Sunday was 'derby' day at the Blackburn Arena, as the Hawks welcomed their fiercest rivals, the Manchester Minotaurs. In recent times, these games had always been competitive affairs, and the latest encounter was to prove just as closely fought.
Danny Brittle was the starting netminder for the home side, with the visitors icing GB ladies goalie, Nicole Jackson.
The first period started with the Hawks straight onto the offensive, with both Dan Mackriel and David Miekle testing Jackson with goal-bound efforts, which she was more than equal to. Miekle then had the next opportunity, breaking out of his defensive zone, but he was unfortunate to see his shot deflect off the near post. However, the Manchester outfit always looked dangerous on the break, with Zeman pulling the strings. On 9 minutes, Brittle was called into action - pulling out a fine 'kick'save to deny Wigglesworth. Reece Cairney-Witter took a 2+2 penalty, for slashing and roughing, respectively, when he took exception to some 'underhand' play from Wigglesworth, but a disciplined defensive display from the Hawks restricted the Minotaurs to long-range shots. With 8 seconds remaining of the penalty kill, Miekle broke free, and, having beaten the same defenceman twice, slid the puck beneath Jackson. This ignited a 6-man brawl, with two roughing calls handed out, one to each team. The celebrations for Blackburn quickly evaporated, however, when the officials chalked off the goal - deeming the forward to have slashed the goalkeeper, marginally before he had scored. Mackriel was handed a 10-minute misconduct penalty, so he joined Miekle in the rather crowded penalty box - resulting in a 5-on-3 for several seconds. As Cairney-Witter rejoined the game, he accompanied Adam Brittle on a breakaway, but as he positioned himself at the far post, he mis-timed his shot.
The second 20 minutes once again began with the Hawks on the front foot, with the irrepressible Miekle firing a stinging slapshot at Jackson. The opening goal of the game duly arrived in the 22nd minute, and it was the visitors who scored - Murray finishing off a good passing move around the net, firing home off the pipe. This stung the home side into action, and they began to increase the pressure on their opponents, with Adam Brittle producing some fine individual skill, to create space on the left. He shot to the far post, but with the goalie well-beaten, the puck found the metalwork, and flew to safety. Matt Viney took a penalty for slashing, and in the ensuing power-play, Manchester doubled their lead. A strong wrist-shot by Dickinson beat an unsighted Brittle in the Hawks net, and went in off the underside of the bar. Blackburn needed a touch of inspiration to get a foot-hold back in the game, and this came at the half-way point of the match. Aaron Davies took possession, wide on the right, and placed a pin-point pass onto the stick of Mackriel, who angled his shot beyond the static keeper, to halve the arrears. Ollie Lomax received a harsh roughing call, but when Viney forced his way beyond the last defenceman, ex-Blackburn player, Max Drakeley, had little option but to take an interference penalty - resulting in 4-on-4. The match then entered a rather scrappy phase for the remainder of the period, with chances for either team at a premium.
The early stages of the final period were dominated by the Hawks forwards, with the visitors happy to play a containing game, and threaten on the break. For long periods, the home side were encamped in the offensive zone, testing Jackson regularly. Scott Robson and Chris Arnone both had slapshots well saved by the impressive netminder, and Adam Brittle had a great chance to level the scores, but was thwarted. On a rare breakout by Manchester, the forward got away from the defence, and Rick Hughes was forced to bring him down, taking a 2 minute penalty. Cairney-Witter then compounded the issue, by unleashing a series of blows in the direction of Drakeley, and then headed straight to the locker-room - leaving the Hawks facing a 5-on-3. The Blackburn defence stood firm, and managed to kill off both penalties, before gaining a man-advantage, when Nurse flattened Arnone against the boards. With 1:28 left on the clock, Jared Owen decided to pull the goalie - giving the Hawks a two-man powerplay. The powerplay unit looked to be in total control as they moved the puck around the Minotaurs net with unerring accuracy, dragging the defenders out of position. Then, with only 35 seconds left, their patience was rewarded, as a mad scramble in front of the Manchester net saw Davies poke the puck over the line, to start wild celebrations both on and off the ice. The final hooter sounded with the scores tied at 2-2 - a fair result in the end, with neither team deserving to lose.
The MVP was awarded to Danny Brittle.
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