ENL North round-up week 15

BLACKBURN, UK – Solihull Barons endured a torrid start to life in ENL1 North, but results in recent weeks suggest they may finally be finding their feet. Having drawn with Billingham Stars and beaten Coventry Blaze in their last two games, Barons went into Sunday’s clash with play-off chasing Sheffield Spartans full of confidence. Tom Parker put them ahead late in the first and Richard Slater doubled the lead after 28 minutes. Spartans’ Will Barron immediately replied, but Erik Bakalar’s 39^th minute strike restored the two goal cushion. Bakalar grabbed his second of the night a minute into the third, before Andy Turner and Elliott Knell brought Spartans back into it. Both teams created chances, but Barons secured the points with late goals from Toni Scialdone and Rob Eley. Top of the table Billingham Stars faced Trafford Metros at Billingham Forum, looking to maintain their five point lead. Stars made a dream start as Michael Elder put them ahead after just 26 seconds.

Metros struggled to cope with the home team and Martyn Davies deservedly extended the lead in the 11^th minute with a rasping shot from the point. Metros regrouped at the break and John Murray made it 2-1 after 23 minutes. Stars found themselves on the back foot but netminder James Flavell made a number of fine stops to protect the lead. With three minutes left Billingham’s James Udell and Trafford’s Joe Greaves came to blows, with Udell getting the better of the battle. This sparked Stars into life as James Moss soon made it 3-1. Just a minute later Elder broke away one on one with the Metros keeper and, despite Trafford’s Andy Dunn throwing his stick at him, kept calm to seal a valuable two points. Whitley Warriors stay second after a crushing 7-0 win over Nottingham Lions. DJ Good put them ahead in the first and made it 2-0 after 28 minutes. Warriors piled on the pressure and Callum Watson (2) and Dean Holland extended the lead by the end of the second. Holland and Nathan Ryder completed the rout in the final three minutes to leave Coach Garry Dowd eagerly anticipating next week’s clash with Billingham. “Nottingham do blow hot and cold,” he said, “But we were good value for this victory and it certainly gives the Stars something to think about ahead of the game. We were short on numbers, but because we passed the puck well we were able to conserve energy, so we were still going as strong at the end.”Blackburn Hawks moved into the play-off places with an emphatic 8-0 win over Telford Titans. First period goals from Sami Narkia, Chris Arnone and Sam Dunford set Hawks on their way against their ill-disciplined opponents. Narkia made it 4-0 after 25 minutes and Hawks ran riot in the third, with goals from Jordan Bannon, Ric Ravey, Bobby Streetly and Narkia’s third of the night completing an impressive night’s work. Solway Sharks made it 15 ENL2 wins in a row with an 8-3 success over Hull Stingrays. Craig Thurston put Hull in front in the 2^nd minute as Sharks struggled to find their game. Nathan Salem levelled things midway through the period and Adam Reynolds edged Sharks in front soon after. Salem made it 3-1 early in the second but Hull refused to lie down and Dan Hackford reduced the deficit moments later.Further goals from Salem and Reynolds calmed their nerves, but Andrew Ward’s 39^th minute strike gave Stingrays renewed hope. Solway dominated the final period and Salem’s fourth of the night along with goals from Mark Gallagher and Struan Tonnar secured the win. Sutton Sting are up to second after beating promotion rivals Flintshire Freeze 9-2 – Simon Butterworth and Shaun Ashton both scored two for Sting. Elvis Veldze hit four as Fylde Flyers beat Bradford Bulldogs 9-4, while Lancashire Raptors are still seeking their first points of the season after losing 7-0 to Sheffield Senators. Highlight of this weekend’s games is the North East clash between Whitley and Billingham, while Trafford face tricky road trips to Coventry and Blackburn. Contact the author at: michael.black@prohockeynews.com