BLACKBURN Hawks manager Mike Cockayne has assured fans that there is not about to be a mass exodus of the arena's top names in the wake of the newly-proposed two conference National Ice Hockey League.

"I'm confident that out of the upheaval we will put a reasonable side together that can compete against the clubs in our Conference," said Cockayne.

And the manager reckons the new league structure could be a "step in the right direction," for the local side and other financially-strapped clubs.

The Northern, or Wharry Conference is still at the proposal stage and looks set to comprise of nine clubs - two more than previously reported with Billingham and Paisley poised to join Hawks, Dumfries, Durham, Fife Murrayfield, Newcastle and Irish newcomers Castlereagh.

A separate Southern Division, named the Ahearne Conference, will largely consist of financially higher-powered Southern outfits.

"Most of the Southern clubs have council-backing while we in the north are largely run by independent operators and at last there seems to be a collective realisation that most of us have been incurring losses, which is a big step forward.

"At last there seems to be an attempt for clubs to operate within their means on a level playing field.

"There won't be any movement between the two conferences and the Super League will exist as a separate entity," said Cockayne. And though some of Hawks' much-loved star players from last season, notably player-coach Ryan Kummu, will almost certainly be the targets of bigger clubs this summer, Cockayne reassured fans: "There will be some of our players back here, I'm sure. If the conferences determine a clearly-defined wage structure we will see some of the same faces playing here."

The next stage for the formation of the Wharry Conferences is a meeting of the Northern clubs in Whitley Bay next Tuesday, April 23, when it is anticipated the format will be officially approved.

A spokesman for Peel Holdings, who run the Arena, added: "There looks to be a shared commitment to making the sport financially viable. The whole concept of what it's all about has got to change.

"For some time hockey clubs have been driven by the desire to win irrespective of how much money they are losing, but now that winning and losing isn't going to be the be-all and end-all, the new structure, if the governing bodies set the limits correctly, will take some of the fear factor of relegation away and make for competition on a healthier basis."

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