Widnes Wild NIHL Weekend Summary - 14th / 15th September

Wild youngster Kai Hathaway was on target against Billingham (Photo by David Tattum / DJT Ice Hockey Photos)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a losing start to their NIHL Moralee Division season with a 9-2 defeat away to Hull Jets on Saturday and a 3-6 home loss to defending champions Billingham Stars at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The home game on Sunday saw Billingham leading 1-4 at the first period – the only Wild goal coming from Widnes youngster Luke Alston - and the game was pretty much done and dusted at that point.  

Widnes had more of the play in the second and third periods – drawing each of them 1-1 - with goals from Mikey Gilbert and Kai Hathaway helping to keep the score respectable. 

The Wild are next in action this Sunday 22nd September when they take on local rivals Deeside Dragons at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Match Report: Peterborough Phantoms 7 – Mayhem 4 (BPIHL Play Off 3rd Place Match)

Karl Nicholson scored 5 goals at the Play Off weekend (photo by Blindside Trading Cards)

Sunday 15th September – BPIHL Play Off 3rd Place Match: Peterborough Phantoms 7 – Mayhem 4

With Sheffield Steelkings beating Peterborough 5-2 in the other semi final, this set up a Phantom v Mayhem tussle for 3rd place on Sunday. 

Peterborough took the lead after just 57 seconds with a goal from the league’s top scorer Gary Farmer but Rob Allen put the Mayhem on level terms 2 minutes later.

A second goal from Farmer in the 10th minute edged Peterborough back in front and they led 2-1 at the first period break.

Two unanswered goals in the second period – from Callum Shakespeare and Farmer again saw Peterborough build up a commanding lead and the score stood at 4-1 at the second interval..    

Two more goals early in the third period – from Shakespeare and Farmer – further extended the Phantoms’ lead to 6-1 but this sparked a late surge from the Mayhem.

Three quick goals from Karl Nicholson in 4 minutes, brought the score to a tantalisingly close 6-4 with 90 seconds left on the clock and everything still to play for. However, 26 seconds later, Callum Shakespeare scored his hat-trick goal for Peterborough and that was to be the last goal of the game.

The 7-4 victory saw Peterborough secure the third place finish, while Sheffield beat Cardiff 6-2 in the final to retain the Play Off crown that they had previously won last year. 

Mayhem Head Coach
Peter Hagan
(Photo by Blindside
Trading Cards)

Looking back over the Play Off weekend, Mayhem Head Coach and Team Manager Peter Hagan said:  

“After missing out last year, we were thrilled to make this years play offs - especially as they were held at Nottingham – and, although the results didn’t go our way, I’m really happy how we performed - especially against Cardiff, the league champions. You can see the progression that the squad has made and those close losses will turn into wins soon, we have no doubt about it.”

“We went in without our goalie who had surgery last week, and 3-4 players missing through work & injury, so we were up against it and huge thanks go to Sheffield & Cardiff for loaning us a netminder so we could compete.”

“We have a strong foundation to build on for 2025 and are excited for the future. We are recruiting & continuing looking for sponsors to help, and hopefully can bring silverware to Widnes soon.”

Match Report: Cardiff Huskies 4 – Mayhem 3 (BPIHL Play Off Semi Final)

Mayhem’s Felicity Gregory contests a face off against Cardiff. (photo by Blindside Trading Cards)

Saturday 14th September – BPIHL Play Off Semi Final: Cardiff Huskies 4 – Mayhem 3

The Mayhem sledge team took part in the British Para Ice Hockey League’s end of season play offs at Nottingham’s prestigious National Ice Centre over the weekend and, although they lost both of their games, they gave a good account of themselves and helped to sign the season off in style.

The top four finishers in the league qualified for the play offs and the semi finals on the Saturday saw league champions Cardiff Huskies take on 4th place Mayhem and runners up Peterborough Phantoms paired up with third place Sheffield Steelkings.

The Mayhem had lost both of their league encounters with Cardiff during the regular season – but only by narrow margins – and this semi final game was just as closely fought.

The first period was goal-less – which is quite unusual in ice hockey - and both teams had an equal number of shots on goal, but the Mayhem took the lead 36 seconds into the second period with a goal from Karl Nicholson.

Cardiff quickly struck back and equalised just 44 seconds later with a goal from their top scorer Tyler Christopher but a second goal from Nicholson 67 seconds after that restored the slim Mayhem advantage.  

Cardiff drew level again on 23 minutes with a strike from Jon Le Galloudec but a goal from Tom Kimm edged the Mayhem back in front to lead 2-3 at the second period break.

The third period was similarly close but two goals from Christopher – on 37 minutes and 42 minutes – levelled the scores and then put Cardiff in front for the first time in the game.  The Mayhem were unable to manage a late reply and the Huskies went on to book their place in the final with a narrow 4-3 victory. 

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 4 - Kingston Sharks 5 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Ducks netminder Callum Preston receives the MVP award from team sponsor Richard Beevers, CEO of Customer Plus (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 14^th September 2024 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 4 - Kingston Sharks 5

The Deeside Ducks put in a plucky performance in their first ever league game, only narrowly losing out 4-5 to the Kingston Sharks at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

The Ducks team has been set up this season to provide a stepping stone between the highly regarded Deeside junior set up and the senior Dragons side and comprises mainly younger players with a few older heads to offer experience and stability.  As such, the game saw NIHL debuts for 12 players who had never played at this level before.

Before the face-off, there was a minute’s applause in memory of Ken Taggart - the former player, referee and long time Chairman of the English Ice Hockey Association – who died earlier in the week at the age of 78.

Once the puck had dropped, the visitors were quickest out of the blocks and took an early lead after just 42 seconds. However, the Ducks managed to settle down and their first ever league goal came on 12 minutes 32 seconds scored by Thomas Milnes, assisted by Charlie Spridgeon.

The score remained 1-1 at the first period break and although they had been outshot by almost 3 to 1, the Ducks had given a good account of themselves.

The second period saw 2 unanswered goals for the Sharks and they edged further ahead early in the third period to lead 1-5 with 15 minutes left to play.

The Ducks second goal of the game came on 50 minutes with team captain Chris Jones firing in a delayed penalty strike punishing a Sharks tripping call and this served to spark a late Deeside fightback.

Further goals for the Ducks – from Cody Ogden on 54 minutes and the same player on 57 minutes - drew the home side to within one goal of their opponents. 

Both teams called timeouts in the latter stages to discuss last ditch tactics, wrenching up the tension around the rink, but there was no further scoring and the game finished 4-5 to the Kingston Sharks.

The MVP awards were donated and presented by Mr Richard Beevers, CEO of Customer Plus - who are one of the Ducks team sponsors for the season.

These went to Joe Gray for Kingston and Deeside netminder Callum Preston who managed to turn away an incredible 42 of the 47shots that he faced over the 60 minutes.

Speaking about the game afterwards, Head Coach Gary Shaw said:

“For the first competitive game for the newly formed Ducks, the team performed well together. They had to overcome not really knowing each other’s game as they have been on the ice for less than 2 months and only 1 practice game. The experienced players in the team helped the junior players at this level.”

“As the game progressed, they made a few mistakes, which we expected to happen, and we can see as a coaching team what we need to focus on to be able to build on this performance. We have a good base to build on, and as the team grows together from this strong performance, we should see that they will have a good competitive season.”

The Ducks now have two away games – away to Coventry NIHL Blaze this Saturday 21st September in a combined league and cup game and then to Kingston in Hull the following Saturday.

They are next at home on Sunday 29th September when they take on the Sheffield Titans at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they embark on their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page.   HERE

Ducks Line-Up v Kingston Sharks:

Paul Jones (NM), Charlie Spridgeon, Michael Speare, Louis Morgan, Gary Dixon, Stewart Cutting, Henry Phillips, Thomas Milnes, Kieran Clarkson, Heather Clarkson, Ben Roscoe, Louis Ellwood, Cody Ogden, Callum Preston (NM), Chris Jones, Joshua Jones, George Spofforth, Kenny Williams, Rory Sillery, Luke Wainwright, James Morgan, Jack Davies

Bench staff:  Peter Bleackley (Coach), Steven Fellows (Coach), Angela Wilkes (Manager).

The Wild #64 Shirt Explained

Widnes Academy players who have joined the Wild NIHL team for the 2024/25 season - #12 Luke Alston, #19 Jared Knowles, #6 Kai Hathaway and #64 Robbie Thomson – along with coaches Mikey Gilbert and Gary Eddleston (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

Eagle-eyed Widnes fans will have noticed that the #64 shirt has been in evidence again at Wild matches this season.

The number 64 was previously worn by original Wild netminder Greg Ruxton who played in the very first in Widnes game back in August 2013 and stayed with the club for four seasons from 2013 to 2017.

Ruxton was forced to give up playing due to a recurring knee injury and his career at the Wild was recognised with a special on-ice ceremony in October 2017, which also saw his #64 shirt “retired”.

Commenting on the resurrection of the #64 shirt, Wild GM Steve Cunningham explained:  “We spoke to Greg and he is happy to honour the number and not retire it.” 

Greg Ruxton in goal for the Wild (Photo by Geoff White)

Renegades Beat Huskies in Play Off Final

The Blackburn Renegades win silverware for the third year in a row.

Sunday 8th September – Blood, Sweat & Beers Play Off Final: Halton Huskies 5 – Blackburn Renegades 8

The Blackburn Renegades secured the Blood, Sweat and Beers Play off title after a 5 - 8 victory over Halton Huskies at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The Renegades had won the cup - in its various guises - for the past two seasons the Huskies had won the league stage of the competition this year.

The two teams had shared remarkable 10-10 draws in both of their meetings in the group stage of the competition so this season’s finale between the top two finishers was always going to be a bit of a spectacle.

The game was played at a high tempo throughout, in very good spirit and in front of a huge crowd at the Widnes rink.

*****

The Huskies will be holding their end of season awards night at the Hub Venue in Widnes on Saturday 9th November from 5.30 to 9pm. 

Tickets cost £5 per person – with children getting free admission – and should be booked in advance via the Halton Huskies IHC Facebook page HERE

As well as the presentation of the player awards, there will also be a buffet and a raffle.

Widnes Wild V Telford Weekend Report

Joel Bark was the Wild MVP in the home game against Telford on Saturday (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

Saturday 7th September – Challenge Match: Widnes Wild 3 – Telford Tigers 5

Sunday 8th September – Challenge Match: Telford Tigers 4 - Widnes Wild 1 

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a disappointing weekend with back to back defeats at the hands of last season’s Laidler Division champions Telford Tigers, losing 3-5 at home on Saturday and 4-1 away on Sunday.

The home game on Saturday saw a rather depleted Wild line up compared  with the three full lines that had battered Bradford Bulldogs the week before but they managed to take a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes with goals from new team captain Andrew Hopkins and former Solway Sharks and Edinburgh Capitals player Andrew Craik, who joined the Wild during the summer.

Telford pulled a goal back to bring the score to 2-1 at the first break and then scored two unanswered goals in the second period to lead 2-3 after 40 minutes of play.

Outstanding Wild youngster Jared Knowles equalised two minutes into the third period with his third goal in two games for Widnes but two more goals – including an empty net strike after netminder Charlie Henry had been taken off in favour of an extra attacker - secured the win for the Tigers.

The away game on Sunday was pretty close in its early stages but Telford eventually took the lead on 15 minutes.  They doubled the advantage 90 seconds into the second period and Widnes finally opened their own account with a Damarni James goal on 26 minutes.

A penalty shot early in the third period edged the Tigers further ahead again and a goal from former Wild import Filip Supa rounded off the scoring for the game with 10 minutes left to play. 

The NIHL season proper starts this weekend with a road trip to Hull and back this Saturday 14th September when the Wild play Hull Jets in their first league fixture of the season.  They are home on Sunday when they take on last season’s league champions Billingham Stars at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

*****

The Widnes Wild Junior Academy had their first games of the new season at the weekend.

The Under 19 team won 3-9 away at Solihull on Saturday and the Under 18 team lost 1-8 away to Kingston (Hull) on Sunday.

The Wild Academy runs teams in all age groups - ie Under 10s, Under 12s Under 14s, Under 16s and Under 18s - and also has a team in the Under 19 league that has been newly formed for this season.

The Academy are always keen to recruit new players across all age groups and hold training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Planet Ice Widnes.

Separate “Learn To Play” sessions are also available for anybody new who would like to take up the sport. For more information, contact Academy Head Coach mike.gilbert@wildacademy.co.uk

Deeside Ducks Sign Gary Dixon

Deeside Ducks' latest signing Gary Dixon (Photo by Peter Sheffield)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Gary Dixon to further boost their squad for their debut 2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 38 year old forward is a highly experienced player who has spent most of his 22 year senior career at Deeside playing with the Flintshire Freeze and the Dragons.

Dixon has played some 320 competitive games at NIHL level, scoring 49 goals and 138 assists and picking up 488 penalty minutes.

He was part of the Dragons team that won the Laidler Division league and Play Off double in the 2015/16 season and last season he played 20 league games in the Moralee Division helping the team to a well-earned 4th place in the league table.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Gary said:

“One of my main reasons for supporting this exciting project is to help the club create a pathway for our home-grown generation of junior Dragons players to progress into senior hockey.”

“I feel this has been lost over the last few years, though not due to any fault of its own, and the club is currently thriving as a whole under Snip (Junior Head Coach James Parsons).”

“There has been a lot of positive feedback regarding the club’s name and branding so I am looking forward to seeing how far this club can grow.  It’s time to play two-way hockey!”

Commenting on Dixon’s signing, Deeside Juniors Head Coach James Parsons said:

“Dicko brings a wealth of experience not only on the ice but also in the dressing room. He has played in N1 and N2 for many years, and I am looking forward to him sharing his experience and guidance with the younger players. Welcome to the team, Ham!”

The Ducks’ first league game is at home to Kingston Sharks on Saturday 14th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they embark on their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Deeside Ducks Laidler Division Fixtures Announced

The Deeside Ducks have announced their full list of Laidler Division fixtures for their first ever season on NIHL ice hockey.

The first league game is on Saturday 14th September at home to Kingston Sharks and the regular NIHL season runs through until March, finishing up with a Play Off Finals weekend in April.

The full list of Deeside Duck fixtures for the 2024/25 season is as follows  ( * = combined league and cup games):  

• 14th Sept: home v Kingston
• 21st Sept: away @ Coventry*
• 28th Sept: away @ Kingston
• 29th Sept: home v Sheffield
• 5th Oct: home v Bradford*
• 20th Oct: away @ Sheffield
• 26th Oct: away @ Telford*
• 3rd Nov: away @ Bradford*
• 17th Nov: home v Telford*
• 23rd Nov: away @ Coventry
• 30th Nov: home v Coventry*
• 8th Dec: away @ Altrincham*
• 14th Dec: home v Bradford
• 15th Dec: away @ Billingham
• 21st Dec: home v Altrincham
• 4th Jan: away @ Sutton
• 5th Jan: home v Altrincham*
• 12th Jan: away @ Bradford
• 26th Jan: away @ Telford
• 1st Feb: home v Sutton
• 2nd Feb: away @ Altrincham
• 8th Feb: home v Nottingham
• 16th Feb: home v Coventry
• 1st Mar: home v Billingham
• 8th Mar: home v Telford
• 15th Mar: Play Off QFs
• 16th Mar: Play Off QFs
• 22nd Mar: Play Off QFs
• 23rd Mar: away @ Nottingham
• 29th Mar: Play Off QFs
• 30th Mar: Play Off QFs
• 5th Apr: Play Off Semi Final
• 6th Apr: Play Off Semi Final
• 12th April: Play Off Finals Weekend
• 13th April: Play Off Finals Weekend

Ducks home games face off at 5pm at Deeside Leisure Centre with doors opening at 4.15.

Ticket prices are: Adults - £7.00, Children - £3.00, Dragons season ticket holders - £3.00 (must show season ticket to qualify), Concessions - £3.00, Junior Dragons - free entry with Junior Dragons pass.

You can read more about the format of this season’s Laidler Division, Laidler Cup and Play Offs HERE

And you can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they embark on their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Huskies In Play Off Final On Sunday

The Halton Huskies will be looking to secure a league and play off “double” as they take on the Blackburn Renegades in the Play Off final of the Blood, Sweat and Beers Cup this Sunday 8th September at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.00pm start.

The Huskies finished top of the Cup table with 6 wins from their 8 games and the only points that they dropped were in their two meetings with the Renegades which - somewhat amazingly - both ended in highly entertaining and close fought 10-10 draws.

The Renegades won last year’s competition and finished second in the table this time around with 3 wins and 2 draws from 8 games so will be keen to try and get one over on the Huskies in this big season finale.

Both teams have some former league players on their rosters so it should be a great game to watch. Admission is free for all spectators and there is also ample free parking.

 

Captains Aboard At Widnes

New Wild Captain Andrew Hopkins with Bez Hughes (left) and Jonathan Williamson (right) - Photo by Steve Cunningham 

Prior to the home game against Bradford, the Wild NIHL team unveiled their captaincy team for the 2024/25 season.

Andrew Hopkins is the team captain for the new season, taking over the role that was vacated by Tom Jackson when he was appointed player coach during the summer.  The Alternate Captain roles (AC) go to Bez Hughes and Jonathan Williamson.  

The role of Alternate Captain is very important because, in ice hockey, only the Captain is allowed to discuss decisions with the match referee. If the Team Captain is on the bench at the time of the call, he is not allowed to rush onto the ice to query it and, therefore, each playing line has an Alternate Captain to ensure that this role is always covered throughout the game.

After Jackson, Bez Hughes is the Wild’s longest serving player, having originally joined for the 2014/15 season. 

Match Report: Widnes Wild 12 – Bradford Bulldogs 2 (Challenge Match)

Jared Knowles scored 2 goals and 2 assists on his Wild senior debut.

Sunday 1st September 2024 – Challenge Match: Widnes Wild 12 – Bradford Bulldogs 2

The Widnes Wild NIHL team got the new season off to a winning start with a comprehensive 12-2 victory over Bradford Bulldogs on Sunday at Planet Ice Widnes.

The Bulldogs are a Laidler Division side - and play one division below the Wild – so one can’t really read too much into the result of this pre-season friendly match but it was certainly a good first outing for Player Coach Tom Jackson’s new look Widnes team and it gave fans the chance to see all the new signings together on the ice.

The game saw an unprecedented number of Wild debuts handed out, following a busy summer of player movements, with 9 brand new names featuring on the roster. Forwards Kai Hathaway, Robbie Thomson & Andrew Craik, defencemen Ross Chalmers, William Daley, Joe Howie & Scott Kirkpatrick and netminders Charlie Henry & Harry Campbell all made first appearances in Wild colours. 

Widnes Academy junior player Jared Knowles made his first senior appearance for the club while former Wild players Tristan Grimshaw and Matt Tarpey both returned to the team after a number of seasons away.  The Bradford team also looked quite familiar as former Wild players Jake Lowndes, Tom Mardell, Keiron Furlong and Joel Bark were all on the Bulldogs line up.

Despite so many new faces playing together for the first time, the new look Widnes team seemed to gel very well.  Damarni James scored the first goal of the new season in the second minute and the Wild raced into a 6-0 lead by the end of the first period with further goals from James (again), Knowles, Grimshaw, Tarpey and Craik.

The second period saw goals from Mikey Gilbert, Andrew Hopkins and Chalmers and the third, Chalmers Knowles and Tarpey for a 12-2 win.

The Wild will probably face a tougher test this coming weekend when they have a home and away double header against last season’s Laidler Division champions Telford Tigers.  The home game is on Saturday 7th September, 7pm face off, and the away game is the next day in Telford, with the puck dropping at 6pm.

The NIHL season proper starts the weekend after with a road trip to Hull and back on Saturday 14th when the Wild play Hull Jets in their first league fixture of the season.  They are home the next day when they take on last season’s league champions Billingham Stars at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off. 

Deeside Ducks First Public Appearance

Deeside Ducks Team – 31^st August 2024 (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Back Row: James Morgan, Gary Dixon, Charlie Spridgeon, Chris Jones, Kieran Clarkson, Callum Preston, Heather Clarkson, Paul Jones, Luke Wainwright.  Front Row: Michael Speare, Mackenzie Wilkes, Jack Davies, Rory Sillery, Cody Ogden, Josh Jones, Ben Roscoe, Deacon Wilkes.

The Deeside Ducks made their first public appearance on Saturday as fans were invited to watch an “On Ice Session” at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Members of the Ducks squad were joined on the ice by a group of local recreational players and a number of former Dragons to bring an air of realism to the training session as they continue to prepare for their debut league season.

The ducks further strengthened their roster during the  week with the signing of 4 new players – all of whom are products of the highly respected Deeside junior development system and are, indeed, two sets of brothers!

20 year old forward Mackenzie Wilkes is a former Deeside junior player who “aged out” during the Covid closure period and has recently been playing for the Connah’s Quay Cobras recreational team while his younger brother - 16 year old defenceman Deacon Wilkes - played for the Dragons Under 16 and Under 18 teams last season.

The other pair of brothers are the Morgan brothers Louis and James.

Despite being only 23, defenceman Louis Morgan already has an impressive senior career having played Moralee Division hockey for 4 seasons with the Dragons senior team, while his older brother James Morgan – a 27 year old defenceman - played for the Dragons juniors for a number of years before taking a break from the sport.

The Ducks’ first league game is at home to Kingston Sharks on Saturday 14th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Latest Widnes Wild NIHL Team Signings

Tristan Grimshaw (left) and Mikey Gilbert celebrate the 2022 Moralee Cup win – photo by Geoff White

The Widnes Wild NIHL team’s roster is nearing completion as they make final preparations for the new 2024/24 NIHL Moralee Division season. Recent signings include a mix of familiar faces, junior Academy players and promising young talent.

The best known of the latest signings is Tristan Grimshaw who previously played for the Wild team on and off from 2019 to 2022. He was originally a Telford Tigers junior player but played the 2019/20 season with the Widnes Academy Under 18 team.

Grimshaw made his senior debut for the Wild with a single appearance during the 2019/20 season.  It was particularly notable as he was one of three Under 18 players – along with Sam Anderson and Jake Lowndes - who had to rush from a junior game that had barely finished playing on the other ice pad at iceSheffield to shore up a badly depleted Wild line-up in a 9-0 Midlands Cup defeat against Sutton Sting.

He was also a member of the Wild team that came second in the behind closed doors Three Rivers Cup competition and who went on to win the Division One National Championship during the 2021 short Covid series. 

Tristan then played a full season for the Wild in the Moralee Division and North Cup in the 2021/22 season scoring 1 goal and 2 assists in 35 appearances and helping the team to win the Moralee Cup. He has spent the past 2 seasons playing for the Nottingham Lions in both the Moralee and Laidler Divisions, notching up 33 goals and 38 assists in 87 league games.

Talking about Grimshaw’s return to the Wild, Widnes player-coach Tom Jackson said: “Tristan is a guy who I’ve watched develop over the past few seasons to the player he is today. He has been around during summer skates and had impressed me over that time. I’m happy to have him back in a Wild shirt and think he will do well this season, working within the systems we will be implementing.”

Meanwhile, Grimshaw said of the move: “It was a difficult decision for me to leave Nottingham, but when TJ called and discussed his aspirations for next season and the team he was building, I felt it was the right choice to return. I’m excited to see TJ jumping up into a coaching role and taking the club in the right direction.”

Jared Knowles – photo by Geoff White.

Another well known Widnes face is 16 year old forward Jared Knowles who is a long term Wild Academy junior player. He was the Under 18 team’s top scorer last season and also played for England U16s against Scotland in 2023.  Jared will also continue to play for the Widnes juniors this season as well to help with his ongoing development. 

Talking about signing Knowles, Wild player-coach Tom Jackson said: “Jared is a quality young player who has the opportunity to develop by training up with the Wild. He’s a home grown product from the junior system and has been training with the team last season. Jared will be given as much opportunity as the senior guys this year to earn his ice time and show what he can bring to the team.”

A new face for the Wild this year is 16 year old defenceman Will Daley, who also played on the England Under 16 team alongside Jared Knowles. He is a former Whitley and Solway junior player who joins on a 2-way deal with Solway Under 19s

The week’s signings are rounded off with two young netminding prospects - 17 year old Logan Reid who played in 4 games for the Wild last season on a 2-way deal with his hometown club Solway Sharks and 19 year old Harry Campbell who is on a 2-way deal with Kilmarnock Thunder.

Wild Announce Pre-Season Games

The Wild also played two entertaining and closely fought games against Telford last season (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced three mouth-watering pre-season challenge matches as a warm-up to their 2024/25 Moralee Division campaign.

Player coach Tom Jackson’s new look Wild side will first take to the ice on Sunday 1st September when they will take on Bradford Bulldogs at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm fade off.

The following weekend, they have a home and away double header against last season’s Laidler Division champions Telford Tigers.  The home game is on Saturday 7th September, 7pm face off, and the away game is the next day in Telford, with the puck dropping at 6pm.

The NIHL season proper starts the weekend after with a road trip to Hull and back on Saturday 14th when the Wild play Hull Jets in their first league fixture of the season.  They are home the next day when they take on last season’s league champions Billingham Stars at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

George Spofforth Joins Deeside Ducks

George Spofforth as a Chester Road Reaper (Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of George Spofforth to add to their roster for their debut 2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 22 year old defenceman is a former Dragons Under 18 player and has most recently been playing for the Chester Road Reapers recreational team.

Talking about joining the Ducks, George said:

“I have played hockey since U18s but it was cut short due to Covid. I went on to play a year at Widnes and a year of rec but I’m now ready to get back to League.”

Commenting on Spofforth’s signing, Ducks’ Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said:

“George is a product of our junior club. He is always hard working and a good skater and penalty killer. I am looking forward to working with him this season.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

2 More Sign For Widnes Wild NIHL Team

Luke Alston playing for the Wild away at Hull last season (Photo by Vince Cowell)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced the signing of a new player and a returnee from last season.

The new player is 19 year-old defenceman Joe Howie who is a former Nottingham junior player. He played a number of games for the Nottingham Lions in both Laidler and Moralee Divisions and spent last season with Bradford Bulldogs, where he made 32 appearances, scoring 2 goals and 15 assists.

New Wild signing Joe Howie
(Photo by Nottingham Lions IHC)

Talking about signing Howie for the Wild, Widnes player-coach Tom Jackson said:  “Joe was recommended by Bradford coach Andy Brown to me when building the team this season for being ready to step up into NIHL 1. At the time of writing this I’ve only seen Joe on the ice a few times but he moves well and makes good decisions and will certainly add to our defensive core for this upcoming season. He’s got a great attitude for hockey and I’m delighted to have him on board.”

Talking about joining Widnes, Howie said: “I am really excited to get started with the Wild and hoping to add value to the team straight away defensively. I’m also looking forward to building and developing on my previous NIHL 1 experience with Nottingham. I’m also very lucky to be able to still train with Bradford each week and hopefully get a few games in with them too.”

The returning player is 17 year old Luke Alston  - a Wild Academy junior player who made his senior NIHL debut for Widnes last season playing on a 3 way deal with the Under 18s, the Wild in the Moralee Division and the Kilmarnock Thunder in the Scottish National League, which gave him plenty of ice time across the three separate teams.  

In his debut season for the Wild NIHL team, Alston made 12 appearances in all competitions. He rejoins the Wild on the same 3-way basis this season, which will continue to help with his development.

Wild player-coach Tom Jackson said of Alston: “Luke is another great product of the Wild junior development. Last season saw him gain the opportunity to play with the Wild for the first time, which he has earned for another season this coming year. Luke will be on a two-way arrangement with Kilmarnock Thunder this year, as he was last season to further his development.”

Meanwhile, Luke added:  “I’m very glad to be back at Widnes for another season, building on from last year we can definitely strive for great things. I’ve been working hard during the off season to improve and looking forward to having the opportunity to show this on the ice.”

Deeside Ducks Sign Michael Speare

Michael Speare in action for the Junior Dragons (Photo by Dragons IHC)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Michael Speare to add to their roster for their debut 2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 22 year old defender is a long term Deeside junior from Under 10s upwards and was an Alternate Captain for the Dragons Under 15 and Under 18 teams

He made his senior debut last season with the Bradford Bulldogs in the Laidler Division, making 24 appearances and scoring 11 goals and 6 assists.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Michael said:

I am excited to be back at the Den where my career began, following an excellent season with the Bradford Bulldogs where I developed so much as a senior player.  I am looking forward to the coming season and to growing and evolving my game with the Ducks.  I am eager to be part of the exciting new team dynamic. I relish this opportunity and will strive to make this team the very best it can be.

Commenting on Speare’s signing, Ducks’ Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said:

“Mikey started at Deeside juniors as an U10 and has always had a strong work rate. He was our Junior Captain and last season he made the step up to Division 2 playing for Bradford Bulldogs under the watchful eye of their head coach Andy Brown.

He is a solid player with a great attitude and I am expecting lots of points from Mikey this season.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Connah's Quay Cobras Win RecFest Plate

The Connah's Quay Cobras celebrate winning the 2024 Sheffield RecFest Plate (Photo by Cobras IHC) 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras took part in the prestigious annual Sheffield Recfest tournament at the weekend, winning the Plate competition.

This tournament is an impressive feat of planning and logistics and featured 15 different teams taking part in 60 short-format games over the two days.

In the initial group games on the Saturday, the Cobras drew 1-1 with Don Valley Vikings – who they had also played the week before in the Summer Cup play off final – beat Solihull Jesters 6-0, Chester Road Reapers 3-0, and lost 1-0 to eventual group winners TriBase Lightning.

This saw them finish the day in second place in their group with 5 points – three behind TriBase, who had a 100% record.

For the Sunday games, all of the teams were put into new groups reflecting their relative finishing positions on the Saturday and the Cobras were put in the B Group.

Once again, they drew 1-1 with Don Valley, but then notched up wins over Birmingham Rockets 3-0, Sheffield Blazers 4-0 and Nottingham Outlaws 2-0 to finish top of the group with 7 points out of 8 and secure the RecFest Plate.

The A Group winners - and overall tournament champions - were Coventry Snipers, who also won the title last year.

Cobras’ player Louie Bailey received the award for best forward of the tournament.

Cobras' Louie Bailey was the best forward at RecFest 2024 (Photo by Cobras IHC)

Rory Sillery Signs For Deeside Ducks

Rory Sillery - right of picture - as MVP for Riverside Raiders (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Rory Sillery to add to their roster for their debut 2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 19 year old defenceman is a former Widnes junior academy player and has recently been playing for the Widnes-based Riverside Raiders recreational team. 

Talking about joining the Ducks, Rory said:

“I am honoured to get the opportunity to train and play alongside everyone.  I feel that it is going to be a good season and I can’t wait to see where it goes.”

Deeside Juniors Head Coach James Parsons said of Sillery: 

“Rory wasn’t able to make it to our trials in June, but he jumped in with us for a session and fit right in with the team. Rory has a great work rate and can play both forward and defence, which will be a massive help for the team this season. He is another player who has joined us with a great attitude and the drive to transition to league hockey. Welcome, Rory!”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE