Weekend Preview: Match Week 6
BILLINGHAM STARS are back on the road in National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 tomorrow with a trip to Widnes Wild, looking to bounce back after a narrow defeat on home ice to Blackburn Hawks last weekend.
Widnes have struggles to get going this season, a four-point return from their opening five games sees them back in seventh place at this point. The summer rebuild on Merseyside resulted in a handful of departures – notably Daniel Haid to Solihull and Josh Reynolds to the Buccaneers – with an influx of two-way signings bolstering the squad. Choosing to go without imports at this stage, Player Coach Joe Coulter has his work cut out getting a young team to gel whilst playing for their parent clubs as and when required, but they received a massive boost last Sunday when they took the scalp of Whitley Warriors on home ice. Star of the show then was new arrival Innes Gallacher who signed from Kilmarnock Thunder just days previously and netted a hat trick on his debut – one for the Stars to watch out for.
Billingham’s recent eye-catching form was reined in a little last Sunday when – despite a man-of-the-match performance from netminder Mark Turnbull – the Teessiders struggled to find their rhythm against an offensively talented Blackburn outfit and ultimately fell in the final twenty to a rare home defeat. The holes in the roster are starting to be refilled however, Rolands Gritāns returns from his one-game absence and Thomas Brown has resumed training. Patriks Grigors remains on the naughty step and Callum Wilkinson is still some way off a return to action. The coaches are keen to see a response to last weekend’s loss, and the Wild cannot be taken lightly given their performance against the Warriors last Sunday, so a close game is anticipated.
The Stars travel to Widnes Wild for a National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 fixture tomorrow evening, face off 5.30pm.
Weekend Fixtures:
NIHL(N)1:
Sheffield Scimitars v Nottingham Lions, Saturday 1pm
Solihull Barons v Whitley Warriors, Saturday 6.30pm
Sheffield Scimitars v Hull Jets, Sunday 5.10pm
Widnes Wild v Billingham Stars, Sunday 5.30pm
Blackburn Hawks v Solihull Barons, Sunday 6pm
Nottingham Lions v Deeside Dragons, Sunday 7.20pm