Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 6 – Riverside Raiders 5 (Challenge Match)

Alex Fisher was the MVP for the Cobras against the Raiders (Photo by Scott Dutton) 

Sunday 30^th March 2025 – Challenge Match: Connah’s Quay Cobras 6 – Riverside Raiders 5

The Connah’s Quay Cobras picked up a narrow 6-5 victory over local rivals Riverside Raiders in a challenge match at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Games between teams from Deeside and Widnes are always keenly contested affairs and this was no different.  When the two teams last met – back in January – they played out a 29 goal thriller with the Raiders just edging it 14-15 and, while this wasn’t quite the same goalfest, it was just as close and the result remained in doubt right to the very end.

After a tense opening phase, the Cobras opened the scoring on 10 minutes with a goal from Alex Fisher.  The lead didn’t last long as Josh Hartson equalised for the Raiders just 2 minutes later and then edged them ahead on 18 minutes.

Connah’s Quay drew level again 90 seconds into the second period with a goal from Paul Jones – who usually plays as netminder but played out on this occasion to give the two less experienced goalies a stint between the pipes in this development game – and they then took the lead at the midway point of the game with a Sam Kennedy strike.

The Raiders levelled again just 72 seconds later with a hat-trick goal from Hartson and Eemeli Vuorohovi fired them back in front on 34 minutes to lead 3-4 at the second period break.

Despite the narrow scoreline, the Cobras had the lion’s share of the play throughout the game and out-shot the Raiders by 46 to 16 over the 60 minutes.  The pressure paid off in the third period as a Ken Valyear goal 90 seconds in put Connah’s Quay back on level terms and Mike Filek fired them back into the lead 44 seconds after that.

The stubborn Raiders refused to give in, however, and they equalised again with a goal from Shawn McBride on 52 minutes, setting up a nerve-jangling finale. The game was settled by a second goal of the game from Ken Valyear on 57 minutes and the Cobras were able to celebrate a narrow 6-5 victory.  

Miles Radford put in an impressive performance in the Raiders goal, stopping 40 of the 46 shots that he faced, while Theo Coulson and Andy Teece shared the netminding for the Cobras, facing 9 and 7 shots respectively to backstop the win.

The MVP awards were presented by match volunteer Olivia Crofts and went to Alex Fisher for Connah’s Quay and Ryan Beardwood for the Raiders.   

The Cobras are back in action on Sunday 13^th April when they entertain Don Valley Vikings in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure Centre, 8.30pm face off. The Cobras lost out to the Vikings by a single goal in the play off final last year so this game is likely to be just as closely fought.

The full list of Cobras fixtures for the summer is:

• Sunday 13^th April: home v Don Valley Vikings (Cup), 8.30pm
• Sunday 4^th May: home v Leeds Lightning (Cup), 8.30pm
• Saturday 17^th May: home v Whitley Islanders (Cup), 4.30pm
• Sunday 25^th May: home v TBC (Chall), 8.30pm
• Saturday 7^th June: home v TBC (Chall), 4.30pm
• Saturday 21^st June: away @ Don Valley Vikings (Cup), 8pm
• Saturday 2^nd August: away @ Whitley Islanders (Cup), 12 noon

Deeside Ducks' Satisfying Season - 2024/25

Charlie Spridgeon was the Ducks’ top points scorer with 4+13=17 (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Despite finishing in 10^th place in the final league table, the Deeside Ducks team can look back with an air of satisfaction over their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division.

The Ducks team was formed last summer with the specific aim of providing a stepping stone between the Deeside junior programme and the senior Dragons team - and they have achieved just that by giving over 20 promising young local players the chance to play regular competitive league hockey.

In addition, Cody Ogden, Henry Phillips, Daniels Fadejevs, Dalton Thompson, Oli Booth and Jace Gledhill have all made appearances for the Dragons senior team this season as well as playing for the Ducks, showing that the Deeside development pathway from juniors to seniors is working well.

The Ducks team won four of their 26 league games – four more than Head Coach Gary Shaw admitted that he had expected for their first season of league competition – and lost 4 more matches by a single goal margin, any of which – on another day with the rub of the green - could easily have been a win instead.

Cody Ogden finished as the Ducks’ top goal scorer for the season with 7 goals in 16 games. Dragons veteran Chris Jones was second with 6 strikes, while Stewart Cutting and Kieran Clarkson each contributed 5.

Charlie Spridgeon was the leading playmaker with 13 assists in 22 games and was also the Ducks’ overall top points scorer with 4+13=17. Chris Jones finished second overall in the Ducks’ point standings with 6+8=14.

Jace Gledhill had the best netminding figures from the four goalies used over the course of the season, finishing up with a 90.00% Save Percentage and a shut out from the 1-0 home win over Coventry Blaze.

Widnes Wild NIHL Season Review - 2024/25

Widnes Wild players, team staff, match volunteers and fans celebrate the home win against Nottingham in the last game of the season. (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a difficult 2024/25 season in the NIHL Moralee Division, finishing in 9th place in the league table and winning just 8 of their 36 league games.

However, this really needs putting into perspective. 

The team had only managed 7th place in the Moralee Division table the previous season and 7 of their 8 top points scorers for the 2023/24 campaign moved on to pastures new during the summer. Tom Jackson was newly installed as Head Coach and a number of new faces were brought into the squad – all of which would take some time to gel.

The club readily admitted at the start of the season that this was to be a year of rebuilding and it proved to be quite a steep learning curve for all involved.

The season started with a 9-game losing streak that saw the Wild mired at the bottom of the Moralee Division league table.  An over time win away at fellow strugglers Sheffield Scimitars and a morale boosting victory away to local rivals Deeside Dragons showed that the potential was there but it took until 22nd December for Widnes to record their first home win – a 12-4 victory over Sheffield.  

The performances certainly improved over the course of the season, although the results didn’t always reflect that. The margins of defeat became narrower and a few hard fought wins over other teams around the bottom of the table saw Widnes finally climb above Sheffield and escape the “wooden spoon” spot of 10th place.

Matty Barlow came back from an unhappy stint at Leeds Knights in November and the roster was further boosted prior to the signing deadline by the return of Flynn Massie and Dani Haid.

The upturn in form, coupled with the vagaries of the fixture list - which saw four potentially winnable games against Nottingham in the latter half of the season and two against Leeds who were just above Widnes in the 8th and final play off place – meant that the Wild now had a realistic target to aim for.

They lost away to Nottingham at the end of February but an exciting run of three wins in their last three homes game of the season – once against Leeds and twice over the Lions - saw them finish an agonisingly close single point behind Leeds and just out of the play-offs.  

Mikey Gilbert was the Wild's top points scorer of the season.
(Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

In terms of individual player statistics, Mikey Gilbert was the Wild’s top points scorer for the season overall with 16 goals and 33 assists in 34 games. Team captain Andrew Hopkins was the top goal scorer with 22 strikes and he was the only Wild player to play in all 36 league games.

Matty Barlow was second highest goalscorer with 18, which is all the more impressive as he only played in 24 matches, and Bailey Thomson also reached double figures with 13 goals in 23 games.

In term of penalties, Damarni James finished up as the leader in the Wild’s “Bad Boy” stakes with 107 penalty minutes from his 26 games, picking up a few EIH suspensions for his troubles.  Ben McLellan weighed in at a distant second with 80 PIMs. 

Luke Alston (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Probably the most promising aspect of the Wild’s up and down season has been the fact that a number of younger players have had the opportunity to establish themselves as regular players at NIHL Moralee Division level.

17 year old Wild Academy junior player Luke Alston played in 33 of the Wild’s league games, scoring 9 goals and 6 assists, seeing him finish as their 5th highest scorer overall for the season.

Getting quality ice time and big game experience is an essential part of a young player’s development and, taking full advantage of the rules that were put in place that encourage this, Alston has also played this season with Bradford Bulldogs in the NIHL Laidler Division, Kilmarnock Thunder in the Scottish National League, Kilmarnock Avalanche in the Scottish U19 league and the Wild Academy Under 18 team.

Jared Knowles (Photo by David Tattum)

It’s a similar story with Jared Knowles, who played 21 times for the Wild in his senior “breakout” season, contributing 4 assists.  He also played for Bradford Bulldogs and the Wild Under 18 team.

Another graduate of the Wild Academy, Joel Bark, played 5 Moralee Division NIHL games for the Wild on a 2-way with Bradford while 18 year old Kai Hathaway - a former Manchester Storm junior – played 20 games for the Wild scoring 4 goals, and also had successful spells with the Bulldogs and the Wild Under 19 team. 

19 year old netminder Harry Campbell was the most impressive of the 5 netminders used over the course of the season, picking up numerous MVP awards for his efforts in Wild games, playing on a 2-way deal and splitting his time between Widnes and Kilmarnock Thunder in the SNL. 

Match Report: Nottingham Lions 9 - Deeside Ducks 1 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Kieran Clarkson scored the Ducks' goal away at Nottingham (Photo by All Sports Photography)

Sunday 23rd March 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Nottingham Lions 9 - Deeside Ducks 1

The Deeside Ducks rounded off their debut Laidler Division season with a 9-1 defeat away to Nottingham Lions on Sunday.

Having already beaten the Lions at home in Deeside a few weeks earlier, there were hopes that the Ducks might finish the season on a high note, but it was not to be.

Nottingham were on top pretty much from the start and led 3-0 at the first period break. It was 5-0 after two periods and 8-0 before Kieran Clarkson fired in a consolation strike for Deeside on 47 minutes.

A late goal for Nottingham finished off the scoring for the game and the Ducks’ first season of league competition was brought to a close.

They finish in 10th place in the Laidler Division table with 3 regulation wins and an overtime win from their 26 games.  

 

Match Report: Widnes Wild 7 - Nottingham Lions 5 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Bez Hughes was the Wild’s MVP in their last game of the season - at home to Nottingham. (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 22nd March 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 7 - Nottingham Lions 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team finished the season on a winning note with a thrilling 7-5 victory over Nottingham Lions at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday.

Nottingham took an early lead just 9 seconds into the game but goals from Mikey Gilbert and Andrew Hopkins saw Widnes leading 2-1 at the first period break.

The second period was another belter with three goals coming for each side.  Matty Barlow, Dani Haid and Luke Alston were all on target for the Wild ensuring that Widnes went into the second interval with a slender 5-4 lead.

The third period was just as closely fought and Nottingham made quite a fight of it but two goals from Barlow in the third period – rounding off a well-deserved hat-trick - settled matters and the Wild were able to celebrate their third home win in a row  

With Leeds Knights losing away at Sheffield, the three league points from the win temporarily lifted Widnes up into 8th place in the Moralee Division table, occupying the final play off spot.  However, Leeds were due to play Nottingham on the Sunday and if they won that game, they would leapfrog back above the Wild in the final standings. 

As it turned out, Nottingham looked as if they would be doing the Wild a big favour in Leeds as they raced to a 0-3 lead in the game on Sunday. The Knights fought back, however, tying the match 3-3 at the end of regulation time, and then went on to win 4-3 in overtime. The OTW gave them 2 points and means that they finish just 1 point ahead of the Wild in the final Moralee Division table, securing the 8th and final play off spot.

The quarter final pairings for the Play Offs are based on final league positions with 1st v 8th, 2nd v 7th and so on.  This means that the line up for the quarter finals is Billingham Stars v Leeds Knights, Blackburn Hawks v Nottingham Lions, Solihull Barons v Whitley Warriors and Deeside Dragons v Hull Jets. 

The ties will be played over two legs, home and away, this Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th March, with the winning teams progressing to two-legged semi finals the weekend after.

The Play Off finals for all four regional NIHL Divisions will take place as per to the Steel City Showdown weekend in Sheffield on Saturday 12th April

****

The Widnes Wild women’s team’s game that was scheduled to be played away against Leeds Roses on Saturday was postponed and will now take place on 10th May. The game will be played at Bradford due to a lack of available ice time at the Leeds rink and it will be the first time that the Wild Women have ever played at that venue.

Mayhem Sledge Hockey Fixtures For 2025

Manchester Mayhem sledge team (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

The Manchester Mayhem sledge hockey team have announced their fixtures for the forthcoming 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League competition.

There are 5 teams in the league with Cardiff Huskies, Peterborough Phantoms and two teams from Sheffield – the Steelkings and the Steelstings – making up the Mayhem’s opposition. Each team plays the others once at home and once away and the top four finishers also qualify for the end of season play offs.

The Mayhem's first league game of the season is away to Cardiff on 17th May.

The full list of Mayhem fixtures is as follows: 

• 17th May: Away @ Cardiff
• 8th June: Home v Steelstings
• 14th June: Away @ Steelstings
• 21st June: Home v Cardiff
• 5th July: Away @ Steelkings
• 19th July: Home v Peterborough
• 2nd August: Home v Steelkings
• 9th August: Away @ Peterborough

Home games are played at Planet Ice Widnes and admission is free for all spectators.

Widnes Wild NIHL Weekend Report: 15th & 16th March

Netminder Harry Campbell was the Wild MVP away at Whitley (Photo by Charlie Mood)

Saturday 15th March 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Whitley Warriors 3 - Widnes Wild 1

Sunday 16th March 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Hull Jets 7 - Widnes Wild 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team put in two battling performances on the road at the weekend, narrowly losing out 3-1 away to Whitley Bay on Saturday and 7-5 at Hull on Sunday.

The game on Saturday in the north east was especially close and remained goal-less at the first period break. Whitley took a single goal lead into the second interval and two more goals in the third period game handed them the victory, although a consolation strike from Flynn Massie kept the Wild in contention right up to the final buzzer.

Widnes got off to a slow start in the game on Humberside on Sunday.  The Jets raced to a 4 goal lead before Mikey Gilbert pulled one back for the Wild  - but former Widnes player Adam Jascecko fired in to give the hosts a 5-1 lead at the first interval.

The second period was closer and two goals from Matty Barlow and one from Andrew Hopkins saw the score standing at 7-4 with one period left to play. The only goal of the third period fell to the Wild’s Luke Alston but Widnes were unable to build any further on this and the game ended up at 7-5 to Hull.

Despite the two weekend defeats, Widnes still have an outside chance of reaching the end of season play offs. They are currently 2 points behind Leeds Knights – who occupy the coveted 8th spot in the league table - but they absolutely have to win their last game of the season, at home to Nottingham Lions on Saturday (and in regulation time...), for there to be any hope of overtaking them.

Leeds have two games left – away at Sheffield on Saturday and at home to Nottingham on Sunday - and just a single point from either of those games would mean that they could not be caught and would take the final play off spot.

The Widnes Wild NIHL team play their last game of the regular season this Saturday 22nd March when they take on Nottingham Lions at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 4 – Kingston Diamonds 4 (WNIHL Division 2 North)

Ruth Leopold was the Wild Womens'
MVP against Kingston (photo by Suzie Miller) 

Sunday 16th March 2025 – WNIHL Division 2 North: Widnes Wild Women 4 – Kingston Diamonds 4

The Widnes Wild women’s team battled hard to salvage a well deserved point in their 4-4 draw against Kingston Diamonds at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

After a very nervy and close opening phase, Kingston eventually opened the scoring in the 15th minute.  They scored again 60 seconds later and took a 0-2 lead into the first period break.

A powerplay strike from Lucy Kirkham 2 minutes into the second period, punishing a Kingston boarding call, pulled a goal back for Widnes but a powerplay goal for the Diamonds just 3 minutes later restored their 2-goal advantage.

Ruth Leopold pulled another goal back for Widnes two minutes after that and then a Phoebe Patient strike on 38 minutes put the Wild Women on level terms at 3-3 heading into the third period. 

Kingston edged back in front again with a goal on 48 minutes but a well-taken short handed goal from Leen de Decker tied the score for Widnes once again with 5 minutes left to play.

Unfortunately, they were unable to build on this and the game finished in a 4-4 draw – the same score as in the away game between the two teams earlier in the season.

The Wild Women continue their Division 2 North title challenge with a game away to Leeds Roses this Saturday 22nd March and are next at home - to the same opposition - on Sunday 13th April at Planet Ice Widnes.

Match Report: Leeds Lightning 4 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 15 (Summer Classic Cup)

The victorious Cobras team away at Leeds (Photo by Cobras IHC)

Saturday 15^th March 2025 – Summer Classic Cup: Leeds Lightning 4 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 15 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras opened their 2025 Summer Classic Cup campaign with a comprehensive 4-15 win away to Leeds Lightning on Saturday.

The Cobras squad this season has been boosted by a number of new signings including former Deeside Dragon Tomas Mitrik - who won the Laidler Division title with Blackburn Eagles and also enjoyed stints with Altrincham Aces and Bradford Bulldogs - and former Flintshire Phantom Juraj Martonik.

Another former Dragon, Pete Gazda, returns to the Cobras line up for this year and, along with Sam Kennedy, Sam Plant, Paul Jones, Sam Krempasky, Mike Jones, Brad Commins, Chris Keating, Gez Evans and Emma Dutton, completes for now the ex-league contingent of the impressive Connah’s Quay roster.  

This year the Summer Cup competition sees the Cobras in the Elite Group where they will take on the Don Valley Vikings – who they narrowly lost out to in the play off final last year  – Leeds Lightning and Whitley Bay Islanders. 

The four teams will play each other home and away in a group format and the top two teams will progress to a play off weekend in Sheffield at the end of August.

The game in Leeds on Saturday was pretty close in its early stages. Sam Kennedy gave the Cobras the lead after just 50 seconds and the score stood at 2-4 at the first break. Connah’s Quay pulled away in the second period bringing the score to 4-11 and four unanswered goals in the third rounded off an impressive victory.

Martin Rybka top scored for Connah’s Quay with 5 goals and 3 assists, Kennedy added 2+2 and Mitrik was also among the scorers with 1+1.  Martonik scored 2+1 and was named MVP for the Cobras.  

The Cobras have a development game at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday 30^th March and are back in cup action on Sunday 13^th April when they are at home to Don Valley Vikings.

Match Report: Sutton Sting 20 - Deeside Ducks 0 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Dalton Thompson was the Ducks' MVP away at Sutton (Photo by Sutton Sting IHC)

Saturday 15^th March 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Sutton Sting 20 - Deeside Ducks 0

The Deeside Ducks slumped to a 20-0 defeat away at league runners up Sutton Sting in Sheffield on Saturday.

Sutton were on top pretty much from the start and ran up an 8-0 lead by the end of the first period.  At the second interval, the score was 12-0 and the final score of 20-0 equals the Ducks’ heaviest margin of defeat in their debut season when they lost 24-4 away at league champions Telford back in October.

Despite the obviously one-sided scoreline, not helped by travelling with a short bench, the Ducks’ heads did not drop and they continued to battle throughout the whole 60 minutes.

The result means that the Ducks can no longer qualify for the end of season play offs and are resigned to finishing in bottom spot in the Laidler Division table.  

They still have the chance to finish their rollercoaster first season of league competition on a high note, however, as they face Nottingham Lions – who they have already beaten once this season – in their final game of the campaign away in the Lace City this Sunday 23^rd March, face off 7.20pm.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 4 – Sheffield Shadows 2 (WNIHL Division 2 North)

Ellen Tyrer was the Wild Women’s MVP against Sheffield  (Photo by Suzie Miller)

Sunday 9th March 2025 – WNIHL Division 2 North: Widnes Wild Women 4 – Sheffield Shadows 2

The Widnes Wild women’s team maintained their Division 2 North league title challenge with a hard fought 4-2 win over Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

Sheffield opened the scoring after just two minutes and it took until later into the period for Widnes to open their own account.  Two quick fire goals from Leen de Decker just 38 seconds apart on 17 minutes drew the Wild Women level and then gave them a slender lead going into the first break.

Another Widnes goal – from Amanda Armstrong on 22 minutes – edged the Wild Women further ahead but Sheffield pulled a goal back at the midway point of the game and the score stood at a tantalisingly close 3-2 at the second interval.

Sheffield actually out-shot Widnes by some margin, with the overall tally for the game amounting to 18 to 49 and it took an inspirational performance from Stephanie Drinkwater in the Wild goal to keep the Shadows attack at bay.

Widnes nerves were eased by de Decker’s hat–trick on 50 minutes and with no more scoring after that, the Wild were able to celebrate a 4-2 victory.

The Widnes Wild Women are at home again this Sunday 16th March when they take on Kingston Diamonds at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Match Report: Widnes Wild 8 – Nottingham Lions 4 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Andrew Hopkins scored a hat-trick for the Wild against Nottingham (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 8th March 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 8 – Nottingham Lions 4 

The Widnes Wild NIHL team gave their end of season play off hopes a huge boost with an 8-4 win over Nottingham Lions at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday.

The result came hot on the heels of last week’s win over fellow strugglers Leeds Knights and is the first time all season that the Wild have managed back to back victories.

The Wild took a very narrow lead into the first break with the only goal of the period from Kai Hathaway – and netminder Harry Campbell performed heroics in the Widnes goal to keep the Lions’ attack at bay.

Wild captain Andrew Hopkins doubled the lead for Widnes early in the second period but 2 quick-fire goals from Nottingham drew the Lions level.

Dani Haid edged Widnes back into the lead with a powerplay goal but Nottingham equalised once again. However the Widnes players didn’t give up and their pressure was rewarded with a goal from Matty Barlow and a short handed strike from Hopkins to finish the period with a 5-3 lead.

Three more goals in the third period for Widnes – a hat-trick strike from Hopkins, a second goal for Barlow and an empty net goal from Luke Alston – and a single response from Nottingham – saw the Wild cruise to an important victory in their late season push for the play offs 

Leeds Knights currently occupy the coveted 8th spot and last play off place but, with them losing away to Deeside on Sunday, their advantage over the Wild is now down to just 2 points.

Both teams have three games to play and Leeds are probably still in the driving seat as two of theirs are at home, while Widnes have two away.  Rather intriguingly, both teams play Nottingham Lions at home on the last weekend of the regular season – Widnes on the Saturday and Leeds on the Sunday – and, depending on how other results go in the meantime, those two games could well decide who gets the last play off place.

Widnes now have a tricky weekend on the road with trips to Hull this Saturday 15th March and Whitley on Sunday.

They are then back at home for their final game of the regular season at home to Nottingham on Saturday 22nd March at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off. 

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 2 – Telford Tigers 7 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Josh Jones was the MVP for the Ducks (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 8^th March 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 2 – Telford Tigers 7

The Deeside Ducks put in a creditable performance against league champions in waiting Telford Tigers, ending up with a 2-7 defeat at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

The Ducks actually had the puck in the net first with a Dan Fadejevs strike after 4½ minutes but the goal was disallowed by the referee due to an infringement and the score remained at a finely balanced 0-0 at the first period break.

Telford eventually opened the scoring three minutes into the second period and went 0-2 up 35 seconds later.  Josh Jones broke the Ducks’ duck on 28 minutes but another Telford goal 90 seconds later restored the two-goal advantage, and two more unanswered goals saw the Tigers leading 1-5 at the second interval. 

Former Dragons’ favourite Paul Davies put Telford further ahead on 42 minutes but Stewart Cutting scored a superb goal for the Ducks on 52 minutes to keep the game interesting. A last minute Tigers goal with just 12 seconds left on the clock rounded off the scoring and gave Telford a 2-7 victory.

The final result meant that Telford clinched the Laidler Division title and the league trophy and medals were awarded by England Ice Hockey officials on the ice after the game.

This was the Ducks’ final home game in their roller-coaster debut season. They have two away games left and are back in action away to Sutton Sting this Saturday.

*****

The MVP awards were presented by Ducks match volunteer Andy Brown and went to #73 Josh Jones for Deeside and #26 Paul Davies for Telford.  

Andy was ably assisted by EIH Director Martin Peters and NIHL General Manager Haydn Hunter, who had come to Deeside to present the Laidler Division trophy and medals to the Tigers for winning the league title.

Match Report: Widnes Wild 5 – Leeds Knights 4 (OT) NIHL Moralee Division

Matty Barlow scored the OT winner for Widnes and was named MVP (Photo by David Tattum)  

Sunday 2nd March 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 5 – Leeds Knights 4 (OT)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team put an end to their 7-game losing streak with a hard fought and well deserved 5-4 overtime win against Leeds Knights at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

As the final score suggests, this was a very close game between teams who were 8th and 9th in the league table and there was very little to choose between the two teams all the way through.

Leeds took the lead on 5 minutes but Luke Alston equalised for the Wild on 13 minutes and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.  

The second period was just as close and Widnes took the lead with a back door tap in from captain Andrew Hopkins on 31 minutes.  However, Leeds hit back 5 minutes later and the match was all tied at a very finely balanced 2-2 at the second interval.

The third period was goal-less for the first 10 minutes but Bez Hughes fired in to edge the Wild ahead again at 50.20. Leeds equalised two minutes later and got their noses back in front with another goal on 57 minutes to take a 3-4 lead. Two minutes after that, with just 74 seconds left on the clock, Mikey Gilbert scored to put the Wild back on level terms and send the game into a nail-biting period of sudden death over time.

Matty Barlow popped up as the hero of the piece as he fired in the golden goal winner, giving the Wild their first victory since mid-January. It was their second overtime win of the season - and their 6th win overall.

Unfortunately, as far as the league table is concerned, an overtime win only yields two league points for the winners instead of the 3 for a regular time win, and it also gives the losing team one point for having been level at the end of 60 minutes.

This means that Leeds’ advantage is now down to 5 points from 6 in the race for 8th spot, with both teams having 4 games left to play. Widnes have two games coming up against 7th place Nottingham Lions but also a tricky weekend on the road with trips to Hull and Whitley.

They are next in action this Saturday 8th March when they play the first of those crunch ties at home to Nottingham at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off. 

*****

The Widnes Wild women’s team continue their league title chase in WNIHL Division 2 North this Sunday when they take on Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 1 – Billingham Buccaneers 3 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Photo:  Henry Phillips was MVP for the Ducks against Billingham (photo by Chris Jones)

Saturday 1^st March 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 1 – Billingham Buccaneers 3

The Deeside Ducks put in a spirited performance against top-3 side Billingham Buccaneers but eventually lost out 1-3 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

The game was closely fought throughout and could easily have gone either way for much of its duration. 

Billingham took the lead on 13 minutes and, despite chances at both ends, the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

Following an incident in the last minute of the period, a patch on the ice surface behind the Ducks’ goal was damaged and the referee decided to take the break early to allow this to be fixed.

This meant that the remaining 25 seconds of the first period were finished off when the players came out after the break.  The buzzer then sounded, the teams changed ends and then started the second period.

Deeside equalised just 2 minutes into the second period with a goal from Dalton Thompson but, unfortunately, they got into penalty trouble and Billingham retook the lead on 25 minutes, taking advantage of a 5-on-3 powerplay.

At 1-2 at the second interval, the game was still anyone’s for the taking but Billingham scored another powerplay goal on 45 minutes to double their lead.

The Ducks were unable to make the most of a 5-on-3 powerplay of their own late in the game and the match finished 1-3 to the visitors.

The Ducks play their last home game of the season this Saturday when they take on Telford Tigers 2 at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

They then finish off their debut league campaign with away trips to Sutton Sting and Nottingham Lions.

Widnes Wild Weekend Report: 22nd & 23rd February

Flynn Massie scored in both games at the weekend (Photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 22nd February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside Dragons 9 - Widnes Wild 8

Sunday 23rd February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Nottingham Lions 6 - Widnes Wild 2

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a disappointing weekend on the road, narrowly losing out 9-8 to north-west rivals Deeside Dragons on Saturday and then slumping to a 6-2 defeat to Nottingham Lions on Sunday. 

Games between Widnes and Deeside are always close fought and passionate affairs and Saturday’s was up among the best of them as it turned out to be a 17-goal thriller.

Deeside opened the scoring after just 22 seconds with a goal from their talented American forward Jake Witkowski but Widnes hit back just 60 seconds later with an equaliser from Luke Alston.

Two goals for Deeside within 8 seconds of each other fired them into a 3-1 lead but strikes from Damarni James and then Dani Haid put Widnes back on level terms.  A second goal from Witkowski edged the Dragons back in front on 15 minutes and the score remained 4-3 at the first period break.

Deeside scored again 21 seconds into the second period and then a powerplay goal saw them go 6-3 up.  Ben McLellan pulled a goal back for Widnes at the half way mark of the game but a hat-trick goal for Witkowski with just 52 seconds left on the clock saw the Dragons leading 7-4 at the second interval.

Matty Barlow pulled a goal back for Widnes 90 seconds into the third period but this was countered by another Deeside strike.  Wild captain Andrew Hopkins scored for Widnes on 48 minutes and, on 51 minutes Flynn Massie fired the puck home to narrow the deficit to just 1 goal.

A Dragons counter-strike just 25 sends after that restored the two-goal cushion but Matty Barlow gave the vocal travelling fans some hope as he fired in his second goal of the game with just over two minutes left to play.

Unfortunately, the Wild were not able to build any further on this and the game finished in a terribly close 9-8 win for the Dragons.

On paper, the game at Nottingham on Sunday might have seemed like the easier of the two weekend fixtures but this turned out not to be the case and the Lions were on top of things right from the start.

Nottingham led 2-0 after the first period and the score was 5-1 at the second break, with the Widnes goal coming from Flynn Massie – his second in two games.

The Lions scored again in the third period, putting the match well out of the Wild’s reach but Dani Haid fired in a goal with 3 minutes left to play to give the final score a slightly more respectable look.

The weekend results leave Widnes stuck in 9th place in the Moralee Division table, two points clear of bottom team Sheffield and 6 points behind Leeds, who occupy the final play off position in 8th. 

Three of the Wild’s final 5 games of the regular season are at home against “bottom half” teams and if they were to win all of those, they could feasibly - and depending on results elsewhere - still qualify for the play offs. 

The Wild are at home this Sunday 2nd March when they take on Leeds Knights at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 1 – Coventry Blaze 0 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Ducks MVP Jace Gledhill (Photo by Maxine Roscoe)

Sunday 16^th February 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 1 – Coventry Blaze 0

The Deeside Ducks picked up their second win in a row with a close and hard-fought 1-0 victory over Coventry NIHL Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Following on from last week’s win over Nottingham and having only lost out by a single goal to Coventry on the Blaze’s previous visit, the Ducks were especially keyed up for this game, knowing that a win would maintain their mathematical chance of qualifying for the end of season play offs.

The early stages of the game were littered with niggly penalties for both sides and, despite numerous chances at both ends, the first period played out goal-less.

The second period was also goal-less as the Ducks battled hard against the team 6 places - and 36 points - above them in the league table, and the score stood at a tantalisingly balanced 0-0 heading into the final 20 minutes.

The breakthrough finally came on 52.45 when former Dragons player Andrew Chappell fired in the only goal of the game, assisted by Dalton Thompson.

Despite late pressure from Coventry, the solid Ducks defence held out to secure the win – backed up by a superb overall display from netminder Jace Gledhill, who registered a 40 shot shut-out and was deservedly named MVP for Deeside.

The Ducks now have a game-free weekend and are next in action on Saturday 1^st March when they take on Billingham Buccaneers at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

 

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 5 - Telford Wrekin Raiders 5 (WNIHL North Cup - Match abandoned at 41.19)

Cath Thornton scored her
first goal for the Wild Women
Photo by Paul Breeze

Sunday 16th February 2025 – WNIHL North Cup: Widnes Wild Women 5 - Telford Wrekin Raiders 5 (Match abandoned at 41.19) 

The Widnes Wild women’s team saw their cup game against Telford Wrekin Raiders  abandoned early in the 3rd period - with the score standing at 5-5 - after an injury to a Telford player at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The game had started well for Widnes as Katie Fairclough fired them into the lead after just 2 minutes. Telford hit back with two quick goals but a second from Fairclough on 10 minutes levelled the score again.

The Raiders edged back into the lead just two minutes later and then 2 quick fire goals within 8 seconds of each other in the last minute of the period put them 2-5 ahead.

Widnes pulled goal a back on 24 minutes with a strike from Amanda Armstrong and then a goal from Cath Thornton – her first in Widnes colours – on 29 minutes – narrowed the deficit to just one.

There followed a tense spell of end- to-end hockey with chances at both ends but it took until the last minute of the period for the next goal – which fell to the Wild’s Rachael Pearce to level the score at a finely balanced 5-5.

A barnstorming third period looked to be on the cards but, sadly, it was not to be as with only 1.19 played, a Telford player suffered a heavy collision against the boards and collapsed onto the ice.

There was a significant delay while she received medical attention in–situ and, by the time that she could be safely moved from the ice, there wasn’t enough ice time left to play out the remainder of the game.

The two team coaches and the match officials decided to call off the game at that point and it was officially abandoned.  

According to the official England Ice Hockey regulations, in the case of a match being abandoned due a medical emergency with neither team being at fault: 

“Where less than 2 periods of the match have been played, a 0-0 draw will be declared with each team being awarded one point. Where more than 2 periods of the match have been played, the result at the point of abandonment will stand.”

This would suggest that the match will be recorded as a 5-5 draw, but that will still have to be decided by the League Management Committee after considering reports from the various officials involved.

The Wild Women are next in action on Sunday 9th March when they take on Sheffield Shadows in a league game at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Match Report: Solihull Barons 12 Widnes Wild 5 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Dani Haid scored against his old club away at Solihull– Photo by David Tattum

Sunday 16th February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Solihull Barons 12 Widnes Wild 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team suffered a 12 –5 defeat away to Solihull Barons on Sunday.

Solihull opened the scoring on 3 minutes and went 2-0 up on 14 minutes. Dani Haid pulled a goal back for Widnes against his former club on 19 minutes and the score stood at 2-1 at the first break. 

4 goals early on in the second period saw Solihull begin to pull away but Nathan Pollard - making his Wild debut - scored on 38 minutes to stem the flow.  However a further Solihull goal just 10 seconds later saw the Barons leading 7-2 after two periods.

The hosts further extended their lead 57 seconds into the third period but Damarni James pulled a goal back for Widnes on 43 minutes.  Two more Solihull goals were followed by a Mikey Gilbert strike, leaving the score at 10-4 with 10 minutes left to play.

Yet two more goals brought the Barons’ tally to a round dozen for the night and a strike for Kai Hathaway rounded off the Wild scoring.

The Wild have two more away games in a row - against local rivals Deeside Dragons this Saturday 22nd February and away to Nottingham Lions on Sunday. They are next at home on Sunday 2nd March when they take on Leeds Knights at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Book Review: "Ice Hockey In Wales" by Stuart Latham

Book Review:  "Ice Hockey In Wales" by Stuart Latham

Well – what can I say?  Stuart Latham has done it again – with another huge book about British ice hockey, this time all about “Ice Hockey in Wales”.

Now, if you are a regular reader of my previous random ramblings on this subject (did you notice my double alliteration of the r-words there…?), you will know that I have already gone on at great length about the huge-ness of his previous Manchester ice hockey book “On Thin Ice” (that’s the one that you couldn’t read while riding no-handed on a bike – no, please, don’t try that yourself - it would be reckless and dangerous, and I only mention it for historical context)…

Well, this latest offering “Ice Hockey In Wales” comes from the same stable, and it really is pretty much what it says on the tin. Although you couldn’t creosote your fence with it in authentic Karate Kid style, you would certainly know a lot more about the subject matter than the average unassuming oriental martial arts tutor by the time you have finished reading this fascinating book.

As with all of Stuart’s other ice hockey books, this one is packed with interesting facts, league tables, players stats and personal stories from people who have been involved with the clubs concerned.

From a Deeside point of view, we have the various incarnations over the years of the Deeside Dragons, there is also the Flintshire Freeze who operated in the ENL in Deeside instead of the Dragons from 1998 to 2012 and an interesting piece by current Dragons GM Shaun Bebbington about the post-Covid period return of ice hockey in Deeside.

There is also a wealth of information about the Deeside second teams, covering the historical Deeside Demons, the short lived Dragons 2 and a very well written and informative (ahem…) piece about the new Deeside Ducks team that just started this season. 

There’s no mention of the Clwyd Flames, unfortunately, who were the Deeside second team for a couple of seasons in the early 1980s, although – to be fair - detailed information about them is pretty hard to track down.

The other ice hockey venue in Wales – down in the Welsh capital - gets similar treatment and we have year by year league tables, player stats, stories and photos (as available) about Cardiff Devils, Cardiff Rage, Cardiff Capitals, Cardiff Fire, Cardiff Fire 2, Cardiff Bears, Cardiff Satans and the new Cardiff Canucks team.

If you are a keen collector of ice hockey books in general - and Stuart Latham’s books in particular - you will probably have come across a lot of this material before as he has previously produced separate volumes about the Deeside Dragons (in 2020) and Cardiff Devils (2021) but, even so – it’s nice to have all this stuff together in one tidy edition and with everything brought right up to date.

So, if you want vital statistics, I’ll give you some vital statistics.  “Ice Hockey In Wales” is a whopping 630 pages in length - not quite as huge as “On Thin Ice”s 734 pages but it is still a heavyweight hardback. In fact, it weighs 1.25kg, is 260mm high, 180mm wide and has a spine width of 38mm and it will stand bold and proud on your bookshelf next to the rest of your Stuart Latham ice hockey book collection.

For orders, drop Stuart a line via Facebook HERE  or send him an email HERE  

- and get him to tell you about his other books as well.