Blackburn entered the festive period still hot on the heels of the Solihull Barons, with their return to winning ways last weekend keeping them firmly in the title conversation. While the Hawks’ schedule offered a potentially routine Saturday trip to Sheffield, all eyes were firmly fixated on Sunday’s high-stakes rematch against the defending champions, the Billingham Stars. Their early-season meeting had produced an unforgettable finish, with Tom Barry snatching a last-minute winner on Teesside. A moment that will live on in the heads of both Hawks and Stars fans alike. Still, before the marquee matchup at the Hawks Nest, Blackburn first had to take care of business at iceSheffield against a Scimitars side who have endured a winless campaign yet have caused the Hawks more headaches than the table suggests. This was no walk-through assignment. Whilst last weekend confirmed the unfortunate departure of the ‘Super Scot’ Garry Simpson, this week saw a strengthening of the squad at the other end of the ice with veteran defenceman Sammy Zajac bolstering Blackburn’s blueline. The former Glasgow Clan man would make his Hawks debut on Saturday’s early face-off at iceSheffield alongside a full Hawks team minus the suspended Sam Warnock.
Blackburn came out with intent, and five minutes into Zajac’s debut, the new man made himself known on the scoresheet. A high-sticking call on Joe Matthewman handed the Hawks an early powerplay, and Zajac needed no second invitation. A clean, measured strike from the point sailed through traffic and beat Nick Winters, giving the Hawks an early lead and marking a perfect introduction for the returning defender. Despite conceding early, Sheffield battled hard throughout the opening frame. Winters, in particular, was superb – facing 24 shots from one of the league’s most dangerous offences and conceding only the debut goal. His efforts kept the Scimitars firmly afloat heading into the second period. Sheffield were rewarded for their resilience shortly after the restart. A quick transition saw Jacob Brammer drive the puck into the zone before laying it off to Finley Williams, who finished cleanly to level the score at 1–1. The Hawks, however, responded with ruthless speed. Less than 30 seconds after the equaliser, Jacob Lutwyche restored Blackburn’s lead, converting an incisive pass from captain Andy McKinney. And within a minute, the same duo linked up again: McKinney slicing through neutral ice before finding Lutwyche for a second time, the forward finally cracking the code on Winters and putting the Hawks 3–1 up.
Blackburn tightened their grip in the third period. Adam Barnes scored five minutes after the restart thanks to selfless work from Lutwyche, who turned provider on this occasion. As Sheffield began to tire, the Hawks moved into full control. With the final minutes ticking down, Luke Watson helped the puck onto Matty Cross, who fired home one of his first goals of the season to make it 5–1. A late consolation from Sam Keeling cut the deficit to 5–2, but the game ended on a sour note for Sheffield as tempers flared. Local lads Charlie Thompson and Jacob Brammer became embroiled in handbags as the buzzer sounded. Jack Brammer may have been slightly conflicted watching his teammate and his brother duke it out, however one thing he could be certain on was that the Hawks were definite victors in the Don Valley. Blackburn left Yorkshire with the expected result but also with the sense that they had handled the occasion professionally. The job was done. And now the focus could shift entirely to Sunday’s main event.
This was the one circled on everyone’s calendar. Two northern powerhouses with years of shared history, and a rivalry sharpened even further by recent clashes in league, cup and playoff finals. The champions came to Lancashire knowing that defeat would be costly in multiple senses. The home side wanted to brush aside all notions of controversy from the last encounter between the rivals, and highlight how much they had improved since their final defeats last season.
It was an absolutely electric atmosphere inside the Hawks Nest. Whilst there were considerably fewer away fans than in the return fixture, those who braved the trip from Teesside certainly made their thoughts known at the Hawks’ flamboyant entrance onto the ice. After the flashing lights and pyrotechnics had subsided, the start of play saw an equally fiery start. The opening moments of the game demonstrated the box office nature of this contest. Just over five minutes in and the Hawks had put one in the net, however the play was already blown dead for an offside. Billingham’s players took opposition to this action and proceeded to swarm Charlie Thompson. Forward Liam Charnock stepped in to defend his teammate when Ben Greenhalgh intercepted him and swung his stick downward across Charnock’s neck. The crowd erupted into outrage as it looked as another Billingham player had used his stick to strike his opponent. The officials deliberated on this and decided to give a 2+2 consecutive penalty for high-sticking. This did little to cool proceedings as the temperature inside the arena climbed sharply. Blackburn would eventually draw first blood after a priceless breakthrough by Andy McKinney. The Captain led by example and beat James Moss in the middle after an exquisite feed from Jacob Lutwyche. Strong performances from the netminders at either end of the ice would mean this was the only goal of the opening period, however it seemed a richly deserved reward for Blackburn’s pressure.
The second period started, and it would be the Hawks who doubled their lead. Defenceman Bobby Streetly stepped up and fired through a crowd, with the Stars shot stopper scrambling to smother the loose puck. James Royds swooped in for the Hawks and slipped the puck past Hammond for Blackburn’s second. Billingham, rattled, continued to lose defensive shape. A hooking call delayed against Michael Elder threatened to put them on the penalty kill, but before the whistle could sound, Adam Barnes snapped a blistering shot past Hammond to make it 3–0. A devastating sequence that felt, at the time, like the moment the champions hit their overdraft. Yet the Stars were not done. For all their issues, Billingham generated plenty of chances, as Harrison Walker had to produce a string of outstanding saves to protect Blackburn’s advantage. Eventually, the pressure told. First Shaun Galloway, then James Moss struck in quick succession, slashing the deficit to 3–2 and shifting the mood inside the arena. A sense of doubt crept in as the Stars were threatening to cash in on this quick momentum. With only one goal in it, Billingham tried to balance the books, but the shortfall would only grow after Sammy Zajac zapped a missile from the blueline with just seven seconds left in the period. Two goals in his first two games, it’s safe to say the Geordie is settling into Lancashire life as he was swarmed by his new teammates in celebration. This Zajac zinger certainly elicited a different reaction from the Billingham players, as the two teams had to be separated when leaving the ice. As choice words billowed out of the mouth of Jacob Hammond and other perturbed members of the away side, the Hawks made the decision to let their play do the talking for them in the final period of this fiery fixture.
The concluding period opened with one team mentally invested and the other seemingly bankrupt of composure. Just three minutes in, James Riddoch produced a stunning moment. Lee Pollitt played a progressive pass to the forward on the right wing, with Billingham positioning themselves ready in the centre. Instead, Riddoch rifled a shot over a helpless Hammond’s shoulder, delivering a perfectly executed sucker punch. Finding themselves in debt after this ruthless surge, the Stars could not compete with the physicality of Barry and Brammer, who cut out any attempts to challenge Walker. It seemed as if this scorching strike signalled a complete head loss for the Stars. The penalties piled up for the away side as James Royds made them pay the price with his second of the night knocking the Stars for six. Further penalty problems would endure for Billingham. With just under ten minutes to go, Blackburn fans were reminded that Stars ‘Starman’ Iain Brown was indeed actually playing the game, as he was sequestered to the sin bin for another infringement. The Hawks would happily bank on this opportunity, with Jacob Lutwyche adding another goal to his growing portfolio.
As the final minutes ticked away, it was clear on the faces of Stars players and fans alike that they just wanted the game over and to get back to Billingham as quick as possible (Crazy, I know). Seeing this, Andy McKinney decided to leave them all with a parting gift with a goal worth its weight in gold. The talisman scored on a magnificent curving move which started behind the goal and finished with the puck inside said goal for the eighth and final time of the night. As the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard read as such: Blackburn 8, Billingham 2. A result with enormous significance: not only a dominant victory over the champions, but one that drops Billingham close to cup elimination in the competition they won at Blackburn’s expense last season.
The Hawks could not have asked for a more emphatic end to their double-header weekend. With four points secured and a statement demolition of the defending champions, Blackburn now soar back to the top of the table. The two points cushion over Solihull may be slim, especially with the Barons having a game in hand, but it means that every game left in this final stretch of 2025 is crucial. After weeks of back-to-back battles, the Hawks break their double-header streak with just a single fixture next weekend. Any thoughts of an easy ride will be quickly dismissed as the Telford Tigers 2 arrive at the Hawks Nest eager to claw back some revenge for the result in Mid-November. With the points secured and more tests ahead, Blackburn now set their sights on the final fixtures of the year and the chance to close it out on a high.
The Blackburn Hawks will play against the Telford Tigers 2 @ Blackburn Arena on Sunday November 30th, Face-Off: 6pm.
Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove
FEATURED IMAGES CREDIT: KIPAX, Luke Riley and RDG.Digital