Ice hockey players aged in their 50s and 60s rolled back the years to help a new Aviemore side deliver a stunning national bowl success.
Against all odds, Aviemore Avalanche returned from Dumfries as the SIH Scottish Bowl champions in their very first season.
And it was a genuine mix of ages which helped them surge to success.
An eye-catching 6-1 rout of favourites Dundee Wildcats in the final came at the end of a thrilling weekend where the Highlanders progressed all the way to the silverware without a defeat.
They defeated Aberdeen Predators 6-3, drew 3-3 against Kirkcaldy’s Highlanders B side, beat Hamilton Hawks 3-0 then their friendly rivals Inverness Hurricanes 5-0 to reach the semis where they saw off Glasgow Mustangs 5-1.
It was the first success for the town in the sport for 38 years and involved six players who starred for the original Aviemore Blackhawks and Aviemore Blues in the 1970s and 1980s.
The title was won despite the town’s previous main rink being closed and demolished in the late 1990s.
These days, the 20m x 12m venue, known locally as “the wee rink” is located at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort.
Opened in 2021, it is used on several fronts seven days a week, with a mini closure only lasting until June 10 for as new ice is laid.
Pressing the case for new town rink
The team, managed by David Hodge and captained by Dean Ferguson, are desperate to use their success to highlight the need for a new rink in the tourist hotspot within the Cairngorm National Park.
Player-coach Kevin Bremner is 56 and a former Blackhawks player, along with Stevie Booth, 59, and Kenny MacDonald, 62.
They were bolstered ex-Aviemore Blues players Stuart Gray, 48, Andrew Stewart 51, Chris Helick, 54, who helped the new club, Avalanche, roar to victory.
Rinks around the country are under threat, including at Inverness where Aviemore play, with rising energy costs leading to a public appeal for financial support as it battles closure.
In February 2021, AGCT (Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust) launched the successful Aviemore Community Ice campaign, raising close to £200,000 in funds to purchase an ice rink and a marquee in which to house the rink.
All profits are reinvested into the rink and help further goal of returning a sport-sized iced rink within an insulated and energy-efficient building to Aviemore.
‘These days, you can build rinks that are so environmentally friendly.’
Bremner told The Press and Journal that the club would love to see their success at Scottish level showcase the need for a new purpose-built facility in Aviemore, which would be cost efficient.
He said: “We really want to see a proper ice rink return to Aviemore.
“With it being a winter resort, and with the number of tourists we get, it would be well used.
“It’s not only ice hockey players who use the ice rink, but is also used by figure skaters and curling as well as the visitors.
“All the sports happen in the wee rink, but getting a big rink really would make a huge difference to all these sports.
“I know a new rink would not be cheap (to build), but these days, you can build rinks that are so environmentally friendly.
“The biggest expense with an ice rink is power to keep the ice frozen. With advancements on that side of it, we could even get backing just to get some sort of structure put up.
“We could then maybe get a system installed that runs fairly cheaply.
“We’re also concerned over the future of the Inverness Ice Centre – that’s where we play our home games.
“Lots of people in Inverness are also concerned about that. The nearest facility after that would be in Elgin, but if every single person who plays and trains in Inverness tried to switch to Elgin, there is no way that would work.
“Elgin already have several teams, including juniors, playing out of there – and that’s just ice hockey. ”
Rapid rise to glory in nine months
Bremner detailed how an initial plan to have juniors playing the sport locally soon grew into the seniors, who have just delivered Scottish bowl success.
He said: “When the wee rink opened in Aviemore, a couple of us started training the juniors in 2022.
“There were then murmurs between some of the more established players about restarting a team. A lot of the parents of the kids who were playing said they would be really interested, and it generated from that point.
“Around nine months ago, we affiliated the club, and got the guys signed up on the Scottish Ice Hockey register and started the team.
“Us older guys have been part of this success, but that’s mixed with younger players who have come into the team over the past nine months, and overall, they have mostly all been playing only over the past couple of years.
“It was a team effort in the tournament – everyone played their part. It was amazing. A special mention though to brothers Ross and Stuart Marr who were influential in the wins.”
‘Unbelievable’ result in bowl final
Bremner admits their recent triumph rocked rivals and offers the Avalanche players every reason to be proud, aided by the “older heads”.
He added: “Our success would have been a shock to the Scottish ice hockey community, because no one would have thought we would have won it.
“As the weekend went on, more people started us. For us to beat the Dundee Wildcats 6-1 in the final, was unbelievable.
“We thought it would be a very close game – they were a very good team in the tournament, including the group stages.
“There were three guys from the old Blackhawks team and then from the Aviemore Blues, which came after the Blackhawks, there were a few more involved (in the Dundee game), so the ages were from their mid-40s to early-60s playing,
“A lot of us played for Inverness Hurricanes, so we used to go down to the bowl competition quite a lot with very mixed success.
“For a team which has really only been going for nine months to go down and win it in the fashion we did was unbelievable. We never lost a game, drawing only once, throughout the whole tournament.”
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