ROCKETS LIFT OFF!

Dundee Rockets entertained a crowd of over 1300 at Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday night when they took on current league champions Aberdeen Lynx, keeping them on the edge of their seats throughout in an absolute thriller of a game which went to sudden death penalty shots to decide the eventual winner.

This was the opening game for the newly formed team and in a celebration of Rockets old and new a ceremonial puck drop by Kenny Urquhart’s son Stuart and Tom Stewart’s daughter Michelle followed a minutes applause as a mark of respect for former Rocket Urquhart’s recent passing.

The first period was electric, with end to end action and great energy from both sides however is was the Rockets who dominated the period, making 16 shots on Aberdeen’s netminder Dominik Jaglar to 5 shots from the Lynx on Rocket’s Dale Shearer.

The second period was tense and exciting, but still neither team were able to find the back of the net despite several opportunities.

Finally, five minutes into the final period, Rockets opened up the scoring when John Dolan made a pass to Michal Beca who fired the puck into the slot for team captain Sam Mcluskey to tap in the opening goal. In the final minutes of the third, 2 penalties in quick succession called on the Rockets put Lynx on a 5 on 3 advantage and afforded them the opportunity to finally even the scoreline, which they did with just over a minute left of the game. A fantastic save from Shearer was instrumental in preventing the game from ending there in defeat and the period ended 1-1.

A 5 minute overtime was played out with neither team managing to achieve that elusive winning goal and it finally went to best of 3 penalty shots. Lynx’ Jordan Leyden’s successful attempt brought an end to what was an exhilarating first outing for the Dundee Rockets.

‘This was a highly anticipated match for us’ said Rab Brown of the Dundee Rockets. ‘Bringing back the Rockets name and doing it proud is so important to us as a club. This game drew a great crowd who filled the arena with energy and the atmosphere was simply fantastic. We would like to thank all the fans, old and new, for coming out in their numbers to support the Rockets this weekend, our generous sponsors who help make this all possible, and all those who have supported the team with our ‘own and loan’ scheme and match night fundraising. I see a bright future ahead for us all’.

It’s never good to lose a game in penalty shots, however the closeness of the game shows just how competitive and exciting the league is going to be this season.’

The Rockets are in action again at Dundee Ice Arena next Saturday when they take on local rivals Kirkcaldy Kestrels in what promises to be another thrilling encounter. Face off is at 7pm and tickets are priced at £12 Adult, £8 concession. Tickets are available at the door on the night or via Dundee Rockets social medial sites.