Stars
fade as Barons bag points in overtime
Billingham
Stars 3
Solihull
Barons 4 (OT)
Playing host to
Solihull Barons, Billingham Stars had at their disposal a squad of nineteen
players which included most of their regular line-up, though the outfit were
missing forwards Scott Ward and Jack Davies, player-coach Michael Bowman and
alternate captain Callum Davies. Meanwhile, the Barons made the trip to The
Forum with a short bench of twelve skaters which included forward Thomas Soar,
stand-in captain Niklas Ottosson and experienced alternate captain Marcus
Maynard whilst opting for netminder Daniel Brittle between the pipes.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Getting off to the best
possible start, Billingham opened their account just nineteen seconds
into the game as forward James Moss beat Brittle following a neat pass from Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs. Unwilling to let this early setback
disconcert them, the Barons battled for possession against the Stars in an effort to grab an
equaliser but the outfit were unable to fire the puck past sturdy netminder James
Flavell to see the Teessiders hold onto their lead. Matters were soon made
worse for the Barons when defenceman Richard Crowe made way for slashing on
9:29 to present the home team with a power play. Eager to double their lead,
the Stars were quick to capitalise, scoring thirty six seconds later when young
defenceman Darren Stattersfield’s shot flew
beyond Brittle to make it 2-0 just past the halfway point in the period.
Shortly afterwards, it was the turn of Billingham’s forward Moss to sit out for
holding sticks to hand Solihull a power play but, unlike the Stars, the Barons
could not make the most of their advantage. However, Solihull were given a second chance with
the additional man moments after the Teessiders returned to full strength as
alternate captain Chris Sykes was shown to the sin bin for charging. Billingham again worked hard to kill this penalty and it was not long after the side were restored to five men that they were able to add a third to their tally; Stattersfield achieving his second of the game
with an assist from Baškatovs on 19:32 to see his side file from the ice with a
three-goal lead.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning to the ice,
Billingham’s lack of discipline continued as Latvian defenceman Artūrs Ozols
was sidelined for interference with just over two minutes of the period played
and, whilst the Barons again struggled to add to the scoreboard on the power play, the outfit
were able to build sufficient momentum to reduce their deficit to two after the Stars had returned to full strength; forward Luke Brittle threading a pass to Soar who accomplished his fourteenth
league goal of his campaign on 26:54. With both teams trying their luck at
either end of the ice, the Stars then went shorthanded again, this time
defenceman Ross Hanlon considered guilty of interference just beyond the halfway point of the game. Though working hard to make their power play count, it
appeared as though this would be another missed opportunity for Solihull until the side hit home with just six seconds of their advantage remaining; Crowe
beating Flavell courtesy of forward Andrew Whitehouse and defenceman Dave Rogers.
Having racked up the penalty minutes in the middle stanza, the Stars were then
offered some reprieve when forward Luke Brittle received 2+10 for a check from
behind in the latter stages of the period to curtail the Barons’ offensive play
and to allow Billingham to head in with a narrow 3-2 lead.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Going into the third
period with the aim to at least equalise, Solihull made
short work of this task, drawing level just thirteen seconds in as Ottosson
utilised his skill to punish Billingham’s defence with support from Soar. With
the game growing to be an even closer one now that the score line was tied at 3-3, the home team were disappointed to have lost their three-goal lead and
looked to get ahead in the game whilst the Barons were eager to take
both points in regulation time and sought a fourth goal. A hooking
penalty for ‘D’ man Rogers on 47:23 awarded Billingham a power play but this
advantage was quickly cancelled out as Stars’ forward Moss served a minor for boarding just over a minute later. However, soon after both teams
had returned to full strength, Barons’ forward Philip Mulcahy then presented
the Teessiders with another attempt at a power play but Solihull remained effective on the penalty
kill to ensure that they did not lose their foothold in the game. Try as they
might, neither team could score a winner in the moments which followed and,
with the period almost at an end, the visitors called a timeout on 57:58 in the
hope that they could snatch a winner to avoid overtime. However, this team talk
did not pay off and instead, Luke Brittle picked up a minor roughing penalty
with less than a minute remaining to see his team go shorthanded just before
the final buzzer. Though going into overtime with the
additional man, the Stars could not edge ahead of their opposition to take the
points and Solihull returned to full strength, only to fire home forty one seconds
later as Soar’s unassisted shot secured a victory for the Barons whilst
Billingham were handed a point for their efforts.
Whitley
triumph over Blackburn as Warriors roast Hawks on road
Blackburn
Hawks 2
Whitley
Warriors 5
Travelling to Blackburn
Ice Arena with a strong squad of eighteen skaters which included Canadian
import Philip Edgar, captain Dean Holland and forward Adam Finlinson, Whitley
Warriors were eager to make the best start to their double header,
knowing they would be playing host to Steven Duncombe’s team at home on Sunday
evening. The Hawks, by comparison, lined up with two skaters less than that of
their opposition, with captain Ollie Lomax and forwards Rick Bentham, Aaron
Davies and returnee Corey Stones amongst those available for this clash whilst
netminder Stuart Ashton took his place between pipes over fellow shot stopper
Niks Trapans.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off against
Blackburn Hawks, Whitley Warriors looked to challenge their opposition from the
outset but Duncombe’s equally determined Lancashire outfit quickly turned its attentions to Richie Lawson’s net in an attempt to take the lead
in the contest. With both teams fired up and enduring the battle for the puck,
Whitley’s captain Holland appeared to be struck in the face by Matt Viney but after voicing his opinion to referee David Emmerson, it was the Warrior who was shown to
the sin bin to serve a ten minute misconduct penalty. With the stalemate
continuing and both teams having their fair share of chances, each grabbing
nine shots on goal, neither side could find the back of the net in spite of
their efforts. As such, it was only with forty six seconds of the period
remaining that the deadlock was finally broken by the Warriors, Edgar assisting blue liner Josh Maddock to make it 1-0 just before the
break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading into the second
period, Whitley were hopeful that they could build on their lead whilst the
Hawks went out in search of an equaliser to ensure that the game remained within
their control. However, striving to maintain possession and placing pressure on
Ashton’s net, the Warriors had other ideas and began to test the strength of
Blackburn’s blue liners who withstood the offensive play of David Longstaff’s
line-up to allow their side to counter. Unsuccessful in their endeavours
however, Blackburn were then disappointed when Whitley were able to double
their tally on 32:06 as Edgar buried the puck beyond Ashton courtesy of
experienced blue liner Sam Zajac. Having waited for their second goal for over
twelve minutes, the Warriors made it 3-0 just over four minutes later as Edgar
grabbed his second of the evening following a pass from Holland. Their deficit
having rapidly increased, Duncombe’s men attempted to battle back but were
unable to get on the scoresheet prior to the second interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Aiming to hold onto
their three-goal lead, Whitley Warriors began with the knowledge that Blackburn
would try to make a comeback and, as expected, the home team sought to make
life difficult for shot stopper Lawson who had only encountered four shots in
the second period. Despite this, the Hawks failed to make their chances count
in the opening stages of this stanza which saw Whitley strive to convert their possession in front of goal as the Hillheads outfit looked to add
to their opposition’s woes. As a result of the Warriors’ attacking play, the
side were able to claim a fourth goal as Edgar teamed up with
Holland to provide Finlinson with a chance to net on 48:43. Undeterred by this setback,
Duncombe’s team were instilled with an urgency to chip away at their deficit
and, though they were initially unable to beat Whitley’s defence, their
perseverance soon paid off as hardworking forward Davies printed his name
on the scoresheet with support from alternate captain Luke Boothroyd on 54:27.
It was not long after this goal that the Warriors then handed the home team a
power play as blue liner Kyle Ross made way for holding. Ensuring that they
made full use of their additional man, Blackburn capitalised with
forty two seconds of their advantage remaining, this time Boothroyd the man on
target as forward Lee Pollitt and Finnish defenceman Kim Miettinen assisted.
The score line 4-2, the Hawks called a timeout with less than three minutes of
the game to play, the side hopeful that they could claw back some lost ground
as they pulled Ashton from his net. Battling to prevent Blackburn’s comeback,
the Warriors worked hard in defence before bagging themselves an empty net goal through Holland in the final minute of the game as Whitley claimed a 5-2 victory and, most importantly, two road points.
Sharks
knocked for six as Steeldogs claim league and cup win
Solway
Sharks 2
Sheffield
Steeldogs 6
Taking to the ice for
their dual purpose game against Sheffield Steeldogs, with both league points
and their progression in the NIHL National Cup at stake, Solway Sharks lined up
with just one skater less than that of the travelling Steeldogs, their squad
including captain Struan Tonnar, starting netminder Calum Hepburn and two-way
player Josh Grieveson, although blue liner Scott Cooper and injured defenceman
James Hutchinson were amongst those missing for the outfit. Similarly,
Sheffield made the trip with a strong squad which included Slovakian imports
Milan Kolena and Adrian Palak, player-coach Ben Morgan, captain Lewis Bell and
shot stopper Dmitri Zimozdra.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off against
their visitors, the Sharks looked to compete with Morgan’s Steeldogs and,
though striving to test Zimozdra from the outset, Solway equally found
themselves enduring spells of their opposition’s offensive play to make for some end-to-end ice hockey in the opening period. Though both teams saw chances fall their way, neither were able to execute
their efforts to break the deadlock, their defences holding strong whilst the
side’s respective netminders Hepburn and Zimozdra dealt with the shots thrown
at them. Narrowly outshooting the Sharks by eleven to seven in this opening
period, the Steeldogs were disappointed to have failed in their efforts to get
ahead in this important contest whilst Solway were pleased to see that play was
incredibly even, though they too had not managed to find the target ahead of
the first interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Following the break,
Sheffield returned to the ice with a determination to get ahead in the game and with close to a minute and a half of the period played, the Steeldogs were able to snatch a
goal through Slovakian forward Palak whose unassisted effort defeated Hepburn to spur his
team on. A two minute misconduct penalty for Sharks’ captain Tonnar on 23:00
allowed Sheffield a power play which they were all too happy to take advantage
of as alternate captain Ashley Calvert surpassed Solway’s defence just over a
minute later with support from forward James Spurr and Kolena. Disappointed to
find themselves two goals behind, Solway battled to get back into the game but with their chances were few and far between, their visitors increased their deficit further when player-coach Morgan teamed up with Lloyd Gibson who hit the net to make it 3-0 on 30:17. Shortly after this goal,
the Steeldogs went shorthanded to award Solway a power play as forward
Charlie Thompson sat out for crosschecking. Again, the Sharks could not
find a way past Zimozdra to see Sheffield kill this penalty with success. Soon after Thompson’s return to the ice, the Dumfries outfit were handed another chance to capitalise with the additional man when Kolena was sidelined for slashing on 38:53. However, this
proved to be another missed opportunity as Steeldogs’ left winger Liam Charnock linked up
with forward Cameron Brownley to see his teammate achieve a shorthanded goal. Frustrated to concede on a power play with just fifty two
seconds of the period remaining, the Sharks filed from the ice on the wrong end
of the 4-0 score line.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading out for the
final period, Solway opted to switch netminder Hepburn for shot stopper Kyle
Johnston as Martin Grubb’s men returned with the hope that they could
take something from this game. With close to two minutes of the third stanza
played, Sharks’ blue liner Stuart Kerr incurred a penalty for interference to
hand Sheffield a power play and, although it initially appeared that the Solway would prevent their attempts on goal whilst shorthanded, the Steeldogs then added a fifth to their
tally through Palak with just fourteen seconds of their advantage remaining; Charnock and Bell with the assists. Twelve seconds later, Sheffield’s blue
liner Thomas Barry handed the Sharks a power play and, just three seconds after
their visitors returned to full strength, Solway were finally able to grab
their first goal of the game as Duncan Speirs netted courtesy of fellow forward Iain Bowie and left winger Steven Moore to alter the scoreboard to 5-1.
Approximately four minutes after this goal, Steeldog Brownley was made to sit
out for roughing, allowing Solway to have several chances with the additional
man, the side encouraged after hitting the target. Less than two minutes after
returning to full strength though, the Steeldogs were able to regain their
five-goal lead, this time Kolena burying the puck following passing play
between Calvert and Spurr. Not about to endure a loss without a fight,
the Sharks notched a second goal moments later as Tonnar wrapped up the game’s
score line after a pass from Czech defenceman Vaclav Kolarik on 55:19. A
hooking penalty for Palak around two minutes later then saw Sheffield reduced
to four men but, try as they might, Solway failed to snatch a third goal to leave
the score line at 6-2 when the final buzzer sounded.
Reflecting on his
team’s loss, Head Coach Martin Grubb observed: “We started the game quite well and were solid in
the first period but then we got completely outworked and made way too many errors
to play against a team like Sheffield. They were better than us in every
department in the second and that isn’t acceptable by the standards we have set
here. We showed in the third we have character in our team and were better but, overall, it wasn’t a great performance.”
Warriors
shoot down Hawks in triumphant four-point weekend
Whitley
Warriors 6
Blackburn
Hawks 2
Lining up against
Blackburn Hawks having already claimed a victory over the Lancashire outfit on
the road on Saturday, Whitley Warriors had at their disposal nineteen skaters,
missing only forwards Callum Watson and Ben Richards and youngster Anthony
Wetherell, whilst shot stopper Richie Lawson took his usual place between the
pipes. Meanwhile, Blackburn Hawks were keen to avenge their home loss to
Whitley Warriors with a win against the side on the road and travelled with
just two skaters less than that of David Longstaff’s line-up, with forwards
Kyle Haslam, Thomas Parkinson and Kieran Brown making up the side’s absentee
list whereas forwards Harry Mercer and Corey Stones were both available for
this encounter.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Following faceoff, the
Warriors made an excellent start to the game, playing with high intensity which Blackburn were able to match to see play become
incredibly swift between zones as both teams sought the opening goal of the
game. Firing on Stuart Ashton’s net but struggling to hit the target, the
Warriors were then faced with the Hawks’ fierce counterattacks but netminder
Lawson and his defence dealt with the threat before playing the puck forward to
allow their side to create some neat offensive play, though the outfit were
unable to score. With momentum and possession beginning to increasingly fall in
favour of Whitley, Hawks’ forward Stones intercepted the puck from
Warriors’ defenceman Sam Zajac and surpassed blue liner Kyle Ross to fire past Lawson on 10:38 with support from
forwards James Riddoch and Rick Bentham. Seventeen seconds later,
Blackburn handed Whitley a power play as alternate captain Luke Boothroyd made
way for holding sticks but this advantage did not pay off for the Warriors who
were unable to draw level with the additional man. Shortly after the Hawks
returned to full strength, Whitley’s alternate captain Jordan Barnes was then
made to warm a seat in the sin bin for interference and, whilst Whitley were
able to kill this penalty, the side were restored to five men only to find
themselves under pressure from the Hawks who were becoming an increasing threat
to see the Warriors’ defence work hard ahead of the first interval.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Aiming to draw level as
they faced off for the second stanza, the Warriors threw their efforts into placing Ashton under pressure with even an greater determination than that of the first period,
forcing Blackburn to break down Whitley’s attacking play to prevent the
side from scoring. Continuing to persevere, the Warriors’ hard work eventually
began to pay off as captain Dean Holland linked up with fellow forward Ryan
Sample to set Canadian import Philip Edgar on course to achieve his twenty first
league goal of the season on 29:09. Moments after this goal, Hawks’ forward
Stones presented Whitley with the power play following a cross check against
Sample, only to be joined by teammate Duncombe just twenty one seconds later
as the player-coach incurred 2+2 for hooking and roughing following an incident
against forward Adam Finlinson in front of Ashton’s net. Aware that they could
not waste this opportunity, Longstaff incorporated Holland into play to allow the captain to find blue liner
Harry Harley whose shot from distance curled into the net to allow Whitley to
take the lead for the first time in the game on 31:32. This goal freeing Stones
from the sin bin, the Warriors continued on the power play as Duncombe began to
serve the second half of his punishment. Remaining composed in defence as
Blackburn attempted some attacking play on the penalty kill, the Warriors moved
swiftly up the ice, this time Harley teaming up with Longstaff who played a
pass across goal to allow Barnes to fire home. Having scored three goals in the
space of four minutes, Whitley then lost defenceman Liam
Smedley to the sin bin for hooking just five seconds after Barnes’ goal
but the home team worked well to kill this penalty and just over a minute after his team returned to full strength, Barnes turned assist for Longstaff alongside fellow
alternate captain Shaun Kippin to make it 4-1 on 36:52. Disappointed by this
turn of events, the Hawks were then pleased to earn possession on the power
play when forward Martin Crammond made way for hooking; the side creating some
chances around Lawson’s net before the puck fell to forward Rick Bentham who
lined up a slick pass for Lewis Baldwin, the defenceman rocketing a shot into the
net to take his team within two of their opposition prior to the third period.
Beginning the third
stanza with hopes that they could build on the middle section of the game,
Whitley Warriors found themselves up against an unwavering Blackburn Hawks’
side which continued to push for a goal to stand a chance of getting back into
the contest. Frustrated to find that some decisions were not falling in his
team’s favour, Bentham gradually began to lose patience before referee
Alexander Stewart felt that his behaviour warranted a two minute misconduct
penalty on 47:03. Though unable to make this power play count, the Warriors
battled on to grab a fifth goal as Edgar snatched his second of the evening with Sample and Holland arriving in support once again. Shortly after this
goal, Blackburn’s blue liner Baldwin was sidelined for crosschecking on 53:59.
Whitley’s advantage proved short lived however, as almost one minute later,
Kippin headed to the sin bin for hooking, closely followed by Harley who was
found guilty of tripping just twelve seconds before the Hawks returned to full
strength. As such, Whitley found themselves on the wrong end of a five-on-three situation but, not unsettled by this, long-serving Warrior DJ Good
raced into Blackburn’s defensive zone to unleash a shot which flew beyond
Ashton to increase the Hawks’ deficit to four with just over three minutes
remaining in the game. Playing out the remainder of the period with the confidence that they would achieve a four-point weekend against their Lancashire
visitors, the Warriors awaited the final buzzer to secure their 6-2 victory, the side moving into fifth place from seventh, though tied on twenty
five points with both Solihull Barons and Blackburn Hawks.
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| Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson |
Speaking
to NIHL Northern Trio after this game, Warriors’ player-coach David Longstaff
shared: “I thought we started pretty slow and we only really got going in the second period in both games. I think, overall,
we deserved to win both games against a good Blackburn team.”
Sharks
struggle in Sheffield as Steeldogs bite back
Sheffield
Steeldogs 4
Solway
Sharks 2
Travelling to Sheffield
without youngsters Ben Coughtrie and Lewis Houston who appeared in Saturday’s
line-up, Solway Sharks were hopeful that they could achieve a league win over
the Steeldogs at the very least whilst Ben Morgan’s team took to the ice with
two skaters more than the Sharks with the objective to claim a victory in their
NIHL National Cup Quarter Final besides gaining another two league points to
further their place in the league standings.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off against the
Steeldogs, Solway suffered a slight setback when they found themselves on the
penalty kill with less than three minutes on the clock as forward Iain Bowie
made way for delaying the game. Though keen to take advantage of this,
Sheffield could not find a way past the Sharks’ defence which held strong to
allow the Dumfries outfit to return to full strength with the deadlock intact. With both
teams seeing their fair share of chances fall their way, the Steeldogs’ then
went shorthanded as Thomas Relf was considered guilty of hooking, the
defenceman presenting Solway with a power play which the side could not convert in spite of their creative play around Dmitri Zimzodra’s net. Just under two
minutes after Relf’s return to the ice, Steeldogs’ Slovakian import Milan
Kolena gained possession from alternate captain Ashley Calvert to beat Solway’s
netminder Calum Hepburn. Despite this setback, the Sharks worked hard to draw
level and over three minutes later, forward Duncan Speirs fired home an
unassisted effort to eradicate the Steeldogs’ lead. As the period came to a
close however, Solway were reduced to four men when blue liner Stuart Kerr was
shown to the sin bin for tripping on 18:42 to hand Sheffield a power play which
ran into the second stanza.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning on the
penalty kill as a result of Kerr’s misdemeanour, the Sharks were able to run
down the clock to ensure they did not fall behind for a second time but, moments
after this penalty terminated, Solway’s alternate captain Ross Murray was
sidelined for boarding to allow the home team the advantage once again.
Remaining composed in this situation, Martin Grubb’s men were able to see off
the threat posed by the Steeldogs as they looked to grab a second goal. Despite
their efforts though, the Sharks could not beat Zimozdra as the side narrowly
outshot their opposition by ten shots to eight whilst Morgan’s team equally
struggled to beat Hepburn who dealt with his opposition’s attacking play to
ensure that there were no further additions to the score line prior to the
third period.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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With the game still
just 1-1, the Sharks were prepared to throw everything into the final period
and it showed as Solway’s forward Speirs notched his second goal of
the evening on 42:47 when Czech defenceman Vaclav Kolarik received the puck
from left winger Steven Moore to set up his teammate. Again outshooting the
home team, Solway battled for possession to set their sights on goal, with
Speirs continuing to target the net and the Steeldogs’ initially struggling to find an equaliser. Though hopeful that they
could hold onto their lead as the latter half of the period approached, Solway
found themselves on the back foot as Murray incurred a high sticks penalty.
Though able to defend well against Sheffield’s power play, the Sharks returned
to full strength for all of eight seconds as Bowie then headed to the penalty
box for slashing on 55:58. Making the most of their additional skater,
player-coach Morgan hit the target just fifty four seconds later courtesy of
alternate captains Calvert and Tim Smith. Disappointed to see Sheffield
creeping back into the game, the Sharks were further dismayed when Morgan
teamed up with Kolena to help forward James Spurr to print his name on the
scoresheet on 58:54. Calling a timeout in the final minute of the period, Grubb
opted to pull netminder Hepburn to provide his team with the additional skater
in the hope that they could equalise once more to take the game into overtime.
However, this tactic did not go to plan as Spurr hammered
home an unassisted empty net goal to make it 4-2, thereby ensuring there was no
way back for Solway.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Considering their
league and NIHL National Cup Quarter Final loss, Head Coach Martin Grubb
admitted: “I asked the players for a response as we wanted to show we were better
than Saturday’s game and to try to at least get the league points. I was happy
with how we played and I don’t think we deserved to lose the game but, when you
make a couple of errors against a top team, you get punished and it was a tough
one to take. We showed great character and stuck to our system and if we had
been more clinical, it may have been very different but, despite the result,
there were lots of positives and the boys deserve credit.”
Barons
bag four points against Billingham to take shine from Stars
Solihull
Barons 5
Billingham
Stars 1
Travelling to Hobs Moat
Road with a short bench of fourteen skaters, the Stars found themselves without
forward Jack Davies, defencemen Thomas Keeley and Darren Stattersfield,
player-coach Michael Bowman, alternate captain Callum Davies and youngsters
James Hellens and Ethan Hehir. Matching the numbers of Billingham’s line-up
however, the Barons were as equally short benched as their opposition to make
for a level playing field going into this contest.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Heading into this game
in the hope that they could make amends for Saturday’s overtime defeat to the
Barons, in which they had established a three-goal lead prior to their
loss, the Stars were pleased to find themselves on the power play just sixty
seven seconds into the game when Solihull’s captain Josh Bruce took a seat in
the sin bin for a high sticks offence. Though striving to make their early
advantage count, the Teessiders were unsuccessful in their efforts to beat
netminder Josh Nicholls. As such, the Barons returned to full strength only to
claim a power play of their own moments later when Billingham’s defenceman Ross
Hanlon headed to the penalty box for tripping. Though unable to find the back
of the net with the additional skater, the Barons opened their account
shortly after Billingham returned to full strength as Stephen Heape passed the puck to
fellow forward Thomas Soar on 9:46 to allow his teammate to grab his sixteenth
league goal of the season. With the home team now one goal ahead, the Stars
looked to create an opportunity to equalise but this was no mean feat as
Solihull’s defence held strong and Nicholls worked hard to prevent Billingham
from cancelling their deficit. Likewise, the Barons sought to extend their lead
at the other end of the ice to provide themselves with the best chance of
securing a victory but their remaining efforts were shut down by shot stopper
James Flavell. Only just outshot by thirteen to nine in this period, the
Stars filed from the ice with only a slender margin separating them from their opposition and the knowledge that it was still possible to leave
Hobs Moat Road with two points.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Facing off for the
second stanza, the Stars returned with hopes to get on the scoresheet in this
section of the game but it was the home team who were quickest off the mark,
Swedish import Niklas Ottosson burying the puck beyond Flavell courtesy of Latvian defenceman Artūrs Ozols on 24:12 to establish a two-goal cushion. Soon after this goal though,
the Barons then incurred a bench minor for too many men to present Billingham
with a power play which was further enhanced fifty four seconds later when
Ottosson was shown to the sin bin for hooking. Even with the advantage of this
five-on-three situation, the Stars could not punish Solihull’s misdemeanours
and instead scored twenty two seconds after the Barons’ return to full strength through Latvian forward Deniss Baškatovs who received the puck
from forward James Moss. The score line 2-1 at the halfway point in the period,
the Stars were keen to build on their foothold in the game but struggled to add
to this and soon ran into penalty trouble when player-coach Richie Thornton was
sidelined for hooking. Striving to kill this penalty, the Stars’ punishment was
then extended as Baškatovs
sat out for slashing. Billingham were then offered some reprieve when Solihull’s alternate captain Marcus Maynard was made to warm a seat in the sin bin for
hooking ten seconds later but this only increased the Barons’ determination to
secure their lead as forward Adam Brittle threaded a pass to Bruce to make it
3-1 on 38:59. Just thirty one seconds later, Brittle was then able to
assist his brother Luke to increase Billingham’s deficit to three before the
break.
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Photo
Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson
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Returning to the ice
for the third period, Billingham were aware that they had much work to do if
they were to get back into this game but it was not long before the side’s workload
was added to as Slovakian right winger Tomas Janak linked up with Heape who
netted on 45:06 to add to the Stars’ woes. Approximately two minutes
later, forward Jack Emerson was made to sit out for hooking but the Barons then
cancelled out their power play with over fifty three seconds of their advantage
played as the outfit picked up a bench minor for too many men. With both
netminders kept busy in the moments that followed as the Stars attempted to get
back into the game and Solihull looked to build on their clear lead, the sides
returned to full strength without any alterations to the scoreboard. As the
period progressed without further scoring, Barons’ captain Bruce found himself
ejected from the game after a high sticks offence against Ozols and this, coupled with a minor for alternate captain Maynard moments
later, saw the Stars gain a five-on-three power play in the latter stages of
the game. Despite Billingham’s chances on Nicholls’ net, the outfit
were unable to make their efforts count and could not chip away at their
deficit to see Solihull claim a convincing 5-1 victory when the clock
reached sixty minutes.
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