A spook-tacular Halloween double-header awaited the Blackburn Hawks, with the league leaders looking to keep their winning streak alive and give their title rivals a fright at the summit of NIHL1 North.

First up were a young and hungry Nottingham Lions side, ready to cause a few Halloween horrors of their own, before the Hawks could turn their attention to the looming showdown with title rivals Solihull.

With the Barons rematch casting a long shadow over the weekend, Blackburn would need to avoid any early scares at the Nest.

The Hawks wasted little time getting into the spirit, with Luca Maiuri opening the scoring just two and a half minutes into the contest.

Elmeri Hallfors soon doubled the advantage before the ten-minute mark, with the Fantastic Finn adding a second to leave the young Lions staring down the barrel of another characteristic Blackburn thrashing.

The nightmare continued for Nottingham in the 16th minute, as longstanding Hawks favourites Adam Barnes and James Riddoch struck twice in quick succession to make it five.

Toby Fisher briefly gave the visitors something to roar about, breaking through Zack Brown’s backstopping to claw one back, but any hopes of a comeback were quickly put to bed.

Jack Brammer restored the five-goal cushion less than a minute into the second period, before Maiuri added another soon after.

A slashing penalty for Harris MacIennan then handed Blackburn a powerplay opportunity, and the Hawks were only too happy to make the most of the extra man.

Brammer turned provider for Hallfors, who completed his hat-trick and made it two in as many games as he continued his charge up the division’s scoring charts.

The final period would see both teams score one final goal.

A delightful darted effort from Liam Charnock would make it a nine-goal finish for the home side – but not before Harry Molsom managed a late Lions consolation.

The visitors may have avoided a complete shutout, but there was no escaping a 9-2 haunting at the Hawks Nest.

With the Halloween horrors behind them, the Hawks were straight back into the action in a fixture that had much of the NIHL1 fanbase watching with interest.

The Solihull Barons had already handed Blackburn their first defeat of the campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory at the end of September, offering an early glimpse of their own title ambitions.

However, an away day at Hobbs Moat Road was never going to be a straightforward assignment, with one of the division’s longest journeys awaiting the visitors before they were met by the famously hostile Solihull support.

Blackburn wasted no time setting the tone, as Charnock carried his goalscoring form into the second fixture, opening the scoring just five minutes in.

Barely a minute later, Bobby Streetly and Matty Cross combined to tee up Hallfors, who doubled the advantage and left the Barons with an early mountain to climb.

The hosts emerged for the second period with renewed purpose, and Ethan Smith pulled one back in the 22nd minute to spark a spell of sustained Solihull pressure.

However, Dmitri Zimozdra and the Hawks defence stood firm before their resilience was rewarded at the other end.

Hallfors and Andy McKinney struck twice in the space of just 19 seconds, silencing the home support and restoring Blackburn’s commanding lead.

The officials kept almost as quiet as Solihull’s support as Blackburn were on the receiving end of some off-the-puck antics.

Only when the visitors answered back did the referee decide to blow his whistle, penalising Liam Charnock with an abuse of official infringement.

This did little to dampen Blackburn’s momentum as they would score short-handed.

Nineteen-year-old Jacob Brammer would get the goal on only his second competitive game for the Hawks, celebrating opening his account with his older brother Jack.

The Barons were all but broken, with supporters beginning to head for the exits as Blackburn ran riot.

Joseph Alston grabbed a second for Solihull in the final period, but further strikes from James Royds, Regan Kidd and Adam Barnes completed an emphatic 8-2 victory.

Another perfect six-point weekend sees the Hawks soaring further clear at the summit of NIHL1 North, now sitting 11 points ahead of second-placed Solihull.

With the Barons firmly deposed, Blackburn will look to keep their title charge flying as the Leeds Knights II leave The Castle and look to storm The Nest in the third ‘Wars Of The Roses’ battle this season.