BILLINGHAM EAGLES V BLACKBURN HAWKS
ENHL NORTH PLAY OFF GAME
24th February 2001
Saturday 24th February saw the Eagles welcoming the players and officials of the Blackburn Hawks for our second play off game. The Hawks had lost to a wound up Warriors the week before and would be looking to put their play off campaign back on track. However the Hawks were without the influential Craig Sharman, the Eagles were again without favourite blue liner Ian Richardson but making a return this week were Gary Dowd and Graham Harrison.
First Period
The first opened with the Eagles proving they were up for tonights game, early minutes saw the Eagles raining shots on the ever vocal Colin Downie, the pressure grew more and more intense untill at 2:20 a long diagonal pass across the Blackcburn zone from Gary Dowd at the right hand point to Paul Windridge allowed spike to hit a one timer that beat Colin Downie low to open the Eagles account. As the game continued , the Eagles pressure was relentless untill at 6:25 Tom Griffiths connected with Simon Hehir pass from behind the Blackburn pipes and lifted the puck over the sprawled Colin Downie, with double assist to Stephen Wallace.At 7:07 the Hawks went shorthanded as Bobby Haig collected a 2 minute hooking sit. The power play was short lived as the Eagles Andy Fletcher collected a rebound of Hawks net minder Colin Downie and fired home the Eagles third, assisted by Martin Lewis and Paul Windridge. In the tenth minute Colin Downie pulled of a fine save on an Andre Malo slap shot. The Eagles were certainly out flying the Hawks when Andy Fletcher hit his second of the night when some good passing and skating from Lewis and Spike combined at 10:49. Hawks went short handed at 14:04 when Mark Mcdonald was called for an interference penalty, again the penalty was short as the Eagles punished the Hawks with a well worked power play goal that had seen the Eagles set up camp in the Hawks zone, and some crisp passing between all out field Eagles resulted in a superb pass from Gary Dowd, who layed it off to Martin Lewis to shoot home the Eagles 5th unanswered goal at 14:28. The Eagles were called for their first penalty at 14;51 when ref Chidley ( he of too many back passes whilst even handed fame ) judged David Flett for holding a Hawks stick. The Eagles played off the penalty without loss. The fifteenth minute saw the Hawks first serious shot on goal, that an in form Simon Burns plucked from the air. The first period closed Billingham Eagles 5 : Blackburn Hawks 0.
Second Period
The second opened with the Hawks being called a 2 minute tripping penalty for assistant captain Gordon Whyte, yet again the Eagles power play was on fire and the power play was converted when a solo run from Stephen Wallace was slid between the pads of Colin Downie. Seven minutes later Stephen got his second when Player / Coach Andre Malo skated the length of the ice going around and through the Hawks before presenting Stephen Wallace with the puck straight in front of net minder Colin Downie, a quick draw back instigated Downie to commit himself low before Stephen switched to back hand and flicked home a back hand shot. With the Eagles flying high a Gary Dowd slap shot from the point rattled the Blackburn pipes. The Eagles picked a 2 minute penalty when Brian Perry was called for a 2 minute holding the stick call at 30:21. The Eagles found themselves down to 3 men facing a 5 man power play from the Hawks when Eagles Martin Lewis was called for a 2 minute slashing penalty. With the penaltys played off without loss the Eagles closed the second with their eighth un-answered goal when at 38:48 an Andre Malo pass just to the left of Colin Downies crease was collected by Simon Hehir on his skate then flicked in to the crease to be met by Hehirs stick hitting a nice shot to the back of the Hawks net. The second closed Billingham Eagles 8 : Blackburn Hawks 0.
Third Period
The third commenced with a Hawks penalty to Eddie Cooper who took a 2 minute interference sit, he was joined 11 seconds later at 41:53 when Eagles Gary Dowd picked up a 2 minute slashing penalty, with the play even handed at 4 on 4, Martin Lewis connected with a Paul Windridge pass to lift home his second goal of the night, with a second assist to Andy Fletcher.At 43:27 Ricky Hall made a return to the pipes of the Eagles, the pressure would be on Ricky in this final 16 minutes of play, as Ricky has not conceeded a goal in the Eagles pipes this season in 210 minutes of league play. A rash of penaltys against the Eagles commenced at 49:39 when Ritchie Thornton was called for holding, at 49:44, David Flett was called for Slashing and at 50:29 Gary Dowd was called for an unsportsman like conduct call, however Garys penalty could not start untill 51:39, as the Eagles were already down to three men. Then a confident call from Colin Downie to his bench telling them to change the line up as the Eagles were tired was amusingly proven wrong as Andre Malo skated the length of the rink to fire home his first of the evening. Without any hesitation Colin Downie then pulled himself making way to Robbie Smith in the Hawks pipes. The Eagles were content to maintain possesion untill the iceing was put on the cake when Tom Griffiths fired home a shot to the high left of the Haks net assisted by Stephen Wallace and Andre Malo. The game closed Billingham Eagles 11 : Blackburn Hawks 0.
Man of the match ;
Billingham - Simon Burns
Blackburn Hawks - Colin Downie
Eagles shone tonight, crisp accurate passing, tight defence an enjoyable display of individual and team skills.
PERIOD SCORES
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | FINAL | |
| BILLINGHAM | 5 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| BLACKBURN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PENALTIES
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| BILLINGHAM | 2 | 4 | 8 | 14 |
| BLACKBURN | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
SHOTS ON GOAL
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL | |
| BURNS (Bham) | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| HALL (Bham) | - | - | 6 | 6 |
| DOWNIE (Black) | 15 | 22 | 10 | 37 |
| SMITH (Black) | - | - | 5 | 5 |