Recap
Kilmarnock, Saturday Night
The SNL curtain-raiser between Kilmarnock Thunder and North Ayrshire. Wild delivered a thrilling contest from the first puck drop. It took just one minute for Kyle Howie of Wild to break the deadlock, sending an early message to the home side. The visitors doubled their lead not long after, but Kilmarnock’s Ronan McCready hit back with a determined effort to keep the game within reach.
The second period was a fierce back-and-forth affair, with Thunder levelling the score just 33 seconds into the period. Both teams traded goals, finishing the second tied at 3-3, setting up an intense final period.
North Ayrshire Wild seized control in the third period, scoring two more goals. Although Kilmarnock’s Struan Forbes narrowed the gap with a late power-play goal, there was little time left, and the visitors held on for a 6-4 victory as Dylan Murray capped off the win with a hat-trick goal in the final seconds.
After the game, Wild’s coach, Domenico DeSimone praised his squad, saying, “It was a strong performance from our young team against a good, well-coached Kilmarnock team in one of the toughest away fixtures in the league. Our team has grown in maturity and experience over the past couple of seasons, with some hard lessons learned in the process. Their desire to compete and to develop is a credit to them, which will stand them in good stead for the season ahead. There are no easy games in this league. Our next tough test is our first home game against Aberdeen, and we have the support of our fans who have stood by us season after season. Our young squad has shown determination and tenacity, so I’m sure the boys will earn the jersey they wear.”
Wild
