Season 26/27: Week 1 Report
BILLINGHAM STARS new era after a summer of so much change didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts as their National Ice Hockey League Moralee Division campaign began with a thumping 8-2 road loss to Leeds Knights 2.
No ice time for any kind of preseason meant Billingham would go into their new season having not played a competitive game for five months, and it showed against a Knights outfit playing their fourth game and clearly streets ahead in terms of match sharpness. Missing Darren Stattersfield due to suspension, Stars called up Stuart Jackson from the Buccaneers but still looked light on numbers, especially coming up against a young and hungry Leeds team already flying and with a win against Hull Jets the previous evening to boost their confidence still further.
In the end it would be silly mistakes that would hand the victory to Knights, Billingham not mentally quite in the place they need to be just yet. An early Frank O’Sullivan powerplay goal set the home side on their way, but a tight first session was almost up before two quick goals from Evan Bradon and Josh Hartley made sure momentum was firmly with Leeds before the interval.
Stars suffered a further blow when starting netminder Jacob Hammond had to withdraw, replaced by Mark Turnbull between the pipes at the start of the second. Rolands Gritāns finally got the visitors on the scoreboard in the 25th minute, but a quick response from Jake Wigginton and then another before the halfway mark through Oliver Gotts put paid to any thoughts of a comeback.
Oliver Straw extended the lead early in the third period, Billingham not quite giving it up as a lost cause but finding their shooting off the mark. A flurry of goals in the dying minutes of the game saw James Hellens get a late consolation before Hartley bagged a couple for his hat trick and a very comfortable win for the Knights. It’s very early days and Stars were obviously ring rusty, but they will have learned a lot about themselves and what they need to do to compete this season.
Man-of-the-Match for Billingham was Mark Turnbull.
Knights 2 Stats:
Joshua Hartley 3+0; Jake Wigginton 1+1; Oliver Gotts 1+1; Evan Bradon 1+1; Frank O’Sullivan 1+1; Oliver Straw 1+0; Kieran Smith 0+2; Mackenzie Barker 0+1
SOG: Harrison McCourt 26 (11 / 11 / 4); Orson Groot 7
Stars Stats:
James Hellens 1+0; Rolands Gritāns 1+0; James Moss 0+2; Will Thornton 0+1; Michael Elder 0+1
SOG: Jacob Hammond 12; Mark Turnbull 28 (15 / 13)
Weekend Results
NIHL Moralee Saturday:
🗡️ Sheffield Scimitars 4️⃣-6️⃣ Nottingham Lions 🦁(L/C)
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 4️⃣-2️⃣ Hull Jets ✈️ (L/C)
NIHL Moralee Sunday:
⚜️ Solihull Barons 6️⃣-5️⃣ Nottingham Lions 🦁
⚔️ Leeds Knights 2 8️⃣-2️⃣ Billingham Stars 💫 (L/C)