Weekend Roundup: Match Week 12

BILLINGHAM STARS rattled in the goals at the weekend to remain top of the National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 table going into a crucial three weeks in the run-up to Christmas.

Credit: Dave Arrowsmith

Saturday’s visitors to the Forum were the Nottingham Lions, making the trip a month later than originally planned. It was important that the Stars got off to a quick start to shake off another blank weekend and they did just that. Shorthanded with Rolands Gritāns in the box on a holding call, Chris Sykes gained possession in front of the Lions net and waited for goaltender Luca Sheldon to commit before sliding the puck around him and into the far corner in the fifth minute. Billingham piled on the pressure but found Sheldon in excellent form, the home side limited to just the single marker in the first twenty.

Credit: Dave Arrowsmith

The story was similar in the second session as the Stars struggled to unlock Sheldon. In the end it took a low shot from Iain Brown in the 32nd minute that was just too good for Sheldon to get to. Tails up, Sykes extended the lead in the 36th minute but danger man Zach Yokoyama poached one on the wraparound two minutes later to give the visitors hope going into the final stanza.

Credit: Dave Arrowsmith

Mark Turnbull replaced Thomas Brown in the Stars net for the third period. Again Billingham found Sheldon a difficult puzzle to solve, but eventually tired legs and minds told for the Lions and the hosts moved out of sight in the final ten minutes. On the penalty kill in the 52nd minute, Sykes robbed Yokoyama in the corner and squared the puck for the incoming Gritāns to fire into an unguarded net with Sheldon covering an expected shot from Sykes. Tommy Spraggon picked his spot up high from the slot in the 57th minute before final minute markers from Shaun Galloway and a hat trick goal for Sykes wrapped the game up.

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

Credit: Dave Arrowsmith

Stars Stats:

Chris Sykes 3+1; Rolands Gritāns 1+3; Shaun Galloway 1+1; Tommy Spraggon 1+0; Iain Brown 1+0; Michael Elder 0+4; Joe Walls 0+1; James Hellens 0+1; Stuart Jackson 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 12 (5 / 7); Mark Turnbull 8

Lions Stats:

Zach Yokoyama 1+0; Luke Birchnall 0+1; Finnley Wall 0+1

SOG: Luca Sheldon 47 (16 / 15 / 16)

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

Widnes Wild arrived on Teesside on Sunday a little short-benched but with new signing Flynn Massie in the lineup. Again Billingham were quick to get underway, Gritāns with the opener with a little over five minutes gone. The visitors responded within two minutes however, Connor McNulty firing past the glove of Thomas Brown in the Stars net. In truth the home side were well in command even in the early stages and it was no surprise when Iain Brown shot low past Wild netminder Luca Tessadri in the tenth minute to move back ahead. Jack Emerson found the smallest gap over Tessadri’s head for the third in the 17th minute to give the Teessiders a deserved lead at the break.

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

Frustrated in the first period, the hosts were far more clinical in the second session to kill the game. They stuttered at the start, Kyle Carruth slamming home a big rebound in the 22nd minute to briefly narrow the gap, but from that point there would be only one team in it. Michael Elder sniped home past the blocker a minute later, then Galloway broke clear and squared to Iain Brown who could not miss an open net. Sykes found the top corner to make it three goals in as many minutes, prompting a Widnes timeout. Turnbull took over from Thomas Brown in the 28th minute before Gritāns got the Stars back in the scoring groove a minute later when he forced the puck under Tessadri. Sykes received the pass from behind the net in the 34th minute and put his wrist shot beyond Tessadri before Elder finished the period rout with another finish into an unguarded net in the 37th minute with the Wild looking defensively frail.

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

Into the final period and the home side did not look like easing off, James Hellens from the point on the power play in the 43rd minute putting them into double figures. Alex Preston benefitted from a Widnes defenceman losing his footing in the 46th minute, giving him the space to pick his spot. Gritāns had been moved back onto the blue line by this point to give young Lucas Dowdle more time to shine and he responded with the final goal of the game in the 54th minute, going bar down to make it a miserable night for Tessadri and his teammates.

Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was James Hellens.

Credit: Dave Arrowsmith

Stars Stats:

Chris Sykes 2+3; Michael Elder 2+3; Rolands Gritāns 2+2; Iain Brown 2+0; Lucas Dowdle 1+1; Alex Preston 1+1; James Hellens 1+0; Jack Emerson 1+0; Tommy Spraggon 0+5; Joe Dowdle 0+1; Shaun Galloway 0+1; Lewis Hall 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 15 (6 / 9); Mark Turnbull 9 (4 / 5)

Wild Stats:

Kyle Carruth 1+0; Connor McNulty 1+0; Will Harper 0+1

SOG: Luca Tessadri 46 (17 / 15 / 14)

Weekend Results:

NIHL N1:

Sheffield Scimitars 2 Deeside Dragons 5

Hull Jets 3 Solihull Barons 6

Billingham Stars 7 Nottingham Lions 1

Blackburn Hawks 5 Whitley Warriors 1

Whitley Warriors 8 Nottingham Lions 3

Deeside Dragons 3 Blackburn Hawks 6

Billingham Stars 12 Widnes Wild 2

Solihull Barons 8 Sheffield Scimitars 1