And so it begins…
After a summer of restructure not seen on Teesside for a generation, September and a new NIHL Moralee Division season is upon us at last. Your Stars get underway tomorrow with a road trip to Leeds Knights 2 with no preseason games to give an inkling of what is to come after what can only be described as a rollercoaster of an off-season.
The ownership of the club has changed. The management team has changed. The coaching set-up has changed. Players have departed to pursue new opportunities. Yet the more things change in Billingham, the more things stay the same. Sticking to the club ethos of developing talent rather than searching for players to come from elsewhere, the roster has a very familiar look to it, albeit with faces missing. Light on numbers certainly, but with a pool of talent to look at in the junior ranks, there are going to be many opportunities for younger players to grab spots and make them their own. And with new Head Coach Richie Thornton at the helm, we can be sure that whatever side ices on any given night is going to put in the hard work to give anyone a tough game. We may not win every match, but we will make it tough for any side to take the points.
First up for Stars is the challenge of a young and hungry Leeds Knights 2 side that skated to a relatively comfortable preseason win at Whitley Warriors last weekend. Granted the team that ices tomorrow may not include all of the two-way players that will also be turning out for their National League side, but the 3-7 result was still an eye opener, coming as it did against a full-strength Warriors outfit that has been in training since mid July. Reports from Hillheads all referred to the Knights speed, clearly a young squad should have plenty of energy and will be more than a handful for Billingham.
Stars start the season without the suspended Darren Stattersfield, his two-match ban a hangover from the playoff semifinal against Blackburn Hawks. Coach Thornton will plug the gap by calling up Stuart Jackson from the Buccaneers. A former Star, Jackson should have no problem slotting into the side.
Fixture:
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 🆚 Billingham Stars 💫
🏆 NIHL Moralee Division / Moralee Cup
📍 Planet Ice Leeds
📅 Sunday 6th September 2026
🕖 Face off 7pm
Leeds Knights 2:
2025-26 Moralee Division: Ninth
2025-26 Moralee Cup: n/a
Squad changes from 2025-26:
Players out: Owen Dell (F - Blackburn Hawks), Thomas Dermott (D - Hull Jets), Oliver Wagg (F - Sheffield Scimitars), Thomas Palmer (F - Hull Jets), Jayson Burgess (F - Altrincham Aces)
Players in: Mackenzie Barker (F - Kingston Sharks), Ilan Berman (D - U19s), Oliver Straw (F - U19s), Kieran Smith (F - U19s), Benjamin Elliot (D - U19s)
In charge:
Coach – Aaron Jordan
🔗 Leeds Knights 2 on Elite Prospects: https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/39756/leeds-knights-2
Weekend Fixtures:
NIHL Moralee Saturday:
🗡️ Sheffield Scimitars 🆚 Nottingham Lions 🦁 (L/C)
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 🆚 Hull Jets ✈️ (L/C)
NIHL Moralee Sunday:
⚜️ Solihull Barons 🆚 Nottingham Lions 🦁
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 🆚 Billingham Stars 💫 (L/C)