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| Connah's Quay Cobras celebrate their win over Bradford Ice Wolves |
Sunday 10th December - Challenge Match: Connah's Quay Cobras 7 - Bradford Ice Wolves 3
The Connah’s Quay Cobras rounded off the programme for 2023 with an impressive 7-3 win over the Bradford Ice Wolves at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.
After a tense opening phase, it was Bradford who eventually took the lead on 11 minutes but the Cobras struck back with an equaliser from Louis Ellwood two minutes later and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.
The Cobras took the lead on 24 minutes with a goal from Mackenzie Wilkes and then edged further ahead with a strike from Brad Commins 3 minutes later.
There was a flurry of activity around the halfway mark of the game with an Evan McKinney goal on 30 minutes – set up by a great assist for Emma Dutton - followed by a second goal for Ellwood 74 seconds later to make the score 5-1 - before Bradford hit back with a strike of their own on 32 minutes.
A hat-trick goal for Ellwood with just 9 seconds left to play in the period – his first ever hat-trick - saw the Cobras 6-2 in front at the second break.
The third period was a little less eventful with Bradford scoring their third and final goal on 48 minutes and the Cobras’ Ben Batho rounding off the scoring for the game on 56 minutes – his first ever goal for the club, prompting a suitable celebration.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards went to Matthew Gatenby for Bradford and Mackenzie Wilkes for Connah’s Quay.
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| Cobras Captain Evan McKinney |
This was the Cobras’ 5th win in a row and stands them in good stead for their first qualifying group game in next year’s Summer Classic Cup when they take on rink rivals Flintshire Phantoms on Saturday 6th January at Deeside.
Cobras’ Captain Evan McKinney said after the game: “This was a huge result for the Cobras tonight - both on the ice and in the dressing room - ahead of our first cup game in January. We’re building a fantastic, positive team culture here at Deeside and it’s very exciting to be a part of it.”
