Weekend Roundup: Match Week 20

BILLINGHAM STARS increased the gap at the top of National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 at the weekend, another four-point weekend taking full advantage of slip-ups from the chasing pack and putting the Stars six points clear.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Nottingham Lions were the visitors to the Forum on Saturday evening, the basement side looking to turn their season around with a morale-boosting win at the League leaders. That hope was all but extinguished before the half-way mark of the first period, Rolands Gritāns with a hat-trick in the opening nine minutes to get the home side off to a flying start. The opener came in the third minute, the second a tip from Joe Walls’ shot from just inside the blue line in the ninth minute. Seconds later the hat trick was complete as Gritāns roofed one from the circle and effectively killed the game.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Nottingham turned up in the second session and, with nothing to lose, took the game to their hosts. A comeback looked like it might be possible when Tyler Somerton squeezed the puck through the legs of Stars netminder Mark Turnbull in the 24th minute, but the Lions could not follow up and Michael Elder restored the three-goal advantage in the 37th minute.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Iain Brown bagged number five in the 47th minute after a few attempts before Zach Yokoyama pulled one back on the power play three minutes later. Chris Sykes got in on the scoring act in the 53rd minute when he collected from Gritāns in the corner and fired past Nottingham goaltender Isaac Ballinger. Two goals in the final three minutes put some gloss on the victory, Elder going past the blocker before Callum Wilkinson netted his first of the season.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Rolands Gritāns.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Stars Stats:

Rolands Gritāns 3+1; Michael Elder 2+1; Chris Sykes 1+3; Iain Brown 1+1; Callum Wilkinson 1+0; James Hellens 0+3; James Moss 0+1; Ben Greenhalgh 0+1; Joe Walls 0+1; Jack Emerson 0+1

SOG: Mark Turnbull 47 (16 / 11 / 20)

Lions Stats:

Tyler Somerton 1+1; Zach Yokoyama 1+0; Toby Fisher 0+1; Kieran Gibbs 0+1

SOG: Isaac Ballinger 36 (14 / 9 / 13)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

A close game was expected at Blackburn Hawks on Sunday night and so it transpired, a single goal separating the two sides by the end assisted in no small way by a stellar performance between the pipes from Thomas Brown. Stars made the journey over the Pennines missing several key players, especially at the back, to face a Hawks side looking to make progress on the teams above them in the table. A tight first period ensued, neither side able to break the deadlock and a 0-0 score line the result.

The hosts upped their game in the second period but time and again found themselves thwarted by a hardworking Stars defence, Brown the last line on top form. Billingham looked dangerous on the counter, and finally made the home side pay in the 29th minute, a clever Sykes pass finding Gritāns on one knee for the opener. Blackburn tried to unlock Brown for a quick reply but could not find a way past. Seconds before the buzzer with confusion reigning over an offensive zone face off line change, a move started by James Moss was finished over Hawks netminder Ben Keddie’s shoulder by Shaun Galloway to give the visitors a little breathing space going into the final twenty.

The third stanza was just as tight, but with the hosts chasing the game, something had to give and Brown was finally beaten in the 53rd minute when Lee Pollitt fired a rebound over the keeper. The goal galvanised both the Hawks and the crowd, but Billingham stood firm and looked largely untroubled until the final minute when, with Keddie pulled, a melee in front of Brown saw Pollitt kick the puck in at the unguarded far post. The referee was well placed to see the incident however, the ‘goal’ was waved off and the Stars killed the final few seconds to take the game and the points.

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

Hawks Stats:

Lee Pollitt 1+0; Calum Ruddick 0+1; Jacob Lutwyche 0+1

SOG: Ben Keddie 35 (9 / 10 / 16)

Stars Stats:

Shaun Galloway 1+0; Rolands Gritāns 1+0; James Hellens 0+1; Chris Sykes 0+1; Iain Brown 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 40 (14 / 16 / 10)

Weekend Results:

NIHL N1:

Billingham Stars 8 Nottingham Lions 2

Solihull Barons 8 Deeside Dragons 4

Whitley Warriors 7 Deeside Dragons 4

Sheffield Scimitars 6 Solihull Barons 3

Widnes Wild 3 Hull Jets 4

Blackburn Hawks 1 Billingham Stars 2