In a rare change from the usual scheduling, the Blackburn Hawks entered the final weekend of November having only one game to play, against Telford Tigers 2. The Tigers appeared familiar with their surroundings at the Hawks Nest, having been smashed 9-2 by Blackburn just two weeks previous. Whilst this was the Hawks only game of the weekend, Telford had just beaten league leaders Solihull in shock fashion on the Saturday, a result which went down very well in Lancashire as it closed the gap at the top of the table and made it so that a win against the Tigers would draw the Hawks two points clear at the top of the table. All that remained was to see whether Blackburn could seize the opportunity and soar back to the summit.

In classic Blackburn Hawks fashion, the home side came out flying. The opening three minutes were all one-way traffic, the puck zipping crisply between Blackburn players as they settled into familiar patterns on home ice. When the breakthrough arrived, it felt almost inevitable. Jacob Lutwyche finished off a tidy combination from Andy McKinney and Adam Barnes to fire Blackburn into an early lead. However, if the Hawks believed they could glide comfortably from there, the Tigers quickly reminded them that they had come to claw back more than just pride from Mid-November’s defeat. Five minutes after the opener, Liam Bartholomew struck with a clean finish to restore parity, capitalising on a rare defensive lapse that left him with time to pick his spot. It was the spark the travelling team needed. Moments later, and with momentum tilting sharply, Telford legend Jason Silverthorn punished a scramble at the back, nudging the visitors in front with the kind of predatory instinct that has defined his long tenure in orange and black. Suddenly, the tone of the game shifted. Telford grew in confidence, with their veteran core dictating as they occupied the ice for large swathes of the opening action. With five minutes left in the first period, they linked up yet again as Vladimir Luka’s thirtieth goal of the season would be the third unanswered goal of the night for the Tigers. This strike late in the period put Telford firmly in control and brought an unusual hush to a normally thunderous arena. For the first time in weeks, discomfort rippled through the home crowd. That uneasy silence lingered only briefly, however, because from the ensuing restart, Lutwyche reminded everyone exactly why he’s one of the league’s most exciting individuals. Collecting the puck from the face-off, the forward danced through a sliver of space and snapped home his second of the night, trimming the deficit and injecting a much-needed jolt of belief back into the Hawks bench. Even so, the buzzer sounded with Blackburn trailing at home, a rare sight and a testament to Telford’s blistering opening frame.

What the Hawks required heading into the second period was a statement shift, and their captain delivered it instantly. Barely a minute into the middle frame, former Tiger Andy McKinney struck against his old club, hammering home the equaliser and igniting the kind of roar that had been missing in the latter stages of the first. It was exactly the restart Blackburn needed. The game began to open up from there, evolving into a thrilling end-to-end contest. As the minutes ticked on, something became evident: Telford’s top line had begun to tire under the relentless Hawks forecheck. Sensing the shift, Blackburn began to dictate play with increasing confidence. Ten minutes after his first, McKinney struck again, drifting into space and beating Zack Brown with a clinical finish to complete the comeback and hand the Hawks a deserved 4–3 lead. Despite trailing, Telford looked momentarily poised to regroup when Liam Charnock was hit with a tripping penalty. Yet even shorthanded, the Hawks were dangerous.

Captain McKinney found himself in a perfect position once more and completed a stunning twelve-minute natural hat-trick, scoring all three goals in the period and giving Blackburn a two-goal cushion with The Nest in raptures. To their credit, the Tigers refused to wilt. They capitalised moments later on the man advantage they had worked so hard to earn. Twenty-one-year-old Charlie Webb picked his position on the powerplay and fired past Walker to pull Telford back within reach. It was a timely reminder that even with legs tiring, the Tigers still had a spark of energy left in them. It looked as if Lee Pollitt would have been in Coach Dom Osman’s bad books after he put Blackburn back on the penalty kill again with another tripping penalty. Conscious of conceding short-manned again, the Hawks became extremely conservative in their 4-man set-up and man-marked Telford’s problem players intently for the full two minutes. Blackburn regained possession just as the penalty expired and Lee Pollitt couldn’t believe his eyes as he received a breakaway pass straight out of the penalty box. The versatile playmaker did not disappoint in front of goal and buried the breakaway – making it the best penalty he’s ever received.

The third period began with Blackburn holding a two-goal lead with quiet confidence exuding from every player in a white jersey. Rather than sit back, they doubled down with renewed aggression. A sustained period in Telford’s zone came to end as Sam Zajac showed off his offensive talents by cutting in from the right-side, firing a quick snapshot and then bundling in his own rebound to continue his scoring streak since signing in Blackburn. The Beast from the North East has scored in all three of his games for the Hawks, however he was not done influencing the game up top. Minutes later, with the Hawks on the powerplay, Zajac’s skill showed again. A booming shot from the blue line caused chaos in front, and James Royds reacted quickest, knocking the puck down and guiding it past Brown to round off Blackburn’s scoring for the night. By the final buzzer, the Hawks had completed a confident comeback, outlasting a spirited Tigers side who fought hard but faded as the minutes wore on.

On a night where the Tigers came to pounce, it was ultimately the Hawks who soared highest and reclaimed their position perched atop the league table. With some distance starting to form in the title race, Blackburn are ten points clear of local rivals Deeside, and a whopping seventeen points adrift of a busted Billingham side. The closest contenders are the Solihull Barons, who the Hawks leap frogged this week. As if by divine design from the hockey gods: next up for the Blackburn Hawks is a double-header weekend against the boisterous Barons. A hugely decisive December duel, it promises to shape not just the standings, but the entire direction of the title race.

The Blackburn Hawks will play against the Solihull Barons @ Blackburn Ice Arena on Saturday December 6th, Face-Off: 6:00pm

The Blackburn Hawks will also play against the Solihull Barons @ Hobbs Moat Road on Sunday December 7th, Face-Off: 5:30pm

Article Courtesy of Nathan Dove

FEATURED IMAGES CREDIT: Steve Pollitt