BLACKBURN HAWKS 2 - 1 BILLINGHAM STARS

by

Steve Mayers

After weeks of industrious promoting by the Hawks management, the 1st leg of the ENL Play-offs duly arrived, and drew a crowd befitting of such a prestigious occasion. In fact, the promotional bandwagon had been so successful, that even before the doors were opened, there was a queue stretching back to the main road. Seats were definitely at a premium, as a record crowd of almost 1,300, including a healthy travelling support of almost 100, took their places for the last home game of the season. Harry the Hawk was the first onto the ice, treating the audience to a sublime display of figure-skating, which was thoroughly enjoyed. Then, as the lights dimmed, the excitement levels rose, as the teams stepped onto the ice to thunderous applause, and prepared themselves to do battle.

The first period started off with the Hawks players determined to stamp their authority on the game, and three crunching checks in the opening thirty seconds showed that they were not going to be intimidated by the League Champions. Nerves settled quickly as both teams found their rhythm almost immediately, but it was 'Dangy' Brittle, the Blackburn net-minder, who was called into action on 3 minutes, foiling a 2-on-1 breakout by the Stars forwards. In fact, he was the busier of the two goalies for much of the opening salvo, as the visitors looked to take an early lead, inspiring their support to create a great atmosphere within the Arena. However, the Hawks followers responded magnificently, and this led to an 'off-ice' duel between the two sets of fans, which lasted for the entire match. On the ice, the dangerous Finnish forward, Sami Narkia was starting to have a major influence on the game, leading many of the Hawks attacks. The mid-way point of the period saw the first penalty of the evening, as Ollie Lomax was called for 'delay of game'. Desperate defending by the Hawks saw the puck pinging around Brittle's crease, and with the Stars in possession, Lomax had little option but to remove the net from it's moorings. This gave Billingham a 2 minute powerplay opportunity, but the Blackburn defence were organised and industrious, restricting the attackers to shots from long range. Once back to full strength, the Hawks mounted an attack involving Aaron Davies, and during an altercation with Sellars, drew a penalty from the defenceman. This gave the home side a man-advantage for two minutes, and it was the turn of James Flavell, the opposing net-minder, to show his class. Narkia fired a venomous wrist-shot which the keeper saved well into his mid-riff, followed by a Rick Ravey slapshot which seemed to be heading for the top corner of the net, but Flavell threw up an elbow to deflect the puck wide. This was the last meaningful action of a pulsating period, and both teams left the ice to a standing ovation.

Period two continued at a similar tempo, with Chris Arnone finding Narkia in space, but the classy import's shot flashed just wide of the post. However, the frustration turned to ecstasy only seconds later, as the Hawks took the lead. A mad scramble in front of the Stars net gave Narkia the first chance, followed by a rebound to Jared Owen, who was also denied. However, youngster Jordan Bannon was on-hand to take possession of the puck, and the sniper slotted home, to spark mad celebrations on and off the ice. The goal fired up the visitors, and they poured forward, in search of an equaliser, but Dangy produced two fine reflex saves. Craig Rogers struck a powerful shot which crashed off Flavell's helmet, and Lomax chanced his arm with a blue-line slapshot which flew just over the bar. Narkia was proving to be a real nuisance for the Stars, and they struggled to keep him under wraps, often unsuccessfully. On 35 minutes, a defensive mix-up involving Brittle and his defencemen saw the puck bounce loose on the edge of the crease, and Paul Windridge could hardly believe his luck, tucking beyond the prone keeper, to level the tie. However, rather than let the goal affect them, the Hawks re-grouped, and once again went on the offensive, and within three minutes, they were ahead once more. With the puck in the opposing zone, Tom King and Rick Hughes went in search of possession, and won it with good work on the boards. David Miekle found space on the left, and with an intuitive pass to Arnone at the back post, gave the defence-man the easiest of chances, and he didn't waste it. If the celebrations for the first goal were loud, the noise for the second almost lifted the roof off the Arena!! With the clock ticking down to the last minute of the period, the dangerous Stars forward, Elder, chased down a pass up centre-ice. With Rogers in hot pursuit, it looked as though Dangy would be called into action, but the defender made up the ground, forcing his opponent off the puck, and unceremoniously dumping him into the frame of the goal.

The third period began with a nasty facial injury to a Stars player, who appeared to crash into the boards. The game was delayed for several minutes, to clear up the blood, and he left the ice to sympathetic applause from both sets of supporters. The intensity on the ice was enthralling, as the puck moved from end to end, providing a great spectacle for the huge crowd. On 47 minutes, a frantic passage of play involving several players from either team saw tempers boil over. Owen, Narkia, Arnone, and Bannon all had attempts to poke the puck home from in close, but a mixture of resolute and desperate defending by the Stars denied them. Discussions took place, and although the gloves stayed on, four players took their places in the penalty boxes. Both sides remained with 5 skaters, and managed to cancel each other out, until the penalties had expired. On 52 minutes, King took a silly hooking penalty, leaving the Hawks short-handed for 2 minutes. The Stars saw this as an ideal opportunity to restore parity, and worked the puck well in the Blackburn zone, bringing out the very best in Dangy and his well-drilled defence. The home support heaved a combined sigh of relief as the team returned to full-strength, but there was a final moment of concern as a 2-on-1 breakaway caught the Hawks out. The only defence-man between the forwards and Brittle was Lomax, but he coolly closed down the options and denied them a clear shot on goal. With two minutes remaining, Thornton was called for delaying the game, giving the Hawks a much-needed powerplay in which they could run down the clock, and they did so comfortably, to run out 2-1 victors. On the final buzzer, the whole crowd stood as one, to show their appreciation for the efforts of both teams.

MVP was awarded to Lance Derbyshire, for a faultless defensive display.

The match had been a superb advert for ENL1 hockey, played in the right spirit by two very-evenly matched squads. If the return leg reaches similar heights of quality and passion, then everyone in the Billingham Forum next Sunday will be in for a pulsating, and extremely noisy night.