After a week’s rest to sharpen their talons, the Blackburn Hawks returned to action with a demanding home-and-away double header against two youthful and energetic sides in the Leeds Knights 2 and Nottingham Lions. The Hawks’ weekend began at the Elland Road Ice Arena, the home of the Knights’ development squad. Blackburn had opened their campaign against with a 3–1 win against the young Knights, however much like last season, this Leeds side looked to be maturing with every game they played. Yet despite the hosts’ growing promise, the Hawks’ biggest challenge seemed to come from within: captain Andy McKinney and forward Liam Charnock were both absent, leaving a noticeable dent in Blackburn’s offensive armoury.
Those concerns, however, were quickly put to bed.
The Hawks wasted no time asserting control. Jacob Lutwyche started this scoring for the weekend, converting off a powerplay that Blackburn were gifted just after the ten-minute mark. It’s safe to say that forward Charlie Thompson felt at home returning to his native Yorkshire, as later in the period the summer signing doubled the Hawks’ lead. The first intermission came to save the Knights, however just minutes into the second period Lutwyche struck again to make it three, and the game looked all but iced. However, the Knights were not yet ready to wave the white flag. Leeds’ spritely forward Owen Dell managed to slip one past his former teammate Harrison Walker. Feeling embolden by this strike, the 23-year-old managed to follow up two minutes later with another goal.
The scoreboard read 3–2, and the crowd sensed an upset might be brewing…That sense of belief lasted all of thirty seconds. In the very next shift, Thompson answered the challenge. Taking a clever feed from Adam Barnes, he snapped home a fourth goal for Blackburn, restoring the two-goal cushion and deflating the Leeds crowd once more. Then came a costly lapse in discipline from the Knights, as Daniel Harrison picked up a roughing penalty in a moment of frustration. It was the last thing Leeds needed, and the Hawks made them pay. On the ensuing powerplay, James Riddoch buried a clinical finish after being set up beautifully by defenceman Tom Barry, and Blackburn were back in complete control. With the game now wide open, Lutwyche completed his hat-trick in the final period, capping off a clinical display. Not to be outshone, Thompson also hit the magic three – his first hat-trick since joining the club over the summer. By the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 7–2 Hawks, a statement win on the road and the perfect warm-up for what awaited back home.
Not even 24 hours later, the Hawks were back to business on home ice. The visiting Nottingham Lions arrived with struggles of their own but boasted one serious threat: 17-year-old scoring prodigy Alex Rushby, who led the league in goals heading into the clash and was coming off a recent Elite League debut for the Nottingham Panthers.
That didn’t faze Blackburn in the slightest. Lutwyche picked up right where he left off, launching a rocket into the top corner on the powerplay to open the scoring for the second night on the bounce. Before fans could even catch their breath, Adam Barnes danced through the Lions’ den and slipped one past Isaac Ballinger for a second goal just ten seconds later. If that flurry wasn’t enough, Barnes and James Royds recreated this two-goal trick midway through the period, striking just 21 seconds apart to make it 4–0 inside ten minutes. The period closed with another Barnes ‘stormer’ — completing a nine-minute natural hat-trick that sent the Blackburn faithful into raptures.
With a 5–0 cushion, the Hawks introduced goaltender Nik Trapans for his long-awaited Blackburn return, giving Harrison Walker a well-earned rest. However, the Lions came out snarling in the second period, with Rusby catching Trapans cold and getting one back for the visitors. Fret not though as any notion of a comeback was quickly extinguished. Garry Simpson, the summer signing already winning fans over, hit Nottingham for six after converting an assist from Adam Barnes. Immediately after Simpson’s goal, a high check to the head from Zandy Cleeves devolved into a physical altercation with Charlie Thompson. This fracas led to Thompson being punished with a ’Fighting an unwilling opponent’ match penalty, however this did not stop the Hawks. Blackburn responded with a short-handed goal, which was taken brilliantly by Garry Simpson to double his tally for the night.
From there, Blackburn were merciless. The Lions replicated the Hawks’ decision to swap netminders – putting in Harvey Kembery, just a day after he had turned 16-years-old. Blackburn’s forwards ‘gifted’ the birthday boy with many shots, resulting in Lutwyche netting his second of the night (and fifth of the weekend), while Barnes finished up his masterpiece with another brace to end on five goals for the evening. Rushby managed a late consolation, but it barely dented the damage. The final horn sealed a 10–2 rout for the home side.
Seventeen goals, two hat-tricks, and two emphatic wins later, the Blackburn Hawks have sent a clear message to the rest of the division. Even without key members of the side, the team soared through adversity with the kind of cohesion and killer instinct that defines title contenders. Blackburn’s unbeaten streak in the league continues as they remain perched atop the NIHL 1 North table. The Hawks have another well-deserved rest week coming up before the big one…a reignition of the last two seasons’ Play-Off final against the Billingham Stars. Can the Hawks carry on their sensational streak up on Teeside?
The Blackburn Hawks will play against the Billingham Stars @ Billingham Forum on Sunday October 19th, Face-Off: 5:30pm
Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove
FEATURED IMAGES CREDIT: Luke Riley