After an unbeaten start to the season at the Hawks Nest, Blackburn took flight for their first away weekend of the campaign: a gruelling double-header featuring back-to-back ‘Feline Face-Offs’. First up was a relatively unfamiliar journey south to face the newly promoted Telford Tigers 2. The Shropshire side had already shown their bite, dismantling Widnes the week before, and looked eager to bare their claws again. The Hawks would be missing a huge part of their offence for this important fixture as Adam Barnes was unavailable. This offensive omission would be balanced with a bolstering of the backline as Tom Barry returned for his first league match with his new team.

An end-to-end start to the game saw both sides come close within the opening five minutes. The compact Telford rink allowed for quick turnovers in play. This was evident in the opening goal of the game where a Telford two-on-one was successfully defended by Tom Barry and was immediately moved up the ice to a Hawks three-on-one. Lee Pollitt had options in the middle, but the versatile all-rounder ripped a shot into the top left corner to start the scoring in Shropshire. Five minutes after this breakthrough, a high-pressing Tigers team managed to force a turnover down in the Hawks zone, this loose puck was eventually picked up by Finley Howells who slid it over to a free Vladimir Luka in the high slot. In an all-familiar sight to those who have faced Telford before, the grizzled Czech vet launched it in the top right corner – pulling the Tigers back level to finish the first period.

R(o)aring to go after their fiery finish to the first, Telford started strong in the second period. Just over a minute into the action and the Tigers took the lead through a nicely worked link-up between Howells and Jesson. Though the rest of the second period went by without a goal, both Walker and Byrne were pushed intensely at either end of the ice. The physicality of the game became particularly pronounced in this period with roughing and high-sticking penalties being dished out to both sides. This tension was all building towards one thing, and at just past the halfway point of the fixture…it was fight time. Hawks Captain Andy McKinney had no interest in winning at the next neutral zone face-off, with his gloves dropping just as the puck did. He sidled up to face his next heavyweight foe, Telford’s six-foot-three striker Connor Keyes, and in much the same fashion as his fight the previous week, McKinney used his opponent’s reach against them. As soon as Keyes latched his left-hand onto McKinney’s shoulder, the practiced puncher snapped forward and unleashed a barrage of brutal blows upwards into Keyes’ face. Scrambling to regain his footing, the Telford Tallman leaned forward, only to be taken to the ground by one final flurry from McKinney. In a bout resembling a wildlife documentary gone wrong, the Hawk had turned the big cat inside out – leaving all the travelling Blackburn faithful in fits of frenzied emotion going into the final period of play.

The final twenty minutes of this colossal clash kicked off with all the aggression of the previous period. The Hawks found themselves on a dominant powerplay, however couldn’t break down the Tigers tight defensive structure. Frustration at this seemed to get the better of the travelling team as they then found themselves defending a Tigers powerplay just minutes later. Blackburn went one better than the home side however, not only successfully killing the penalty, but when Dan Mitchell dithered on the blue line, he was pounced upon by Jacob Lutwyche, who sped down the ice and secured a short-handed strike for Blackburn. With both sides being ran ragged by their opponent, it seemed that fitness would play a decisive role in the final five minutes. This certainly looked to be the case when Tigers defender Ryan Leese pulled up when collecting a loose puck in the neutral zone, as Hawks winger Liam Charnock raced past him, all the defender could do was watch on as Charnock poked one past Byrne to restore Blackburn’s lead.

There was still plenty of fight left in the eye of the Tigers, and with only 4 minutes to go – Dan Mitchell caught Harrison Walker off-guard and fired home the surprise equaliser from a Finley Howells face-off. The Tigers thought they had forced overtime, but Blackburn had other ideas. With under a minute left, the Hawks swarmed like a flock sensing prey. The puck fell to McKinney (who else?) and the captain slammed home the winner for a dramatic 4–3 victory. The Hawks fans erupted, their side clawing three points out of the Midlands jungle.

Less than 24 hours later, Blackburn were back on the bus, this time to more familiar territory: Merseyside, where Widnes Wild lay in wait. The Wild had impressed in flashes during opening week but were still searching for consistency. Barnes returned to the Hawks line-up in place of Royds, giving Blackburn a welcome offensive refresh.

It didn’t take long for Barnes to make his mark on his return. The winger latched onto a Tom Barry feed to open the scoring, giving Barry his first Hawks point in the process. The Wild managed to quickly claw the score back through Scottish starlet Flynn Massie, but this was answered with another Hawks goal – this time coming from James Riddoch. Still placing pressure on Blackburn, Widnes would not give up so easily. They again levelled the scoreline after a goal from their German Gem Dani Haid, however just as Widnes looked to escape the second period level, Riddoch struck again with 40 seconds left on the clock. His second of the night gave the Hawks a crucial lead heading into the final frame.

The final period showcased Blackburn’s depth and discipline. With Widnes tiring, the Hawks turned pressure into points. First, Charlie Thompson buried on a short-handed opportunity for his maiden Blackburn goal. Thompson was then joined by fellow summer signing Jakub Hajek on the scoreline, after Luke Watson plucked the puck from the air and squared it perfectly to his ‘Czech mate’ on the back post. A powerplay to end this game would see Hajek add an assist to his successful night, teaming up with Tom Barry to get James Riddoch his all-important third goal – with the fan favourite not only completing his hat-trick, but sealing an emphatic 6-2 win.

Two games, two wins, and two very different battles: a nail-biting last-minute victory over the Tigers followed by a dominant display against the Wild. Blackburn emerged from their double-header weekend with maximum points, proving they can scrap, soar, and shut down in equal measure. With a well-deserved rest coming up, the next Blackburn Hawks action comes in the first weekend of October in another double header weekend. Can the Hawks prove their position perched atop of the table….

 

The Blackburn Hawks will play against the Leeds Knights 2 @ Elland Road Ice Arena on Saturday October 4th, Face-Off: 7:30pm

 

The Blackburn Hawks will also play against the Nottingham Lions @ Blackburn Arena on Sunday October 5th, Face-Off: 6:00pm

 

 Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove

FEATURED IMAGES CREDIT: Steve Pollitt