Hawks Programme - Issue 8 by John Milton

PROGRAMME ISSUE 7

£2.50

22 NOVEMBER 2015

M A E T P U C S K W A H

VS #NOEXCUSES #COYH

ROUNDUP I

3 ROUNDUP

t has been a difficult week with the atrocities in Paris in everyone’s thoughts and still continuing to be the focus of everyone’s attention. We would all like to send out deepest condolences to the families of those affected and despite the horrific memories that will stay forever in our thoughts the one thing that is in the forefront of my mind is a post made on Facebook early this week.

“Shoot Pucks Not People”

It makes good sense #prayforparis

e welcomed Jordan Bannon back onto the ice last week as he recovers from his injury for our match versus the Solway Sharks and we once again set the benchmark to beat and won by four goals to two. Tom King started off the goal action and then with Adam Brittle scoring a short handed goal in the same first period. RJ Berra got our third and Richard Bentham not to be outdone scored our last to put the match firmly out of Solway’s reach. Aaron Davies undeservedly received a match penalty for high sticks when it was clear from video evidence it was both provoked and self inflicted.

awks still have major team injuries right now with Chris Butler, Max Drakely and Andy Dunn all out. Andy Dunn picked up his injury in the pre-season match against Widnes. He overstretched for the puck and his legs gave way which resulted in him tearing both of his adductors and his lower abs slightly. He played through it thinking it would be ok but each week it was getting worse and he was finding it more and more difficult to skate. When we were playing against Solway, he came back to try to help out as we were very short in our defence but he actually made it worst yet again! Andy is nearing a full recovery now though and should be back at the end of this month. Looking at this from his angle it was essential that he should completely rest up to achieve 100% fitness. Get well soon lads.

John Milton

CONT

4 PROGRAMME CONTENTS

COACHES’ HUDDLE

A DAY IN THE LIFE

BUDZIE INTRODUCES OUR VISITORS TONIGHT THE SOLIHULL BARONS. AND WHY IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO JOIN THE SUPPORTERS CLUB

DAVID COMBER IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUPPORTERS CLUB. HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYTHING BLACKBURN HAWKS. HEAD OVER TO PAGE 10 TO READ HIS DAY IN THE LIFE.

03. ROUND UP

24. JUNIOR HAWKS

A ROUND UP OF RECENT NEWS FROM

WHAT ARE OUR JUNIORS GETTING UP TO

PLANET HAWKS

GO TO PAGE 24 TO FIND OUT

06. COACHES HUDDLE

25. EAGLES UPDATE

OUR FIRST MATCH VERSUS THE BARONS.

DARREN SHAW REPORTS ON THE EAGLES

THEY SEEM TO BE QUIETLY OUTPERFORM-

LATEST MATCH

ING OUR RIVALS BEATING BILLINGHAM TWICE AND SOLWAY TOO. THIS COULD BE A HARD MATCH FOR OUR HAWKS. #COYH

10. A DAY IN THE LIFE DAVID COMBER TELLS US HIS STORY

14. REWIND BUILDING THE RINK

16. VOLUNTEERS CARL EVERETT REPORTS

30. IHR ROUNDUP ALL THE ACTION FROM OUR LEAGUE AND BEYOND

32. KIM MEITENNEN HOW KIM CAME TO PLAY FOR THE HAWKS

33. OFFICIAL SIGNALS FIND OUT WHAT ALL OF THOSE REFEREE SIGNALS MEAN

ENTS

5 PROGRAMME CONTENTS

14 REWIND

THIS ISSUE WE HAVE DETAILS ON BUILDING THE RINK. THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE ARENA TO HOST THE OLYMPICS SHOULD MANCHESTER WIN THEIR BID.

STATS AND INFO

LIKE ANALYSING SCORES TABLES AND INFORMATION ABOUT OUR TEAM AND PLAYERS THEN THIS IS THE PAGE FOR YOU.

ON PAGE 14

CAPS COLUMN EVERY WEEK CHRIS ARNONE POSTS HIS ANALYSIS AND THOUGHTS ON OUR MOST RECENT MATCHES IN THE LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH. THE PAGE IS UPDATED EVERY TUESDAY SO HEAD ON OVER THERE TO READ UP ON THE MATCH REPORT FROM OUR FIRST LEAGUE MATCH AT BILLINGHAM. CHRIS’S ARTICLE IS USUALLY POSTED QUITE QUICKLY ON OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, SUPPORTERS PAGE AND ON OUR TEAM APP. YOU CAN ALSO BUY THE LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH ON TUESDAY AND READ IT THERE.

Programme design & content by John Milton Cover photo ‘Hawks Cup Team’ by John Milton (www.eventog.uk) Articles provided by Paul Breeze, Daniel Mackriel, David Comber, Carl Everitt, Mathew Strong, Darren Shaw, Kim Miettinen and John Milton. Thanks to Sharon Welch for the kids page and finally Special thanks go to Gillian Havelock for her help in finding extra content for the programme and weeding out all of those little missed errors.

COACH’S

6 BUDZIE’SVIEWS

WE ARE NOW 09 FOR 09 UNBEATEN IN THE LEAGUE AND 2 FROM 2 FOR OUR CUP GAMES SO FAR FROM YOUR WINNING BLACKBURN HAWKS IT’S A GREAT START TO OUR SEASON BUT THE HAWKS ARE CERTAINLY TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED. THEY TRAIN HARD, PLAY HARD AND IF YOU WANT IT FROM US THEN COME AND TAKE IT! WELL IF YOU CAN THAT IS.

Good evening and welcome to Blackburn Arena for our first meeting this season against the Solihull Barons. Everyone connected with the club hope your journey up and down the M6 is a safe and comfortable one. As mentioned this is the first time we encounter the Barons and we are looking forward to the challenge. They came up from the Laidler conference last year with a record like our own and this year have proved to be a good side making a good transition. I like the team that Perry has put together and have played with numerous players now based at Hobs Moat Road. They play with grit, determination, skill and a high work ethic and for me I think they will bring with them a totally different challenge to what we have faced so far. Going forward they look very good with some real shooters. They are backed up by a solid D line and two very capable keepers. Tonight will be a very good game of hockey. For us, we are still trying to get players back from injury. We had last weekend off but I’m not sure that this is long enough. We have been playing short now for a few weeks where players have been asked to play out of position, play smart and also take up a lot of minutes on the ice. A few calls have

been made to see if we could ‘loan’ a few bodies to help us out but as there is little movement in others squad, attempts have failed to do this. I’m fully behind the current team though and believe in their ability. They always answer the call and fight for the cause which is what makes this crop of players very special. On a parting note it was our first Q&A with Dangie and myself for members of the supporters club. I’m hoping you’ll all be very kind to us both and hoping that this isn’t the last time we get to do something like this. If you haven’t joined the Supporters Club yet then this is just one of the added benefits you get. It really is worth the membership and the team really appreciates the support. Enjoy the game

Budzi

HUDDLE

7 BUDZIEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SVIEWS

Jordan Bannon Photo John Milton (eventog.uk) Ben Simister Photo John Milton (eventog.uk)

#INVINCIBLES Awaiting the MVP presentation after the match (Photo John Milton (eventog.uk)

10 DAYIN THE LIFE

A DAY IN THE LIFE

DAVID COMBER: SUPPORTERS CLUB CHAIRMAN

DAVID COMBER IS AN AVID FAN OF THE HAWKS. PRESENTLY THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR SUPPORTERS CLUB WITH A PREVIOUS EQUAL POSITION IN THE NOW DEFUNCT F5 SUPPORTERS CLUB. HERE IS HIS DAY. A few weeks ago I was approached by Gillian Havelock who asked would I consider putting a few words on paper around my involvement with the Blackburn Hawks Supporters Club. Initially I thought who would want to read about that?! Then my thoughts turned to what on earth I would write that would be vaguely interesting. If you’ve already switched off after a couple of sentences then please turn the page…sorry! So, starting from the beginning of my love of all things Blackburn Hawks and the best team sport in the world….ice hockey. Around six years ago my wife Claire received an internal newsletter at work advertising the fact that Blackburn Hawks were due to play a home game the very next weekend. We agreed to give it a go as it was cheap entertainment and today I still can’t believe what good value for money it is - 2.5 hours of entertainment for £7. What other sport can give you that? Admittedly it means sitting in a fridge for the duration, but we soon learnt the ‘lots of layers rule!!’ The following week we went skating at the rink and bumped into Alan Amos once the public skate session finished. Whilst watching one of the junior Hawks teams start their training session, Alan spotted us

taking an interest, came over to talk to us and 40 minutes later he was still chatting away! Alan’s knowledge and passion for the Hawks was so infectious, I firmly believe it was his enthusiasm that inspired me to become involved with the Supporters club. Thank you Alan! Initially Claire and I couldn’t follow the game play very well due to the speed of the puck and the fast moving players. However after that first game (I cannot remember who it was against) we were hooked and also attended the next home game too! Slowly we started to follow the speed and gradually learnt some of the rules. We found the fans that sat

around us more than willing to share their knowledge of the game, something that helped cement our love for the sport and the Hawks. So for those who don’t know me, I became chairman of the old F5 supporters group last season and then the chairman of the new Blackburn Hawks Supporters Club when F5 & the Mohawks ceased to exist. As chairman, I am incredibly lucky to be involved with an amazing bunch of people that are extremely hard working and incredibly passionate about Blackburn Hawks. From the merchandise team, to the media team, to my fellow committee members to the volunteers who help out week in week out….from the bottom of my heart thank you so very much! Without your enthusiasm and passion the team and club would not be half what it has become over the last two years. What does a day for the chairman look like? Well it’s not that glamorous to be honest! The committee and volunteers constantly talk to each other through a platform called ‘Slack’. This allows us to communicate very quickly and easily to make decision and talk about topics that need input from everyone. All team requests for help with equipment are approved by the committee, this is probably one of the best ways the Supporters Club help the team. After all the players are not professional and do not receive a salary for playing, so all equipment has to be purchased themselves. One of the main costs a player incurs are hockey sticks which cost around £90-£140 each. Given how many are broken each week it soon becomes a very expensive sport to participate in. As a club we hold regular committee meetings to ensure the activity of the group is managed fairly and with the

teams and members best interest at heart. Regular discussions such as the programme, video highlights and the ‘monster’ of all topics, the merchandise table are discussed most days of the week. The merchandise offered on the table is of great q uality and if you have not seen what items are available, take a visit today. I also keep in regular contact with Mark Halliwell and Dan MacKriel to make sure communication between the team, rink and SC is effective. We have never been in a better position as we currently are with every part of the ‘Blackburn Hawks product’ working towards one united goal. As Mr Lomax would say… ’onwards and upwards’ and ‘ just do it!’ The SC depends on fellow fans becoming members and purchasing merchandise from the table and the online store. It is a simple but honest truth,that without money the club cannot provide the support we all so desperately want to give to the team. At most home games we are extremely lucky to have c.800 fans attend, but there are only 82 signed up members! So please, if you love watching the Hawks as much as the SC team do, join the club today, you may be pleasantly surprised what the benefits are if you join. It is only £6 for adults and £1 for juniors. It couldn’t be easier to join, simply visit the website www.blackburnhawks. club/join or pop along to the Supporters Club merchandise table before face off or during one of the 2 period breaks where one of our fantastic volunteers will give you a quick form to fill out. If you are still reading at this point, thank you for your interest. #COYH David (not Dave)

12 LIFEBLOOD

SHIRT SPONSORS TO EVERYONE THAT HAS PURCHASED A MATCH WORN SHIRT YOU ARE ALL HELPING THE HAWKS AND WE WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND OUR GRATITUDE TO YOU ALL BY ADDING YOUR NAMES EACH WEEK INTO THE PROGRAMME.

Player

03 05 08 28 11 13 15 19 21 22 23 25 26 31 44 47 67 70 91 96

Home Shirt

Away Shirt

Chris Butler Chelsea Carter Kayleigh Harris Matt Viney Steve Mayers David Edwards Aaron Davies Aaron Davies Gavin Leadbetter James Riddoch Angela Riddoch Daniel Jordan Bannon Ella Thornton Russ Ginn Andy Dunn Ella Thornton Chris Calow Dave Meikle Joshua Milnes Christian Carter Danny MacKriel Rita MacKriel Eleanor Mackriel Ollie Lomax Lee Ainsworth Brian Shuttleworth Chris Arnone John Milton Lucy Elmer Tom King Nana Preston Dean Worrall Danny Brittle Carol Sharples Sarah Martin Adam Brittle Julie Latham Graham Hamilton Stuart Ashton Staurt Ashton Stuart Ashton MaxDrakeley Craig Bevington Jessica Bevington Kim Miettinen Miek Harris Nick Riley Ben Simister Hollie Collinge Keith Preston Lee Pollitt Steve Pollitt Stef Harris Rick Bentham Howard Thornton Matt Addison RJay Berra Brian Harrison Carl Everitt

If you would like to join the SC team and help out there are several ways that you can get involved. If you are in a position to, please come over to see us at the supporters club table for a little chat, no experience is required just enthusiasm, alternatively you can fill in the form on the SC website at http://blackburnhawks.club/contact/ It really is very rewarding to be part of such a great team

14 REWIND OLDSCHOOL

THE REWIND SERIES CONTINUES WITH BUILDING THE RINK Plans for the new Blackburn Ice Arena were unveiled at a press launch at the Queen’s Moat House Hotel in Blackburn on 2nd July 1990 and then reported on the front page of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph the same day. The venue was also

was originally earmarked to host indoor sports events such as boxing and volleyball if Manchester’s bid to stage the 1996 Olympic Games had been successful. That is why the exterior of the arena was adorned with the impressive looking Olympic Rings. Interestingly enough, the Arena wasn’t originally going to be built in Blackburn at all but in Liverpool. However, negotiations with the then Merseyside Development Corporation fell

through and Blackburn showed the most interest in taking the project on as part of the ambitious £30 million Lower Audley regeneration project. A City Grant of £1.3m from the Department of the Environment also helped pave the way. The whole concept of the Arena was that it should be a proper EVENTS arena rather than just an ice rink and great care was taken with the arrangement of the seating. At an extra building cost of around £400,000 the building was designed 11 meters wider than it necessarily needed to be to ensure that proper tiered banked seating (with decent leg room…!) could be installed along both sides of the ice - which was unusual for ice rink designs of that time. In fact, when Blackburn opened, it was said to be the only ice arena in the country to have perfect sightlines from every single seat. Pete Murray recalls that they even elected to have slightly fewer seats than they could have done in order to ensure this. The idea was that – for other indoor events, a special carpet could be laid over the ice surface and more

seating installed at ground level to significantly increase the spectator capacity. There was talk of staging large Soccer Six events, trade exhibitions and fairs and big-name pop concerts. Despite these grandiose plans, however, Manchester never got the nod for the summer Olympics and, apart from a “World Championship Wrestling” event in 1992 and a Status Quo concert in 1994, very few non-ice events have ever been staged at the Arena. The new Arena was originally supposed to open on 1st November 1990 but, as with the majority of major building projects, that didn’t happen and there were several delays in completion. First of all, the builders had to do some remedial work ordered by the architects on the building’s steel frame and then wet weather and autumnal gales set progress back even further. Revised hopes of having the venue open in December were also scuppered and the ice was not finally laid until 15 January 1991.

later…). As December became January, it was a case of “all hands to the pump” to get the venue ready before too many more games were disrupted. Import player Dan Holden recalls that, after he signed for the Blackhawks; “I spent my days working on the rink as a laborer on the days we weren’t playing until the rink was completed.” Gary Shearman adds: “That’s right. The players among us who didn’t have full time jobs all pitched in to help finish the rink. I remember barrelling sand into centre ice to put the pad in. I also helped install the seats - and then had to take them back out as they had sent the wrong backs…!” The Blackhawks first competitive home game eventually took place at the end of January 1991.

With the British ice hockey season starting in September, this caused a lot of problems for the new Blackburn Blackhawks team. Firstly – they had no ice to train on but they got around this by hiring Bradford Ice Rink once a week for an hour’s training session. Then they couldn’t play any home games so the BIHA gave them permission to play some of their away games first while the Arena was being completed (more on this Photos:The Lower Audley area before development work had started. (Lancashire Evening Telegraph) Images of the Arena under construction from an early marketing brochure. (Source: Pete Murray archive)Lancashire Evening Telegraph front page – 2nd July 1990. (Source: Pete Murray archive)

The Value of Volunteers HOW VOLUNTEERS POSITIVELY IMPACT OUR CLUB...A SPECIAL FEATURE BY CARL EVERITT

As a proud volunteer within our Blackburn Hawks Supporters Club, I was asked to share my view on volunteering, in particular the positive impact that this has on the club, both on and off the ice. I quickly realised, taking into consideration the fact that I’ve only been a fan and involved in the club a short while, that I wasn’t best-placed to share my view, especially with the all the amazing people that we have involved in our club that have been involved for many, many years. That’s when I decided to ask members of the team for help, and as always they’re happy to get involved and share their views on how great it is to be involved in our incredible club.Thank you for taking the time to read the feedback from our members/volunteers below and if you’d wish to be involved in the success of our local, championship winning Ice Hockey club, in any way you can, please don’t hesitate to contact us on the link below. Enjoy I’ve been playing hockey for about 18/19 years now and if it wasn’t for people that volunteered to help out, the sport simply couldn’t work. Right from the junior level parents, who are the only way that a team can run, by managing the teams and genuinely running around after everyone. I now find at senior level, that parents usually like to take a back seat and watch the games without any stress which means that the valuable volunteering spaces need to be filled with other people. At the hawks we are lucky to have such an amazing fan Base, including people who love to help out in any way they can. I don’t think some people realise how much of a massive help this is to the team. Believe it when I say that the hawks wouldn’t be what they are if it wasn’t for them. From goal judge, to team manager and everywhere in between, people go far and wide to help the team. It makes playing for the hawks so much easier. We have gone from strength to strength as a club and I along with a few others have witnessed the transformation. One man I think that was an inspiration was Alan Amos. He didn’t have any family involved with the hawks, he just loved the club. When he wasn’t working he would be out and about, securing sponsorship deals and getting the hawks brand out to new people, this was all in his own time, nobody ever asked him to do it, he just wanted it for the good of the club and I can’t express how much good he did. This goes for everyone that volunteers around the week, their work is invaluable. The newly formed Official Supporters club are now finding their feet and are really helping the lads, which we appreciate a lot. We have all funded playing with our own money, the last couple of seasons and this season especially we’ve had help towards equipment and sticks which is a credit to everyone involved. As I said the club is going from strength to strength and is only going to get better. That’s all down to the people who help. Chris Arnone - Captain, Blackburn Hawks (Senior team) Dane and I are the managers of the Blackburn Junior Hawks U11 team. We do this on a voluntary basis along with the coaches and other managers throughout the different age groups. We mainly do this for the love of not only the sport but also the local team. Ice Hockey brings many challenges for the children that they can also use throughout their lives; It helps them with team work, fair play, discipline, respect, motor skills as well as fitness, we help children of all ages and walks of life to achieve their teams goals on and off the ice as well as their own personnel ones. Being a volunteer within such a successful and upcoming club does have its challenges but it also has its rewards, especially when a child that you have been working with scores his/her first goal, or the team wins its first game, or they achieve making it in to a regional team at conference level. Without the people that dedicate their time to the club, not only would the club cease to exist but a lot of the kids wouldn’t have an outlet or a sport that offers as much as what ice hockey does. Jon Lingard, Junior Hawks Management

As a fan of 22 years, I have seen a lot of change at Blackburn Arena. From the Moria days, that famous night at the Nynex in 96 right through to today’s invincibles. As a starry eyed kid, I came to the Arena and from my first game fell in love with the sport, it took my mum weeks and weeks of persuasion before me and our Nick (our Team Kitman) relented and decided to give it a go with the free tickets she got through her job at Thwaites. Back in those days it was a case of turning up, shouting till you were hoarse and then either going home or heading off into town to carry on the night with your mates, often seeing the players out as well. To be honest we never really took much notice of how the club was run and the volunteers that made this happen. It’s only recently that I have begun to realise how important the role of a volunteer is within a community sports club. Much of this is down to the fact I work in the sports industry myself. I have recently taken on a voluntary role as the Community Liaison Officer within the club. This involves taking our club and our sport out into the local communities. Firstly we will be going into local primary schools, doing school assemblies taking players with us and of course Harry The Hawk. With this project we want to attract young people down to the arena on a match night, and by doing so we want to capture the next generation of support. Our second project called ‘Street Hawks’ is designed at taking the sport out into the communities. Our first port of call is Blackburn Youth Zone. Every Monday night I will be going down there with our players to find the next Arnone, Bentham, Meikle or Lomax, all in partnership with our junior section. We know this will take time but we are excited about the next chapter in our history. We are an amateur club with a fantastic team of volunteers. Blackburn Hawks are definitely in safe hands. Chris Riley - Community Liaison Officer, Blackburn Hawks I’ve been asked to write a truthful and honest article about why anyone would want to be a volunteer of an amateur sports team and what benefits are there? Well, for me it’s very simple…..PRIDE!!! With us I’d like to think that everyone that does their bit (no matter how big or small) is part of the same team, Dangy, Budzie and Co know who Tod White is, they know who Esther Gradwell is, they regularly speak with or message Ella Thornton, I’m sure you get my point? Yes we are an Amateur club but the more volunteers we have the more we can run like a professional club, the more cogs in the machine the more effective and successful it will become, and that brings me right back to my opening point PRIDE!!! We are Blackburn Hawks, and with all due respect we do things that other club are envious of, and that is mainly down to individuals who give up their time, day in and day out, week in and week out, would you like to be part of our Hockey Family? What can you do that can help us continue to grow? We don’t profess to be perfect, but we do strive to be the best we can. From a personal point of view, I always go by a very simple ethos, “ I don’t see what’s been done, I only see what remains to be done. Over the twenty years I’ve been around the place I’ve seen the club grow to where it is now, but let’s keep the club growing, let’s keep it going in the right direction, but we need volunteers to help us do that, you’d be surprised at what you have to offer, what do you do for a living? You’d be surprised at what your talents can do for us, come and be part of the ever-growing Blackburn Hawks Family. “Come and join us, come and join us” Ask not what your team can do for you, but what can you do for your team. Cheers G…. Blackburn Hawks - PR Manager and parent to Ollie Lomax (Senior Hawk)

As you can see, our volunteers are invaluable to our club and our efforts are very much appreciated. If you would like to join our Hockey Family then please feel free to get in touch at

www.blackburnhawks.club/volunteer

Blackburn Hawks V Sunday 22nd November - Face Off: 5:45 No. Name

SCORING Time Type

Matt Viney

Aaron Davies

Rjay Berra Jordan Bannon

Andy Dunn

David Meikle

Kim Miettinen

Daniel MacKriel

Oliver Lomax

Chris Arnone

Tom King

Daniel Brittle

Adam Brittle

James Riddoch

Stuart Ashton

Max Drakeley

Ben Simister

Lee Pollitt

Richard Bentham

Alan Amos

Hawks Fans

TOTAL

No.

Chris Butler

PENALTIES

A PIM

TOTAL

Mins

Offense

Given

Start

End

TONIGHTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ARE AWAY PLAYING PERIOD SCORES HAWKS BARONS

FINAL 1

HAWKS

Solihull Barons

League Game - Blackburn Ice Arena No. Name

David Rogers

Richard James Crowe

Joe Henry

Ryan Selwood

Edward James Eaton

Conor Daniel Gordon

Tomas Janak

Andrew Whitehouse

Robert Eley

Phil Knight

Perry Doyle

Joshua Nicholls

Sam Hewitt

Josh Bruce

Thomas Soar

James Robert Moeller

Brandon Anderton

Niklas Ottosson

Charlie Hammerton

A PIM

SCORING Time Type

TOTAL

MVP Team

Player No#

Hawks Barons

TOTAL

MASCOTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

IN A MATCH SCORE

BARONS

PENALTIES No.

Mins

Offense

Given

Start

End

22 REMAIN CALM Ice Hockey can be a passionate sport to watch. Sometimes supporters can be taken over by the moment and can let their feelings be expressed loudly to all those around them. At the Arena we have supporters of all ages who come to our matches including many young children and we would ask that you please consider this before shouting out any vulgar language in front of supporters who really do not wish to hear this. Please just enjoy the match and..

23 BE ALERT

FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PUCK AT ALL TIMES

THE PUCK CAN AND WILL LEAVE THE ICE AND FLYING PUCKS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS

24 JUNIORS NEWS

JUNIOR’S UPDATE It’s generally been a good start to the season for the Juniors. The u11s got their first win of the season last weekend, with a 10-3 win over Whitely Bay. Jake Kellett , Cian Shorrock, Oliver Massey, Jorden O’Brien and Jacob Brownlie all picking up goals in what was a very good all round team performance. The development of these u11 players since the start of the season has been amazing and they all should be congratulated for the way they are approaching the work they are doing. The u13s have so far only played one game this season, which was a superb 13-0 win at home to Coventry. Jake Holding, Ben McLellen, Ben Godlonton-Daly, Lucas Vince, Noah Kidd and Oliver Massey all scoring goals The shut-out was just as pleasing as the 13 goals scored, with the defensive side of the team also strong in this performance. Early signs are this team will be a real force to be reckoned with in their league, and will hopefully be challenging for honours come the end of the season. The u15s have had a good start to the season too, playing 6 games, winning three, drawing one and losing the other two. Koby Ludlow and Ronnie Grimes lead the scoring, with Oscar Wilding and Cameron Hill not far behind. Jack Murray and Noah Kidd have also chipped in with goals. The u18s started their season very positively with a 6-4 win over Solihull thanks to goals from Jack Nuttall, Bogdan Smalko, Owen Woods, Dan Room and Captain Kyle Haslam. However two defeats to Deeside and Sheffield recently have been very disappointing and the team need to look to get back on course, as they are a very strong team in the division. We all believe these last two results are simply a blip and this team will get back to winning ways in the coming fixtures. The u20s started the season with a loss and a win against Sheffield, with goals from Kyle Haslam, Callum Strong, Dalton Mullin and Kieron Hardman. The u20s league is still very new and it is good to see Blackburn participating in this league and contributing to the development of the players after u18s. It’s also been great to see Kyle Haslam and Dalton Mullin ice for the Hawks so far this season. We hope you will see more of our juniors ice for the Hawks in the coming weeks and months. All in all, it has been a very positive start to the season for our junior teams. All teams have a win under their belt already and we are looking competitive at all age groups. The amount of hard work and dedication that is apparent from the players, coaches and team management is something we should all be very proud of. We’d love to see as many Hawks fans coming to our junior games as possible, as your support will always be welcome and make a real difference to the children playing hockey for Blackburn. Matthew Strong Blackburn Junior Hawks Club Chair

DARREN SHAW GIVES US THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE TOTALLY WICKED SPONSORED BLACKBURN EAGLES PART OF THE BLACKBURN HOCKEY FAMILY. WE WILL BE MAKING THIS A REGULAR ITEM IN FUTURE. SO IT’S OVER TO YOU DAZZA The Totally Wicked Blackburn Eagles welcomed Coventry Blaze to Blackburn Arena on the 14th of November. The Eagles looked for their fourth consecutive win and closing the gap on the Laidler Conference League leaders Nottingham Lions. With Coventry Blaze at the bottom of the Laidler Conference in 8th place, the Blackburn Eagles in fourth in the league, Head Coach Scott Barnett knew it wouldn’t be a forgone conclusion. Knowing that the Eagles would have to be disciplined and work hard if they were to secure any points. Expectations were high from the home crowd from the onslaught. Coventry Blaze never gave up and made the Eagles work hard for their 7-3 victory. It was a high paced and physical game and the Eagles know what to expect as they travel to Coventry to face the Blaze once more on November 21st. The Blackburn Eagles look to make it five consecutive wins in a row this weekend. Let’s see what Saturday brings. The drive and momentum must continue as the aim for the season end is a high enough finish to qualify for the playoffs. Something that is achievable, but first, one game at a time. Darren Shaw Blackburn Eagles Manager

26 HARRYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SGAMEAGE

SEND IN YOUR WORK

Jade Mil

ton (age

14)

Calling all budding news hounds and artists! Would you like to see your own work on the website or in the match-day programme? We are looking for contributions from YOU that will feature in some of our media on the Website or in the Programme. Do you have a burning question you would like one of the players to answer? Are you artistic? Submit your photos or artwork. Are you good with words and have a Hawks related story to share? If you would like to see your work published then get busy and submit your news items now. All items must be YOUR OWN WORK and must not have been previously published anywhere else. Please submit your items to our website at the link below. Or you can pick up a sheet at the supporters table. http://blackburnhawks.club/submit

We first opened for business in 2005, and have been serving Blackburn, and the North West of England, ever since. As the business grew we moved into our new much larger showroom in the heart of a popular retail area in Mill Hill, Blackburn We offer a full range of services, ranging from small local projects to major national work, and everything in between. We can offer you a no obligation quote now, so contact us for more information.

29 MRFIXIT

30 IHRROUNDUP

Sheffield Spartans took a huge scalp with a 2-1 win over Whitley Warriors on Sunday evening with the result meaning that the North West missed out on the opportunity to over take league leaders Blackburn Hawks - who did not hit a puck over the weekend. The Hawks now have three games in hand over the Warriors with both teams sitting on the same number of points. 24 hours earlier the Spartans has lost out by the same scoreline at home to Solway Sharks in the first meeting between the teams this season. The Sharks then won 2-4 away at Sutton Sting to notch up their first 4-point weekend of the season - and their 5th league win in a row. Telford Tigers remain in 3rd place after a 7-3 win over bottom club Sheffield Senators while Solihull Barons remain just one point behind them in 4th place following their 6-3 win over Billingham Stars on Sunday night. The top four teams in the Laidler Conference all won at the weekend meaning that the leading positions all remain the same. Nottingham Lions’ 5-3 win over Hull Jets means they are still two points clear of Deeside Dragons at the top of the table, although they have played two games more. The Dragons beat Bradford Bulldogs 12-1 on Saturday with fit-again import Adrian Palak scoring 4 goals.

Widnes Wild make hard work of seeing off an ever improving Altrincham Aces side, coasting into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2 by the first break. It was a very rough and tumble local derby and while the home side were just ahead throughout, the result was very up open to question until the dying seconds. 7-5 down going into the last 2 minutes, the Aces gamefully removed their netminder twice while going forward in the hope of forcing a breakthrough. The ploy did not pay off, however, and the Wild made sure of the win with an empty net goal in the dying seconds. Blackburn Eagles are in fourth place – level on points with Widnes – after their 4th win in a row – a 7-3 home win over bottom team Coventry Blaze. In the EPL, Peterborough Phantoms moved to the top of the table with a 6-4 win over Sheffield Steeldogs, leapfrogging previous leaders Basingstoke Bison who lost 3-2 away bottom team Hull Pirates. Photo Over Page - Former Blackburn Hawks player Jake Nurse made his debut for Altrincham Aces on Sunday night. He scored his team’s 5th goal in their 8-5 defeat away at Widnes. (Photo by Paul Breeze www.icehockeyreview.co.uk)

32 MYSTORY

KIM MIETTINEN I was on the bus on my way from Vietnam to Laos in July when my agent sent me a message that there is a team in England who needs a defenceman. He told me that team is Blackburn Hawks, and after couple days of thinking and researching I told him that I want to go to Blackburn! My recent years of hockey have been quite exiting. I played in the USA two years ago. I had a really good season there playing junior hockey near Boston. Highlight for that season was our All-Star tournament in Las Vegas. After that I had couple options in USA and Europe. So I decided to go to Slovakian team Kosice Jackals which was supposed to play in Russian league MHL. After 6 weeks of hard training in Slovakia it was time for season opener at home. That week our president came to have a meeting with players and he told us that main sponsor backed out so team is not going to play at all. That was huge disappointment because we had really strong team and I was personally waiting to play with them. After that I stayed 10 days in a hotel at Kosice and then I flew to Moldova to join my team Platina Chisinau who also played in Russia and MHL. Time there was really interesting. We travelled a lot, mainly with airplanes, but sometimes we had ridiculous bus journeys in Russia. Longest one was probably 50h one way... Hockey in Russia is really good, so I enjoyed my time there. In December team ran into some money problems because whole Russian economy had been falling since start of autumn. And finally in January we went bankruptcy. I spent almost a month in Finland and on transfer deadline I went to Sweden to play for Åmål SK. I was in Sweden until start of March. So after all I have had some bad luck with teams financial situations. But right now I feel lucky to play for Blackburn Hawks. I came to Blackburn on 10th of August to try-out for Hawks. Nick Riley picked me up from airport and I moved in to his house. After couple practises Budzie asked me to stay. This couple months in England has been really good time! I am going down to coach our junior teams almost every day and I hope my experience from different hockey countries can help them. Team is taking care of things and we are playing really well at the moment. I also got a nice job with our other import RJay from Hawks sponsor Riverside Garden Centre and landscapes who is a owned by Graham Smith. I am lucky to have such a great teammates! I love travelling and everybody has been really nice while taking me around places. I watch all sports so it has been good couple months now. I have been now couple times at Wembley to watch football and NFL. Also Nick and Vicky have been bringing me to Rovers games. I bought a jersey so I guess that is my team now in England! I cant write this article if I don’t mention my D-pair Max Drakeley. I have had a good time with him in Manchester! It is hard to write an article including so many different things and so many more people to mention. At the end I have to say that our fans are truly amazing! Great fans give you so much more energy on the ice and it is so much fun to play with such a great support!

Kim Miettinen

HOLD THE BACK PAGE Oz Willard Philips has been an active member of the Hawks supporters club and a volunteer for more time than he can remember. Here is how he got into helping out at the hawks team and also how easy it is for you too to join us. I can’t remember how old I was, maybe 7 or 8 years old, but it was the early 90s and my uncle asked me if I’d like to go and watch a hockey game. The score was irrelevant and I’ll probably never find out who the Hawks played that day but what I do know is that I wanted to go again. That interest became a passion and that passion became an obsession. My early adulthood life took me away from Lancashire and eventually took me away from the UK too but over time I returned and, having spent several seasons away, I decided to revisit the Hawks. It was like I had never been away. I came, I sat, I watched but it didn’t feel like enough anymore. I wanted to be a part of it, not just someone watching from the outside. So where do you begin with something like that? Back then I didn’t know anyone to do with the team or how to ask if I could be involved so I just carried on being a mere spectator until one day, by chance, I was talking to someone during a public skating session and discovered that they were the Hawks’ Announcer. “You’re lucky” I said, “I’d love to have a go at that”. “Well you can have a try if you’d like” said Miek. Many seasons have passed since then and I still proudly perform my role every game, week-in week-out. I don’t just relay information about the game to the crowd, my aim is to create an exciting atmos-

phere and make our games the best experience you can find in our league. There is no greater feeling in the world than calling the game-winning goal in a close contest. I feel it and you feel it too. Now I don’t just watch the game, I am part of it. I’m no longer sat in the stands watching my heroes from afar but I’m there on the frontline feeling their efforts and sharing their emotions. In the 25 years that this team has existed, there is only one person who has had the honour of introducing the Hawks as undefeated league champions. No matter what happens in the future, no-one can ever take that experience away from me. It is a real privilege and it all came from one thing: I asked to be involved. The fans of today are more fortunate than I was; not only is it easier to know and contact people from the team thanks to social media and other platforms but there are more ways than ever to actually get involved. This isn’t just a team that you pay to watch, this is your team – one that you can be a part of and that you can help. If you want to be a part of this wonderful team then go and see someone at the supporters club table or contact them through the website.

HAWKS Vs SENATORS

SOLWAY Vs HAWKS (CUP)

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BLUE: Denotes a cup match WHITE: Denotes a League Match

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