BLACKBURN Hawks will aim to be bounce back to winning ways this weekend when they face Manchester Minotaurs in the Moralee Conference.

The Hawks kept their unbeaten start to the league campaign going last weekend when scoring a late leveller against Sheffield Spartans.

Coach Jared Owen was pleased with the character his side showed to keep going and secure the 4-4 draw, but he expects an improvement in performances tomorrow when the Hawks welcome the Minotaurs, who have lost all 12 league games this season, to the Blackburn Ice Arena (5.45pm).

“I was happy with the character we showed to get the equaliser but not with the way we had played to be in a losing position,” he said.

“We kept going though and we dug in and it’s the second time we’ve got a late equaliser this season, which has to be a good sign.”

Last week’s point againstSheffield was the Hawks’ first outing of 2015, and Owen believes preparations being interrupted by the festive period had harmed his team’s display.

“We normally train on a Thursday and play on the weekend,” he said. “But with it being New Year we trained on the Monday and I think we had lost a bit of rhythm when we got round to the game.

“We’ve been back to normal this week though so hopefully we will back on our game tomorrow.”

The draw with the Spartans saw the Hawks’ lead at the top of the Moralee Conference cut to just six points.

But a home game against the pointless Minotaurs should represent an excellent chance to return to winning ways.

Leading from the front is a new experience for the Hawks, and something Owen thinks his squad has to get used to.

“It’s a new kind of pressure and that might have had an impact last week,” he said.

“It’s something we’ve not experienced before but I think we will embrace it.

“This weekend is a good opportunity for us but they will come here and work hard and make it difficult, it’s a local derby so it will be a tough game.

“We have to make sure we play our game and stick to what has worked so well for us this season, which we didn’t do last week.

“The Minotaurs have to be respected, they can make it tough and we need to put in a professional performance. We can’t go in thinking they will gift us the two points and we’re all going to score five goals.”

The Hawks will be close to full strength, with Jake Nurse the only absentee with a fractured eye socket.