THE English Cup came as a welcome distraction for ice-hockey aces Blackburn Hawks, who registered an unbeaten weekend against Flintshire Freeze.

On the back of four straight league defeats, Andy Slater's side were eager to return to winning ways in the double header against their local rivals.

Aaron Davies was the Hawks hero at the Arena on Saturday night with a last-gasp equaliser in a thrilling 4-4 draw and, 24 hours later, the town team went goal crazy to secure a stunning 7-5 victory in the return match.

Slater said: “I’m chuffed to bits with the performance and the attitude of the players.

“The lads kept fighting right to the end in the opening game and were rewarded with the equaliser at the death.

“There was a good team spirit and signs that they are starting to gel.

"The frontline of Aaron Davies, Tim McKay and David Meikle ran riot against the Flintshire defence in the second game and 7-5 probably flattered them.

“To come away with the win was the most important thing, as it will go a long way to building up the confidence of the players.”

Hawks had gone three years without dropping a point against the ‘Frosties’ going into the weekend, but their recent run of results looked in serious doubt in the opening encounter.

A healthy home crowd witnessed a furious start to the game, with the Freeze racing to a 4-2 lead.

Richard Bentham netted a superb solo goal on a powerplay 10 minutes from time, and as the game entered the final minute, Hawks threw caution to the wind, replacing their netminder with an additional forward, and the switch worked a treat, as Davies fired home the equaliser through an unsighted keeper's legs. It was a lot easier on Sunday.