Sunday 31st March saw the Recreational B and C teams along with our good friends from EIHA -The North East Nomads– congregate at Auchenharvie Ice Rink in Ayrshire to compete in the SIH Bowl Qualifying Tournament. There were 3 places up for grabs in the Bowl proper with the 2 finalists and 3rd place play-off winners competing for the prize.

The tournament was a great advert for recreational ice hockey with a good mix of experienced and rookie players providing the entertainment.

Two groups of 4 teams played a round robin in the qualifying rounds with Highlanders B and North East Nomads from Group A  and Mariners B and Stingers B making it through to the semi finals from Group B 

Semi-final 1 saw the Mariners B take on the Nomads in a tense game that eventually saw the Mariners pull through with a 2-0 win

Semi-final 2 saw the Stingers B take on the Highlanders B in another close game with the Stingers emerging with a 2-1 victory.

With a place available in the Bowl as the incentive the 3rd/4th place play-off between the Highlanders and the Nomads took on some extra importance. A great end-to-end game saw the game go to penalty shots after a 1-1 draw. The Highlanders held their nerve to score 2 of their penalties to nil finishing the game as 3-1 winners.

To round off the tournament the Mariners B and Stingers B contested a closely fought final with end to end play and chances galore. However, a strong Mariners second string came out the victors with a 2-1 win to lift the trophy.

The tournament was played in the true spirit of hockey and, results aside, hockey was the winner. Best of luck to the 3 qualifying teams in the Bowl and thank you from SIH to all teams who competed on the day.