Ice Hockey: Flames flash past Hawks for historic treble

GUILDFORD FLAMES scored three times on power plays last night to beat Kingston Hawks 5-1 at Hull Arena and become the British National League play-off champions. The victory completed a historic treble for Flames, who had already won the BNL and Southern Conference.

It was an emotional end to what has been an extraordinary season for Hawks and their coach, Bobby McEwan.

Mike Harding opened the scoring in the third minute when he pounced on Rob Lamey's rebounded shot. Harding and Ryan Campbell, both on the power play, stretched Flames's lead by the end of the first period. A fourth early in the second effectively put the game beyond Hawks's reach when Darren Zinger's slap shot went past an unsighted Pasi Raitanen.

Hawks did give the boisterous crowd some joy when Norman Pinnington tipped in Ashley Tait's shot on the power play, but Campbell added a fifth with 93 seconds left to complete the scoring.

At Saturday night's awards dinner, the Fife Flyers coach Mark Morrison, whose side went out at the semi-final stage to Kingston, was named Coach of the Year and Players' Player of the Year.