The Glasgow Clan checked out of Playoff Finals Weekend with a 3-2 win over the Manchester Storm in the third-place playoff.
The Manchester Storm led twice, fired to 1-0 and 2-1 leads by Connor Lee and Harrison Caines, but a second period flurry from Mike Sirant’s squad sent the bronze award north of the border.
Mick Messner, Hugo Roy, and Brady risk were amongst the goals for Glasgow, with British Ice Hockey’s Luke James rinkside at the Motorpoint Arena to capture post-game reaction.
Around the Rinks: Sunday, 19 April
Glasgow Clan 3-2 Manchester Storm
Glasgow Clan, Playoff Finals Weekend (Image: Elite League)
Connor Lee, Manchester Storm:
Congratulations on your first goal, talk us through that moment…
It feels amazing, thank you. It’s obviously a great feeling to get the first one out of the way. It’s been a long time coming, so hopefully the floodgates open now and we’ll get rolling down the line.
It’s been a great season for the Storm, how do you reflect on the year as a whole?
Coming into the season, the Storm weren’t really considered as one of the top teams. We were seen as the underdogs and it feels great to show that we can compete in this league.
What impact has Cameron Critchlow had on the team since stepping behind the bench?
From playing with him, we’ve got a great relationship and that’s really helped me to grow personally and as a player, especially in terms of my confidence. He’s been reinforcing to me that I am able to play at this level and, as a team, he’s got us in a really positive mindset.
He’s really big on us having a winning mindset, which is huge in this league, and we showed that this year, especially in the quarter-finals against Belfast.
Robert Lachowicz, Glasgow Clan:
Congratulations on the win today, how did you find it?
It’s a tough game [to play in], but once you dial in and you’re on the ice, you’re able to play as you normally would. We played well out there and it was fun.
The Clan had a great run down the stretch, how do you look back on the season?
It was a rollercoaster: a lot of downs, but we had some ups as well. We pulled it together down the stretch and beating Belfast was unbelievable; I think we finished on a positive note.
How did Mike Sirant impact the team as head coach?
We weren’t quite sure what to expect from Mike, but he came in and he was dominant. He demanded that we gave our best every day. The boys gelled, did what he asked of us, and it all pulled together towards the end of the season. I think we played good hockey, for sure.
Lastly, it’s a big year for Team Great Britain: what does this summer look like for you?
I’ll take a little rest now, but it’s so much fun being with Team GB. Everyone’s dialled once we get into training camp and we have that goal of staying in the division. We’re going to be ready when the tournament comes to give it our all.
Joe Hazeldine, Glasgow Clan:
Congratulations on the win, how do you reflect on the season as a whole?
It was up and down, but we’ve finished on a positive. We had visions of winning this thing and we knew that we could beat anyone after knocking Belfast out. It’s a little bit unfortunate that we’re playing meaningless hockey today, but there’s always the future.
The Clan changed coaches mid-season, what impact has Mike Sirant had on the team since stepping up as head coach?
It’s always difficult when you face adversity: it’s a hard business. Obviously, we were very sad to see Corey [Neilson] go, but we’ve had that next-man-up mentality since Mike came in. We all really pulled together and we have a great group here and it’s kind of sad that the season’s ended. We battled through a lot, but we enjoyed it.
Looking ahead to this summer with Team Great Britain, what is your mindset heading into the tournament?
It’s a week’s rest and then we’re straight back to it. Moving back into the big group, staying up is the goal and we fancy ourselves against a couple of the teams. We’ll take every game as it comes.
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