Back on league duty for the first time since their shock Moralee Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Deeside, the Blackburn Hawks returned to familiar territory with a point firmly to prove. The disappointment of cup elimination had little time to linger, as Dom Osman’s side were immediately presented with the chance to respond by extending their already luxurious lead at the summit of NIHL1. Standing in their way were the Solihull Barons, themselves licking fresh wounds after a similarly stunning cup exit and arriving in Lancashire with plenty still on the line. With a game in hand, victory for the visitors would see them vault above both cup finalists Deeside and Telford into second place, adding extra edge to an encounter that already carried title-race significance. Blackburn were bolstered by the return of several influential figures. Nik Trapans resumed his role in support between the pipes, Sam Zajac returned to anchor the blue line, and Charlie Thompson was reinserted into the Hawks’ lethal forward unit in place of the unavailable Jacob Lutwyche. With over 800 packed into a buzzing Hawks Nest, the stage was set for the Hawks to show that their championship charge was far from losing its bite.

Any hopes of a cautious opening were blown away almost immediately as the Barons would draw first blood, just 26 seconds after puck drop. A rapid rush up the right side carved open the Hawks’ defensive shape, and Lucas Price found an open Niklas Ottosson drifting in from the left. The Super Swede made no mistake, sliding the puck past Harrison Walker to silence the home crowd before many had even taken their seats. The fifth consecutive goal the Hawks had conceded since last scoring, its safe to say there were a few worried faces around Blackburn Arena. However, Head Coach Dom Osman was not one of them. The American maestro knew his side could respond to adversity, and their reply was suitably emphatic. Six minutes later, Tom Barry’s blue-line effort caused chaos in the Solihull crease. As the puck bobbled loose, Dylan Hullaby thundered into the danger area, with the ‘Yank Tank’ shrugging off three Barons boys before roofing his finish. With the scores equal, the Barons barrelled forward in hopes of regaining their lead. What initially looked like a promising Hawks defensive stand unravelled when Ottosson carried the puck behind the net and flicked the puck past Walker from an impossibly acute angle. Solihull’s star import was carrying his side in the offensive department, but Blackburn refused to blink. A Phil Mulcahy Hooking penalty would give the Hawks a golden opportunity to level up. The resulting powerplay saw Solihull do well to angle out the extra man in their zone. The puck made its way back to Sam Zajac on the blueline, who decided to go alone. The ‘Beast from the North East’ powered down the left wing and zapped a zinger into the top corner make it 2–2 and reignite The Nest. The momentum had swung, and Blackburn seized it. With three minutes remaining in the period, Lee Pollitt picked out Andy McKinney in space. The captain did the rest, driving into the slot and beating Laverick to give the Hawks their first lead of the night at a crucial juncture.

The away side emerged from the break ready to wrestle back control, and ten minutes later they did just that. Once again, the Ottosson–Price combination proved lethal, with the Scandinavian sniper completing his hat-trick at 26:20 to draw the Barons level at 3–3. What followed was the defining passage of the game. Just 23 seconds later, Blackburn struck back. Pollitt again turned provider, feeding McKinney in stride, and the skipper made no mistake, restoring the Hawks’ advantage almost immediately. Before Solihull could regroup, the floodgates opened. Another minute passed and Adam Barnes was in on the act, finishing clinically from a McKinney assist to make it 5–3. The Barons were reeling, and Blackburn sensed blood. As the period wore on, waves of home team pressure kept Graham Laverick busy. With just over a minute remaining in the frame, that pressure told once more. A slick Hawks transition saw McKinney swoop into the low slot and poke the puck through Laverick’s legs, completing his hat-trick and extending the lead to commanding 6–3 scoreline.

With a three-goal cushion, Blackburn kept cool-headed and controlled the game into the final third. Intelligently managing the match-up, the Hawks limited Solihull’s chances while continuing to probe for openings at the other end. Those openings soon appeared. Four minutes in, the Hawks went to the powerplay, and Liam Charnock ensured there would be no uprising from the Barons. Stationed perfectly, he buried the puck to stretch the lead to 7–3 and all but settle the contest. Blackburn weren’t finished. As the clock ticked past the halfway point of the period, McKinney and Barnes combined once more, the latter rifling home his second of the night to make it 8–3 and cap a dominant performance against one of the league’s closest challengers.

What began as a frantic, back-and-forth opening developed into a statement victory from the league leaders. Blackburn weathered Solihull’s early blows, responded with composure and ultimately blew the game open with a devastating spell in the second period. This terrific triumph takes the Hawks 19 points clear of Deeside at the pinnacle of the division, leaving the Dragons with little more than a distant view of the top team in the league.

The Blackburn Hawks will play against the Hull Jets @ Blackburn Arena on Sunday February 1st, Face-Off: 6:00pm

Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove

FEATURED IMAGES CREDIT: KIPAX