1. Another impressive home-ice performance from the Storm saw them defeat Glasgow Clan 5–1, further extending their cushion over the chasing pack below.

The Storm made a near-perfect start as a well-timed tip from Hinam redirected Busby’s initial slapshot into the top corner on the first real attack of the game. A second Storm marker quickly followed, with the hosts two goals to the good inside the opening five minutes. Newly acquired netminder Souliere made a few strong saves from close range, but with the puck still loose Hinam reacted quickest to chip home his second of the night.

A third Storm goal in the 12th minute completed a tremendous first-period hat-trick for the now-rampant Hinam. The import forward showed both skill and determination to force the puck beyond Souliere. A shell-shocked Clan side eventually began to impose themselves towards the latter stages of the period, but DeRidder stood firm, turning aside efforts on goal to preserve the Storm’s commanding lead.

The middle stanza began in more even fashion, with the visitors’ increased forechecking effort initially hemming the Storm into their defensive zone. However, the decisive moments continued to fall the way of the home side. A fourth unanswered goal arrived in the 29th minute, with Dudek perfectly positioned to capitalise. Caines’ initial effort rang the iron and rebounded kindly into Dudek’s path, allowing him to slam the puck home into the yawning net. Powerplay opportunities for both sides passed without significant chances, with the Storm looking largely comfortable. The final opportunity of the period forced DeRidder into an excellent double save on Neumann in the 37th minute, ensuring the home side carried their advantage into the break.

The final period opened with DeRidder producing a fine stop on Burke, launching himself across the crease to maintain his shutout. However, the Clan would not be denied for a second successive game against the Storm, as a low effort from Sideroff finally beat DeRidder after five consecutive scoreless periods against Manchester netminders. In a desperate attempt to claw their way back into the contest, Neilson elected to pull Souliere with 6:30 remaining while on the power play, creating a two-man advantage. Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Johnson fired into the empty net, restoring the Storm’s four-goal lead with just over six minutes remaining. The closing moments were played out professionally by the hosts as a well-beaten Clan side accepted that the game was beyond them.

Words by: Callum Schora