Referee David Emmerson drops the puck. Photo by IceHockeyMedia.
Whitley Warriors achieved an 8-3 victory over local rivals Billingham Stars at The Forum on Sunday evening.
Making the short trip to Teesside with twenty skaters, Whitley Warriors’ line-up included returnee Shaun Kippin, top points scorer Ben Campbell and netminder Richie Lawson whilst Billingham had a twenty-one-man team available to them, Captain Michael Elder and Czech imports Tomáš Rubeš and Daniel Silar amongst those at their disposal.
Firing on all cylinders, the Warriors made their intent clear just twenty five seconds into the first period when defenceman Harry Harley collected his rebounded shot to successfully set up Captain Dean Holland. Rampant, Whitley doubled their lead just over a minute later when Alternate Captain Jordan Barnes beat netminder Mark Turnbull to make it 2-0. Maintaining this momentum, the Warriors showed no signs of letting up and soon bagged themselves a third when forward Ross Murray capitalised on passing play between Harley and Campbell, tapping the puck past Turnbull to achieve the fifth goal of his campaign on 6:59. With such a margin separating the rivals early in the contest, Billingham opted for a timeout and soon after, the perfect chance to open their account arose when Kippin was dealt a penalty for hooking on 8:06. Though shorthanded, the Warriors appeared just as threatening on the penalty kill which was demonstrated when Murray skated towards Turnbull’s net at speed. Realising the danger, forward James Moss brought down the Warrior which saw Murray immediately return to his feet to drop the gloves with the Star on 9:51. In consequence, both players picked up 2+2 for fighting whilst Moss received an additional two minutes for his initial crosscheck. This presented Whitley with a power play and the Warriors wasted little time in making their additional skater count as in-form forward Adam Finlinson flicked the puck home to extend his side’s lead to 4-0 on 10:20 courtesy of defenceman Craig Johnson and Campbell. Shortly afterwards, the tables turned on the visitors when a trip from forward Niall Ryder placed the Warriors on the penalty kill. This provided the Stars with a foothold in the game as forward Craig Thurston beat Lawson on 13:08 to narrow his team’s deficit to three goals. With Billingham unable to build on this prior to the first interval, the Warriors contented themselves with their 4-1 lead as they headed into the second period.
After a disappointing first period for the home team, the Stars decided to replace netminder Mark Turnbull with shot stopper Mark Watson. Fourteen seconds into the middle stanza, Finlinson was punished for crosschecking but the Warriors killed this penalty successfully, only to pick up a second just over five minutes later for icing too many men. Despite this, Whitley once again posed a threat whilst shorthanded as forward Ben Richards restored Whitley’s four-goal lead, pouncing on Latvian defenceman Rolands Gritāns’ rebounded shot on 28:52. Shortly afterwards, forward Callum Queenan was shown to the sin bin following a slashing offence and moments later, the two outfits clashed again when versatile Warrior Kyle Ross went toe-to-toe with Stars’ Alternate Captain Callum Davies; both were punished for fighting, though Whitley received an additional two-minute minor for roughing. Seemingly spurred on by this battle, the Stars added a second to their tally when sixteen-year-old forward Joseph Walls stunned to achieve his first senior goal on 35:50, defenceman Matthew Campbell with the assist. With Ross still serving his penalty for fighting, the Warriors then incurred another as defenceman Josh Maddock was punished for interference just over a minute later. Working effectively in defence to prevent the Stars from making a comeback, Whitley were relieved to head in at the second break with a 5-2 lead, Lawson having endured Billingham’s fifteen shots in the period.
The momentum briefly shifting in favour of the home team, Billingham began the final stanza with a third goal, this time forward Chris Sykes lingering at the edge of Whitley’s defensive zone where he received the puck from defenceman Ben Davison to calmly slot past netminder Lawson just thirty nine seconds into the period. Realising their need for a quick response, the Warriors made it 6-3 moments later; forward Phil Edgar restoring his team’s three-goal lead on 41:10, easing past Moss’ attempts to close down his shot. A slashing penalty for forward Callum Watson almost four minutes later placed the Warriors on the penalty kill yet again but the visitors saw off Billingham’s attempts to capitalise. After chances for both teams failed to make their mark on the game, Whitley were awarded a power play when Moss was called to the sin bin for high sticks on 55:26. This allowed the Warriors to claim a seventh goal, this time Campbell netting after picking up the puck at centre ice and carrying it clear of Billingham’s defence to slot home for 7-3. Less than two minutes later, both teams ran into penalty trouble, Silar and Ryder each incurring penalties of 2+10 for boarding and checking from behind respectively. Unperturbed by this, Barnes completed his team’s scoring in the final minute of the game, breaking away from the Warriors’ defensive zone and remaining composed to fire past netminder Watson, confirming his team’s 8-3 win in the process.
Stats
Shots on goal
Stars: 36
Warriors: 35
Points
Stars:
Craig Thurston (1+0), Joe Walls (1+0), Chris Sykes (1+0), Ben Davison (0+1), Michael Elder (0+1), Matthew Campbell (0+1), Daniel Silar (0+1)
Warriors:
Jordan Barnes (2+0), Ben Campbell (1+3), Dean Holland (1+1), Phil Edgar (1+1), Adam Finlinson (1+1), Ben Richards (1+0), Ross Murray (1+0), Craig Johnson (0+2), Kyle Ross (0+2), Harry Harley (0+2), Rolands Gritāns (0+2), Callum Watson (0+1)
Penalty minutes
Stars: 24
Warriors: 36
Man of the Match
Stars: James Moss
Warriors: Ross Murray