Power forward Alan Yarrow will once again be part of the Warriors squad this coming season. Alan came out of retirement to ice for Whitley last season after being away from competitive hockey for a number of seasons. Alan went onto appear in 24 games last term as Whitley finished 2nd in the NIHL North Division 1 standings.
Alan brings a great deal of toughness to the Warriors squad as he is not afraid to stick up for himself and his teammates when the need arises. He picked up 1 assist last season along with 63 minutes in penalties demonstrating that he will take on anyone whom he comes up against out on the ice.
Alan shared his thoughts on getting back into the game after spell away from hockey and what he was looking forward to this season.
“Last season was great for me! To be back with the team after years away and getting to link up with Lobby again was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Also my sons Owen and Alex hadn’t seen me play before as we were living in Australia. It meant a lot to them to see me play so I wanted to make them proud.
“We have a great bunch of guys here, the team spirit is very high and it makes it very enjoyable to be a part of. I’m looking forward to being back out on the ice again with all my teammates.”
Alan went onto outline his ambitions this term and what he was aiming to bring to the Warriors roster.
“From a personal point of view I would like to get a bit more ice time and a few goals would be nice too. For the team it would be great if we made the playoffs again, but this time I want to help us win some silverware for the fans. They supported us in big numbers at Sheffield back in April and they deserve to see the lads win something for them.
“I think I bring experience mainly. There are a lot of youngsters on the team so the senior members like myself, Lobby (David Longstaff) and Andre (Payette) are there to help lead them during games. I also can help defend my team mates too. I know during previous seasons we weren’t as physical as some teams but with Andre, Barnesy (Jordan Barnes) Watto (Callum Watson) and myself out there, no one is going to push us around.”
Alan went onto speak about the fitness side of things and which teams he was looking forward to coming up against.
“I have found the fitness side of things easy to get back into after a number of years away from the game. I tried to keep myself in good shape even when I am not playing, so it wasn’t too bad for me. When you have been away from the game for so long it is still a challenge though but one I have been enjoying.
“Billingham games are always important ones for the fans as it’s a local derby, so that is one I am looking forward to. It’s also good to come up against some of the imports in this league. They have all come from strong hockey countries and it’s good to be able to measure yourself against those types of players with that amount of skill.”
Thanks to Alan for taking the time out to chat about the upcoming campaign.
Warriors can also announce that long serving forward Jamie Tinsley is taking some time away from hockey following a recent bereavement in his family. I’m sure everyone connected with Warriors and hockey supporters in general wish Jamie all the best at this difficult time for him and his family.