Blackburn Hawks History Part 3 - 2007-2015

Our third and final look at the Blackburn Hawks' recent history brings us right up to date from Bobby Haig departing, a flirtation with relegation and the subsequent rebuild.
The start of the 2007 season saw the departure of legend Bobby Haig to his former club, the Paisley Pirates. Ian Hough and John Dunford took over coaching duties. It would prove to be a mixed season, the club had no success in the English cup, and finished the season bottom of the Northern League and sixth in ENL North. Despite this, there were some good performances on the ice, with the superb combination of Rick Bentham and David Meikle scoring 48 and 46 points, respectively. The goaltenders also had a good season; in 21 games Daniel Brittle posted a 90.03% save percentage, while Ian Thirkettle attained 89.08% in 18 games.

Following the addition of three teams to the ENL in 2008–09, the league was restructured, giving it a four division structure; North 1 and 2, South 1 and 2, with promotion and relegation between the two levels. The Hawks competed in the North 1 division but declined to enter the Northern League. Neil Abel took over as coach, and the Hawks finished second bottom of the division. They were involved in a relegation series against fellow local side Manchester ENL Phoenix.  After an evenly matched first leg at Blackburn Arena, the Hawks lost 8–7 in Manchester, losing 10–9 on aggregate. This should have seen the team relegated to ENL North 2 for the 2009/10 season. However, the Billingham Bombers dropped out of the league after their rink closed for two years for refurbishment, saving Blackburn from relegation.

Having avoided relegation, the Hawks set about climbing the table. A fifth-place finish in 2009-10 was then bettered by a 4th-place position in 2010-11, qualifying for the playoffs after a three-year absence. The Hawks were narrowly eliminated by Whitley in the semi-final, despite beating the undefeated regular season champions 4-2 in a thrilling first leg at Blackburn Arena. Making the arena a difficult venue for post season opposition was to become a major attribute for future success, and it was a place Whitley have always found difficult to perform at.

Expected to challenge for the 2011-12 title, the now traditional slow start to the season had left Blackburn off the pace, behind reigning champions, Whitley and the runaway leaders Billingham Stars. However they were boosted by the signing of Finnish import Sami Narkia, and ended the season in fine form, and although they were unable to close the gap at the top of the table, there was a real belief that the squad was now capable of winning the playoffs.

The semifinal once again saw the Hawks defeat Whitley 4-2 on home ice, however this time they were able to finish off the job at Hillheads in the second leg and book a place in the final, where they faced Billingham. The home leg of the final saw 1,300 turn up at Blackburn Arena creating an atmosphere not seen for some considerable time. The Hawks skated off with a 2-1 win but the two sides were so evenly matched that victory in the second leg would be anything but a formality. A controversial decision to dismiss netminder Daniel Brittle in the early stages of the second leg proved costly as Billingham were able to overturn the aggregate score. [7-5]. Blackburn’s wait for silverware would stretch to 22-years.

A disappointing end to the season made way for a troubled summer with restructuring on and off the ice. A number of what were considered 'key players' made moves to local rivals including the newly reformed Deeside Dragons [formerly the Flintshire Freeze] and Altrincham based Trafford Metros. Hawks Fans and the local media were disappointed at a 'missed opportunity' to capitalize on one of the most successful campaigns in recent memory and the Hawks were widely tipped to struggle. However, Blackburn quietly set about re-building their side with a group of talented young players keen to impress alongside former Hawks forward Dan MacKriel who had been playing in the EPL with Telford. Latvian import Ivo Dimitrievs also arrived and later Aaron Davies returned too as the Hawks looked like contenders again. Blackburn qualified for the playoffs again and faced runaway league winners Solway Sharks in the semi-finals, who were defeated just once in the entire 2012/13 season. Despite going into the contest as under-dogs the Hawks held the Sharks to a respectable 5-3 win in Dumfries before a stunning 6-1 victory at Blackburn Arena to set up a second consecutive Blackburn-Billingham final. Aaron Davies, Sam Dunford and Myles Dacres secured a 3-2 victory for the Hawks on home ice before outplaying and outscoring the Stars 6-3 at the Forum, to win their first silverware in the team's 23-year history.

2013/14 was started with four straight wins before a slump saw the team fall quickly down the standings and seemingly out of the title race with less than half of the season gone. But then they went out and signed former Manchester Minotaurs' captain Jake Nurse and Canadian import Jon Adams, which seemed to kick-start their season and a run of nine straight victories pushed the club back up the table. From December the club would only lose twice in all competitions, both to League Champions Solway Sharks. The Hawks finished the season 2nd in the League, equaling their highest finish. After a tense semi-final against Billingham, the Hawks faced Solway in the final. The Sharks proved too tough an opponant to overcame as they completed a Grand Slam of League, Cup and Playoffs success with a 2-0 victory.

The 2014/15 season will undoubtedly go down as one of the most memorable in the clubs 25-year history. Under Jared Owen, the Hawks achieved their first league title, clinching the Moralee Conference with 6 games to spare, and going the entire campaign unbeaten in the process. The team would go on to be known as the 'invincibles' after winning the play offs too, defeating the Sheffield Spartans 4-2 in the semifinal and then Billingham 6-3 in the final. Captain Chris Arnone was voted the fans favorite player, while Adam Brittle was named league player of the season and Jared Owen coach of the year. With all that success it meant more fans flocked in to watch the Hawks soar. Attendances at Blackburn Arena saw more than 1,000 spectators for some games, and over 700 Blackburn fans also attended the play off weekend in Solway.

Blackburn have once again started this season in fine form and were unbeaten going into the four game series with Whitley. Since then they have a 1-1-1 record with the Warriors heading into Game Four. Their progress is all the more impressive given the series of sad news that hit the club over the past year. Back in January General Manager Alan Amos died following a battle with cancer, while former player Jon Adams was found dead near his home in Newmarket, ON, Canada. The players have been wearing a special tribute to their former team mate on their jersey's this season, while a number of events have been organised by the fans to raise money.