ABSENTEES proved costly as Blackburn Hawks suffered their seventh straight league defeat following a 5-2 mauling by Nottingham Lions.

Already without five key players going into the clash, a string of second-period penalties turned the tie in the home side’s favour, as Nottingham raced into a four-goal lead.

While Hawks did find the net twice in the final third, their short bench was always going to take its toll against last season’s league winners.

But general manager Andy Slater, who was encouraged by the spirit of his side’s performance, said: “The scoreline does not reflect the game.

“We were missing most of our first line forwards and still managed to look dangerous throughout the game.

“Obviously, we still have work to do, particularly in improving our shots, but I’m hopeful we’ve now turned the corner and will be able to give our loyal fans some wins in the very near future.”

After a goalless first period, in which new netminder Matthew Michie and his defence stood tall, Lions opened the scoring less than three minutes after the restart from a quick break.

The hosts doubled their advantage with a deflected shot three minutes later and after Craig Rogers incurred a penalty for checking from behind, Nottingham capitalised with a clean shot over Michie’s pads.

Two players from each side were then given a 10-minute rest after a heated incident in front of the Nottingham net, and with Ollie Lomax already sidelined for a further infraction, it was no surprise to see Hawks fall four behind.

Despite the deficit, Hawks mounted a late rally to win the final third 2-1.

After several near misses, the visitors were finally rewarded when Carl Slater spotted a gap after combining well with Harry Hall and David Meikle.

Chris Arnone then completed the scoring with Hawks’ second late in the game.