BLACKBURN HAWKS V BILLINGHAM EAGLES
ENGLISH CUP GAME
7th October2001
Match Report by Danny "Statto" Phillips
Suturday the 7th October put the Eagles
on the road to the Blackburn Hawks. Billingham were icing without Craig Hill,
Dale Taylor, Jamie Pattison and Andrew Bennet but were boosted by the return
of experienced defensemen Ian
Richardson.
Blackburn were missing Wayne Slater,
Chris Cheadle, Wayne Whitby, MichaelBrunton, Paul Holden and Mark Gabbitas
but included Craig Sharman resignedfrom Altrincham.
1st Period
Paul Windridge had the first chance of the game with a slapshot from the blueline that just went wide with Fletcher just failing to connect with the rebound. Michael Snook pulled off an excellent glove save at 4:10 and then one on one with Craig Sharman in the fifth minute. Billingham went on thepowerplay at 5:18 with Wez Barnett going for interference, on the powerplay Andrew Payne went close with a slapshot with close chances for Windridge and Philip Pritchard before Michael Snook pulled off another one on one save against Michael Kershaw as they broke short-handed.
Billingham took the lead as Paul Windridge fed Andrew Fletcher from the left wing and Fletch finished in the bottom left hand corner.
Billingham went short-handed when David
Thomas took a 2min holding penalty as Blackburn poured forward on the powerplay.
Snook pulled off 2 more saves from close
in and from the blue line.
Blackburn then received a five on three
advantage as Martin Lewis took a 2 min usc penalty for talking too much to
the ref., penalties were coming thick and fast now as Fletch and Mark McDonald
of the hawks both 2 mins for high sticks, Philip Pritchard then put in excellent
work at the back to stop Sharman with a chance of a breakaway. Michael Snook
came up with another excellent stop to preserve the lead at 16:34 but could
do nothing at 17:12 as Bobby Haig broke in alone to finish with assists to
Kershaw and Barnett.
Eagles went on the powerplay with McDonald taking a 2 min roughing penalty but it was Blackburn that were attacking short-handed and Snook came up big again to stop Sharman on the breakaway.
End of 1st Blackburn Hawks 1 Billingham
Eagles 1
Shots on goal Hawks 13 Eagles 5.
2nd Period
Billingham started the 2nd with 20 seconds
of powerplay time and received a short 5 on 3 as Barnett went for tripping
at 20:11, there was more good work by Windridge down the left wing with a
pinpoint pass to Martin Lewis but
Downie made a good point blank save.
Blackburn went on the powerplay at 23:27 as Gareth Crinnion received 2 mins for hooking. Despite early pressure from the hawks on the powerplay it was the Eagles who went 2-1 up when Andrew Fletcher stripped the puck from Gordon Whyte just outside the Hawks blueline and broke in alone to finish low in the bottom right hand corner.
Blackburn went back on the powerplay as Gareth Crinnion picked up another minor penalty this time for interference at 26:24.
Blackburn picked up the equaliser just as the penalty was ending timed at 28:24 Bobby Haig finishing off good work with an assist from Sharman. Blackburn kept up the pressure and scored again through Peter Tapp at 29:44 assisted by Bobby Haig.
Michael Snook was keeping Billingham
in the game this time with a stop from Bobby Haig and this set up a breakaway
by the Eagles when Paul Harland sent Andrew Payne alone with Downie but he
was up to the challenge
with a good pad stop.
Andrew Fletcher then received a 10 min misconduct penalty for throwing the puck into the crowd when the referee failed to stop the game as the puck hit Ian Richardson in the face.
Blackburn went back on the powerplay as Paul Windridge took a 2 min hooking penalty
End of 2nd period Blackburn Hawks 3 Billingham Eagles
2
Shots on Goal Hawks 12 Eagles 5
3rd Period
Blackburn started the period on the powerplay with 47 seconds left on the penalty to Windridge, this was killed off and Billingham went back on the powerplay with Neil Haworth receiving a 2+10 for checking for behind at 42:15 but again it was Blackburn with the best chance short-handed but again Bobby Haig was stopped on the breakaway by Michael Snook.
Blackburn went back on the powerplay
at 44:26 as Philip Pritchard received 2 mins for holding and Michael pulled
off another super glove save from Gordon Whyte on the powerplay. Billingham
tied the game up while short-handed as a
Blackburn player seemed to put the puck in his own net with the goal credited
to David Flett for his first ever goal in a eagles shirt.
Blackburn went onto a 5 on 3 as Ian Richardson was given a 2 min interference penalty at 45:59 but Michael Snook was keeping Billingham in the game with save after save and was given a let off when the referee blew the whistle too early as the puck went into the net to no avail as it was disallowed.
The referee then decided to take centre stage much to the Eagles dismay as the referee saw something nobody else in the arena saw when a Gordon Whyte shot from the point was deemed to have gone through the net by the referee while everybody else in the arena thought it had gone wide including all the players and the linesman could find no hole in the net so we will leave that with the referee and what he thought he saw.
Blackburn then made it 5-3 as Gordon Whyte broke away at 49:40. Billingham were giving a lifeline by the ref. as he gave a penalty to Craig Sharman of the Hawks for holding the stick at 49:52 he was none too happy about the decision and argued his point to the ref. but to no avail.
Billingham did pull a goal back with a strike from Martin Lewis into the top right hand corner after work down the wing from Paul Windridge at 52:13.
Billingham were given more hope as Tony Melbourne was given 2 mins for holding but itwas Michael Snook that was the busiest keeper after making a 2 on 1 save from Craig Sharman and Bobby Haig twice with the 2nd save was rather special after going post to post to save from sharman on a 2 on 0 breakaway.
Final Score Blackburn Hawks 5 Billingham Eagles 4
Shots on Goal 3rd period Hawks 19 Eagles 11
Man of the match awards
Hawks Gordon Whyte
Eagles Michael Snook an excellent display in net !!!!
PERIOD SCORES
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | FINAL | |
| BLACKBURN | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| BILLINGHAM | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
PENALTIES
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| BLACKBURN | 6 | 2 | 18 | 26 |
| BILLINGHAM | 6 | 16 | 4 | 26 |
SHOTS ON GOAL
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| DOWNIE | 5 | 5 | 11 | 21 |
| SNOOK | 13 | 12 | 19 | 44 |
HOME PLAYER STATS