Weekend Report: Moralee Cup Final
BILLINGHAM STARS finally ran out of steam at the worst possible moment as their quest to claim the Moralee Cup was derailed by their own injury problems and a Blackburn Hawks side firing on all cylinders for perhaps the first time this season.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
The Stars were favourites travelling to Saturday’s game in Lancashire, but their game plan was already having to be rewritten with injuries keeping out danger man Rolands Gritāns, as well as Shaun Galloway and Stuart Jackson. Moving Iain Brown to the first line meant the second line was also reshuffled, Billingham starting the game looking more than a little out-of-sorts. Unfortunately the opposite was true for Blackburn, who came flying out of the blocks with a fully fit, fully motivated side going at their visitors from the first drop of the puck. It took just over five minutes for the hosts to find the opener, Josh Crawley benefiting from a stumble in defence and going high to beat Thomas Brown in the Stars net. The hopes of the sizeable contingent of visiting fans were raised briefly in the seventh minute when Tommy Spraggon surged from the defensive zone and picked out the top corner from just inside the blue line, but that was as good as it got for the Teessiders as the Hawks ran riot, Adam Barnes playing like a man possessed and bagging a hat-trick before the period was over. James Riddoch also slotted home twice, making the period score 6-1 and the final almost gone in the first twenty.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
The second session did not see any improvement in fortune. Riddoch had already added to the score before Michael Elder finally got one back poised on the back stick in the 29th minute. Blackburn responded almost immediately however, Barnes again on the mark to see off Thomas Brown who was replaced between the pipes by Mark Turnbull. Turnbull could do little in the face of an almost constant barrage however, and the home side rattled in three more against a solitary reply from Joe Walls to take the game out of reach.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Billingham steadied their sinking ship somewhat in the final period, James Hellens firing home from inside the point in the 49th minute, but the Hawks were not quite finished and posted two more goals of their own, the second just before the final buzzer, to rub salt into a very open wound and an insurmountable mountain to climb in the second leg.
Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was Tommy Spraggon.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Hawks Stats:
Adam Barnes 5+4; James Riddoch 3+3; Josh Crawley 2+0; James Royds 1+3; Lee Pollitt 1+0; Ben McLellan 1+0; Jacob Lutwyche 0+3; Aaron Davies 0+2; Bobby Streetly 0+2; Matty Cross 0+1; Ben Keddie 0+1; Devids Jurinenoks 0+1
SOG: Ben Keddie 39 (8 / 16 / 15)
Stars Stats:
Joe Walls 1+0; Tommy Spraggon 1+0; James Hellens; Michael Elder 1+0; Callum Wilkinson 0+2; Chris Sykes 0+1; Lucas Dowdle 0+1
SOG: Thomas Brown 19 (15 / 4); Mark Turnbull 27 (10 / 17)
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Going into a Cup Final second leg 13-4 down was bad enough, but further injuries, including a potential season-ender for Iain Brown, forced Billingham into icing some players who probably should not have been playing. Keen to at least make a fight of it in front of their own fans, the Stars could count themselves unlucky to go in at the first break a further goal adrift as they dominated long stretches of play. An unlucky bounce fell kindly to Bobby Streetly in the 15th minute, but as in the first leg, Billingham were able to draw level with a water bottle shot from Ben Greenhalgh on 18 minutes. The sucker punch came in the final minute as Barnes was able to break clear with the Stars pressing, 1-2 on the night not a fair reflection of the period.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
Blackburn were back to their best in the second interval and rattled home four unanswered goals, Billingham effectively chasing shadows as their guests cut them open at will, Jacob Hammond in the Stars net keeping the scoreline down to relative respectability.
Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos
The third stanza was a parade for the Cup winners-elect, their travelling fans able to enjoy the moment and celebrate a fantastic achievement. An Aaron Davies hat trick crowned their performance, the veteran putting on a show with two in the final twenty. The Forum faithful only had a single Chris Sykes effort to cheer in the 49th minute, dreams of what might have been probably shattered in the first leg. The Stars have a week to dust themselves off and return to their League campaign, but with a lengthy injury list, the next few games will be a real test of character.
Man-0f-the-Match for Billingham was Michael Elder.
Stars Stats:
Ben Greenhalgh 1+0; Chris Sykes 1+0; Alex Preston 0+2; Tommy Spraggon 0+1
SOG: Jacob Hammond 59 (19 / 20 / 20)
Hawks Stats:
Aaron Davies 3+1; Adam Barnes 1+2; Josh Crawley 1+1; Lee Pollitt 1+0; James Riddoch 1+0; Bobby Streetly 1+0; Jacob Lutwyche 0+2; James Royds 0+2; Marcus Thacker 0+1; Charles Phillips 0+1; Devids Jurinenoks 0+1
SOG: Ben Keddie 41 (17 / 15 / 9)
Weekend Results:
NIHL(N)1:
Widnes Wild 3 Sheffield Scimitars 9
Moralee Cup Final:
Billingham Stars 6 Blackburn Hawks 21 (aggregate score)