BLACKBURN, UK – Billingham Stars have opened up an eight point lead at the top of ENL1 North. The first Tyne/Tees derby in over two years against second placed Whitley Warriors was expected to be a tight affair, and both teams started in nervy fashion. James McCabe opened the scoring for Stars in the fourth minute with Callum Watson levelling moments later. Shaun Kippin put Warriors back in front, but McCabe’s second of the night tied the game at 2-2 at the end of the first.
Richie Thornton put Stars ahead early in the second, before Simon Hehir and James Udell extended the lead further. Dave Thomas and James Moss made it 7-2 in the third as Billingham ran out comfortable winners.
Coach Terry Ward was full of praise for his team’s performance, “We made a couple of errors early on and Whitley punished us,” he said. “The lads worked hard and grafted their way back into the game, they kept that work rate going for the rest of the match and Whitley couldn’t live with us.”
Warriors’ coach Garry Dowd was critical of his team’s collapse, “We went 2-1 up, then six unanswered goals – it’s not good enough. I know it’s not good enough and the team knows it’s not good enough.”
Billingham%27s Alex Lawson (photo: Ian Hanlon)
Sheffield Spartans picked up a win and a draw to move into a play-off position. On Saturday, they travelled to face Coventry Blaze at the Skydome. Gareth Owen put Blaze ahead in the second period, but Spartans pushed hard for an equaliser and were rewarded three minutes from the end of time, when Ollie Barron made it 1-1.
Spartans faced Whitley on Sunday in a thrilling clash in Sheffield. DJ Good gave Warriors an early lead but Shannon Lingwood equalised midway through the first. Shaun Kippin put the visitors back in front just before the first buzzer and the home team looked in trouble when Good made it 3-1 in the 37th minute. Sheffield came out fired up in the third and tied the game with two quick goals in the 47th minute – Ollie and Will Barron scoring just eight seconds apart. Dean Holland put Warriors back in front, but goals by Elliott Knell (2), Will Barron and Ryan Handisides sealed a 7-4 win.
Ravey tames Lions (photo: Steve McKelvey)
Blackburn Hawks met Nottingham Lions in front of another big crowd at Blackburn Arena. Ric Ravey put Hawks ahead in the 2nd minute, with Rick Hughes and Jared Owen making it 3-0 by the end of the first. Lions’ Ben Wood pulled one back in the 34th minute, but Hawks stretched their lead through Matt Viney and Hughes again. Nick Whyatt grabbed Lions’ second of the night on 39 minutes, but Chris Arnone’s third period thunderbolt from the blueline sealed a 6-2 victory.
Solway Sharks are firm favourites for the ENL2 crown after an impressive four-point weekend. Nathan Salem (4) and Mark Gallagher (3) led the scoring for Sharks on Saturday as they thrashed Sheffield Senators 17-1. On Sunday they travelled to Sheffield to face title rivals Sutton Sting, who had won their previous five games. Calum Henderson and Struan Tonnar put Sharks 2-0 up after a minute, but Sting regrouped and forced netminder Gary Russell to make a number of fine saves. Tonnar added a third after 11 minutes before Salem made it 4-0 by the end of the first. Paul Lane pulled one back midway through the match, but Tonnar completed his hat-trick soon after. Adam Reynolds made it 6-1 at the start of the third, before Salem struck again to seal an excellent 7-1 win.
Tonnar on target for Sharks (photo: David Morrison)
Flintshire Freeze moved into second place after beating Lancashire Raptors 13-1. James Parsons scored five for Freeze, who now seem set to battle it out with Sting for the runners-up slot. Senators recovered from their defeat at Solway to edge past Fylde Flyers 4-3, while Hull Stingrays shut-out Bradford Bulldogs 6-0.
This weekend’s games see Whitley travel to face Blackburn, while third placed Trafford Metros host Sheffield. Contact the author at: michael.black@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.