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Billingham Stars

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}

{{More citations needed|date=April 2025}}

{{Pro hockey team

| bg_color = #c93434

| text_color = #ffffff

| team = Billingham Stars

| logo = Billingham Stars Logo.svg

| logosize = 200px

| current = 2024–25 NIHL Moralee Conference season

| city = Billingham, England

| league = NIHL

| conference =

| division = Division 1 North

| founded = {{Start date|1971}}

| arena = Billingham Forum Ice Arena

| colours = Red, White, Black

{{color box|#c93434}} {{color box|white}} {{color box|black}}

| coach = Richie Thornton, Stephen Foster

| captain = Michael Elder

| GM = Allen Flavell

| media = https://www.starshockey.co.uk/

| affiliates =

| name1 = Billingham Bombers

| dates1 = 1971–1982

| name2 = Cleveland Bombers

| dates2 = 1982–1992

| name3 = Billingham Bombers

| dates3 = 1992–1993

| name4 = Teesside Bombers

| dates4 = 1993–1995

| name5 = Billingham Bombers

| dates5 = 1995–1996

| name6 = Billingham Eagles

| dates6 = 1996–2002

| name7 = Billingham Bombers

| dates7 = 2002–2009

| name8 = Billingham Stars (ENL)

| dates8 = 2011-Current

|reg_season_titles = 1998/1999, 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2005/2006, 2011/2012, 2023/2024, 2024/2025

|championships = 1998/1999, 2011/2012, 2024/2025

}}

The Billingham Stars are an ice hockey team from the town of Billingham in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees in Teesside. They are currently members of the National Ice Hockey League playing in its Division 1 North (Moralee Conference). The Stars play their home games at the Billingham Forum.

The Stars are currently coached by ex-Durham Wasps player Stephen Foster and former Billingham player Richie Thornton.

Notable ex-Billingham players include current GB International and Sheffield Steelers Robert Dowd and Patrice Lefebvre who went on to play 3 games in the NHL for the Washington Capitals.

History

The Billingham Bombers were founded in 1971 as members of the Northern League. In 1982 they became a founder member of the British Hockey League and changed their name to the Cleveland Bombers. Between 1991 and 1995 the team played under the name of the Teesside Bombers before reverting to their original name. Between 1982 and 1986 and again between 1990 and 1994, the Bombers played in the Premier League, the top flight division of British ice hockey at the time.

In more recent times the Bombers won the English League Northern section regular season championship and Northern section play off championship during the 2005–06 season.

The Billingham Bombers did not compete in any league due to a refurbishment of their home venue TFM Radio Ice Arena in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons

Ice Hockey returned to the forum in the 2011/12 seasons after merging with the Northern Stars who were facing problems with their home rink, the Metro Radio Arena. The new club was renamed Billingham Stars.

In 2011/12, the club's first season back following two seasons away from Ice Hockey, Billingham Stars were successful in their attempt to become champions of the English National League, Northern Division. The Championship was finally won with the penultimate league match, at home to Trafford Metros in a 2–2 draw, giving Billingham the final point required to ensure the title.

In 2012/13 Billingham Stars finished as runners up to Solway Sharks for both the League and Cup as well as runners up to the Blackburn Hawks in the end of season playoffs.

In 2013/14 season Billingham finished the season in 3rd position and were knocked out of the end of season Playoffs by 2nd placed Blackburn Hawks.

In the 2014/15 season Billingham finished 2nd to Blackburn Hawks, whilst also making the end of season playoff finals at Dumfries, Scotland. Billingham Stars lost the playoff final game vs Blackburn Hawks.

In 2015/16 season Billingham failed to make the Playoffs finishing in 5th position. However, as a consolation they did win the Northern Cup Competition.

Billingham Stars won the 2023/24 English National League, Northern Division championship, confirming the title with a 3-0 away win against Hull Jets. They collected the trophy at their next home game, the following day, against Solihull Barons. They also reached the playoff final, but lost to Blackburn Hawks on a shootout.

In the 2024/25 season, Billingham won the Moralee Cip (formerly the Northern Cup), with a 9-8 win on aggregate against Blackburn Hawks. They went on to win the English National League, Northern Division championship, doing so with a 8-4 away win at Solihull Barons. Then Billingham won a third trophy, winning the Playoff final against Blackburn Hawks 6-3.{{cite web|url=https://englandicehockey.com/match-report-moralee-playoff-grand-final-nihl-steel-city-showdown/|title= Match report – moralee playoff grand final, nihl steel city showdown|publisher=England Ice Hockey|date=12 April 2025|access-date=12 April 2025}} This led to them entering the first national playoff championship final against the Division One South play-off winners Slough Jets. Billingham won the match 5-4 in overtime, resulting in a fourth trophy for the season.{{cite web|url=https://englandicehockey.com/match-report-ken-taggart-memorial-trophy-nihl-steel-city-showdown/|title=Match Report – Ken Taggart Memorial Trophy, NIHL Steel City Showdown|publisher=England Ice Hockey|date=15 April 2025|access-date=15 April 2025}}{{cite web|last=Nixon|first=Matty|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0l4gcvr|title=Billingham Stars going for unprecedented quintuple|publisher=BBC Radio Tees|access-date=15 April 2025}} They then played against Slough again in the Division One Championship final, but lost 6-1.

Club roster 2022-23

(*) Denotes a Non-British Trained player (Import)

class="toccolours" style="width:97%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"

! colspan="10" style="background:#c93434; color:#FFFFFF;” " |Netminders

style="background:#ddd;"

! width="5%" |No.

! width="5%" |Nat.

!Player

! width="7%" |Catches

! width="16%" |Date of birth

! width="20%" |Place of birth

! width="24%" |Acquired

|Contract

style="background:#eee;"

|2

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Jacob Hammond

|

| align="left" |2004 (age 18)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|30

|{{flagicon|ENG}} {{flagicon|CAN}}

| align="left" |Thomas Brown

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2000|07|20|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Middlesbrough, England

| align="left" |2018 from Whitley Warriors

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|31

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Ryan Wardell

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2005|01|30|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Sunderland, England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|22/23

class="toccolours" style="width:97%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"

! colspan="11" style="background:#c93434; color:#FFFFFF;” " |Defencemen

style="background:#ddd;"

! width="5%" |No.

! width="5%" |Nat.

!Player

! width="7%" |Shoots

! width="16%" |Date of birth

! width="20%" |Place of birth

! width="24%" |Acquired

|Contract

style="background:#eee;"

|7

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Benjamin Greenhalgh

|

| align="left" |2005 (age 17)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|12

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Tommy Spraggon

|R

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2005|01|26|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Billingham, England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|Two-Way

style="background:#eee;"

|14

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |James Hellens

|

| align="left" |2001 (age 21)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2018 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|26

|{{flagicon|LAT}}

| align="left" |Rolands Gritāns*

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1991|01|19|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Daugavpils, Latvia

| align="left" |2022 from Whitley Warriors

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|38

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Stuart Jackson

|

| align="left" |2002 (age 20)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2019 from Billingham U20

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|62

|{{flagicon|LAT}}

| align="left" |Patriks Grigors*

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2001|02|19|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Jelgava, Latvia

| align="left" |2021 from Dundee Comets

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|81

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Joseph Dowdle

|

| align="left" |2001 (age 21)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2019 from Billingham U20

|22/23

class="toccolours" style="width:97%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"

! colspan="11" style="background:#c93434; color:#FFFFFF;” " |Forwards

style="background:#ddd;"

! width="5%" |No.

! width="5%" |Nat.

!Player

! width="7%" |Shoots

! width="16%" |Date of birth

! width="20%" |Place of birth

! width="24%" |Acquired

|Contract

style="background:#eee;"

|5

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |James Moss

|

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1992|06|01|df=yes}}

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2010 from Northern Stars

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|6

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Samuel Dowd

|

| align="left" |2005 (age 17)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2022 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|8

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Joseph Walls

|

| align="left" |2003 (age 19)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2019 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|15

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Chris Sykes 'A'

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1992|01|05|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Sheffield, England

| align="left" |2014 from Sutton Sting

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|19

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Shaun Galloway

|R

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2001|01|14|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Bishop Auckland, England

| align="left" |2018 from Billingham U20

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|23

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Jack Emerson

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1996|9|19|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Easington, England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|32

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Michael Elder 'C'

|R

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1993|06|24|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Durham, England

| align="left" |2011 from Northern Stars

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|33

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Finley Bradon

|R

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2005|11|24|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Darlington, England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|Two-Way

style="background:#eee;"

|40

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Ethan McLaughlin

|

| align="left" |2003 (age 19)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2022 from Whitley U20

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|70

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Callum Wilkinson

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|2002|02|24|df=yes}}

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2019 from Billingham U20

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|77

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Lewis Hall

|

| align="left" |1999 (age 23)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U20

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|88

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Lucas Dowdle

|

| align="left" |2005 (age 17)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |2021 from Billingham U18

|22/23

style="background:#eee;"

|98

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Alex Preston

|L

| align="left" |{{Birth date and age|1998|01|31|df=yes}}

| align="left" |Billingham, England

| align="left" |2021 from Tornado Luxembourg

|22/23

class="toccolours" style="width:97%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"

! colspan="10" style="background:#c93434; color:#FFFFFF;” " |Team Staff

style="background:#ddd;"

! width="5%" |No.

! width="5%" |Nat.

!Name

! width="7%" |Acquired

! width="16%" |Role

! width="20%" |Place of birth

! width="24%" |Joined From

style="background:#eee;"

|

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Stephen Foster

|2011/12

| align="left" |Coach

| align="left" |Durham, England

| align="left" |Northern Stars, ENL

style="background:#eee;"

|

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Robert Wilkinson

|2021/22

| align="left" |Coach

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |Billingham U20, England U20

style="background:#eee;"

|32

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Michael Elder

|2022/23

| align="left" |Player-Assistant Coach

| align="left" |Durham, England

| align="left" |

2021/22 Outgoing

class="toccolours" style="width:97%; clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"

|+

! colspan="7" style="background:#c93434; color:#FFFFFF;” " |Outgoing

style="background:#ddd;"

! width="5%" |No.

! width="5%" |Nat.

!Player

! width="7%" |Shoots

! width="16%" |Date of birth

! width="20%" |Place of birth

! width="24%" |Leaving For

style="background:#eee;"

|25

|{{flagicon|ENG}}

| align="left" |Lewis Crisp

|

| align="left" |1999 (age 23)

| align="left" |England

| align="left" |Whitley Warriors, NIHL 1

Retired Numbers

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="background:#FFFFFF; border-top:red 5px solid; border-bottom:red 5px solid;" | Billingham Stars Retired Numbers

width=40px | No.

! width=150px |Player

! width=40px |Position

! width=100px |Career

1Terry WardG1981–1993
13

|James Flavell

|G

|2004-2019

29Andrew FletcherF1995–2012
9

|Paul Windridge

|F

|1989-2017

10

|Scott Ward

|F

|1997-2018

Club Records

=League titles=

File:Billingham Stars 2024 Championship.png, having received the trophy for winning the NIHL Division 1 North Moralee Conference during the 2023/24 season.]]

  • ED1: 2 (1998/99, 1999/00)
  • ENL: 5 (2000/01, 2005/06, 2011/12, 2023/24, 2024/25)

=Play-Off Titles=

  • ED1 Playoffs: 1 (1998/99)
  • ENL Playoffs: 3 (2000/01, 2011/12, 2024/25)
  • National Playoffs: 1 (2024/25)

=Cup Titles=

  • NIHL Northern Cup / Moralee Cup: 2 (2015/16, 2024/25)

=Individual Records=

  • Most Games Played: Paul Windridge (569)
  • Most Goals Scored (All Time): Paul Windridge (367)
  • Most Assists (All Time): Paul Windridge (712)
  • Most Points Scored (All Time): Paul Windridge (1,079)
  • Most Penalty Minutes (All Time): Scott Ward (644)
  • Most Goals Scored in a Season: John Hutchings (120) (1987/88)
  • Most Assists in a Season: Pat Mangold (136) (1987/88)
  • Most Points Scored in a Season: Pat Mangold (252) (1987/88)
  • Most Penalty Minutes in a Season: Ricky Box (187) (2006/07)

References

  • [http://www.azhockey.com A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey]
  • [http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=9854 Elite Prospects - Billingham Stars Roster & Stats]
  • Nottingham Panthers Statistical History 1946–2000 by Mick A. Chambers

External links

  • [https://www.starshockey.co.uk/ Official Website of the Billingham Stars]

{{British ice hockey}}

{{stockton}}

Category:Ice hockey teams in England

Category:Billingham

Category:Sport in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees