Leeds Knights 2 push champions Billingham Stars close before late double blow
LEEDS KNIGHTS 2 pushed defending NIHL North One champions Billingham Stars all the way before slipping to a second defeat in as many weeks to their north east rivals.
The previous Sunday had seen Davey Lawrence’s team fall to an 8-3 defeat on home ice against the Stars – who enjoyed league, cup and play-off success in 2024-25.
A trip to Billingham Forum just a week later was expected to prove equally as tough and so it proved.
But while Leeds were always chasing the game – they fell behind to a Jamie Moss strike after just 77 seconds – they remained in contention throughout.
Their response to going behind so early was almost immediate, Danny Harrison robbing the puck off a Stars opponent on the boards before firing into the top corner from the top of the right circle just 28 seconds later.
A second for Moss at 5.31 restored the Stars lead, one that was doubled six minutes later by Iain Brown.
But the Knights again fired a quick response, making it a one-goal game again through Owen Dell after good work by Frank O’Sullivan.
Alex Preston made it 4-2 in the 26th minute but defenceman Lawrence Dean got his reward for an impressive performance when he forced home a rebound to halve the deficit at 29.29.
Again Billingham pulled away – this time through a second for Brown at 31.33 – but the Knights fired another reminder of their intent on not falling away when Dell grabbed his second at 38.02.
Both sides had chances to score in an even third period but two goals in the space of nine seconds put paid to Leeds’ hopes of taking something from the game.
As Leeds pushed for an equaliser they coughed up the puck on the edge of the Stars’ zone, with Darren Stattersfield scoring on the subsequent breakaway at 56.24.
The Knights barely had time to compose themselves after conceding before the hosts struck again, Ben Greenhalgh beating the excellent Dan Norton from close range.
It was the second defeat of the weekend for Knights 2, who lost out 5-2 in a Yorkshire derby at Hull Jets on Saturday.
Again, they found themselves chasing the game throughout but twice came from behind to level.
Kieran Beach put the Jets ahead at 10.33 only for O’Sullivan to level within two minutes.
Richie Haggar quickly restored the hosts’ advantage just 10 seconds later at 12.32 but the second period was only 29 seconds old when Leeds pulled level for a second time through Daragh Spawforth.
Beach’s second of the game put Hull in front again at 23.58, the lead doubled by Alex Kent just after the halfway mark.
As Leeds chased the game, they were hit again by a second goal by Haggar at 46.44, the Jets holding on for their first win of the season.