Blackburn Hawks

End of Season Bash

End of season Bash is on the 28th April, the day events are as follows

Football at Audley Junior School in Blackburn between 1 and 4pm. Get to play with the players.

Presentation night at the Fernhurst pub from 7pm till 1am. Room prices will be made available at a later date.

The evening do will feature a hot buffett and DJ and the end of season presentation will also take place.

The football in the afternoon is 5 a side, if you want to join take part give your name to Joan Kitchen, Mark Kinder or Annette, one or two Hawks players will be allocated to each team.

Please watch this web site or the Facebook group for any changes and further info.

Cost:
£8 for football and presentation night
£5 for presentation night
£3 just to watch the football (This may be withdrawn though)

Names to be given to Annette or Joan Kitchen by 24th March (Last Home game of the season)
 

BLACKBURN HAWKS 3 - 1 NOTTINGHAM LIONS

by

Steve Mayers
After a superb victory over the league leaders, Billingham Stars, last weekend, the Hawks welcomed the Nottingham Lions to the Arena on Sunday evening, eager to consolidate a position in the play-offs. However, the opponents, who had struggled to reach their usual high standards this season, were always going to prove a tough nut to crack, and the home side knew that they would need patience, if they were to secure a vital 2 points.
A large, vocal crowd welcomed both teams onto the ice, reserving a special cheer for the return of import, Sami Narkia, who had missed several weeks of the season, after returning home to Finland.
The first period began strongly for the home side, as they took the game to their opponents, but after only two minutes, a call for 'too many men' saw Chad Briggs sit out the first penalty of the match. However, it was dealt with easily, as a disciplined defence restricted the Lions to shots from long range. On 5 minutes, the first clear-cut opportunity for the Hawks had Craig Rogers setting Rick Hughes free, but his shot was well saved by Levers in the Nottingham goal. A call for 'holding', this time on Jordan Bannon, gave the visitors another powerplay, but once more the defence was tigerish - not allowing them any time on the puck. In their eagerness to attack, Blackburn were frustratingly caught offside a number of times, as the game began to gather momentum. Brian Worrall warmed the fingers of the Nottingham netminder, when his ferocious slapshot was plucked out of the air. A flash-point occurred on the 13 minute mark, when Chris Arnone flattened a Lions forward against the boards, and then squared up to a second opponent who wanted to discuss the matter in more detail. Rather than chat, though, Arnone slipped off the gloves, and planted 3 jabs onto the Lion, before he had time to react, and almost put him through the penalty-box door. The resulting penalties saw both players sitting out the remainder of the period, during which time Harry the Hawk was at his mischievous best, playfully teasing the Nottingham player. The final few minutes saw very few goal-scoring chances, with the closest either side coming was when Tom King stole the puck, and skated towards the net, before laying it off to Narkia. Sadly for the crowd, though, his backhand flick flew agonisingly wide.
During the interval, the ice was re-done, but was still holding water when the second period began. This seemed to catch out the players, as both teams struggled to keep control of the puck, and Briggs lost possession in his own zone. The Nottingham forwards pounced, but Danny Brittle in the Hawks goal was able to save his captain's blushes, with a smart save. A cross-checking penalty gave Blackburn a two-minute powerplay, and it was during this 5-on-4 that the opening goal duly arrived. A face-off in the attacking zone saw Sam Dunford take possession of the puck, and after rounding the back of the net, picked out the advancing Bannon, and he hit a fine 'one-timer' beyond the flailing Levers. The relief was palpable, both on the ice, and in the crowd - with very enthusiastic celebrations greeting the goal. This changed the Nottingham game plan, as they began to take the match to their hosts, upping the tempo considerably. Brittle was called on to repel the best efforts of the Lions as they pressed forward, constantly denying them with some breath-taking saves. On 33 minutes, the visitors almost found an equaliser, but the frame of the goal had left it's moorings fractionally before the puck crossed the line, and was quite rightly ruled-out. Two minutes later, though, Brittle was beaten, as a short-handed breakaway saw him exposed, and a backhanded flick by O'flaherty went straight through him, to tie the match. the Lions were only on level terms for a couple of minutes, however, as King registered his first goal of the evening. An offensive face-off was won, and the puck moved around the zone by Aaron Davies and Narkia, who picked out the influential forward in space. His first shot was spilled by the keeper, but he had the awareness to gather the rebound and slot it under the keeper, to put the home side ahead for a second time.
The third period promised to be a 'nerve-jangler' for the Blackburn fans, as the visitors went in search of a second goal. Several powerplays helped their cause considerably, but solid defending, plus the irrepressible 'Dangy' Brittle kept them at bay. With 10 minutes to go, a 'shoving-match' in the Lions goalmouth threatened to boil over, but was quick quashed before it escalated. Worrall fizzed a second slapshot towards the top right-hand corner of Levers' net, but the keeper stretched out a glove, to pluck it out of the air at the last second. Not to be out-done, the watching Dangy then produced a bewildering double save - the first with the edge of his out-stretched skate, closely followed moments later by one which pinged off his helmet. With 6 minutes remaining, the Hawks finally sealed the points, as King hit the back of the net for the second time. Narkia hit a long pass up centre-ice which was controlled by the 'free-scoring' no.19, and as he closed in on goal, lifted the puck high beyond the keeper. This seemed to visibly deflate the resolute Nottingham side, and the Hawks were able to control the remainder of the game, running the clock down with very little cause for concern. At the final buzzer, a unified sigh of relief could be heard in the crowd, as the points were banked, and the Hawks moved ever-closer in their quest to land a play-off spot.
There were several candidates for MVP, but it was deservedly given to the two-goal hero, Tom King.
   

14th January 2012 - Blackburn Hawks 3 - 2 Solway Sharks

by Dan Taylor

This weekend saw the Blackburn Hawks in two difficult line-ups. Billingham Stars who are comfortably atop the league and Solway Shark who haven't lost a game at home, well until now. They remained unbeaten in the cup and the league until this game. I must apologise in advance, due to a technical error with my kit, I lost most of the notes from the first period, however I did manage to salvage these key points:

•    Solway Sharks were the first to score. Reynolds run the puck around the net and passed to Salem who was in front of the net to slide it in.
•    Hawks had a 5 - 3 power-play opportunity where they were unable to equalise.
•    Aaron Davies, Rick Hughes and Tom King all had some great slap shots saved.
•    Struan Tomnar almost scored a second for Sharks by stalking Worral inside the Hawks end zone.
•    And unmarked Bob Chalmer had two clear openings, both saved by Dangy.
•    Rick Ravey was cross-checked to the face in front of the Sharks net after narrowly missing a shot.
•    Offside was called during a goal scoring opportunity for the Hawks when it was clearly onside.
•    Scott Glover was punched in the back of the head by Nathan Salem at the end of the first period.

Though they may be brief I assure you, the first period was the least eventful of them all. Though the atmosphere was tense, the Hawks played well as a team. Great co-ordination from coach Jared Owen and some slick defence kept the puck out of the end zone, whilst a balanced offense and strategic line-ups, further strengthened the Hawks for power plays. The first period ended 1 - 0 to Solway and it seemed as though their winning streak was not to be foiled yet, no matter how badly the Hawks wanted a win. The second period however, told a very different story.

Hawks took the puck directly from the face off and within moments the referee's made a call as Stephen Adams was caught hooking. This penalty proved to be crucial for the power play Hawks had next. The puck was cleared from the area and retrieved by Danny Brittle, who passed to Jared Owen. Slick skating and precision perfect puck control allowed the coach to skip around the flustered defence who gathered around the net, but a last second pass and a slap shot from Jordan Bannon saw the Hawks equalise and bring the score to 1 - 1.

Salem found himself in the penalty box again and not too long before Tomnar had wasted a brilliant opportunity, belting a clear shot past the net in desperation to get the one up. The defensive plays from Hawks were incredible and major improvements. Whatever they did in training worked and they should keep doing it one wonders! 2 minutes had flown by and Solway were back to full strength as Salem marched out of the sin bin and in true hunter fashion, Solway went on the attack.

Like a real sharks smelling fear from miles away, Solway pushed down hard, taking possession as often as possible and raising the game. Brittle was almost caught out, but a magnificent interception and clearance from Aaron Davies saw the Hawks re-engage. Brian Worral however was placed perfectly to retrieve the puck and made an attempt on goal, the puck was cleared from the Sharks end zone but found it's way into the arms of Rick Ravey who braced for goal once more. Again the puck was cleared and sneaky Tomnar was close at hand again, luckily the lighting fast reactions of Tom King kicked in as he made the challenge and cleared the goal.

The Sharks found themselves in possession once more and were clearly offside for the next scoring opportunity, however no call was made much to the fans disliking. A swift interception from Chris Arnone and a follow up pass to Rick Ravey saw another opportunity for Blackburn, though it was saved by the keeper. Owen took the puck directly from the face off and passed to Rick Hughes who was well placed for goal. However, a nasty check saw him taken down and the Sharks bounce back on the rebound. Unhappy with this, Hughes hopped right back to his feet and darted to prevent the goal and did so with a fine check to Reynolds to prevent Solway having that chance. Fighting off the attack, Worral got a good pass down to Bannon who finished it once more with a screamer of a slap shot into the top right hand corner of the net. 2 - 1 to the Hawks.




The end of the second period finished off with chances opening up on both sides. Aaron Davies was clear down the right hand ice, but tragically slipped under poor ice conditions. Chalmers was sent off again for hooking. A slap shot from Frazer Goldie was saved from long range by Brittle. A narrow miss from a shot left Tom King frustrated, but not as much as Brian Worral, when a fumble from the Sharks left him open for goal, though the keeper just barely saved the shot. Chalmers also missed a clear opportunity as he slipped onto the ice, leaving Danny Brittle to simply pick up the puck. An eventful second half leaving Hawks in the lead. Nobody could have predicated what happened next.

Directly from the face off, Tomnar receives a two minute penalty for cross-checking, leading the Hawks directly into a power play. Reynolds snatches the puck and darts directly for goal, only to be foiled by Jared Owen. Alan Crane pinned Tom King to the outer edge of the rink during a high stakes play, no penalty was award, which left many fans and Hawks alike baffled. Ravey passed to Worral from the centre-half who had a belting slap shot saved, Aaron Greger grabs the puck but is checked by Rick Ravey moments later, leading to a crucial face off.

Jared Owen claws the puck from the face off, passes directly to Jordan Bannon, who with a mightly slap shot sends the puck right into the back of the net. A hat trick hero, Hawks were 3 - 1 up, but a bitter Solway weren't prepared to end the match gracefully. Rick Hughes was on the receiving end of the puck from a face off and almost got it to Aaron Davies for a clear shot, though Aaron was unable to make it in time. Jared Owen and Aaron Greger clashed, leaving both players down on the ice before re-composing themselves. Matt Viney was able to get ahold of the puck but lost it in the Sharks zone with nobody there to pass too. The Sharks were going on an all out attack.

Tensions were raised as a crowd gathered in the Blackburn net after the Sharks tried to pound down Dangy for saving a cracking shot. Aaron Davies received a 2 minute penalty for it, though it was questionable as to if he had done anything wrong at all. The face off was what Solway needed as Salem took the puck and got it to Reynolds who managed to finish it. Hawks 3 - Solway 2 and the tension as thick as ever. Brittle stopped three consecutive shots as hungry Sharks went on an all out attack, Tomnar rushes in for a fourth, saved again! Goldie robs the puck from the face off and shoots from offside, no penalty given! Good thing Dangy's incredible reactions kept the puck out of the net.

Moments later, Rick Hughes is cross-checked from behind, astonishingly, no penalty is given! The fans shouted with disapproval and booed the obviously biased referee's. The face off led to interesting events, as Reynolds took the puck and darted directly for Brittle, with no intention of stopping, the two clashed as the atmosphere was reaching boiling point. Unbelievably, the Hawks were penalised for cross checking and Reynolds was awarded a penalty! The referee must have been blind to award that. Squeaky bum time as we sat on the edge of the seats, Reynolds off the ice, one, two, three and a shot. Saved beautifully by Dangy! The entire crowd stood up and cheered, momentum hit sky high.

The Sharks were desperate for the equaliser and you could see it. Silly mistakes, disgruntled communication and fumbles one after the other. Ten minutes left and Tomnar and Dangy clash once more, though Dangy is sent off for cross checking! Unbelievable! A fuming Danny Brittle leaves the ice as hopeful Stuart Ashton skates on. Within seconds Stuey denied Reynolds a goal from a long range slap shot and Owen had a shot saved moments later. 55 seconds left and desperation sinking in, Solway take off the keeper for the one man advantage. Within five seconds, the puck is in the Hawks end zone and there's a throw down.

Greger lashed out at Tom King and lived to regret it. Head down and fists flying, Greger attacked the brave Hawk who kept his cool and returned the punches. Greger attempted to pull King's shirt off but regretted that even more. Greger had his shirt stuck over his head and Tom King was clean off to lay the smack down with some belting right hooks before he hit the ice hard. Both Greger and King left the ice, King with his head up high and Greger with his shirt over his head, using it to soak the blood from an unseen injury. As expected, forty seconds fly's by and the Hawks score a narrow win with the final score 3 - 2.

In the end there were a lot of highly questionable decisions by the referee's who spent their breaks mingling with Solway supporters and staff, the Hawks seemed to be playing Solway and the referee's but it didn't stop them from winning. Solway were literally flapping around like fish out of water and seemed to forget about the rules, hungry for another win. Man of the match went to Sharks net minder Gary Russell and Jordan Bannon, the hat-trick hero who ended the first of two games on a high.

   

BLACKBURN HAWKS 3 - 1 BILLINGHAM STARS

by
Steve Mayers
There were not enough superlatives to describe the performance of the Hawks, against their 'high-flying' visitors, but those banded about by the crowd at the conclusion of this contest included outstanding, breath-taking, and phenomenal!! On paper, it was a daunting weekend's action, against undoubtedly the two strongest teams in the ENL, and after an energy-sapping win at Solway on Saturday evening, the visit of the table-topping Billingham Stars was never going to be an easy prospect. A Blackburn team, devoid of several influential players, took to the ice to face a virtually full-strength Stars outfit, who had only suffered one league defeat all season.

 

The first period started with both sides looking to dominate, and it was Blackburn who were given the first powerplay of the evening. With only 2 minutes on the clock, Finn was called for slashing, and this allowed the Hawks to build some momentum. Scott Glover fired a slapshot just wide of the post, before Chris Arnone brought the best out of Flavell, when he pinched the puck in the offensive zone, but couldn't beat the keeper from in-close. As Billingham returned to full-strength, it was the visiting netminder who was being called upon more regularly, although he was powerless to deny Rick Hughes from firing the hosts ahead after 6 minutes. Hawks players surrounded their opponents net, where Jared Owen, Aaron Davies, and Arnone all had rapid-fire shots from just outside the crease, which Flavell did well to save, but a deflection fell kindly for Hughes, and the sniper poked the puck home, to send the crowd into raptures. Two penalties against the Hawks gave Billingham a man advantage for almost 4 minutes, when Tom King and then Arnone were called for minor infractions, but they were killed off quite comfortably. The intensity of the home side was there for all to see, as they constantly put their bodies on the line, hitting anything in a red shirt - and this was roundly cheered by the watching crowd. On the 15 minute mark, Davies and Thornton were both called for slashing, which created much more space on the ice, and it was during this 4-on-4  that the Hawks doubled their lead. Sam Dunford found Arnone deep in his own zone, and he carried the puck almost the full length of the ice, before pulling it back to King, and he fired just inside the far post. Two minutes later, and the Blackburn fans were on Cloud Nine, as they went 3 goals to the good. Davies served his penalty and as he re-joined the game, went on the offensive with Owen and Hughes. Intricate passing between the three saw the puck fall onto the stick of Owen, and he finished from an acute angle, to virtually lift the roof off the Arena. As the Hawks left the ice at the end of the first period, they received a standing ovation from the fans, who appreciated the efforts of the team.

 

The second period began with a rejuvenated Stars side pressing for a way back into the match, although they were repeatedly thwarted by a resolute 'White-Wall', who's containing play began to frustrate the league leaders. Every Hawks player was playing their part, not allowing their opponents any time on the puck, and constantly breaking the rhythm of the Billingham forwards. On 25 minutes, Davies was called for tripping, with a further call on Rogers for high-sticks moments later, but still the Blackburn defence couldn't be breached, as Danny Brittle once again proved to be in exceptional form between the pipes. He was the subject of some unwanted attention in his crease, which resulted in him 'squaring up' to half of the opposition, particularly Paul Windridge, but the officials intervened before things got out of control. For his part in the fracas, Thomas received a 10 minute mis-conduct penalty, and had an encounter with Harry the Hawk as he sat in the penalty box. Harry threatened to drop the gloves with the Billingham enforcer, who in return light-heartedly attempted to chop him in two with his stick, much to the amusement of the fans of both teams. With Davies sitting out Brittle's 10 minute roughing penalty, the home side's penalty box suddenly started to fill up, as the referee made a series of puzzling calls against the hosts. A blatant 'delay of game' by the visitors which wasn't given, was quite rightly questioned by Arnone, and he subsequently joined Davies for a 10 minute mis-conduct. A sickening injury to the Stars' player, Moss, saw him escorted from the ice to sympathetic applause, with what looked like a bad knee injury, but it was later found to be nothing more than severe bruising to the upper part of the leg, which will keep him out of action for several weeks. Scott Glover was given a 5+Match for clipping, leaving the Blackburn defences stretched even further. Jared Owen was the next player to overstep the mark with the referee, also heading to the box for a 10 minute mis-conduct. This infuriated the crowd, and they gave the officials 'dog's abuse', with even a tongue-in-cheek tune from Ben in the DJ stand - a rendition of the nursery rhyme, "Three Blind Mice". It was 'standing room only' in the 39th minute, as Matt Viney was called for cross-checking, and then Arnone took a high-stick call, to join the 'box party'.

 

The third period began with a 5-on-3 for the Stars, and they looked to force home their advantage, but came up against inspirational defending. Chad Briggs, Bob Streetly, and Rogers, in particular were working tirelessly, admirably aided by the likes of Hughes, Dunford, and King, amongst others - and the crowd responded in style, roaring their approval. As the Blackburn bench gradually returned to full-strength, so the tide began to turn, and Flavell was called into action more regularly - denying Viney, Worrall and Ravey with great saves. Arnone whistled a powerful slapshot inches wide of the post, before Davies fired the puck across the crease, but Dunford couldn't tip home. On 52 minutes, Brittle was finally beaten, as Price found a way past him, to set up a nervous finale. This anxiety filtered through to the fans, but they played their part in inspiring the Hawks to dig deep, and they responded in the best possible way, taking the game to their opponents, rather than sitting on their lead. King was called for holding with just over two minutes remaining, and in a last desperate attempt to rescue the game, the Stars pulled their netminder, to create a two man advantage. However, as had been the case all evening, the penalty-killing unit kept their shape admirably, and they ran down the clock, content to dump the puck down the ice. The final buzzer was greeted with a huge cheer, and the Hawks players celebrated a deserved victory, before receiving another standing ovation as they left the ice.

 

MVP went to Danny Brittle, who's desire not to be beaten had inspired the whole team to their best performance of the season.
   

As one door opens another closes.

As the season has progressed we have been fortunate in the fact that we have had the depth to cover injuries and such, but we are at that time of the year where we are being stretched a little in this area, and this was evident last weekend in Telford, but we did respond positively to this on Sunday, I was personally concerned as the game progressed that we would run out of legs, but happily we prevailed.


We have identified that we do need to strengthen and it was been discussed in length at Management level and we are currently exploring all options, some from close to home and a couple from other areas, but the clock is ticking and we only have until Jan 31st to bring in a few fresh faces.


This weekend we travel north of the Border to face Solway and return home on Sunday to play league leaders Billingham.


We are still missing influential import Sami, but he is due back in the country shortly after his trip home to Finland for Christmas, it would appear that we have lost the services of experienced Defenceman Lance Derbyshire as he cannot commit for the rest of the season.
The Hawks office was a busy day on Tues, we were on a high for about ten mins and then we were on a low, firstly we got the news that Ollie is due to see Allison Hallet (his consultant) on Weds 1st Feb, and hopefully get the green light but within minutes of that news we were informed That Matt Viney has now got his date through for his op..25th Jan!!


It’s a shame to lose Matt as he has been a great asset to us since he joined the club, but hopefully he has all Summer to recover and get himself fit for next season,
Jared commented “Viney unfortunately has had his operation scheduled by the NHS for Jan 25th.  He has been playing with a bad shoulder since last season but this year has been a really solid player for the team and chipped in with some big goals when needed.  He has fitted perfectly into the centre role and will be a massive miss for the team down the final stretch of the season.  We wish him all the best in his recovery.”


I think I can speak on behalf of all the Mangement Team and supporters alike that he will be missed; I know one thing is for sure, it’s going to be a very difficult job to find a replacement.

   

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