LANCASHIRE Hawks are on a mission - to avoid finishing bottom in ice hockey's Northern League.

But they won't need a wooden spoon to stir things up this weekend.

The prospect of a double date with arch rivals Fife Flyers will prove motivation enough.

Hawks yet again find themselves at the sharp edge this weekend, and there will be no let up as the already decimated squad face mounting pressure from all sides.

Hawks desperately need to pull out a win from a long trail of 15 straight defeats - but with a squad hit by countless injury problems it is always going to be an uphill task.

They will be keen to avoid a real St Valentine's Day massacre when they travel to Fife tonight (face off 7pm).

There is bad blood between the two sides, with ex-Hawk John Haig now a high Flyer, and if Hawks can raise their game against anyone, it is Fife. Hawks return the favour at the Arena tomorrow for the home leg (face off 6pm).

Hawks' season has taken a turn for the worse this year as mounting injury problems have forced them to repeatedly put out a depleted squad.

And with several Hawks players already having to fight through the pain barrier, the crisis shows no sign of lifting.

Added to this, the loss of star Adrian Lomonaco on compassionate leave has hit them hard.

But player coach Jim Pennycook is not a man to give in, and neither are the rest of the team who, against all the odds, have stepped up a gear in recent weeks in a spirited fightback.

Hawks could be boosted considerably with the return of defenceman Neil Abel this weekend. The experienced player has struggled over recent weeks with foot problems, and missed last Sunday with lace bite.

Abel will still face a late fitness test, but the signs are good.

Canadian Jeff Daniels is still undergoing treatment for a groin injury and looks unlikely to figure, but will also undergo a late test.

Previous sport story

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.