This weekend saw plenty of action in the Scottish National League, with four thrilling games on the slate, including double-headers for both the Paisley Pirates and the Dundee Rockets. Fans were treated to fast-paced, competitive hockey that came down to the wire in several matchups.
Aberdeen Lynx 3 – 4 Dundee Rockets (OT)
The Aberdeen Lynx hosted the Dundee Rockets in another nail-biter, with the game going all the way to overtime. Josef Babicka opened the scoring for the Lynx, giving the home crowd something to cheer about. However, Rockets’ Jack Henderson answered back with a power-play goal to tie things up before the end of the first period.
The second period was a back-and-forth battle, but it was Rockets‘ captain Sam McCluskey who found the back of the net, putting his team ahead 2-1. Early in the third, Michel Beca extended Dundee’s lead, making it 3-1. But Aberdeen, refusing to back down, roared back into contention with Brant Saretsky scoring twice to level the game at 3-3, sending it to overtime.
In the extra frame, John Dolan played hero for the Rockets, scoring the game-winning goal to secure a 4-3 victory and two crucial points for the visitors in front of a packed Aberdeen crowd.
Kirkcaldy Kestrels 2 – 3 Paisley Pirates
The last time these two teams met, the Kestrels came away with a commanding 6-1 win, but this encounter was far tighter. Kirkcaldy’s James Spence got the scoring started, only for Pirates‘ Chris Wilson to equalise midway through the first period.
The Kestrels regained the lead in the second period through Finley King, but the Pirates responded, with Alex Lane scoring a power-play goal to tie the game once again. Bradley Annan then put Paisley ahead before the period’s end, making it 2-3.
The third period saw both teams battling hard, but neither could add to the scoreline, with the Pirates holding on for a well-earned win, leaving both teams with a victory apiece from their head-to-head matchups this season.
North Ayrshire Wild 1 – 6 Edinburgh Capitals
The Edinburgh Capitals traveled to Auchenharvie to face the North Ayrshire Wild, and they wasted no time stamping their authority on the game. Aaron Robertson opened the scoring just seven seconds after puck drop, and the Capitals added three more goals in the first period to take a commanding 4-0 lead.
Caiden MacColl took over from Evan McTaggart in net for North Ayrshire in the second period, and despite facing relentless pressure, he managed to limit the Capitals to just one additional goal in the frame. Rocco Murray gave the Wild some hope with a late goal, but the Capitals rounded out the scoring with one more in the final minutes to secure a comprehensive 6-1 victory.
Paisley Pirates 1 – 5 Dundee Rockets
On Sunday, the Rockets and Pirates faced off in their second games of the weekend, and it was the Rockets who took control early. Dundee dominated the first period, scoring four goals, including one from Gary Kelly, who returned to the lineup this weekend after an injury.
Paisley made a goaltending change, bringing in Callum Donaghy to replace Daniel McGowan. Alex Lane pulled one back for the Pirates in the second period, but the Rockets continued to control the game, with Rio Page netting the final goal of the night to seal a 5-1 win for the visitors.
League Standings
Despite their overtime loss, the Aberdeen Lynx remain atop the league with 11 points. The Edinburgh Capitals moved up to second place with 8 points after a strong showing this weekend. Dundee Rockets’ four-point weekend propelled them into third, while Kirkcaldy Kestrels dropped to fourth. The Pirates, Wild, and Thunder remain in their current positions as the season continues to heat up.
