Picture by Gordon Fowley

This weekend’s Scottish Ice Hockey action delivered thrilling games with two SNL clashes and the debut of the Northern League.

In the matchup between North Ayrshire Wild and Kilmarnock Thunder, it was set to be a hot fixture for Ayrshire. The game promised excitement as players had switched sides recently. Thunder’s Innes Gallacher set the tone with a lightning-fast goal just 2.23 seconds in, followed by Torran Anderson’s power play strike. Tensions flared, leading to Wild’s Scott Rae ejection from the game. Despite a fierce second period, neither team found the net until Kyle Howie scored for Wild at 35 minutes. The final score stood at Wild 1, Thunder 2.

Over at Linx Ice Arena, Aberdeen Lynx hosted the Dundee Tigers in their first home game of the season. Tiger’s net minder Dom Jaglar was under pressure from the Aberdeen Side, but he put in a great performance. The Tigers emerged victorious, highlighted by power-play goals from Callum Hill and a short-handed effort by Jack Henderson in the first period. The Tigers added two more in the second, while Lynx’s Gary Kelly notched one. Despite John Dolan’s first Lynx goal, the Tigers secured an 8-3 victory, keeping the Lynx at bay.

Sunday night saw the Northern League’s debut at the Gallon Centre as Kilmarnock Thunder faced the Kirkcaldy Kestrels. James Spence’s early goal set the Kestrels on course for victory, with two more before the end of the first period. Thunder’s Stephen Bonare scored in the second, but the Kestrels continued to dominate, securing a 5-1 lead by the third period. The Kestrels closed the game with two more goals for a decisive win.