It had been 362 days since that night in Teeside where the Blackburn Hawks beat the Billingham Stars and became Moralee Cup champions. A lot has happened since then. Players have come and gone, fans have flocked to both teams, and the Hawks pulled off an even more impressive feat when they beat the Stars again in an unforgettable Play-Off Final. More drama ensued as the following regular season has seen two home victories for both teams in a terrific tetralogy of games. The only thing that has not happened is the cooling off of emotions. This feud between the finest has only grown more intense since last year’s cup final and is felt by fans and players alike from both clubs. So when fate brought these two teams together yet again (in an exact replay of last year’s final), the stage was set for another classic chapter in this best-on-best battle.

MATCHNIGHT 1 @ BLACKBURN ARENA

The first leg of this decisive double-header took place on the Saturday at Blackburn Arena. Whilst the Stars supporters supplanted a substantial section in the stands, the Hawks fans filled out the Nest, with the resultant electric atmosphere certainly living up to this outstanding occasion.

The drama began as soon as the puck was dropped. The Hawks, a team who had made it tradition to score early at home games, matched the feeling of the fans and squeezed the Stars from the start, and within thirty seconds the puck was in the back of the net…just not the right one. The high-pressing Blackburn defence had been caught off guard, allowing Chris Sykes to break through the middle and capitalise before the half-a-minute mark. Shocked by this early goal and the affecting atmosphere in the arena, the Hawks got dragged deep into Billingham’s zone – a clever cross ice pass completely wrong-footed four of Blackburn’s players on the ice, leaving just Bobby Streetly alone to face down the dangerous duo of Brown and Spraggon. Despite the defenceman’s best efforts, Streetly couldn’t prevent the inevitable. The Stars stars juggled the puck between them and it was Spraggon who finished the move, putting Billingham two goals ahead in just under three minutes. With a boisterous Billingham crowd in early hysterics, they had barely caught back their breath before they were celebrating again. Less than thirty seconds after their second goal, a stretch pass found Roland Gritans in stride. Without hesitation, he slipped his shot past Keddie, sending the Stars into a 3-0 lead just over three minutes into the final. The Hawks Nest was in shock. Billingham’s signature small-ice passing play had shredded the Hawks’ usually impervious defence, catching them out in transition. More importantly, the Stars had been clinical, converting every opportunity they had. The away fans were in dreamland, while the home supporters were witnessing their worst nightmare unfold before their very eyes.

At the resumption of play, the Blackburn Hawks found themselves in a position that was truly unprecedented. It was a rare sight to see Blackburn down by one goal this season, let alone by three so early. Their attack, usually the most clinical in the league, had been wayward. Their defence, usually the most solid in the league, had been erratic. Lesser teams would have succumbed to the stifling pressure of this situation. But this was not the cloth from which the Blackburn Hawks were cut….

Determined to fight back, Blackburn pressed forward relentlessly, adapting from their earlier missteps. With a more disciplined defensive setup, they neutralised the Stars high-flying forwards. Matty Cross swatted down another attempted offensive play from Billingham, with the subsequent free puck being hounded down by the Hawks. Eventually, Adam Barnes regained possession for Blackburn on the left flank and without even so much as glancing upwards, managed to send the perfect pass to the slot for James Riddoch to bury first time. The atmosphere was astounding in the wake of Riddoch’s response and only spurred on the home team to advance further and further into Billingham territory.  As the first period neared its halfway point, Blackburn struck again. In a play reminiscent of their first goal, Petr Valusiak won the puck back behind Billingham’s net. He swiftly sent a precise pass into the slot, where Daragh Spawforth made no mistake, blasting it bar-down and in. The period ended with the Stars holding onto a 3-2, with all in attendance eager for more explosive cup final action.

The Hawks came out flying in the second. Much of the pressure was again fixated in Billingham’s zone. Shot after shot was rattled off towards Jacob Hammond, but the Stars’ netminder was impenetrable. The Keeper would face down a total of 17 shots in the middle period, stopping every single one. Ben Keddie had managed to regain his composure after that testing first twenty minutes and even recreated some of Hammond’s heroics for the Hawks, however the Scottish shotstopper could not escape the period undefeated.

The Stars’ next goal was a testament to their speed and ruthlessness. After a near-miss for Blackburn at the other end, Billingham barely managed to clear their zone. As the Hawks regrouped in the neutral zone for another offensive push, an unfortunate bounce sent the puck careening off Liam Hine’s stick into open ice. Before anyone could react, Iain Brown had already pounced on the loose puck, blazed into Blackburn’s end and fired in their fourth. A single mistake had been brutally punished in emphatic fashion. Speed was certainly the name of the game for Billingham and it wouldn’t even take ten seconds before the Stars struck again. Immediately from the centre ice face-off, Billingham took possession and advanced. Once Conor McNulty had crossed the blue line, he located Rolands Gritans in prime position. The pass was made to Gritans and swiftly sent to James Moss in front of goal. Though Keddie denied Moss’ initial attempt, the puck bounced back to Gritans. The Latvian did not miss. With a two-goal cushion restored, Billingham entered the final period firmly in control.

After an unfortunate middle period had seen the Hawks unable to make use of their attacking inclination, the third and final period of this home leg would need to see them take the fight to the Stars if there was going to be any chance of pulling back this cup final tie. ‘Fight’ was seemingly the operative word for Blackburn, and not too dissimilar to a boxing event, the roaring crowd put their whole, absolute support behind their hometown heroes as they readied to rumble for one final round. Whilst the Hawks may have re-emerged out of their changing room with fire in their bellies and an all-guns-blazing approach, Billingham decided to completely switch strategy. Moving away from their ‘rope-a-dope’ technique of inviting pressure and waiting until their opponent made a mistake before striking, the Stars entered this final round like a fighter who knew he was winning on the scorecards. Guard up and with no desire to risk getting a knock-out blow, Billingham completely retreated their attacking options – managing just six shots in the final period. However, in true Floyd Mayweather fashion, this defensive set-up managed to drag the Stars to the final bell.

The Hawks did manage to pull one back through Adam Barnes, who reacted quickest to a rebound off the backboards and slotted it home. But Billingham refused to be rattled. Even when tempers flared, the Stars remained composed—Joe Walls notably declined an invitation to drop the gloves with Andy McKinney, avoiding an altercation that could have shifted momentum. The final buzzer sounded with Billingham securing a 5-3 victory. The travelling supporters erupted in celebration, while the home fans, though disappointed with their team’s first loss at The Nest since October, applauded their resilience. With one leg of the final in the books, all eyes turned to Billingham for the decisive second game.

 

MATCHNIGHT 2 @ BILLINGHAM FORUM

The next day came and the Blackburn Hawks had ample time to consider their game plan in the 98-mile journey to Teeside. Accompanying them was a huge contingent of supporters who packed out a full section of the stands. On the small, slightly sodden ice of the Billingham Forum, the fate of the Moralee Cup would be decided. Blackburn had conquered this venue a year earlier, but it would be a truly daunting task to recreate that triumph.

The final hour of this competition commenced, and things picked up exactly where they were left in Blackburn. Ben Keddie stood tall in net for the Hawks and brilliantly backstopped against an early barrage from Billingham. The Stars would eventually break through on home ice as James Moss, posted up on the top of the right circle, ripped a rocket bound for the far corner of Keddie’s goal. Things looked to be getting worse for Blackburn as only a couple of minutes later defenceman Ethan Mayoh was penalised for a spurious hooking call. Now down to just four men, the Hawks looked to play Billingham at their own game. The short-handed side soaked up the Stars attacking pressure and just as a mistake was made on the blue line, Andy McKinney sent through a sprinting Jacob Lutwyche on goal. Lutwyche made no mistake, roofing his shot past Hammond and sending the goalie’s bottle flying.

Taken aback by this short-handed strike, the Stars again reloaded their imperious starting line and just before the halfway point of the period – they struck back with a goal that had clearly been constructed in training. After another quick neutral zone transition from defence to attack, Iain Brown broke into the Blackburn end and skilfully dropped off the puck between his legs for an oncoming Chris Sykes. Dragging three defenders along with him, Sykes then delivered a perfect cross-ice pass back to Brown, who hammered home the one-timer. The Stars led 2-1 at the first intermission.

Blackburn’s second period struggles had been well-documented, but this time, they flipped the script. Just a minute in, McKinney flew into Billingham’s zone on the far-left wing and flung a shot which whistled past Hammond’s ear, sending his water bottle into the air once again. Twelve minutes later and it was the Stars’ turn for powerplay punishment. After a very close too-many-men call went against the visitors, Billingham saw the opportunity to go ahead again. Callum Wilkinson cleaned up a loose puck after an uncharacteristic whiff from Iain Brown, with the Billingham boy putting his team 3-2 up. This goal wouldn’t keep them ahead for long however, as just two minutes later, Blackburn would keep plugging away at Hammond. Eventually the puck fell out to Captain Aaron Davies, and in situations of dire need for the Hawks…The Captain always delivers. Davies found the space in the five-hole and pulled back the scoreline for the third time this game. The tension in The Forum appeared to be melting the ice under foot. The final minutes of the second period saw both chirps and hits thrown in equal measure as both sides came tantalisingly close to scoring. It was advantage to Blackburn however as Stars defender Darren Stattersfield regained his well-worn spot in the penalty box after a holding penalty. With less than a minute to go, the Hawks powerplay line were again the men of the moment, as James Royds latched himself onto a well-worked rebound from Lee Pollitt’s initial shot. The Hawks went into the changing room for the final intermission of this cup campaign. They were winning on the night, but this wasn’t enough. They needed more.

It all came down to this final twenty minutes. Both teams entered the ice and were ready to write their name in the history books. However, it would be Billingham who drew first blood in this final period. In an almost inch perfect recreation of the goal that opened this game, Chris Sykes was left free on the top of the circle. He took one step in and ripped home the goal that would break Blackburn fans hearts. The momentum had shifted. Billingham could afford to go back into ‘park-the-bus’ mode, whereas Blackburn, already running on fumes, looked to have exerted their tank. However, if there’s one defining characteristic of this club, it is that they will not go down without a fight. The whole team rallied, and it was Adam Barnes, undeterred by exhaustion, who coolly slotted in their fifth goal, keeping their hopes alive. As the clock wound down, Billingham’s defensive discipline prevailed, and alas it was not meant to be for the Hawks.

The final buzzer sounded, and Billingham had done it. They had exorcised their demons from final’s past and bested their rivals in front of an adoring home crowd. Respect was shown between the two sides as they each acknowledged that they had played in a series for the ages. The exhausted Hawks gave one final show of appreciation to the incredible support which had spurred them on all across the country in this cup campaign, before retiring to the changing room to reflect on their valiant performance in a final which will be remembered for years to come.

Though Blackburn became one of the only teams this season to beat Billingham at The Forum, it was ultimately not enough this time around. There has been little time to mourn this loss, with the Hawks returning to action the following weekend and gaining maximum points across two games. Their league campaign continues as they try to track down the Stars at the top of the table. However, if you know anything about hockey, you know this story isn’t over just yet. The Hawks-Stars series is currently tied at three wins each this season and with the Play-Offs being the only available option for these foes to meet one final time, it seems the script is already written. Nothing is truly certain in this sport and that’s why we love it, but if there is such things as hockey gods, I just know they’ll have front-row seats when the Blackburn Hawks and Billingham Stars finally settle the score…

 

Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove

FEATURED IMAGES PHOTO CREDIT: KIPAX