Pirates ready to step up to the challenge
National League confirms Murrayfield Racers are back in the fold
Paisley Pirates are ramping up preparations for the new season following the Scottish National League’s confirmed lineup.
Nothing has changed as far as the Pirates are concerned as Ian Turley and Adam Walker’s side again go on the hunt for glory.
But they will come up against some new opposition in the shape of the Murrayfield Racers, with the capital side returning to the league following a 20-year exile.
The Edinburgh outfit won the British Championship four times in four consecutive seasons between 1969 and 1972. They also boasted regular silverware in the British Championships and the BHL Premier Division before folding in 1996.
Racers director Tony Hand said: “Murrayfield Racers were once Britain’s most-decorated team and I was privileged to play for the club.
“They have now been reborn and this is a new era for ice hockey at the rink. We’ve pledged to showcase the highest level of hockey possible next season.”
The comfirmed line- up for next season is: Aberdeen Lynx, Dundee Comets, Dundee Tigers, Kilmarnock Thunder, Kirkcaldy Kestrels, Murrayfield Racers, North Ayrshire Wild, Paisley Pirates and Solway Stingrays. And the sides will face each other home and away for a 16-game regular season.
Kilmarnock Storm and Moray Typhoons have both withdrawn from the league, while Edinburgh Capitals SNL have not communicated their intentions to Scottish Ice Hockey for the upcoming campaign.
The top eight in the league will qualify for the play- offs which will start with two-legged quarter-finals to determine who qualifies for the SNL Final Four Weekend 2019.
The two play-off semi-finals will be held at Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday, March 30, with the final scheduled for the following day.
This season’s Scottish Cup competition will be the same format as the previous year, with the preliminary round, quarter-finals and semi-finals all two-legged ties.
The final will be staged alongside the various junior finals at Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday, May 11.
There will also be a second cup competition for the 2018/19 campaign, featuring two groups containing four and five teams split into east and west sections.
Each side will play each other once home and away, with the top team in each group qualifying for the final. This will be played over two legs.
Fixtures for the league and cup competitions will be confirmed in due course.