Riverside Raiders At Home To Steel City Hawks In 2018 Summer Classic Cup

Photo by Owen Tennant - Camera and Editing by Mike Teinert

The Widnes-based Riverside Raiders team play their first game of the 2018 Summer Classic Cup campaign this Sunday 1^st April when they take on the Steel City Hawks from Sheffield at Planet Ice Widnes – 4.30pm face off.

The Raiders won the Summer Classic Play Off title last year and will be hoping to go one better by taking the league title as well this time around. The Raiders finished as runners up in the league last year, ending up on the same number of points as the champions Grimsby Stormers – and with a superior head to head record – but lost out on goal difference after the Lincolnshire team had a couple of landslide home wins over short-benched travelling teams.

The Summer Classic features six teams from across the country who play each other home and away in a qualifying group, with the top teams then meeting again in semi finals and final. The final will be played at iceSheffield on Sunday 2^nd September. 

Alongside the Raiders, the other teams involved in the 2018 competition are: the Flintshire Phantoms from Deeside, the Wyre Seagulls from Blackburn, Kingston City Knights from Hull and two iceSheffield based teams in the shape of the Steel City Hawks and the Sheffield Ice Tigers.

The Riverside Raiders’ Summer Classic Cup Games are as follows:

Sunday 1st April: home v Steel City Hawks (Sheffield)
Saturday 21st April: away @ Wyre Seagulls (at Blackburn) - 6.15pm face off
Sunday 6th May: home v Flintshire Phantoms
Sunday 27th May: home v Sheffield Ice Tigers
Sunday 17th June: home v Wyre Seagulls
Sunday 24th June: away @ Steel City Hawks (Sheffield) - 4.15pm face off
Sunday 1st July: away @ Sheffield Ice Tigers - 4.15pm face off
Sunday 29th July: home v Kingston City Knights
Sunday 5^th August: away @ Kingston City Knights

(Game away @ Flintshire Phantoms to be confirmed)

All home games face off at 4.30pm at Planet Ice Widnes and admission is free.

At the game this Sunday against the Steel City Hawks, a bucket collection will be made in aid of two mental health charities MIND and CALM, in support of a charity game that is being played at Blackburn Arena on the same day in memory of Wyre Seagulls and Blackburn Falcons rec player Rob Craig who died last year.

Halton Huskies and Coventry Spitfires in 15--Goal Thriller

MATCH DETAILS:
Sunday 18^th March 2018 – Rec Challenge Match Halton Huskies (Widnes) 10 – Coventry Spitfires 5 
Period Scores: 2-3, 3-2, 5-0
Penalties In Minutes: Halton 6 - Coventry 8

Huskies Scoring: Josh Grocutt 5+0, Jeff Chapman Watson 1+2, James Kelly, Michael Parkin & Richard Evans all 1+1, Daniel Trust 1+0, James Behan & Nathan Hewitt 0+1

Match Officials: Ray Ormes & Simon Anders

Match report by Paul Breeze 
Photos by David Law Photography (https://www.facebook.com/davidlawphotographer/)

The Halton Huskies recreational team beat the Coventry Spitfires 10-5 in an entertaining challenge match at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The home side opened the scoring after just 20 seconds of the game with a great goal from Josh Grocutt but the Spitfires hit back with two goals in under a minute – from Joseph Little and Thomas Sturdy – to edge them into the lead. A powerplay goal from the Huskies’ Michael Parkin levelled the score on 12 minutes but the visitors went into the first break with a 2-3 lead after Ethan Kane fired them back ahead with 3 minutes left in the period.

The second period carried on in the same vein as the first with both teams very closely matched and excellent sporting play on both sides. The Spitfires made it 2-4 with just 80 seconds gone in the period with an incredible short handed goal by Mark Swinnerton but the Huskies pulled a goal back on 25 minutes with another fine effort from Grocutt. Coventry’s Steven Smith re-established the 2-goal cushion with a strike on 27 minutes but two goals in the latter stages of the period – from Jeff Chapman Watson and James Kelly – sent the teams in level pegging at 5-5 for the second break.

The third period saw excellent defensive work and outstanding netminding from the Halton team as they managed to keep the Spitfires’ attack at bay and score five unanswered goals to make sure of the win.

The avalanche started on 42 minutes with a goal from Daniel Trust to make it 6-5 and put the Huskies back in the lead for the first time since the opening minutes.

A hat-trick goal followed for Grocutt on 49 minutes and a goal by Richard Evans on 51. Two more goals from Grocutt – just 10 seconds apart on 54 minutes rounded off the scoring and handed the Huskies a sensational 10-5 victory.

The Huskies have another home game this Saturday 24th March against the Solihull Grizzlies at Planet Ice Widnes. Face off is at 22.15pm and admission is free. 
 

You can follow the Halton Huskies on their Facebook page  HERE 

　
　

　

Halton Huskies and Sheffield Ice Tigers in 16-Goal Thriller

Halton Huskies v Sheffield Ice Tigers
(Photo by Geoff White - www.gw-images.com)

MATCH DETAILS:
Sunday 25^th February 2018 – Challenge Match
Halton Huskies 9 – Sheffield Ice Tigers 7 

Period Scores: 2-3, 2-2, 5-2
Penalties In Minutes: Huskies 6 – Ice Tigers 4

Match Officials: Christopher Povall & Sam Campbell

The term "thriller" tends to get a bit over used – especially by me on this website, if the truth be told - but it is entirely accurate when you come to sum up this fascinating game on Sunday night between the Halton Huskies and the Sheffield Ice Tigers. The two teams were very evenly matched, the lead changed hands several times throughout the game and the result was in doubt until the very last seconds!

The visitors started the game the stronger and opened the scoring after just 3 minutes. It took the Huskies until the 12^th minute to open their account with great goal by Daniel Trust and then a strike by Anthony Hughes some 4 minutes later edged them into the lead.

Two goals from the Ice Tigers within just 17 seconds of each other propelled them back into the lead again –with the score standing at 2-3 at the first break.

Sheffield scored again 25 seconds into the second period and extended their lead even further with a goal on almost exactly 30 minutes to lead 2-5 with half of the game gone.

The Huskies rallied, however, and goals from Hughes and Trust again levelled the scoring for the period and left the game at a tantalisingly poised 4-5 heading into the last 20 minutes.

The Halton team came out all fired up for the third period and Michael Parkin scored the equalising goal after 42 minutes (5-5). A delayed penalty goal from Nathan Hewitt put the Huskies ahead some three minutes later (6-5), only for the Ice Tigers to equalise again in the 52nd minute (6-6) – which then set off an incredible sequence that saw 4 goals scored in less than 2 minutes.

Hewitt scored again for Halton 40 seconds later to edge the home side in front again (7-6) but then the Ice Tigers equalised once more 30 seconds later to tie the game at 7-7.

Just 48 seconds after the Sheffield equaliser, James Kelly put the Huskies back in the lead again (8-7) and a hat-trick goal from Anthony Hughes rounded off the scoring with just 90 seconds left of the match (9-7).

The Halton Huskies are next at home on Sunday 18^th Match when they play the Coventry Spitfires in a challenge game at Planet ice Widnes. Face off is at 8.30pm and admission is free! 　

Full Line Ups & Player Stats:
Halton Huskies: Anna Barnett, Anthony Hughes (3+0 2PIM), Connor Cooper (2PIM), Craig Martin-Watt, Daniel Trust (2+0), David Simonds, James Kelly (1+0), James Behan (0+1), James Williams, Jeff Chapman-Watson (0+3), Kevin Ashcombe , Michael Parkin (1+1), Nathan Hewitt (2+2), Paul Barratt, Richard Evans (0+1 2PIM), Thomas Jenkins, Joel Clark - nm

Sheffield Ice Tigers:
Adrian Todd, Charles Dowell, Dale Vella (0 + 1), Daniel Glue (0 + 3 2PIM), David Sobodtka (2 + 2), James Drinkall (1 + 0 2PIM), James Hague (2 + 1), Jamie Hastelow, Josef Tomlinson, Kristats Savickis (0 + 1), Rory Ross-Docherty (1 + 0), Rosanna Sneyd, Ruslands Gailitis, Scott Antcliffe, Scott Dutton - nm, Thomas Wright (1 + 0), Thomas Haines.