BLACKBURN Hawks may be depleted but they are still confident their trip to face Solway Sharks will be a fruitful one – according to captain Chris Arnone.

Hawks travel to Scotland without coach Dan MacKriel, who is still recovering from having his appendix removed, and five players who have succumbed to injury.

However, despite the rather patched-up nature of the squad, Arnone is confident the side can make the long trip home with a victory.

“It’s never easy going into a game with a reduced bench, especially up at Solway, but we’re confident we have enough in our squad to go up there and win,” he said. “If we take care of our own zones and play to the standard that we have been doing, we are more than capable of winning this game.”

The Hawks have had a flying start to the season, sitting top of the Moralee Conference having won all seven of their games so far.

They go into the game off the back of a productive weekend last week, including a 5-1 victory over this weekend’s opponents.

However, despite the Sharks’ lowly position in the table, Arnone is taking nothing for granted.

“They haven’t been getting the results so far this season, but they are definitely a dangerous side,” he said. “They have got players capable of causing real problems so we have to be on our game defensively.

“We had two very good performances last weekend and it gives us great confidence.”

Last weekend’s wins at home to the Sharks and on the road at the Sheffield Spartans were accomplished without coach MacKriel, who Arnone confirmed will also be missing this weekend.

After this weekend’s clash, it is two weeks until their next game against Sheffield Senators and Arnone says the rest will be vital to allow injured players to return.

“Dan’s still feeling a little tender after having his appendix out so we’ll be without him again for Solway,” he said.

“It’s a shame he can’t make the trip with us but we want him to get himself 100 per cent well again so he can lead us to the best of his ability.

“We have a bit of a rest after this game which will allow some of our injured guys to get themselves fit again.”

With a 100 per cent record so far, Arnone says confidence in the Hawks camp is extremely high but is trying not to get carried away.

“Confidence is really high at the moment; I can’t grumble at the hockey we’ve been playing and the results we’ve been getting,” he said.

“We’re playing really well but we can’t get ahead of ourselves; we have five players and our coach missing for this weekend so it will be a big test.

“Momentum is on our side, it’s up to us to turn it into points.”