GOALS GALORE FOR PIRATES
PAISLEY PIRATES 17
INVERNESS JAGS 0

PIRATES were without several regulars, but were still too strong for the Scottish National League’s basement boys in this one-sided Lagoon match.

The 200 fans who turned up obviously expected goals, Pirates having fired 23 goals past the Highlanders in the Scottish Cup in December, and the home boys didn’t disappoint in what was too much of a walk-over to be an entertaining game.

It could have been much worse for Inverness, but for some impressive netminding from Findlay, as a number of Pirates’ fringe players sought to use additional ice time to impress.

Pirates wasted little time in opening the scoring, Colin Nelson’s wrist shot from the left circle finding the back of the net after only 49 seconds.

Martin Finnie then continued his love affair with the Jags - he netted six last time out - by adding two more before the five minute mark.

The period had barely reached ten minutes and Pirates had made it 5-0 through Jamie Turnbull and Josie Williamson. Colin McMillan completed the period scoring after 11 minutes with the best goal of the night when he re-directed home a Gordon Nelson point drive.

That they didn’t add to the score was partially down to skating short-handed, with Colin Nelson and Mick Drummond both taking minor penalties.

Scoresheet

Pirates visibly took their foot off the gas at the start of the second period and didn’t add to the score until the 26th minute, Stuart Swiatek getting his name on the scoresheet. Within a minute, McMillan had added number eight.

Pirates were shorthanded again shortly after, when Calum MacEachran was called for tripping. This only delayed the mounting score, John Churchill and Colin Nelson brought up double figures before the end of the period.

Again Pirates weren’t firing on all cylinders at the start of the final period, Six minutes into the third period Pirates added to the score. When they did, however, they appeared to finally break the tiring Jags’ resistance with Turnbull, Myles Watson and Finnie, with his hat-trick goal, all netting within a minute.

A measure of Pirates’ now complete dominance came when again they were shorthanded with McMillan in the box and they played a game of keep-puck. Jags unable to get it back to take advantage of the extra man. McMillan had barely stepped back on the ice before he found himself in front of goal to net his hat-trick.

Thirty seconds later Brian Taylor was next to get on the score sheet. Jags were given one final powerplay chance when Gary Morris was called for elbowing and they made more of the advantage this time, Damien Orr making his only two saves of the period.

This was the most telling sign of Pirates domination as they had 30 shots in the final period. Pirates finished as they had started with two more goals, Churchill and Taylor both getting their seconds.

Man of the Match - Paisley: Myles Watson; Inverness: David Wylie
SCORING - Paisley: McMillan 3+3, Finnie 3+0, Churchill 2+4, Taylor 2+2, C. Nelson 2+1, Turnbull 2+0, Watson 1+5, Swiatek 1+2, Williamson 1+0, G. Nelson 0+6, Morris 0+3, Andrews 0+2, Drummond, Orr 0+1
NETMINDING:
Paisley - Orr: 11 shots/0 goals; Inverness: Findlay 65 shots/17 goals
PENALTIES:
MacEachran, McMillan, Morris, Drummond, C. Nelson all took two-minute minors