Weekend Roundup: Match Week 23

BILLINGHAM STARS needed a third period comeback to get past a stubborn Deeside Dragons outfit on Sunday night in North Wales as they bagged another two points to retain their six-point gap at the top of National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1.

Making the trip without Shaun Galloway, the Stars were otherwise able to ice a strong squad with Thomas Brown returning between the pipes. Billingham were slow out of the blocks in the first period and the home side looked dangerous, Brown called into action from early on to prevent the Dragons getting the jump on their visitors. A slashing call on Patriks Grigors in the tenth minute handed Deeside the extra man and they seized the opportunity immediately, Andy McKinney blasting home from the blue line just eight seconds into the power play. With the Stars still struggling to find their usual rhythm, they were perhaps fortunate to find themselves only a single goal down at the end of the session.

Billingham moved up a gear in the second stanza, but Matt Croyle in the Dragons net was in superb form to keep them largely at bay. Croyle was finally beaten in the 32nd minute, Ben Greenhalgh’s pinpoint cross-ice pass finding Rolands Gritāns whose low shot was too good for Croyle. That looked like being the springboard for the Stars to take control, but the Deeside defence – and Croyle especially – worked hard to deny them and they got their reward with eight seconds to go when Billingham switched off completely after they lost possession following a face off in the offensive zone. Play move quickly to the other end, and with the Stars clearly waiting for the buzzer, the Dragons counter finished with James Parsons sniping past Brown stick side.

Billingham needed to make their dominance start paying off in the third, and a hooking call on Petr Valusiak in the 46th minute gave them the chance to unlock Croyle, James Hellens pouncing on a loose puck to fire through traffic with just 19 seconds remaining on the penalty. The go-ahead goal in the 54th minute was highlight reel stuff, Callum Wilkinson finding Lewis Hall out front whose spin and backhand fooled Croyle to move the Stars in front for the first time. Two late goals clinched the game, Gritāns on the back stick in the 58th minute allowed the visitors to breathe a little easier before a James Moss snipe from close range 45 seconds from time put a little gloss on what was a tricky game for the League leaders.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was James Moss.

Dragons Stats:

James Parsons 1+1; Andy McKinney 1+0; Michael Clancy 0+1; Brodie Jesson 0+1; Petr Valusiak 0+1

SOG: Matt Croyle 43 (11 / 16 / 16)

Stars Stats:

Rolands Gritāns 2+0; James Moss 1+0; James Hellens 1+0; Lewis Hall 1+0; Chris Sykes 0+3; Ben Greenhalgh 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1; Patriks Grigors 0+1; Callum Wilkinson 0+1; Iain Brown 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 29 (13 / 7 / 9)

Weekend Results:

NIHL(N)1:

Sheffield Scimitars 2 Whitley Warriors 10

Deeside Dragons 2 Billingham Stars 5

Solihull Barons 4 Whitley Warriors 1

Widnes Wild 7 Sheffield Scimitars 6 (after overtime)

Nottingham Lions 3 Blackburn Hawks 4