PIRATES BACK IN ACTION

The wait is finally over for the fans and players of the Paisley Pirates as they take to the ice in competitive action for the first time on Saturday evening when they make the short trip to Kilmarnock to play the local Thunder in a Stewart Robertson cup tie (face off 7.30pm)

The hosts have had a tough start to the season, with their young side taking several heavy defeats in competition in the first few weeks. “We won’t be taking any notice of Thunder’s results so far,” said Head Coach Ian Turley. “As we do against any opponent, we’ll treat Thunder with the utmost respect, and rely upon our own performance to get us off to a good start in a competition from which we failed to qualify last season. Certainly, there are two teams going through from each group this season, but with Murrayfield and North Ayr also in the section it will be no walkover. We have a few new guys making their competitive debut for us, and it will be interesting to see how they perform in the heat of action.”

It will be a busy weekend for Pirates as they’re on the road again on Sunday when they head south to take on a strong-looking Solway Sharks at the Dumfries Ice Bowl. The hosts have joined the SNL while remaining in the Northern Ice Hockey League and player/coach Adam Walker is expecting a tough battle against a side which has recorded some impressive results so far. “It’ll certainly be a tough old night in Dumfries,” he commented. “I anticipate that the Sharks will be occupying a spot at the top end of the league table and we will really have to put in a top-notch performance if we hope to take anything from the game.”

The match faces off at .5.30pm.