Weekend Roundup: Match Week 7
BILLINGHAM STARS avenged their opening day National Ice Hockey League (N) Moralee Division 1 defeat on Sunday when they turned over League new boys Hull Jets 6-3 in the reverse fixture at the Forum.
Credit: Tony Burgum Photography
Hull arrived on Teesside on the back of yet another home win, Sheffield Scimitars the latest team to fall on Humberside as they succumbed 6-1 on Saturday evening. The Stars should have been off the mark in the first minute, but Rolands Gritāns somehow missed an open net, perhaps surprised by the pass from Chris Sykes to set him up. Gritāns returned the favour to better effect in the 17th minute, finding Sykes from his knees behind the net for the one-timer, the single marker separating the sides at the first interval.
Credit: Dave Arrowsmith
Fortune favoured the home side in the 26th minute, a deflected puck off a defensive skate doubling the advantage with the goal credited to Shaun Galloway. Galloway was again the last attacking player to touch the puck in the 35th minute, another deflected goal – this time on the power play – making it three without reply. In a period of fluke goals, the Jets opened their account in the 38th minute, Kieran Beach’s effort ending up in the net off Thomas Brown’s paddle. Billingham responded immediately, the second line combining perfectly to set up James Moss for the tap in at the far post just eight seconds later, then Hull completed a ‘mad minute’ when Dec Jones fired through Thomas Brown 24 seconds after the Moss goal to close out the session with the hosts two up.
Credit: Tony Burgum Photography
Iain Brown finally killed the game in the 51st minute to give the Stars a little breathing space, before both sides had to wait out a lengthy stoppage due to blood on the ice with just over five minutes left to play. Once play resumed, Billingham were quick to get back on the front foot and a superb pass from Gritāns released Sykes for his second in the 56th minute. The Jets netted a consolation marker with less than two minutes to go through Scott Morris, but it was too little, too late for the visitors and the home side skated out comfortable 6-3 victors.
Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was Chris Sykes.
Stars Stats:
Shaun Galloway 2+1; Chris Sykes 2+0; Iain Brown 1+1; James Moss 1+0; Rolands Gritāns 0+2; Ben Greenhalgh 0+1; Tommy Spraggon 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1
SOG: Thomas Brown 40 (9 / 17 / 14)
Jets Stats:
Scott Morris 1+1; Kieran Beach 1+1; Dec Jones 1+1; Richard Haggar 0+1; Adam Jasecko 0+1
SOG: Zack Brown 46 (16 / 14 / 16)
Weekend Results:
NIHL N1:
Hull Jets 6 Sheffield Scimitars 1
Whitley Warriors 0 Deeside Dragons 2
Billingham Stars 6 Hull Jets 3
Blackburn Hawks 3 Widnes Wild 5
Nottingham Lions 6 Solihull Barons 7 (after overtime)