A crushing defeat on the ice sparked a powerful comeback the very next night.
Paisley Pirates head coach Ian Turley praised his side for bouncing back after a tough 6-2 road loss to Edinburgh Capitals on Saturday in the Scottish National League.
The Pirates went toe to toe with the Capitals for much of the game, with goals from Chris Turley and Bari McKenzie leaving the sides level at 2-2 going into the third period.
In the closing stages, fatigue began to set in, and the Capitals pulled away with four unanswered goals.
Pirates netminder Daniel McGowan kept his side in the game with a string of impressive saves and was later named man of the match.
Despite the disappointment, the team regrouped for Sunday’s home fixture against North Ayrshire Wild and delivered a commanding performance, securing a 6-0 shutout.
Magnus Wrottesley opened the scoring, with Craig Peacock netting a hat-trick and further goals from Bari McKenzie and Ryan Campbell.
Jay Herd was named man of the match following a “tireless” display, with Turley praising the team’s approach on the night.
He said: “It was important to bounce back after Saturday night.
“I didn’t think we played too badly, but the last 10 minutes, we certainly weren’t there.
“To come back and put up a scoreline like that is always positive.
“We had a lot of shots early on and, to be fair, their goaltender made some really good saves.
“Credit where credit’s due.
“They’ve got some young guys with pace, but tonight our guys just stepped it up.”
Turley went on to emphasise the team’s defensive discipline and dominance in the face-off circles, which proved to be key factors in the victory.
He said: “Face-offs are something we’ve been working on, especially in the offensive zone.
“You can see what we’re trying to put in place now.
“Defensively, I think we probably won around 90% of the draws tonight.
“The guys are listening and executing.”
Elsewhere in the club, the Lightning Pirates under-19s also celebrated victory over North Ayrshire Wild under-19s.
Netminder Jake Reilly impressed during the weekend double-header, helping secure the senior shutout before returning to under-19s duty, where he was also named man of the match.
The Pirates now look ahead to their next league fixture away to Kirkcaldy Kestrels in Fife, with further fixture and travel details set to be announced early in the week.
Share