Ice hockey: Pirates are back on track

Jan 24 2009 by David Rinaldi, Paisley Daily Express

PAISLEY Pirates chief Dino Bauba insists the Braehead men fear no-one going into this weekend’s Celtic Cup double-header against Solway Sharks and Dundee Stars.

The Pirates endured a miserable December in which they were unable to practice for the entire month due to the ice being unavailable at Braehead.

That resulted in a real slump in both form and results – but player/coach Bauba believes recent performances suggest the Pirates have turned the corner.

The Braehead men were narrowly beaten by the Sharks in Dumfries last Sunday.

And they then ran Fife Flyers extremely close in the FFDR Cup on Tuesday night before going down to a slender 3-2 defeat. But Bauba insists his players’ spirits are high.

And the fact they’ve been able to start practising again gives the Lithuanian confidence ahead of the weekend.

He said: “I think everybody will be more confident going into these games with the way we’ve played recently.

“We’ve given ourselves a chance in recent games and as long as we keep doing that the results will come.

“It was difficult when we weren’t able to practice and it’s almost impossible to come out and compete in that situation.

“It’s very hard and it doesn’t matter who you are or how good you are in any sport – when you don’t practice you won’t be able to play.”

The Pirates have undergone an off-ice transformation in the past seven days with former Great Britain internationalist Scott Neil taking over the running of the club from managing director Allan Paul, who has been unwell.

But Bauba insists the changes won’t affect his goals for the club as he tries to turn the Pirates into the top team in the country.

He said: “It hasn’t affected me or the players at all.

“Allan Paul has been ill and hasn’t been able to do as much as he’d have liked but Scott Neil has always been there so he will just be more visible. I speak with Scott every day.

“While we haven’t decided exactly what we are going to do yet we will take the club forward.

“What we are trying to do is just the same and that’s to build the team, win trophies and bring more fans to the games.”

Meanwhile, Bauba and Martin Talajka face late fitness tests for tonight’s clash with the Sharks with the player/coach suffering from a leg knock sustained against Fife while the Slovakian has a stiff neck.