Paisley Pirates emerged from a contrasting weekend on the road with two Scottish National League points, recovering from an 8–0 defeat at Edinburgh Capitals to claim a hard-fought 4–3 victory over Solway Sharks SNL.
The weekend opened with a difficult evening at Murrayfield, where a well-drilled Capitals side proved too strong for Paisley. Edinburgh’s depth and a terrific performance from their netminder helped the home side secure a convincing victory, bringing Pirates’ unbeaten start to the league campaign to an end.
Picture: Al Goold (www.algooldphoto.com)
The Capitals line-up also featured Marcus Murdoch and Marty Simpson, who served as Pirates’ alternate captains last season. It was the pair’s first appearance against their former club since moving to Edinburgh.
Paisley acknowledged that Capitals were the better team on the night and made no excuses for the result. There were still positives to take from the performance, with Mylo Wylie named Pirates’ Man of the Match, but the immediate focus was on regrouping for the second fixture of the weekend.
The trip to Dumfries Ice Bowl marked the fifth game in Paisley’s run of consecutive away fixtures. Another closely contested meeting with Solway followed, with Pirates producing the response they needed to secure a narrow victory and return home with two points.
Picture: Al Goold
Ryan Campbell scored twice, while Ryan Parkin and Cale Tanaka each added a goal in the 4–3 win. Campbell’s performance also earned him Paisley’s Man of the Match award.
The weekend leaves Pirates third in the latest published league standings, with four wins from five matches and eight points. They are level on points with second-placed Dundee, who have played four games, and two points behind leaders Whitley, who have played six.
While the defeat in Edinburgh provided a setback, the victory in Dumfries ensured Paisley finished the weekend positively and maintained their strong early-season record.
The club thanked all travelling supporters who backed the team across both fixtures, with their continued support appreciated throughout the ongoing away run.
Pirates continue their away run on Saturday 10 October with a trip to Aberdeen’s Linx Ice Arena, where face-off is at 7.15pm. Travelling supporters are encouraged to make the journey and get behind the team as Paisley look to build on their victory in Dumfries.
Photos from Pirates vs Capitals by Al Goold
