Paisley Pirates are gearing up to skate into an exciting, season-defining weekend.
And coach Ian Turley is calling on the Renfrewshire club’s supporters to pack out Braehead Arena to help roar their team over the line in their final home match of the campaign.
The Pirates welcome Dundee Tigers to town on Saturday for the second leg of their crunch play-off quarter-final.
With a narrow 4-3 lead from the first leg last weekend, the Pirates will be doing all they can to get the job done and make it through to the dramatic finals weekend next month.
With no time to draw breath, the Pirates then travel to Edinburgh on Sunday to take on SNL league champions Aberdeen Lynx in a mouth-watering Scottish Cup semi-final clash.
Turley is calling on his players to give it their all this weekend – and hopes a bumper home crowd on Saturday can give them a lift to ensure their season doesn’t end on a sour note.
Turley told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “It was a good result in the first leg. We were decent but we went to sleep in a few key moments.
“There were lapses in concentration and we certainly need to iron those out going into this weekend.
“The Tigers had beaten us in the last league game of the season. It was nice to get some revenge but the job is very much only half done.
“We’re now heading into the biggest weekend of the season, with the play-offs and the Scottish Cup all on the line.
“These are the games you want to play in and even though the boys are pretty banged up with the time of the season, we need one final push from them to make sure we end things right.
“It’s our last home game on Saturday and we’d love to have a big crowd in to cheer us on.
“It makes a massive difference having a big crowd behind you and this isn’t just a league game.
“There’s a lot at stake and hopefully the fans will back us in numbers and we can put in a performance to make them proud.”
One bonus for the Pirates this weekend is Aberdeen Lynx were unable to secure their home rink for Sunday’s tough Scottish Cup semi-final.
The tie has been moved to a neutral venue at Murrayfield Ice Arena, with Turley adding: “It definitely helps that they don’t have home advantage on their side.
“We’ve beaten them twice this season and they’ve beaten us twice, so we know it’s going to be tight.
“Hopefully we’ve got enough left in the tank after Saturday’s game to get through to that final for a shot at silverware.”
Face-off on Saturday is at 5pm. Tickets are available at the door.
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