Hughes hat trick helps Flames to second win of week

Photo: John Uwins

Guildford Flames picked up their second win of the week, beating Glasgow Clan 7-1, while wearing their special retro jerseys to the organisation's treble season at the turn of the millennium.

A pair of goals in the opening 20 minutes put the Flames up by two in a period thye controlled. Ryan Hughes came in at the far post to poke home a tip from Matt Tugnutt from an original Patrick Bajkov pass to open the scoring with 8:41 played. Some five minutes later, a Peter Crinella stretch pass set Ryan Tait through on a race for the puck, and he won it ahead of Reece Kelly and then calmly slotted back across Antti Karjalainen. 

The home side then added four in the middle period as they pulled away further. Hughes made the most of a Bajkov blocked shot to then skate after the loose puck, through the zones, and finish five-hole at 27:03 to make it 3-0, before Bajkov skated across the Clan netminder and finished high at 30:56. Off the very next faceoff, Bajkov fed Hughes to complete his hat trick just nine seconds later. Former Clan forward Steven McParland converted a penalty shot with 2:49 left in the period to give Guildford a six-goal lead.

Matt Alvaro scored 78 seconds into the final period as the Flames hit seven, before Darien Craighead got Clan on the board at 44:04. Charlie Combs could have pulled another back for the visitors but couldn't beat Taz Burman, while Owen Griffiths hit the post in the dying seconds as the Flames almost made it eight.