With the 22-23 league over there was no rest as the teams were back for the first weekend of the Playoff 1/4 finals.
North Ayr Wild headed to Aberdeen for a match that proved to be a one-sided affair. Despite being short-benched, North Ayr’s young team showed a lot of heart, but fresh from their league win Aberdeen was simply too strong for them.
Flynn Massie, a NAW U16 player, seemed unfazed on the ice playing in his first SNL game. This was also the Lynx’s 17 year old net minder, Rory Wood’s first full SNL game, and he put in a solid shift between the pipes.
In the first period, Aberdeen took an early lead, scoring their first goal just after a minute into the game. By the five-minute mark, they were already up 4-0, but North Ayr’s Ryan Campbell managed to get on the scoreboard. However, seconds before the end of the period, Dylan Murray scored an unassisted goal, finishing the period with a score of 8-2 in favour of Aberdeen.
Aberdeen continued to dominate in the second period, scoring three more goals while North Ayr switched their goaltender from Euan McTaggart to Scott Beverage. The third period saw Aberdeen net three more goals, with the last two of them being hat tricks by James Demeo and Nils Tanner bringing the final score to 14-2.
Saturday sees Aberdeen heading to North Ayr for the return leg, where North Ayr will be looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat. Aberdeen will be looking to maintain their dominance, while North Ayr will be hoping for a better outcome on home ice.
It was an exciting game between Kilmarnock Thunder and Edinburgh Capitals. Despite finishing lower in the league, Thunder was able to secure the win against the second-placed Capitals.
Kilmarnock got off to a great start with Finally Anderson scoring the opening goal, followed by another goal just 10 minutes later. However, the Capitals were quick to respond with a goal from Alex Christian, bringing the score to 2-1 at the end of the first period.
In the second period, Thunder extended their lead by adding three more goals to their tally, which would have put them in a comfortable position going into the third period.
However, the Caps showed their fighting spirit by scoring three quick goals in the third period, showing their ability to come back from behind and not lose heart.
With the score line at 5-4, it was all to play for, but Thunder’s Innes Gallacher scored his third goal of the game just seconds later, securing the win for his team with a final score of 6-4.
Kilmarnock Thunder will undoubtedly be pleased with their victory but the Capitals will be looking to come back stronger on home ice next weekend.
Dundee Comets faced off against Kirkcaldy Kestrels at Fife Arena in a highly-anticipated game. Both teams had been on an impressive run of form, with a series of wins under their belts.
The game started off with both sides eager to get an early advantage. It was the Comets who struck first, with Josh Hamilton scoring within the opening minutes of the game. However, the Kestrels soon responded with goals from Rolands Dietlavs and Richard Krogh, which put them ahead 2-1 at the end of the first period.
The second period saw a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. Sean Beattie scored for the Comets early on, which tied the game up once again. However, the Kestrels regained the lead with a goal from Allan Anderson in the 36th minute.
Heading into the final period, the game was finely poised, with both teams still in with a chance of winning. However, it was the Comets who took control of the match in the final 20 minutes. Ben Brown scored two goals, while Darren Donaldson and Beattie also got on the scoresheet, giving the Comets a commanding three-goal lead.
The Kestrels, to their credit, did not give up and kept fighting until the end. Scott Jamieson scored a late goal to make it 4-6, which boosted their chances of making a comeback in the second leg at Dundee Ice Arena next Saturday.
In a closely contested match, Paisley Pirates played Dundee Tigers at the Dundee Ice Arena on Sunday. The Pirates finished one point ahead of the Tigers in the league, which meant that the game was expected to be closely fought.
In the first period, there was only one goal which was scored by Mikey Dobson for the Pirates. However, in the second period, Jardene Wallace found the back of the net for the Pirates followed shortly by a goal from Andrew Henderson while the Tigers were on a power play, bringing the score to 1-1.
The second period saw the Paisley side take an early lead with a goal from Jardine Wallace. But Tiger’s Andrew Henderson found the back of the net, equalising the score. However, Gary Simpson pushed the Pirates ahead going into the last period.
2-3 going into the last period, Marty Simpson scored for the Pirates just seconds into the start. But even with a goal in the last 10 minutes it wasn’t enough for the Tigers to clinch the win.
It was a hard-fought game between two competitive teams, so all to play for in the 2nd leg.
The outcome of the this weekends 2nd leg matches will determine the semi-final line up for the Playoff Weekend on the 8th and 9th April in Murrayfield.
