What a fantastic weekend of Scottish ice hockey and a great atmosphere at Murrayfield Ice Arena.
The semi-final on Saturday saw Aberdeen win 4-3 against Kilmarnock Thunder and Dundee Comets win 4-0 against Paisley Pirates, making it a Lynx vs Comets final on the Sunday.
The final was a thrilling game between the two experienced sides cheered along by their enthusiastic traveling support, that filled the arena with the sound of beating drums and let’s go chants.
The Comets got off to a strong start, with goals from Ben Brown and Sean Beattie in the first period, giving them a 2-0 lead. The second period was a physical one, with both teams racking up the penalty minutes, but Comets’ Stephen Eccles managed to net another goal, extending their lead to 3-0.
In the third period, much to the delight of the cheering Lynx fans, Aberdeen found their form scoring two goals in quick succession to bring the score to 3-2. However, Ben Brown scored his second goal of the evening while on the power play, making it 4-2 with less than five minutes left on the clock.
The Lynx didn’t give up and kept up the pressure taking advantage of the power play as the clock ticked down. A last-minute goal at 59.59 by James Demeo narrowed the scoreline, but it was too little too late to clinch the win.
Both teams have had a successful season so far, Dundee Comets winning the Scottish Ice Hockey Playoff Championship at the weekend and Aberdeen Lynx winning the Scottish National League title 2 weeks ago.
They will meet again on Saturday in the final for the Scottish Cup which is being held in Aberdeen. With both teams hoping to add another piece of silverware to their collection it promises to be another exciting match and not one to be missed!
Head of Scottish Ice Hockey’s senior section, Scott Campbell said, “As our SNL season is now almost concluded, what a finals weekend that was!
The ever improving Kilmarnock Thunder taking the league champions to the wire, Dundee Comets playing some fine hockey under Richard Hartmann, and a final that everyone thought was already over at the end of the 2nd period proving to be anything but over.
Credit to Aberdeen Lynx for their 3rd period efforts, but just falling short against a Comets team that for me were the worthy winners and strongest team this weekend.
It was great to see such a good blend of youth and experience on display this weekend. It was our first SNL season of 2 home and 2 away games and what a difference it has made already, long may it continue.
Finally, a huge thanks to Scott Neil and team at Murrayfield Ice Arena, all our volunteers, and our on ice officials, without whom we have no game.
Good luck to all teams, senior and junior in next weekends Scottish Cup Final event, and I hope everyone has a great summer and is looking forward to September already as much as I am.”
