Weekend Roundup: Moralee Cup Semi Final

BILLINGHAM STARS made the final of the Moralee Cup in some style on Sunday, a 12-3 thrashing of Hull Jets in the second leg at the Forum more than making sure of their progression after a tense 2-2 draw on Humberside the previous evening.

A large contingent of Billingham fans made the journey to Hull on Saturday hoping to see if their heroes could avenge their last visit on the opening day of the season when the Stars came away on the wrong end of a 4-2 score line. They were given something to cheer about early on – with just a little over three minutes gone Joe Walls took a hopeful punt on goal from the left wing that found its way into the far corner, Jets netminder Zack Brown seemingly not having had a clear sight of the puck. Unfortunately that was the highlight of Walls’ game as he was forced to depart before the end of the first period with a facial injury.

Both sides had their chances in the second session, the visitors guilty of wasting long spells of possession whilst the home side could not find a way past Thomas Brown in the Billingham net. Eventually a hooking call against Richard Haggar gave the Stars a power play opportunity and Rolands Gritāns was in the right place to tap in behind Zack Brown in the 32nd minute when the netminder thought he had control.

Two goals would prove to be too slim a lead to hang onto as the Jets came roaring back in the final stanza. First Haggar was awarded a penalty shot after Ben Greenhalgh was adjudged to have tripped him in the 46th minute, Haggar waiting for Thomas Brown to commit before slotting the puck round him. Then with just under four minutes remaining, Adam Jasecko converted a well-worked move on the back stick to set up a winner-takes-all second leg at the Forum the following day.

Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Patriks Grigors.

Jets Stats:

Richard Haggar 1+0; Adam Jasecko 1+0; Kohen Taylor 0+1; Josh Yeardley 0+1

SOG: Zack Brown 37 (10 / 14 / 13)

Stars Stats:

Joe Walls 1+0; Rolands Gritāns 1+0; Shaun Galloway 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1; Iain Brown 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 25 (8 / 9 / 8)

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

Hull’s hopes of upsetting the odds and reaching the final were dented after just 80 seconds back at the Forum on Sunday. A quick two-on-one break saw James Moss square the puck across to Iain Brown who fired past Zack Brown to edge the home side ahead on aggregate, an advantage they would not give up. Just after ten minutes gone and the lead was doubled, Chris Sykes breaking from the neutral zone and delaying his pass over to Gritāns until it was laid on a plate for the one-timer. The Jets tried in vain to get back into the game but had the wind knocked out of their sails with two goals in the final two minutes of the period, first a no-look pass from Gritāns to Michael Elder teed up Sykes, then with just seconds to go Iain Brown went through Zack Brown’s legs for his second and a long way back for the visitors.

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

63 seconds into the middle session and Shaun Galloway let fly from the circle to pour cold water on whatever was said in the Hull dressing room. To their credit, the Jets stemmed the tide and eventually got themselves on the scoresheet in the 31st minute when a mix-up at the back left Haggar free out front, he pushed the puck to Kieran Beach who tapped it behind Thomas Brown. The Stars were soon back in the ascendancy, tape-to-tape passing between Sykes and Gritāns in the 34th minute ending with Sykes lifting the puck over a prone Zack Brown. Late drama in the period saw Hull have a ‘goal’ washed out for a high stick infringement before Zack Brown had to be replaced in the Jets net by Dominic Smith after being forced off through injury.

Credit: Colin Edwards, CJE Photos

An early power play goal through Alex Kent in the 42nd minute never looked like sparking a comeback, although it did prompt a change in the Billingham net as Mark Turnbull replaced Thomas Brown. The tables turned back in the Stars’ favour around the 45-minute mark as they ran riot, netting three goals in 32 seconds as James Hellens made in seven before Iain Brown and Sykes both bagged their hat trick markers, Sykes netting from his knees as Smith struggled to cope with the onslaught. Boris Giba sniped past Turnbull’s blocker in the 50th minute, but it was scant consolation as there was time left for the hosts to rattle in three more goals. Gritāns rifled home from the blue line in the 54th minute before securing the team’s third hat trick of the game following some ridiculous one-handed control in the 57th minute. Galloway rounded off the rout in the 58th minute, his one-timer finishing some great work from Lucas Dowdle and making the final score 12-3, a resounding 14-5 on aggregate, and setting up a final series against Blackburn Hawks at the end of February.

Man-of-the-Match for the Stars was Iain Brown.

Credit: Tony Burgum Photography

Stars Stats:

Rolands Gritāns 3+3; Chris Sykes 3+2; Iain Bown 3+2; Shaun Galloway 2+2; James Hellens 1+1; Michael Elder 0+4; Andy Finn 0+2; James Moss 0+1; Tommy Spraggon 0+1; Lucas Dowdle 0+1

SOG: Thomas Brown 31 (18 / 8 / 5); Mark Turnbull 6

Jets Stats:

Boris Giba 1+0; Alex Kent 1+0; Kieran Beach 1+0; Scott Morris 0+2; Adam Jasecko 0+2; Richard Haggar 0+1

SOG: Zack Brown 30 (17 / 13); Dominic Smith 18 (1 / 17)

Weekend Results:

Moralee Cup Semi Finals:

Hull Jets 2 Billingham Stars 2

Blackburn Hawks 7 Solihull Barons 3

Billingham Stars 12 Hull Jets 3 (aggregate 14-5)

Solihull Barons 4 Blackburn Hawks 6 (aggregate 7-13)