WHAT a difference a month makes!

Deeside Dragons’ last defeat arrived with a hefty 8-1 outcome versus Blackburn Hawks back in mid-September.

However, revenge was sweet as the North West rivals clashed once more, with Deeside claiming a 5-3 success to stretch their winning run to five matches.

Reflecting on the varying outcomes of the last two matches with Blackburn, Deeside assistant head coach Matt Compton said: “A massive difference.

“The message to the players was it doesn’t matter if you play 30 seconds or 30 minutes, we’re going to need everybody. Everybody put in a shift.”

It remained tight at the end of the first period and the scoreline was tied at one-apiece.

Jared Dickinson supplied the assist as Jake Witkowski grabbed the home side’s first goal, while the Dragons had the better of the second period.

Two goals from James Parsons saw Deeside enter the final period holding a 3-1 advantage.

It was far from game over, though, and Blackburn demonstrated their battling qualities with a pair of goals of their own to level things at 3-3.

“That’s the game on the line,” added Compton.

“Previous times, we would have maybe folded. But we didn’t.

“Will Harper scored the go-ahead goal and we didn’t look back from there.”

Then, Ross Kennedy added a crucial fifth goal to give the Dragons some much-needed breathing space heading into the closing quarter-of-an-hour.

Deeside saw the game out, though, and they now have four consecutive wins in Division One North action.

While the Dragons are a threat on the attack, the return of goaltender Matt Croyle to the ranks has been applauded.

Croyle recently made the decision to return to North Wales and he is providing great support to young Deeside netminders Ollie Booth and Jace Gledhill.

On the return of Croyle, Matt Wainwright told the Ruck n Dragon podcast: “It sort of just gives you a little bit of stability.

“They’re two young kids, obviously very, very talented.

“It’s good for them now that we don’t have to rely on them every week and they get those opportunities to show what they’re made of in the right settings.

“You know, it’s hard when we’re going to Billingham and stuff like that.

“I think Matty, he obviously gives us a little bit of solidity at the back, plays the puck.

“You know, it’s just good to have him back.”

Other results: Hull 1 Sheffield 2; Solihull 6 Whitley 3; Nottingham 8 Leeds 5; Widnes 3 Solihull 8.