8:19pm Friday 22nd February 2008
Blackburn Hawks turn their focus to the English Cup tomorrow as they look to secure a place in the play-offs.
The ice hockey aces face a double-header against Newcastle Vipers, starting with an away fixture up in the North East tomorrow night, before welcoming the Vipers to the Arena on Sunday (face-off 5.45pm).
A comfortable 8-1 victory over rivals Whitley Bay last weekend put the Hawks in a very strong position in the ECup standings.
More emphasis has now been placed on the cup competition after Saturday's 4-2 defeat to Sheffield Spartans saw Hawks drop out of the running for the English National Ice Hockey League play-off places.
"We were very disappointed to lose to Sheffield last weekend," said general manager Konrad Tapp. "But we still have a very good chance in the cup so we must concentrate on that.
"It really is crunch-time now. This is our last chance of silverware this season and all the lads really want to achieve a positive result in what has been a somewhat disrupted season."