Team Talk

TEAM TALK

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Now in his fifth season with the Stars, blue liner Ben Davison shares his season highs, lows and hopes ahead of that all-important Tyne-Tees derby.

What has been your personal highlight of the season so far?

Our last two games against Solihull stick out to me. They’re a strong team and we really stepped up to the plate to take the points both times which are massive in our battle to make the top four come the end of the season.

What has been your greatest disappointment?

Dropping points to Sutton the other weekend. We’d started 2016 brilliantly and that should have been another four point weekend and could come back to haunt us at the end of the season.

What has been the greatest surprise for you during your 2015-16 league campaign?

The biggest surprise to me is Solihull and Telford gaining promotion and being up there with the top teams in the league. There are no easy games this year. No matter who you’re turning up to play, you have to be ready to go for a full sixty minutes if you want to win. It’s the most competitive season I think this league has seen for a long time. Everyone wants to be in that top four and it’s going to be a tough couple of months to get there.

How have you found the NIHL North Cup this season?

I would have liked more teams to have got on board with the cup. I think last season, with the EPL teams, was a bit much for the teams from our league to compete with. I would have liked Whitley in it and maybe a few teams from the lower division to step up and compete in it. It adds more games to the season and, with the overtime and penalty shots introduced into it, it makes it a great game to watch if it’s all tied after sixty minutes. It was great for the lads beating Solway in penalty shots. We were pumped going back into league games and maybe next season it’ll be introduced into the league.

Billingham seems to have a very different look this season. Why do you think this has been the case?

Obviously sitting in fifth is not where we wanted to be come this part of the season. We’ve had a lot of injuries to key players which hasn’t helped, especially this month where we’ll have played nine games in five weekends; quite a tough schedule. We are a good team. We can compete with any team in this league and push for the win. We’ve fell short numerous occasions where short little spells of switching off has cost us. The competitiveness of this league is at the point where, if you take a shift off, your opponents will punish you. We need to be playing for a full sixty minutes, something we haven’t done in games we’ve been beaten. I think that’s the biggest factor this season. Trying to get motivated going into games after a couple of losses previously is hard. We have a good group of lads. We’ll bounce back and start getting the results in our favour and build from there.

You have Swedish import Dennis Boström playing for the Stars this season. What is he like to work alongside?

Dennis is great. On and off the ice, he’s a pleasure to have on the team. He’s a massive threat to teams on the ice; if he gets space to shoot and pick his spot, not many goalies can stop his shot. Teams pick up on this and try to close him down quickly but he manages to get space and has come up massive in games this season. It’s great to have a player of his skill level on the team and brings players on to play the game at a higher tempo.

As a blue liner, who has been the most challenging forward you have faced this season?

There are a lot of good forwards in our league who are tough to defend against. Blackburn are a great team. I’d say Richard Bentham and Adam Brittle are the two that stick out. On the puck they are very skilful and off the puck they’re always moving, looking to get into space for a pass. Lose track of them for a couple of seconds and they’ll probably be in a prime scoring area.

Who do you enjoy playing alongside most?

Tough one to say really. We have a great team of players and personalities. I get along with everyone on the team. I couldn’t pick out one player as it’s a pleasure taking to the ice and going into battle with everyone in our squad week in, week out.

The Stars have player-assistant coaches Michael Bowman and Richie Thornton as well as Head Coach Terry Ward. What difference does this make to Billingham’s dressing room?

All our coaches have a lot of experience and are on the same page as they have decided the systems and set plays we’ll be using this season. Meeting prior to training, games and in between periods, they can discuss what needs to be changed, improved etc. Their input is massive to the team. We have a lot of mid 20s players who still have a lot to learn to keep developing and the three coaching staff have ample experience to pass on. Everyone has equal respect for any of them when it comes down to being showed something on the board, ice or even just a quick word after a shift.

Where do you think Billingham will finish in the league table this season?

We’ve still got our eyes set on the playoffs. There are still two playoff spots up for grabs. I’m not sure if the Warriors and the Hawks have always secured their place at the playoff weekend but in my eyes, those last two spots could be anyone’s at the minute and we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we are the ones at that weekend. Everything changes in the playoffs and I’m hoping to finish third or fourth and cause an upset come April and bring home some silverware.

You have the Tyne-Tees derby next weekend. Is this a fixture you’re looking forward to and what do you make of your rivals this season?

When you look at the fixtures at the beginning of the season, you always look for the derby games first. Definitely one to look forward to, the atmosphere is electric during these games and you’re always pumped to get on the ice and hopefully get the two points off your rivals. Whitley have made a massive improvement this season from being in a relegation fight last year. Longstaff came in and made them into a well drilled team who will go hard for a full sixty minutes. It’s a tough rink to play in but I’m hoping to turn them over and grind out the win for a massive four point weekend.

What are your hopes for the future?

I’m just happy to be a part of the Stars. I’ve made some great friends and memories during my years at Billingham. I’m just aiming to keep playing as long as I can and keep enjoying it. Winning the playoff weekend would be great this season and then to regroup and hopefully regain the title next season.

Thank you to Ben Davison for taking the time to be interviewed by NIHL Northern Trio.

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