BLACKBURN Hawks come face to face with an old foe tonight as they embark on stage two of the national ice hockey play-offs.

Hawks travel north to meet Whitley Warriors in the first of a six-match programme squeezed into just 10 days. And included in the Warriors ranks will be ex-Hawks player-coach Mark Stokes. The Blackburn side, who hope to recall Richard Charles (pictured) after a long absence with a hand injury, finished one place below the Warriors in the Northern Premier League.

"It will be a tough start, but there are no easy games now," says current player-coach Jim Pennycook, who misses through injury.

Young stars Tom Burridge and Billy Price are also absent on international duty with the Great Britain Under 19 squad in Romania.

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