Jason Hewitt sticks with Hull Pirates and hopes to avoid repeat injury jinx

The inaugural season for the British game’s new-look second tier proved a widespread success after achieving its aim of producing competitive hockey every night.

Telford Tigers were the only winners, sealing the regular season title on what turned out to be the last night of scheduled action and having already pocketed the National Cup.

Hull’s last game turned out to be the 9-6 win at Leeds Chiefs on March 13, their next scheduled game at home to Basingstoke Bison two days later being postponed due to the visitors’ concerns over the growing coronavirus crisis.

The following day, English Ice Hockey Association bosses cancelled the rest of the season, leaving Hull in fifth and unable to try and repeat the playoff triumph they enjoyed the previous season.

For former GB international Hewitt, there were many positives to take from a campaign blighted by injury to key players.

Playmaking centre Matty Davies was missing for over two months, while captain and defenceman Jamie Chilcott was sidelined for the majority of the campaign with two separate upper-body injuries. Import David Norris also spent a short time out with a back injury.

Concussion also denied Josh Gent for a large chunk of the season, Hewitt missed the end of the season with a knock of his own, while forward Bobby Chamberlain was missing for a number of games through suspension.

“When you look back at the season as a whole, it’s one where we were just plagued by injury,” said Hewitt, who yesterday confirmed he would be remaining at the helm for a fourth full season in Hull.

“At one point I was thinking we had under-achieved but, to be honest, to end up finishing fifth in the end with the amount of games we had key guys missing for, was pretty good.

“The main disappointment was that there were a lot of one-goal defeats that we could easily have come out on top in, games we should have won, so that was a little frustrating.

“But sometimes when you are short, tiredness and mental fatigue can take hold and that is when you lose those narrow games.”

On his returning for another season at the helm, Hewitt said he was already in the process of tying up his core for next season’s roster.

“I’m happy to be back again for another crack at it,” he added. “I’m still loving playing and coaching and at this point couldn’t imagine it being anywhere else.

“We’re underway with recruitment and, as always, there will be other teams who want your players. We’re quite fortunate that we’ve got some very good players, but we’re active right now in signing our players and the hope is that we’ll be very similar to the season just gone.

“We’ve got our core and I’m looking to keep that, but I’m not against getting in some new blood. There are a couple of areas where we can refresh and look at options.”