Blackburn Hawks 1 Fife Flyers 6

2:15pm Thursday 6th March 2008

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Blackburn Hawks became invincible ice hockey giants Fife Flyers' latest victim ... but not without a real good fight.

The Hawks battled bravely against the Scottish champions, but Fife's quality shone through as they bagged a 6-1 Northern League Cup win at the Arena.

It was never going to be an easy fixture against a side unbeaten in the SPHL (Scottish Premier Hockey League) this term with 13 wins from 13 games.

However, Hawks' general manager Konrad Tapp was pleased with his troops and insisted the final scoreline was a little harsh.

"Fife are an extremely good side," said Tapp. "The game was a good indication of how much we have improved as a team this season. The final score was an unfair reflection of the game."

In a hard-hitting encounter, the Flyers held the upper hand, regularly testing the rapidly improving Ian Thirkettle in the Hawks goal.

Thirkettle and the home defence worked tirelessly to deny the Scottish forwards, but were undone on occasions as Fife raced into a six goal lead.

Hawks' hard work was eventually rewarded with just seconds remaining in the game.

David Miekle worked hard to dispossess the Flyers defenceman in his own zone, before sliding a pinpoint pass for Dusan Kubik to poke home.

It was just reward for the team, who had given their all for the whole 60 minutes. Thirkettle was named MVP for an outstanding display in goal.