Picture by Richard Wiseman

Dundee Rockets completed a four-point SNL weekend with wins in two very different games, while Solway Sharks provided one of the most interesting performances of the weekend by pushing them all the way to a penalty shootout in Dumfries.

Five games were played across Saturday and Sunday, with North Ayrshire Wild, Whitley Warriors and Edinburgh Capitals also collecting wins as the opening weeks of the season continue to offer an early indication of how the nine teams are shaping up.

Dundee began their weekend at home to Aberdeen Lynx and gave themselves an ideal platform with three goals inside the opening six minutes.

That early advantage put the Rockets in a strong position and they added two more shortly after the start of the second period. Aberdeen found a better spell through the middle of the game, with Zac Thomson getting the Lynx on the scoresheet before 19-year-old Owen Johnstone marked another step in his senior development with his first SNL goal.

The Lynx were also managing the demands of senior and U19 fixtures on the same night, with several of the club’s younger players involved in Dundee.

By then, though, the Rockets had established a sizeable advantage and their depth showed as the scoring was spread across the line-up. Rio Page was the only Dundee player to score twice, including a shorthanded effort, as the home side went on to take a 9-2 win.

Less than 24 hours later, Dundee faced a very different type of game in Dumfries.

Solway are only beginning their second season at SNL level, but Sunday’s meeting with the Rockets offered another indication of the progress being made.

Dundee generated the greater volume of attacking play and regularly tested the Solway goal, but repeatedly found Calum Hepburn in their way.

Once again, Solway appear to have recruited well, with Hepburn proving a strong addition in goal this season. The former Solway NIHL netminder has brought experience from a higher level into the SNL side and played a major part in keeping the Sharks within reach.

That gave Solway the platform to make their opportunities at the other end count.

Dundee held a narrow advantage going into the third period and Sean Beattie‘s second goal of the night briefly opened up a two-goal gap, but the Sharks continued to stay in touch.

Stephen Adams and Gary Russell were central to the response, both scoring twice as Solway worked their way back into the game.

Even when Sam McCluskey restored Dundee’s lead at 4-3 with less than five minutes remaining, there was still another response to come.

Solway earned a late power play and Russell converted with just 37 seconds left in regulation, levelling the game at 4-4 and forcing it beyond 60 minutes.

Dundee eventually secured the extra point in the penalty shootout to complete their four-point weekend, but there was plenty for Solway to take from the performance.

The Sharks absorbed long spells of pressure, stayed within reach and found a way back when Dundee twice appeared to have created some breathing room. With a season of SNL experience now behind them and some strong recruitment added to the group, Solway are already giving signs that they could be one to watch as the campaign develops.

Saturday’s meeting between North Ayrshire Wild and Kilmarnock Thunder also changed significantly as the night went on.

Wild looked to have put themselves firmly in control after building a 3-0 first-period lead and extending that advantage to 5-0 during the second.

Kilmarnock, however, refused to let the game get away from them.

Torin MacLachlan started the response before Euan Gallacher and Fraser Turner scored just 22 seconds apart late in the period. By the second intermission, a five-goal deficit had been cut to two and the contest had taken on a very different feel.

North Ayrshire’s response at the start of the third proved important. Luca De Simone struck shortly after the restart to restore some breathing room and, although Kilmarnock found another later in the period, Wild saw out the remaining time for a 6-4 win.

Lennon Deeney scored twice for North Ayrshire, while Rocco Murray also played an important part in helping Wild establish their early advantage.

For Thunder, there were no points from the game, but the way they responded after falling 5-0 behind ensured Wild had to work to close out the victory.

Kilmarnock were back on the ice the following day against Edinburgh Capitals, with the fixture played at Murrayfield due to ongoing maintenance at Kilmarnock’s home rink.

The Capitals took control early, building a three-goal lead by the first break, and continued to stretch the gap through the middle period. Conner McNulty, who had opened the scoring, struck again in the second as Edinburgh kept adding from across the line-up.

By the second intermission the Capitals were 7-0 ahead. The scoring slowed in the third, with Scott McKay adding Edinburgh’s eighth on the power play.

Kilmarnock kept looking for a way onto the scoresheet and were rewarded with just 17 seconds remaining when Ruby Newlands converted on the power play to make the final score 8-1.

Sunday’s other fixture saw Whitley Warriors leave Fife Ice Arena with a 4-0 victory over Kirkcaldy Kestrels.

Kirkcaldy went into the game without an available goaltender of their own and called on 19-year-old Aberdeen Lynx netminder Kyle Joiner on loan for the fixture.

Whitley made the better start, with Ollie Jardine scoring twice in the opening period to give the Warriors an early cushion.

The Kestrels continued to create chances of their own and the balance of attacking play suggested there was more competition in the game than the final scoreline alone might imply. Whitley, however, held onto their advantage and added one goal in each of the remaining periods.

At the other end, Thomas Brown and the Warriors’ defensive work kept Kirkcaldy off the scoresheet, while Joiner stepped into an unfamiliar line-up at short notice as the Kestrels worked to stay in the game.

The result gave Whitley a 4-0 win, but for Kirkcaldy the circumstances surrounding the fixture added another challenge before the puck had even dropped.

Across the weekend, the five games produced very different contests and plenty beyond the final scores themselves. Dundee came through two fixtures to take four points, North Ayrshire had to withstand a Kilmarnock fightback, Edinburgh continued their strong opening and Kirkcaldy were forced to adapt quickly when left without a goaltender of their own.

Solway’s performance against Dundee also provided another early marker of how the league may be changing. With their first SNL season behind them, the Sharks look to have strengthened again and showed they can stay in a game even when facing sustained pressure from one of the league’s deeper sides.

The season is still in its early stages, but there are already enough developing storylines to suggest there will be plenty to follow as the SNL begins to settle into its rhythm.