NIHL North News

Arnone soars into Eagles line up

Photo Credit: IceHockeyMedia - Colin Lawson

Former Hawk Chris Arnone has made the switch to Lancashire’s Laidler Conference outfit Blackburn Eagles, having parted company with the Moralee champions last month.

Captaining Daniel MacKriel’s Hawks to NIHL North league and playoff titles in his final term with the club, Arnone racked up forty six points to establish himself as one of the strongest defencemen in the Moralee Conference last season. Also icing with Elite League franchise Manchester Storm on two occasions, Arnone’s ability will now be put to good use in the Laidler Conference from September with the blue liner now set to ice with Blackburn Eagles instead.

Having struggled in previous seasons, and often contending with fellow Laidler Conference outfits at the foot of the NIHL’s Division Two, Blackburn Eagles battled back in their 2015-16 campaign to claim a well-deserved playoff place at Ice Sheffield in April. Also returning for a fourth campaign alongside Eagles’ Assistant Coach Paul Burns, General Manager Darren Shaw and Assistant Manager Bob Alexander, Head Coach Scott Barnett will divide his time between the bench and the ice accordingly. Sharing his views on the Eagles’ addition of Arnone to their roster, Barnett told NIHL Northern Trio: “Chris is a big signing for the Eagles. We know what we are getting with him; he’s a player that wears his heart on his sleeve. As a ‘D’ man his stats speak for themselves and I don’t think there is a team in the Moralee or Laidler that don’t know what he is capable of or wouldn’t take him given the chance. He is certainly a player that can change a game for a team. I’m looking forward to seeing him in an Eagles shirt and I am sure there will be a lot of fans that are pleased he is staying in Blackburn.”

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