Matthew Bell 1+0; Brandon Chard 0+1

SOG: Isaac Ballinger 57 (18 / 25 / 14)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Weekend Results:

NIHL N1 Saturday:

🗡️ Sheffield Scimitars 2️⃣ - 1️⃣2️⃣ Blackburn Hawks 🦅

✈️ Hull Jets 1️⃣ - 4️⃣ Billingham Stars 💫

🏹 Whitley Warriors 4️⃣ - 6️⃣ Deeside Dragons 🐉

NIHL N1 Sunday:

🐉 Deeside Dragons 7️⃣ - 2️⃣ Whitley Warriors 🏹

💫 Billingham Stars 9️⃣ - 2️⃣ Nottingham Lions 🦁

⚜️ Solihull Barons 7️⃣ - 2️⃣ Sheffield Scimitars 🗡️

🐾 Widnes Wild 1️⃣ - 3️⃣ Hull Jets✈️

🦅 Blackburn Hawks 4️⃣ - 0️⃣ Leeds Knights 2 ⚔️