Picture by Al Goold

This weekend proved that nothing is certain in the SNL as teams battle for crucial points in their playoff race. Every result matters, and this round of fixtures delivered plenty of excitement.

Aberdeen Lynx made the long journey to Auchenharvie on Saturday to face North Ayrshire Wild. Despite Wild sitting seventh in the table and Lynx third, it was set to be an intriguing fixture. Lynx, last season’s league champions, have had mixed performances recently, slipping from first place. With a short bench and Wild’s recent victory over the Kestrels, this was never going to be an easy game for the visitors.

The first period saw Lynx take the lead with a power-play goal from Jordan Leyden. Although they created several chances, only one found the net. In the second period, Lynx increased the pressure, but Wild’s netminder Caiden MacColl put in a strong performance, conceding just two goals, both from Brant Saretsky.

Leading 3-0 heading into the final period, Lynx kept their momentum going. Within three minutes of the restart, Saretsky completed his hat trick. Jordan Leyden also netted two more goals to secure his own hat trick, while Mark Laing and Josef Babicka added one goal each. With a final score of 8-0, Lynx netminder Aaron Forsyth secured a shutout. This win helps Lynx close the gap between themselves and second-place Edinburgh Capitals.

Saturday also saw Kilmarnock Thunder take on league leaders Dundee Rockets, a challenging fixture for the struggling side. Rockets wasted no time, scoring less than three minutes in with a power-play goal from Michel Beca, followed by five more goals in the opening period. Rockets added two more in the second before Thunder’s Alan Maitland got them on the board. However, penalties proved costly for Thunder, allowing Rockets to extend their lead. By the start of the third period, Rockets led 10-2. Nineteen-year-old Ross Chalmers scored Thunder’s second goal, but Rockets quickly responded with their final goal of the night, sealing a dominant 12-2 victory.

Both North Ayrshire Wild and Kilmarnock Thunder returned to the ice on Sunday, each looking for redemption. The match proved to be a close contest. The first period was evenly matched, and after 16 minutes, Wild swapped goaltender Liam Griffin for 16-year-old Caiden MacColl, who had also played the previous night against Aberdeen. Moments later, Wild broke the deadlock with a shorthanded goal from Kyle Howie.

The second period saw both sides battle hard, but neither found the back of the net. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Thunder equalised through Mack Harris, forcing the game into overtime. When neither team could score in OT, the game went to a penalty shootout. Torin MacLachlan scored the winning goal for Thunder, securing their first victory of the season.

Thunder’s head coach, Scott Campbell, reflected on the hard-fought win:

Really pleased with the effort the boys put in after a tough game on Saturday night. While we took too many penalties and faced what felt like a record amount of 5-on-3 PK situations, the penalty killing from the guys was absolutely outstanding. Credit to them for that. At one stage, it felt like we might be there until midnight, as both netminders were excellent all game, then put on a further show with some great saves in the shootout. It was great for us that our opening penalty shot was scored by our oldest player, and the two key goals came from two of the youngest players on the team. The composure shown by Torin for the winner was really impressive under such pressure.

Sunday also saw a hard-fought game at Braehead Arena, where the Paisley Pirates secured a 4-1 victory over the Kirkcaldy Kestrels. Chris Wilson opened the scoring for the home side early in the first period, followed quickly by a goal from teammate Gary Parker. Less than a minute later, Kestrels’ Kian Shevlin netted what would be their only goal of the night.

Both teams battled in the second period, but only Pirates’ Marcus Murdoch managed to score. In the final period, Pirates extended their lead with a shorthanded goal from assistant captain Chris Wilson, securing the two points.

Although the league standings remain unchanged, the gaps between teams are narrowing. Could there be some movement in the rankings in the coming weeks? Stay tuned as the SNL season continues to heat up.