Pirates looking to make up for lost time at Storm
Turley anxious to get back out on the ice
Paisley Pirates are back in action tonight after a frustrating weekend of inactivity caused by the Beast from the East.
The Pirates were left idle after Scottish Ice Hockey called off all scheduled fixtures on the grounds of safety fears resulting from the extreme weather.
With the forecast looking brighter this weekend, Pirates make the relatively short trip to East Ayrshire to take on Kilmarnock Storm at the Galleon Centre, with face-off scheduled for 7.30pm.
Head coach Ian Turley insists that his side are looking forward to the game as they look to shake the ring rust following a week on the sidelines.
However, he warned the club’s players and fans not to expect an easy evening on the ice.
“The Storm are one of the most improved teams in the country this season,” he said.
“They’ve really come on a ton this year and I haven’t forgotten that earlier in the season they beat Dundee Comets, who are challenging for the league title, away from home, so that gives an idea of how well they are able to play.
“It also illustrates why we will need to be on top of our game if we want to keep up our own challenge at the top end of the table.
“Their rink is tight and a lot different from the wide open spaces at Braehead Arena, so they’ll be reckoning that with home advantage they have a realistic chance of turning us over.
“They’re still jockeying for position regarding their final league position which will determine which team they’ll face in the playoffs so they’ve got a lot to play for, just as we do.”
And Turley added: “We’ve had an enforced break due to the weather and at this time in the season I think it’s better to be playing every weekend to keep momentum going.
“That wasn’t possible, so we’ll need to go out and play as if it’s a title decider, because you can be sure, that’s how the Storm will be treating it.”
I think it’s better to be playing every weekend to keep momentum going