Blackburn Hawks 2011 review

BLACKBURN, UK – So as we prepare to bid a fond farewell to 2011 and say a big hello to 2012, here’s my take on the year just gone for Blackburn Hawks.

It’d be fair to say there’s been more good than bad. Finishing fourth in the league and qualifying for the play-offs was a definite improvement on previous seasons.
The semi-final performance against Whitley Warriors, particularly at home, laid down a marker the team could aspire to on a weekly basis.
This season has taken some time to bed down, with road wins at Whitley and Sheffield Spartans being two obvious highlights, but two shut-outs against Trafford Metros showed there’s still inconsistencies which need eradicating.
The final two home games of the year – against Telford Titans and especially Trafford – once again showed the level which I’m sure Player/Coach Jared Owen will be looking to bring to the table every week.
The squad is probably as strong as it’s been in quite a while. We’ve two strong netminders in Danny Brittle and Stuey Ashton – with the latter proving a more than capable back-up on the occasions he’s been thrown in. Hopefully the pair of them will push each other on.
On ‘D’, Chris Arnone and Scott Glover have struck up an excellent partnership, while Craig Rogers and Chad Briggs have been solid. Bobby Streetly has stepped up from ENL2 and proved an astute addition whileLance Derbyshire adds strength to the unit, which we’ve lacked in previous seasons. Ollie Lomax has been missed and I’m sure everyone has their fingers crossed he gets the all-clear to return in February. Another pleasing aspect has been seeing Troy Evans make the step-up from the juniors.
Up front we now carry a potent threat. While the addition of our new import, Sami Narkia, has attracted all the attention there’ve been a number of players stepping up to the mark. Jordan Bannon looks an excellent prospect, while Rick Ravey’s energy and drive have added a new dimension.
The new line of Narkia, Aaron Davies and Tom King seems to be working particularly well – to such an extent you’d be hard pushed to call which our top line is. Rick Hughes and Matt Viney have weighed in with good points totals and with Owen and Sam Dunford in the mix we’re in pretty good shape. Brian Worrall’s return from Trafford has alomst gone unnoticed by some, but his brilliant goal in the last game against the Metros showed what he brings to the team.
No doubt Owen would like to bring in a few more bodies – which coach doesn’t – and if we’re to ever properly challenge the likes of Billingham Stars and Whitley, then rolling four lines is probably what’s needed.
All-in-all 2011 has been a step in the right direction. Here’s hoping 2012 continues in the same vein.
Contact the author at: michael.black@prohockeynews.com