Paisley Pirates enjoyed a perfect four-point weekend with back-to-back wins over North Ayrshire Wild and Solway Sharks as their strong run of form continued towards the end of the league season.
The Pirates got the weekend off to the best possible start on Saturday night with an 8-3 victory over North Ayrshire Wild.
Goals came from Marcus Murdoch and Craig Peacock, who both scored twice, while Marty Simpson, Bari McKenzie, Jamie Crawford and Magnus Wrottesley were also on target in a commanding team performance.
It was also an emotional night for the club as Fraser Kerr returned to the line-up after a lengthy spell out with a serious injury that required surgery.
Earlier in the season there had been doubts over whether Kerr would play again this campaign, but he marked his comeback by being named Man of the Match and received a warm reception from teammates and supporters.
The Pirates carried that momentum into Sunday night’s game at Braehead, where they beat Solway Sharks SNL 8-3 in their final home league fixture of the season.
Magnus Wrottesley opened the scoring, with further goals from Chris Wilson, Calum Blair, Craig Peacock, Ryan Parkin, who scored twice, Aiden Wilson and Marty Simpson sealing another convincing win.
Goaltender Callum Donaghy was named Man of the Match after an impressive display between the pipes.
Head coach Ian Turley was pleased with the results, although he admitted there is still room for improvement as the team builds towards the postseason.
He said: “Happy with the overall result. At times we made things more difficult than they needed to be, but it’s good to get another win and complete a four-point weekend.
“This was our last home league game and we’ve only lost one here in regulation all season, which is a great effort from the guys. We’re building towards the playoffs now, so it’s important we stay focused for the full 60 minutes.”
Turley also praised the progress his side has made over the course of the campaign.
He said: “Overall we’ve had quite a decent season. We know where we dropped points earlier on, but the group has really bought into what we’re trying to do and we’re playing much better hockey now than we were at the start of the year.”
The Pirates now turn their attention to their final league fixture of the season, when they will face the Edinburgh Capitals on Saturday 21st March at 6:30pm at Murrayfield Ice Arena.
Although officially a Pirates home game, the match will be played in Edinburgh due to ice availability at Braehead.
Tickets are already selling quickly, with the Capitals expecting a sell-out crowd, and supporters planning to attend are being encouraged to buy in advance through Fanbase as availability on the door is expected to be limited.
With the league campaign coming to a close and the playoffs just around the corner, the Pirates will be hoping to finish strongly and take another big performance into the postseason.
Scottish National League (SNL) table – up to date as at 16/03/25
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | GF | GA | Diff | Pts | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lynx | 28 | 21 | 6 | 167 | 74 | 93 | 43 | L1 |
| 2 | Caps | 28 | 20 | 8 | 129 | 91 | 38 | 40 | W2 |
| 3 | Thunder | 28 | 15 | 12 | 142 | 132 | 10 | 32 | W2 |
| 4 | Comets | 28 | 14 | 11 | 78 | 85 | -7 | 30 | L2 |
| 5 | Pirates | 28 | 14 | 12 | 96 | 109 | -13 | 30 | W4 |
| 6 | Kestrels | 28 | 14 | 13 | 114 | 99 | 15 | 29 | L3 |
| 7 | Tigers | 28 | 10 | 17 | 80 | 102 | -22 | 21 | L1 |
| 8 | Wild | 28 | 3 | 25 | 61 | 175 | -114 | 6 | L3 |
Photo Credit: Al Goold
Photo Credit: Al Goold
Photo Credit: Al Goold
Photo Credit: Al Goold