LANCASHIRE Hawks will be aiming to ring out the old year on a high note tonight.

The local ice hockey aces have a rare midweek home date at Blackburn Arena when their Kingston namesakes fly in for a Northern League clash (face off 8pm).

But Jim Pennycook's side know they'll have to be on their guard - the visitors will have nothing but revenge on their minds.

Hawks pulled off a shock 7-5 win in Hull a week ago, and Kingston will be desperate to make amends. In six meets this season, it was the only time Hawks have triumphed.

Victory would represent a major boost following a double disappointment at the weekend against the thundering Peterborough Pirates in the Christmas Cup.

"We came back with a super result on their ice last week, and we'll be looking for a repeat show tonight," says manager Mike Cockayne.

"It's been an extremely tough year for us, but this is the last game of 1997 and it would mean a lot to us if we could go out on a high, especially in front of our home crowd."

Arena star Adrian Lomonaco will be looking to do the same. The Canadian hot-shot is just eight points short of his "ton" and could well pass the milestone in the next week or so.

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