Dragons Beat Hawks in Dramatic Cup Semi Final

Dragons players celebrate their OT cup win away at Blackburn (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

Saturday 17^th January 2026 – Moralee Cup S/Final 1: Deeside D1 Dragons 2 – Blackburn Hawks 4

Sunday 18^th January 2026 – Moralee Cup S/Final 2: Blackburn Hawks 1- Deeside D1 Dragons 4 (OT)

Deeside win 6-5 on aggregate

The Deeside Dragons won through to the Moralee Cup final in the most sensational fashion with a  two-legged semi final victory over Blackburn Hawks, losing 2-4 at home on Saturday and then winning  1-4  away in overtime on Sunday to triumph 5-6 on aggregate.

In the home leg on Saturday, Deeside actually looked the better team in the first period but were unable to make the most of their chances. 

Their efforts were eventually rewarded with a Matty Barlow goal on 18 minutes and they took a 1-0 lead into the first period break.

Blackburn upped their game in the second period and former Deeside import Jakub Hajek equalised on 23 minutes. 

The Hawks edged into the lead on 34 minutes and, shortly after this, Dragons’ former Hawks Damarni James picked up a 5 plus game penalty for slashing, leaving the Dragons a man short for the rest of the period.

The defence stood firm, however and Tyler de la Bertouche made some crucial saves in the Deeside net to help weather the storm, and the score remained 1-2 at the second interval.

Blackburn continued their pressure in the third period and two early goals - one from former Deeside favourite Andy McKinney – gave the visitors a 3-goal lead heading into the last 10 minutes.

The Dragons pushed hard to try and drag themselves back into the game and the pressure paid off with a second goal of the night for Matty Barlow on 52 minutes.

They were unable to build any further on that, however, and the final score of 2-4 result meant that they had to carry a 2-goal deficit into the away leg in Blackburn the next day.

Blackburn hadn’t lost a game at home all season and looked pre-game favourites to win this one as well.  However, Deeside had a point to prove and put in an impressive all-round performance - and the game remained goal-less at the end of the first period.

The Hawks were awarded a penalty shot early in the second period after a slashing call but Tyler de la Bertouche - who was having an outstanding night in the Deeside net – made the save.

Blackburn eventually scored the first goal of the game on 32 minutes to extend their aggregate advantage to three but Jake Wikowski levelled on the night for the Dragons  with just 1 second left on the clock to leave the score at 1-1 at the second interval .

Deeside upped their game in the third period and caused Blackburn all sorts of problems - and they picked up a number of penalties as they battled to keep the marauding Dragons at bay. Deeside got their noses in front 1-2 with a powerplay goal from Matty Barlow on 47 minutes and then another powerplay goal  – from Colin Cromie on 55 minutes - dramatically levelled the aggregate score.

With just 30 seconds left on the clock, Deeside had the chance to grab a late winner when Jake Witkowski was awarded a penalty shot after a check to the head.  He beat the Hawks’ netminder but the goal was disallowed as the puck had travelled backwards, which is not allowed on a penalty shot.

With the scores level at the end of the 60 minutes’ regulation time, the game went to a 5 minute period of sudden death overtime to decide a winner and a goal from “Man of the Weekend” Matty Barlow two minutes in won the tie for the Dragons and secured their place in the cup final.

In the other semi final, Telford Tigers staged a similar second leg fightback to beat Solihull Barons 10-9 on aggregate and will now meet the Dragons in the two-legged final on 21^st & 22^nd February.

With the top four teams all having been in cup action this weekend, the Moralee Division table looks pretty much the same as it did last week with leaders Blackburn still 19 points clear of second place Deeside, although they have played two games more.

The Dragons are locked in a fascinating three-way tussle for second spot along with Telford Tigers and Solihull Barons and just two points separate those three teams . This is important because the final league table positions will determine who plays who in the end of season Play Offs, with the higher placed teams getting an easier draw in the quarter final ties.

The Dragons are back in league action this Sunday 25^th January when they take on the Moralee Division’s bottom club Sheffield Scimitars – who remain without a win from 25 starts this season - at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Match Report: Solway Sharks 8 - Widnes Wild Women 3 (WNIHL Division 1 North)

Wild Women battling away at Solway (Photo by MadMac Photography)

Saturday 17th January 2025 – WNIHL Division 1 North: Solway Sharks 8 - Widnes Wild Women 3

The Widnes Wild Women ventured north of the border on Saturday and lost out 8-3 to the Solway Sharks Ladies in Dumfries. 

Solway opened the scoring after 3½ minutes and then added a second goal just 27 seconds later. Widnes replied with a long distance strike from Tayla Huxley-Richards on 7 minutes – her first goal for the Wild - but the Sharks scored three more unanswered goals before the break to lead 5-1 after the first period.

Widnes were quickest out of the blocks in the second period and pulled a goal back through Maggie Whitmore – also her first goal for the Wild – on 24 minutes. 

Solway responded, however, and restored their 4-goal cushion with a strike on 28 minutes and then further extended their lead with a powerplay goal 70 seconds later, leaving the score standing at 7-2 at the second interval. 

The Sharks scored again on 44 minutes but, even though the game was clearly out of their reach by then, the Wild Women kept pressing forward and were rewarded with a second goal for Huxley-Richards on 58 minutes to round off the scoring for the game.

While still a defeat, the three goals represent the highest total that they have managed in a game so far this season and therefore must be viewed as an improvement.

It is also pleasing to see yet more of the new younger players getting on the scoresheet.

The Wild Women are back at home this Sunday 25^th January when they entertain Nottingham Vipers at Planet Ice Widnes for the first time this season, 4.25pm face off.  

Emma Happy To Return To The Wild

Wild Woman Emma Dutton
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Widnes Wild Women have boosted their roster for the remainder of their Division 1 North campaign with the return of highly experienced player Emma Dutton.

Emma previously played for the Wild Women in their debut 2015/16 Women’s Premier League season in 2015/16 and also the 2016/17 season.

Prior to that she had been the all-time highest appearance holder with the Deeside–based Flintshire Furies – with 111 appearances over 8 seasons –during which time they reached the Division 1 North playoffs twice, won promotion and played three seasons in the WPL.

She also played 2 seasons with the Manchester Phoenix women’s team, making 32 appearances and winning the league and playoffs in 2014/15.

More recently Emma has been Player Coach of the Deeside–based Connah’s Quay Cobras recreational team, who have won a number of trophies at summer tournaments.

Talking about her return to the Widnes team, Dutton said:

“Some of the best hockey I’ve played was with the Wild Ladies. Given the structure and supportive environment at the club, and after a string of injuries, it feels like the right place for me.”

Ross Kennedy Is Dragons Player Of The Month

Ross Kenendy was named as the Dragons' Player Of The Month for December (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

The Deeside Dragons Player of the Month for December has been announced as Ross Kennedy

The popular forward played in all 4 Dragons games during the month of December, scoring 6 goals – in two consecutive hat-tricks at home to Billingham and away to Leeds - and contributing 8 assists, while sitting out just 6 minutes in penalties.

Kennedy is currently the second highest points scorer on the Dragons squad in the Moralee Division at 22 goals and 34 assists overall although his tally of 56 is quite a way behind points leader Jake Witkowski who has 84.

Dragons’ Head Coach Mike Clancy said of Kennedy - who is also an Assistant Captain this season: “Ross has really found his feet contributing to the team with leadership and a great points tally.”

The Player of the Month award is organised by Dragons D1 and D2 press reporter Paul Breeze and the trophies are sponsored by the Ice Hockey Review grassroots news website.

Widnes Wild Women 100 Game Presentations

Leen de Decker, Stephanie Drinkwater and Catherine Fell with captain Victoria Connelly (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday’s game saw a special long service presentation for three Widnes Wild Women players who have all reached 100 appearances for the club.

Leen de Decker, Catherine Fell and Stephanie Drinkwater were all founder members of the Wild Women’s team when it was formed in 2015, having all previously played for the Manchester Phoenix team that moved up the M56 to play at Widnes.

De Decker is a former Belgium international player with 52 international caps and she also played 8 seasons for Kingston Diamonds in Hull after moving to the UK from her homeland.

Catherine Fell played 6 seasons with the Flintshire Furies in Deeside and 6 with the Blackburn Thunder before joining the Phoenix and, ultimately, Widnes and - like de Decker - actually played her 100th Wild game on Sunday.

Netminder Stephanie Drinkwater passed the 100 games mark at the end of last season and is the record holder for Wild Women appearances with 112. De Decker holds the records for Widnes goals, assists and overall points with 106 goals, 46 assists and 152 points.    

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 1 - Caledonia Steelqueens 8 (WNIHL Division 1 North)

Jennifer Hickey was the Wild Women's MVP against Caledonia (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 11th January 2025 – WNIHL Division 1 North: Widnes Wild Women 1 – Caledonia Steel Queens 8

The Widnes Wild Women suffered defeat in their first game of the new year with a 1-8 loss at the hands of the Caledonia Steel Queens at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

While a defeat is always disappointing, the Wild Women held their own for long spells in this game – against a team that had three North Americans on their bench - and have plenty of positives to build upon as the season progresses.

Wild Woman Emma Dutton
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

The game saw a return to Widnes colours for Emma Dutton, who was one of the original Wild Women when the team was first formed back in 2015 and brings with her a lot of experience, having also previously played with Manchester Phoenix and the Flintshire Furies.

After a closely matched opening few minutes, Caledonia took the lead at 4.29 and led 0-3 at the first period break. They added three more goals to lead 0-6 before Ellen Tyrer struck the only Widnes goal of the game at 30.38. The Steel Queens scored again three minutes later and the score stood at 1-7 at the second interval.

The third period was very tight and looked as if it might play out goal-less. However, just as it looked as if Widnes had managed to keep the Steel Queens at bay, they hit a late goal with just 32 seconds left on the clock to end up as 1-8 winners.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards are once again this season being sponsored by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review and were presented by match volunteer Lynda Bird. They went to Canadian player Hannah Brocanier who scored a hat trick on her debut for the Steel Queens and Jennifer Hickey for Widnes.

The Wild Women face a trip up to Scotland this Sunday 18th January when they take on Solway Sharks Ladies for the first time this season up in Dumfries. They are back at home the Sunday after – 25th January – when they entertain Nottingham Vipers at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.   

Dragons To Meet Hawks in Cup Semi Final

Colin Cromie and Jake Witkowski with the Welsh Cup (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have a break from league action this weekend as they take part in home and away ties in the Moralee Cup semi finals.

They finished second in their qualifying group, meaning that they will play Blackburn Hawks – who finished in first place in the other group – in the semi final. 

The home game will be played on Saturday 17^th January at Deeside Leisure Centre – 5.15pm face off - and the away game on Sunday starting at 6pm.

The other semi final sees Solihull Barons paired with Telford Tigers.  The winners of the two semi finals will meet home and away in a two-legged final over the weekend of 21st & 22^nd February.

Deeside Dragons v Widnes Wild Weekend Report (NIHL Moralee Division)

Jace Gledhill picked up 2 MVP awards at the weekend (Photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 10^th January 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 1 – Deeside D1 Dragons 2

Sunday 11^th January 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 3 - Widnes Wild 2

The Deeside D1 Dragons can proudly boast local bragging rights for another season over near neighbours Widnes Wild after back to back wins against their fiercest rivals at the weekend.

The Dragons won 1-2 away on Merseyside on Saturday and 3-2 at home on Deeside on Sunday to complete a clean sweep of all 4 league games between the two teams for the season.

The away game in Widnes was very close throughout and the result could easily have gone either way.  The Wild opened the scoring after just 90 seconds but despite numerous chances for both sides, the score remained 1-0 at the first period break.

The second period looked as if it was going to play out goalless but Jake Witkowski fired in a Deeside equaliser with just 1 second left on the clock, leaving the game all tied at 1-1 with one period left to play.

The Dragons had more of the play in the third period and their pressure eventually paid off when Ross Kennedy fired the puck home on 55 minutes to score what would turn out to be the game winning goal.

Jace Gledhill had an outstanding game in the Deeside goal, turning away all but one of the 29 shots that he faced, and was named Dragons’ MVP for his performance.

Sunday’s home game was similarly close and remained goal-less in the first period.

Deeside finally took the lead with a goal from team captain Jared Dickinson on 28 minutes and Jake Witkowski doubled the advantage on 35 minutes.

Witkowksi found the net again with a powerplay strike  with just 12 seconds left in the period and the Dragons took a 3-0 lead into the second interval.

Widnes, however, looked dangerous throughout and scored two goals late in the third period to reduce the deficit to just one.

This set up a nail-biting last couple of minutes but the Dragons held on to record their fourth win over their local rivals this season and round off a 6-point weekend.

Jace Gledhill, once again, impressed in the Deeside net and picked up his second MVP award in consecutive games.

Following the weekend’s results, the Dragons have moved back up into second place in the Moralee Division table. They are tied on 53 points with Telford Tigers who have also played the same number of games – 24 – and are only separated by overall goal difference.

Solihull Barons - who also won twice at the weekend - are also in the mix down in fourth place, two points behind but with a game in hand.

Blackburn Hawks still lead the table with 72 points from 26 games – massive 19 points clear at the top.

Match Report: Deeside D2 Dragons Away Weekend (NIHL Laidler Division)

Karl Bacon scored two goals at the weekend (Photo by Adam Bassett)

Saturday 10^th January 2026 – NIHL Laidler Division: Coventry Blaze 6 – Deeside D2 Dragons 3

Sunday 11^th January 2026 – NIHL Laidler Division: Altrincham Aces 4 - Deeside D2 Dragons 7

The Deeside D2 Dragons had a rollercoaster road weekend losing 6-3 away to Coventry Blaze on Saturday and then beating Altrincham Aces 4-7 away on Sunday.

The young Dragons put in a plucky performance away in Coventry but never really looked like winning and goals from Stewart Cutting, Lewis Edward and Karl Bacon weren’t enough to save them from a 6-3 defeat.

In the game in Altrincham on Sunday, they led from the start and never looked back.

First period goals from Chris Jones and James Shaw saw them leading 0-2 at the first interval and they ended the second period 2-6 ahead with strikes from Ben Roscoe, Cody Ogden, Cameron Kushnirenko  and Jones again .

Karl Bacon scored his second goal in two games,  rounding off the Deeside scoring and the D2 Dragons  were able to celebrate a home and away league double over the Aces for the first time.

The D2 Dragons have a three week break from competitive action before their next game, which is away to Nottingham Lions on 8th February.

They are next at home on Saturday 14^th February when they take on Coventry Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre.

New Book: Sledge Hockey 2025

The Widnes-based Mayhem sledge team feature prominently in a new book, which is thought to be the first title in the world ever to be published about Para Ice Hockey.

Entitled “Sledge Hockey 2025” – the book covers all the action of the 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League regular season and play offs, with full player statistics – and lots of photos.

The book includes reports and articles from a number of writers covering the various teams across the country and there are also game-by-game reports of the Great Britain women’s team who took part in the first ever Women’s World Championships in Slovakia.

“Sledge Hockey 2025” is published by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review and mail order details can be found HERE.

Deeside v Widnes Rivalry Resumes - A Few Memorable Moments

Deeside v Widnes matches are always very "passionate" encounters (Photo by Geoff White)

This weekend sees keenly anticipated back to back NIHL Moralee Division matches between near neighbours (in ice hockey terms, at least...) Deeside Dragons and Widnes Wild, who enjoy a fierce rivalry dating back to when the Wild team was formed back in 2013.

Needless to say, there have been some memorable encounters over the years - and here are just a few of them: 

The Wild’s first ever league game was away at Deeside on 8^th September 2013 and the Dragons won 9-5.

The first Widnes Wild game that I ever saw was also against Deeside. It was the first game of the 2015/16 season and Deeside won away in Widnes 5-7 – and they went on to win the Laidler Division title that year.

That season had quite a few memorable moments – some humorous, some less so.  It started off with Scott McKenzie ‘s slightly embarrassing press conference where he confidently announced that Widnes would “definitely” win the league that year – and later on, in reply, we had Phil Lowndes’ iconic “Widnes Pussies” video clip.

Scott McKenzie: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1679189762330278

Phil Lowndes: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1669912499924671

The Dragons actually secured the Laidler title with a 7-7 draw away at Widnes on Valentine’s Day and went on to finish 10 points clear of the Wild in the final league table. However, the latter part of that regular league schedule season is probably best remembered for the abandoned game at Deeside on 26^th March when Widnes refused to play on after an unfortunate incident in the 25^th minute of the game.

For anybody who wants to watch / revisit what happened there, you can see the incident and the aftermath from 34.30 onwards on the Drop The Puck episode here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNOL7anI2K0

3^rd February 2019 saw a very unusual incident in a Dragons away game at Widnes. This was the occasion when the match officials decided to award a retrospective goal to Deeside nearly a 2 full minutes after it had happened - and then wound the game clock and penalties back and replayed the intervening match time…

You can see the original incident at 5.30 on the highlights video, the on-ice deliberations from 7.00 to 8.30 and then slow-motion replays of the “was it / wasn’t it” goal from 8.30 to 9.00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7omQW54TH2I

I am not convinced that this course of action was actually allowed for in the rules - and internet research hasn’t uncovered any other instances where it had ever happened before.

Widnes won the game 11-4, by the way

And, to round off this brief saunter down a Memory Lane of unusual occurrences, in another passionately contested Wild v Dragons clash at Widnes – in the Moralee Division this time, on 6^th November 2022 - at 59.57, the referee awarded Widnes a PENALTY GOAL.  While I knew this was on the rule books, in over 40 years of watching British ice hockey, I had never personally seen this happen before – or, indeed, since.

By way of explanation, the Dragons had removed their netminder in favour of an extra attacker to try and force a late equaliser and the Widnes forward (Matty Barlow – now a Deeside Dragon) broke away and was bearing down on an empty net when he was tripped.  With the goal being undefended, in those circumstances, the presumption is that the attacker will score, so a Penalty Goal is awarded instead of a Penalty Shot.

You can see this unusual incident at 1.04.25 to 1.04.40 on the Drop The Puck highlights video. The rest of the programme is worth a watch as well, obviously…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2KeRjyPtaY 

So, these are a few of my own keenly remembered moments from Deeside v Widnes games

There was, of course, also the Laidler Play Off final in 2016 that Deeside won 5-2  - and the one off Promotion Play Off, played at Blackburn, that ended all square and was won by the Dragons in overtime.  The list could go on and on... and I am sure you will have plenty more memories of your own.

Anyway, the next thrilling instalment of the ongoing Deeside v Widnes rivalry can be seen this weekend when the Wild host the Dragons at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday 10^th January – 7pm face off – and Deeside are at home to Widnes in the return fixture on Sunday at Deeside Leisure Centre – 5.15pm start. 

Wild Women Raring To Go

Wild Women's Lise Gillen
(Photo by Flyfifer Photography)

Having had a well-earned festive break to recharge their batteries, the Widnes Wild Women return to league action this Sunday when they take on the Caledonia Steel Queens at Planet Ice Widnes. 

The Wild Women start the new calendar year bottom of the Division 1 North table with 8 defeats from their 8 games so far this season.  While that may sound disappointing, it is not completely unexpected because there is huge chasm in playing standards between this division and Division 2 where they were playing last season.

Having said that, the Wild Women do have a number of positives to take from the early part of the season and have seen their performance improve as the campaign has progressed.

In a season where goals have been hard to come by, Canadian born Lise Gillen is the Widnes top scorer with 2 goals and 1 assist while former Belgium international Leen de Decker has two goals. The other players to have found the back of the net so far this campaign are Karyn Cooper, Dee Vause and Ilyssa Flemington, all with one strike each, while Nicola Wallace, Eleanor Johnson and Abigail Aldred have all contributed assists.

There is still a long way to go in this marathon-esque season with 12 of the 20 scheduled league games yet to come. While they have had difficulties against teams at the top of the league table, the Wild Women have yet to play fellow strugglers Solway Sharks, who they will meet 4 times in the business end of the season – twice at home and twice away – so there is still plenty to play for.

The Widnes Women take on the Caledonia Steel Queens this Sunday at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off. Admission is free for all spectators and there is ample free parking around the rink. 

Match Report: Deeside D1 Dragons 11 – Nottingham Lions 2 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Ryan Jones was the Dragons' MVP against Nottingham (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

Sunday 4^th January 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 11 – Nottingham Lions 2

The Deeside Dragons Moralee Division team got 2026 off to a winning start with an 11-2 victory at home to Nottingham Lions at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The Dragons hit the ground running and took the lead with a Colin Cromie goal after just 24 seconds but Nottingham put up a good fight in the early stages and actually outshot Deeside by almost 2 to 1 in the first period.

In fact, it took until 17 minutes in for Cromie to score the Dragons’ second of the night and the score stood at 2-0 at the first period break.

Nottingham fired in a powerplay goal just 61 seconds into the second period and the score remained at a rather nervy 2-1 at the midway point in the game.

Two further Dragons’ goals did eventually follow – from team captain Jared Dickinson and Jake Witkowksi - but it was far from a done deal at that period, despite a 4-1 lead at the second interval.

The mounting Deeside pressure paid off in the third period, however, and a goal-fest ensued. Witkowsi scored his second goal of the night straight from the face off and then added his hat-track strike 5 minutes later.

Then, Ross Kennedy got in on the act on 50 minutes exactly and Deeside looked to be cruising.

Nottingham did pull another goal back on 52 minutes but it was too late by then to mount any sort of comeback and two more goals from Kennedy brought him a third period hat—trick.  

Witkowski added a fourth to his tally and defenceman Ryan Jones also fired in a goal – his second of the season - and went on to be named Dragons’ MVP for the game.

The win means that the Dragons move back up into third place in the Moralee Division table, overtaking Solihull Barons who didn’t have a game this weekend, and they now have 47 points from 22 games

Telford Tigers have climbed into second place after back to back away wins over Sheffield and Widnes and they are now 3 points ahead of Deeside, although they have played a game more.

League leaders Blackburn Hawks were also without a game at the weekend but are now further ahead at the top of the table after two wins over the festive period and they now have 66 points from 24 games.

The Dragons have back to back matches against fierce local rivals Widnes Wild this weekend – with the away game on Saturday, 7.00pm face off, and the home game on Sunday at Deeside Leisure Centre - 5.15pm start.  

Match Report: Sheffield Titans 6 - Deeside D2 Dragons 2 (NIHL Laidler Division)

D2 Dragons' James Shaw
(Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

Sunday 4^th January 2026 – NIHL Laidler Division: Sheffield Titans 6 - Deeside D2 Dragons 2

The Deeside D2 Dragons team opened 2026 with a narrow 6-2 defeat away to league leaders Sheffield Titans on Sunday.

Sheffield started the strongest and took a 3-0 lead into the first period break but Deeside kept them out in the second and pulled a goal back through leading scorer James Shaw for 3-1 at the second interval.

Three more goals followed for the home side in the third period but a strike from Noah Percival gave the final score a bit more respectability.

The D2 Dragons have three more away games in a row -with trips to Coventry this Saturday 10^th January, Altrincham on Sunday 11^th and Nottingham on 8th February.

They are next at home on Saturday 14^th February when they take on Coventry Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Head Coach Gary Happy With D2 Dragons’ Progress

Head Coach Gary Shaw on the D2 Dragons' bench (photo by Adam Bassett)

Deeside D2 Dragons Head Coach Gary Shaw has declared the development team’s season so far a "success" and added:

“We as a coaching group are happy with the way the team is starting to compete in every game. We are having some really close matches between ourselves and the teams that are above us in the table.”

“The juniors of the team are becoming stronger in their performances and learning quickly how to control the puck during play and we are having some very strong performances, which is our goal for this team.”

“Which is now leading to more of them training at the next level Dragons and they are performing well at practice at that stage.”

The D2 Dragons were formed during the summer after a rebranding of the Deeside Ducks team that played in the Laidler Division last season and they have continued their policy of giving regular league match experience to promising younger players.

So far this season, the D2 Dragons have given senior NIHL debuts to 7 players, retained many of the youngsters who made the big step up form junior hockey last year and have also recruited a few former senior Dragons players to their ranks as well to offer some stability and guidance to these young protégés.

As of the end of the 2025 calendar year, the D2 Dragons team have won 5 of the 14 league games that they have played and sit in 5^th place out of 9 teams in the Laidler Division table.

Now, while that may only sound like a fairly “average” performance, at the same time last season the Deeside Ducks - who were playing their first league season with a lot more NIHL debutants - had only managed two wins from 15 starts and were second from bottom. 

So in terms of points on the board – along with first ever wins over Altrincham Aces and Kingston Sharks – significant progress has, indeed, been made.

James Shaw is the D2 Dragons’ leading points scorer at this stage of the season with 15 goals and 5 assists from the 12 games that he has played. James Parsons is second with 9+6 from 13 games and Chris Jones is the leading playmaker with 11 assists.

A total of 32 different players have iced for the development team, of which 22 have got on the scoresheet with at least one goal or assist.

Shaw added:

“We are in a good position in the table this year and have won more games than we did last season, and if we can pick up some more points we can keep our position which is just below the top four.”

“Our goal to provide the opportunity for our junior players to improve their skills is in a strong position as two more 16 year olds we give the opportunity to ice for the team.”

“We finished the year off with a solid performance to beat a tricky opponent (Nottingham), who also are providing the opportunity for young players to get more confidence at senior level.”

“So, our goal for the next part of this season is to keep our current position in the league and build on the momentum that we are currently developing with our team and hopefully provide more opportunities for the next generation of young players coming through the club.”

The D2 Dragons face four away games in a row when play restarts in the new year – in Sheffield on 4^th January, Coventry on 10th, Altrincham on 11^th and Nottingham on 8th February.

They are next at home on Saturday 14^th February when they take on Coventry Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre.

End of Year Comments from Mike Clancy

Deeside D1 Dragons Head Coach Mike Clancy (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Deeside D1 Dragons Head Coach Mike Clancy is pleased with how the team’s season has gone so far.

He said:

“The Deeside Dragons have made a positive and encouraging start to the season, with performances reflecting the team’s depth, growing cohesion, commitment, and competitive edge.”

“As the campaign has progressed, the Dragons have shown clear development on the ice, combining energy, discipline, and resilience in a series of competitive outings. The squad continues to build confidence, with players responding well to the demands of the season and demonstrating strong work ethic and unity whilst pushing to hit our season’s goals.”

“Off the ice, the club remains focused on its long-term development, maintaining strong connections with supporters, Local Businesses, and the local community. The backing from fans can’t go unnoticed and has been a vital factor as the Dragons push forward and look to build consistency in the weeks ahead.”

“With a strong foundation now in place and a clear pathway between Dragons 1 & 2 the Deeside Dragons are focused on continued improvement and taking the next steps as the season unfolds in cup and playoffs.”

The Dragons end the calendar year in fourth place in the Moralee Division table, having briefly occupied second spot before being overtaken by Solihull Barons and Telford Tigers in the latest round of matches.

Following the festive break, they will be back in action on Sunday 4^th January when they take on Nottingham Lions at Deeside Leisure Centre. The game has a later than usual face off time of 7pm.

Match Report: Billingham Stars 5 – Deeside D1 Dragons 3 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Jake Witkowski was the Dragsns' MVP away at Billingham (Photo by SL Sports Photos)

Saturday 20^th December 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Billingham Stars 5 – Deeside D1 Dragons 3

The Deeside D1 Dragons rounded off their fixtures for 2025 with a narrow 5-3 defeat away to defending champions Billingham Stars on Saturday.

The Dragons had a number of regular players missing and travelled to the North East with a short bench but the players who were there put in a spirited performance and were unlucky not to take something from the game.

Billingham opened the scoring on 9 minutes and took a narrow 1-0 lead into the first period break.

They scored twice early more in the second but Deeside visibly upped their game and goals from Jake Witkowski on 31 minutes and Noah Percival - his first in the Moralee Division for the senior Dragons – on 35 minutes narrowed the deficit and left the score standing at an equally close 3-2 at the second interval.

The Dragons outshot the Stars by 2 to 1 in the third period but Billingham were next to score when they made it 4-2 on 52 minutes. Witkowski pulled a goal back with his second of the night – a sensational short handed goal – at 57.43 to leave the game tantalisingly close at 4-3 heading into the closing minutes.

As the clock ticked down, Deeside withdrew their netminder in a favour of an extra attacker in an attempt to try and force a late equaliser and send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, this tactic failed to pay off as Billingham scored an empty net goal with 44 seconds left to play to seal their 5-3 victory.

Ben Roscoe in action for the D2 Dragons
(Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

Aside from the plucky performance by an understrength team, another positive note from this game was that 18 year old Ben Roscoe made his first appearance for the senior D1 Dragons in the Moralee Division.

A former Deeside junior, Roscoe made his NIHL debut last season with the erstwhile Deeside Ducks team and has continued playing with the D2 Dragons team this season in the Laidler Division.

He was joined by former senior Dragon and now D2 team mate Cameron Kushnirenko, who was also drafted in to bolster the team for this tricky trip up to the North East.

The weekend results across the Moralee Division have seen the Dragons drop down from second place to fourth in the league table. Both Solihull Barons and Telford Tigers picked up wins over the weekend and move ahead of the Dragons into second and third respectively.  Solihull now have 46 points from 21 games, Telford 45 from 21 and Deeside 44 from 21.

Blackburn Hawks remain top after their 3-7 win away over Hull Jets and finish the calendar year with 60 points from 22 games.

The Dragons now have a couple of weeks’ break to recharge their batteries and are back in action on Sunday 4^th January when they entertain Nottingham Lions at Deeside Leisure Centre.

New Book: Sledge Hockey 2025

Well – here is something that you probably haven’t seen before.  What you are looking at, as far as I can tell from extensive research (well, a 30-second glance on Amazon, anyway) would appear to be the very first book that has ever been published about Para Ice Hockey anywhere in the world, ever.

Probably.

And, while it is quite true that I do a lot with the Manchester Mayhem team, despite what you might be thinking, this book is NOT all “Me, Me, Me!” and it’s not all “Mayhem, Mayhem, Mayhem!” either.

We also have match reports from Bill Hardy about the Sheffield Steelkings and Sheffield Steelstings and from Ian Offers about the Peterborough Phantoms. Plus reports and articles from Petter Bradders, who is the Manchester Mayhem’s official press guy – so there is plenty to keep everybody interested.

Obviously, that means there is a certain amount of repetition and overlap but it IS interesting to read different people’s views of the same match – and I did want to include as many people as possible in this season review.

There is also a fully comprehensive reports and stats section about the Great Britain  women’s team that took part in the first ever official Women’s World Championships in Slovakia.   

And – because I just happened to have it handy - there’s also an appendix with the 2024 BPIHL season stats as well. 

So, welcome to the very first book that has ever been published about Para Ice Hockey anywhere in the world, ever.

Probably.

Copies are available by mail order by following the link HERE. 

Match Report: Nottingham Vipers 15 – Widnes Wild Women 1 (WNIHL Div 1 North)

Widnes Wild women's team (Photo by Wil Evans)

Sunday 14^th December 2025 – WNIHL Div 1 North: Nottingham Vipers 15 – Widnes Wild Women 1

The Widnes Wild Women rounded off their fixtures for 2025 with a 15-1 defeat away to Nottingham Vipers on Sunday.

Widnes have had a fairly good record on their trips to Nottingham in the past. They got a point from a 5-5 draw the last time they visited the Lace City in the Women’s Premier League (as it was called then) in the 2021/22 season and also celebrated their last win at that level with a 0-2 shut-out back in December 2017.

But it was not such a happy hunting ground this time around. The Wild Women were up against it right from the start and found themselves 2-0 down within the first minute of play.

The score was 4-0 to Nottingham at the first period break and 6-0 at the second interval.

Nottingham out-shot Widnes by 72 to 26 over the 60 minutes of the game and adopted a rather physical approach that saw them rack up 45 penalty minutes.

Wild netminder Stephanie Drinkwater took a heavy knock at the end of the second period and was replaced in goal for the last 20 minutes by plucky 16 year old attacker Maggie Whitmore, who had never played in goal in a competitive game before.

Nine more Nottingham goals followed in the third period but Widnes did, at least, get something to cheer about as Ilyssa Flemington broke their duck on 43 minutes, scoring her first goal for the club – an achievement for which she was named MVP for the Wild.

The Wild Women now have a well earned break and are next in action on Sunday 11^th January when they take on the Caledonia Steel Queens at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Dragons Go Second After 6-Point Weekend

Dragons' netminder Tyler de la Bertouche was in fine form over the weekend (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 13^th December 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Leeds Knights 2 - Deeside D1 Dragons 11

Sunday 14^th December 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 7 – Solihull Barons 3

The Deeside Dragons moved up to second place in the Moralee Division after a six point weekend that saw them win 2-11 away to Leeds Knights on Saturday and then 7-3 at home to Solihull Barons on Sunday at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Despite the final scoreline the Leeds game on Saturday was very close in its early stages and the Knights actually opened the scoring just 70 seconds in. 

Deeside equalised with a goal from Colin Cromie in the 5th minute but Leeds edged ahead again and it needed an 18^th minute strike from Rhys Edwards to send the Dragons into the first break level pegging at 2-2.

Matty Barlow put Deeside into the lead for the first time on 23 minutes and further unanswered goals from Ross Kennedy, Cromie again and two from Jake Witkowski saw the Dragons leading 2-7 at the second interval.

It was the same story in the third period, with Deeside out-shooting the Knights by some margin and goals from Kennedy (2) and Witkowski rounding off hat-tricks for each player. A second of the night for Edwards on 53 minutes proved to be the last goal of the game.

But it wasn’t all about scoring goals and this was certainly a joint effort by the whole team. Tyler de la Bertouche put in another solid performance in the Deeside net keeping out 24 of the 26 shots that he faced and Ryan Jones was named MVP for his sterling contribution in defence.

Sunday’s keenly anticipated “second v third” encounter against Solihull turned out to be a real “old school” game with lots of penalties and plenty of goals.

Deeside got off to a dream start with Dan Fadejevs giving them the lead on 3 minutes. Three more unanswered goals followed – from Matty Barlow, Damarni James and Henry Phillips to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead at the first period break.

The second period saw an unbelievable number of penalties handed out to both sides – so much that there was hardly any room in the penalty boxes.

A huge fight broke out at 29.42 which saw three players from each side sent to the sin bins and the immediate aftermath of this saw a goal from Jake Witkowski on 30 minutes and two quick fire strikes within 13 seconds of each other on 31 minutes - from Colin Cromie and Jared Dickinson – to give Deeside a 7-0 lead.

Solihull finally opened their own account on 35 minutes but the score stood at healthy looking 7-1 to Deeside at the second interval.

The Barons scored again on 42 minutes but it wasn’t enough to spark a late fight back and another highly entertaining, penalty-riddled period followed.

Solihull scored the final goal of the game with 70 seconds left on the clock but the Dragons had the last laugh as they were able to celebrate their 7^th win in a row.

In contrast to Saturday’s game, Tyler de la Bertouche was the busier of the netminders on the night, with Deeside being outshot by 38 to 50, but he kept 47 of them out to be named MVP for the Dragons.

Following their two weekend victories, the Dragons move up into second place in the Moralee Division table with 44 points from 20 games, leapfrogging Solihull who drop into third who have 43 points from the same number of games.

Blackburn Hawks still lead the table with 54 points from 20 games after a narrow 0-1 win away over Widnes on Sunday.

The Dragons play their last game of 2025 this Sunday 21^st December when they travel to the north east to take on defending champions Billingham Stars, who they beat 10-6 at Deeside two weeks ago.

They are next at home on Sunday 4^th January when they entertain Nottingham Lions at Deeside Leisure Centre.