IN-form Blackburn Hawks will hope to keep their title charge on track with victory away to Sheffield Spartans tomorrow night.
The ice hockey aces extended their unbeaten run to eight games last weekend with a 4-2 win at home to their Yorkshire rivals.
Last Sunday’s success was Hawks’ third over the Spartans in the English National Ice Hockey League this season and the town team will be going all out to complete the full set this weekend.
After an indifferent start to the season, Hawks have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance over the past two months, losing just one of their last 11 games in all competitions, winning nine.
The impressive run of results has seen them shoot up the table and they now find themselves just eight points behind league leaders Billingham Stars, with two games in hand.
With Billingham up against third-place Telford Titans and second-place Whitley Warriors in their next two games, Hawks’ team manager Graham Lomax is confident his charges can make a push for the crown.
“We enjoyed a good win against Sheffield last weekend and we’re at full strength, with no-one missing this weekend, so we’ll go there all guns blazing, looking to extend the unbeaten run to nine,” he said.
“One positive thing to come out of this year is that our road form has been equally as good and that will be put to the test in the coming weeks, as tomorrow marks the first of three successive games on our travels.
“Sheffield is a cracking facility to play in. It is a similar size ice pad to ours and it is not an intimidating place to go.
“Loads of permutations could come out of this weekend, but we just need to keep this run going.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here