Picture by Ian Coyle
It was a compact but eventful weekend across Scottish ice hockey, with three SNL fixtures alongside the opening game of this season’s Scottish Cup.
Paisley Pirates continued their strong start with a win on the road at North Ayrshire Wild, while Aberdeen Lynx faced two very different tests during a demanding double-header away from home. In the Scottish Cup, Edinburgh Capitals established a sizeable first-leg advantage over Solway Sharks SNL.
Capitals take control of Scottish Cup tie
The Scottish Cup got under way in Edinburgh on Saturday as the Capitals welcomed Solway Sharks SNL for the first leg of their tie.
Solway made a strong start to the contest, but the Capitals found an early breakthrough through a Rihards Grigors power-play goal. That remained the only goal of the opening period, with the Sharks keeping the deficit to one going into the break.
The game began to move Edinburgh’s way in the second. Joe Lynch struck twice, the second on the power play, before adding another later in the period to complete his hat-trick and put the Capitals firmly in control.
Lynch added his fourth of the night in the third period, before Conner McNulty rounded off the scoring with an unassisted effort.
The 6-0 scoreline gives Edinburgh a significant advantage ahead of the return leg on October 18. Solway’s penalty count was not especially high, but the Capitals made them pay when they did go a player down, scoring three of their six goals on the power play. Without those power-play goals, the margin could have been considerably closer.
Pirates continue strong start at Auchenharvie
North Ayrshire Wild hosted Paisley Pirates at Auchenharvie on Saturday, with both sides playing their third SNL game of the season and carrying full rosters.
Aiden Wilson gave the Pirates the early advantage with an unassisted goal, the only scoring of the opening period.
Canadian import Cale Tanaka added another early in the second as Paisley began to build their lead. The Wild were matching the Pirates more closely in terms of efforts on net, but still struggled to find a way past Callum Donaghy.
Penalties became a bigger feature as the game went on, with both sides spending more time in the box than has generally been seen across the SNL during the opening weeks. Paisley made the most of those opportunities, with three of their five goals coming on the power play.
The battle continued into the third, with Chris Wilson among the power-play scorers for Paisley before Lennon Deeney finally found a way through for the Wild.
The Pirates came away with a 5-1 victory, continuing their strong start to the league campaign.
Warriors make a fast start against Lynx
Aberdeen Lynx began their weekend on the road with a trip to Whitley Bay, where the Warriors wasted little time putting their stamp on the contest.
Whitley came out at pace and gave Aberdeen very little opportunity to settle. Kyle Ross struck after just two minutes and Owen Yarrow followed soon after, with the Warriors racing into a four-goal lead inside the opening 12 minutes.
Aberdeen steadied after that difficult opening spell and kept Whitley from adding to the score before the first break.
The game remained fast-paced, with the Lynx continuing to create opportunities of their own, but Whitley’s depth became increasingly influential. With four lines available, the Warriors were able to maintain their pace and added another three goals in the second period.
Aberdeen continued to search for a way onto the scoresheet, but Ross added his third of the night in the final period to complete an 8-0 victory.
Solway edge tight Sunday contest
Less than 24 hours later Aberdeen were back on the ice, this time in Dumfries against a Solway Sharks SNL side also coming off a tough Saturday night following their Scottish Cup trip to Edinburgh.
Solway have shown clear signs of improvement from their debut SNL season and, just a week earlier, had taken Dundee Rockets all the way to a penalty shootout.
Sunday’s game quickly developed into an evenly matched contest. Aberdeen saw plenty of the puck in the opening period, but neither side could find the breakthrough and the teams went into the first intermission scoreless, with eight efforts on target apiece.
Lewis Chalmers broke the deadlock early in the second period to put Solway ahead, but Aberdeen responded. Jaydn Baxter found the net on the power play before Macauley Armstrong struck to turn the game around and give the Lynx a 2-1 lead heading into the final period.
Solway came out strongly in the third and found an early equaliser before moving back in front. A Lynx penalty then presented another opportunity, with Gordon Horne converting on the power play to open up a two-goal advantage.
Aberdeen were not finished. With around five minutes remaining Armstrong scored his second of the night to cut the deficit to 4-3 and set up a tense finish.
The Lynx pulled Rory Wood for the extra attacker as they went in search of an equaliser. Aberdeen continued to press, but Jude Beattie eventually took advantage of the empty net to settle the contest at 5-3.
It was another weekend that helped the early SNL picture develop, with Whitley holding onto top spot while wins for Paisley and Solway moved both sides up a place. The league is starting to take shape, while Edinburgh’s 6-0 Scottish Cup win gives them a strong first-leg advantage ahead of the return meeting with Solway.
