Kirkcaldy Kestrels made it a home and away double over Dundee Tigers, to keep a vice-like hold on the SNL top spot after a well-earned 3-1 win on Tayside.
Conor Duncan gave them the best possible start with a goal in the fifth minute, but Grant Reekie quickly drew the home side level.
Two goals in the second period killed the Tigers off, as Matthew Farmer struck just after the half-hour mark followed by a second from Duncan.
Tigers couldn’t find a way through and the result left Kestrels five points clear at the top of the table.
Paisley Pirates boosted their title hopes after gunning down North Ayrshire Wild in a 10-2 win, despite being 2-0 down early on.
Wild, who were second in the league going into the weekend, got off to the best possible start as Colin Henning and Ian Crockett put them two up by the nine-minute mark.
Pirates started their fightback as David Orr clawed one back shortly after, as Ian Turley’s men showed signs they were just getting started.
Two goals in the space of a minute from Stuart Miller and Calum Blair soon turned the game on its head and Wild had no answer to the rampant Paisley side.
Fraser Campbell and Chris Wilson put the visitors 5-2 up by the end of the second period and North Ayrshire’s hopes of keeping their recent good run evaporated.
Further goals by Mark Hassan and Scott Cowan, Liam Riddell, Dillon Robertson and Orr again, turned the game into a rout for the Pirates as they set themselves up nicely for next week’s game against Edinburgh Capitals SNL.
Joel Gautschi helped himself to six goals as the Capitals arrested their recent slump in form to roar back into second place after a 17-0 victory at home to Kilmarnock Storm.
By the tenth minute the Murrayfield side were four up, as Tyler Plews, Jay King, Ian Blake and Mark Patterson all found the net.
King picked up his second while Gautschi began to find his scoring touch as the home side ended the session 6-0 ahead.
The goals continued to rain in during the second period, as Patterson grabbed a brace followed by two more from Gautschi to complete his hat-trick, before Sean Donaldson took the scoreline into double figures.
The final period continued in the same vein, as another Blake effort was followed by Donaldson’s second before Gautschi finished another three for a double hat-trick, with Bruce Tait and Kieran Black wrapping up a rampant performance.
Solway Sharks SNL made the long trip to face Moray Typhoons and enjoyed the return journey home after securing a 3-1 win.
The visitors opened the scoring early in the second period when Aaron Shankland set up Scott Henderson, who drilled a shot on Moray’s Craig Johnston and the puck crossed the line.
It took just 23 seconds for Moray to fire one back through Kevin Russell, but Sharks restored their lead on the powerplay when Connor Speirs smashed one in from the blueline after Joe Durkacz was sitting out for cross-checking.
They secured victory as Simon Robertson poked the puck under Johnston to open up a two-goal advantage.
Typhoons chased the game in the final period, but found the Dumfries men very resistant as they held on to take the points.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Dundee Tigers 1-3 Kirkcaldy Kestrels
Edinburgh Capitals SNL 17-0 Kilmarnock Storm
Moray Typhoons 1-3 Solway Sharks SNL
North Ayrshire Wild 2-10 Paisley Pirates
(Image permission: Derek Black)
