International Call Ups For Match Officials

Charlotte Cramp at the 2024 World Championships In Bulgaria

Three match officials with Widnes connections have been selected by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to officiate across the world at international tournaments during the current 2024/25 season.

Charlotte Cramp is the current Widnes Wild women’s team captain and she also officiates at men’s NIHL Moralee and Laidler Division matches.

She has officiated at the women’s playoffs weekend for the last 3 seasons, and the most recent season, did the men’s Laidler Division play offs and was on the crew for the women’s Elite final

This is her second year officiating at international level as she was a linesman at the Women’s Under 18 World Championships Division II Group B in Sofia, Bulgaria, last year. In March, Charlotte will be officiating at the senior Women’s World Championships Division IIIA in Belgrade, Serbia.

Philippa Wheeler at the women's play offs in Widnes in 2022 

Philippa MacKinnon (previously Wheeler) played for the Widnes women’s  team in the 2018/19 Women’s Premier League season and also played league hockey for Peterborough and Nottingham. She officiates at NIHL Moralee Division level and has only recently returned to the ice after having a baby 4 months ago. 

She was a linesman at the Youth Olympics in Switzerland in 2020, the Women’s U18 World Championships in Istanbul Turkey in 2022 and again in Dumfries in 2023. In January she will be officiating at the Women’s Under 18 World Championship Division III in Zagreb, Croatia.

David Good as a Widnes player in 2016
(Photo by Geoff White)

David Good is an experienced Elite League referee who previously played as a netminder for his hometown Hull Jets in the NIHL.

He was drafted in by the Wild as an emergency loan player for two games at the 2016 Laidler Division Play Off weekend after regular Widnes netminder Greg Ruxton suffered an injury late in the season.

Widnes beat Nottingham Lions 2-1 in the semi-final and lost out to league champions Deeside Dragons 5-2 in the final. As a result of this, Good has an impressive all time Widnes netminding record of 90.40 Save Percentage from his two games.  

He was a referee at the World Youth Olympics in Lausanne in 2020 and the Under 20 World Championships in Iceland in 2023. 

The full list of GB match officials that have been select by the IIHF for this season is as follows:

• Danny Beresford
• Amy Campbell
• Charlotte Cramp
• Andrew Dalton
• Dave Good
• Ryan Fraley
• Clare Howie
• Ilya Kisil
• Philippa MacKinnon
• Felicity Munroe
• Hollie Neenan
• Amy Prior

Ice Hockey UK Referee-in-Chief, Colin Davidson, said: “I would like to send congratulations to all the officials on their selection. This is a fantastic achievement for us and is testament to the programme and how we are perceived on the IIHF front. This is, of course, is huge recognition to the officials selected, but also a boost to all officials in the UK as it show how highly regarded we are as a country by the IIHF. We are very proud to have this amount of representation at IIHF tournaments.”

Ice Hockey UK Chief Executive, Henry Staelens, said: “Congratulations to all of our officials who have been selected to officiate at international tournaments this season. It is testament to the talent we have in the programme and the work behind-the-scenes to improve the standards of refereeing in the UK. We know there is more work to do to bring refereeing development to the very highest level over the next few years, and we will continue to work closely with IHUK Referee Section and in collaboration with all UK-based leagues to achieve this.”

Tributes To Photographer Peter Sheffield

Peter Sheffield (left of centre in pic) taking photos at the Laidler Division play offs in April 2019 (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Ice rinks across the north-west have been holding tributes in memory of Peter Sheffield, who died in hospital last weekend as the result of injuries sustained in an accident two weeks earlier. 

Peter had been involved in ice hockey for many years and is best remembered for his photography and media work. After helping out behind the scenes at Blackburn Hawks, where his two sons played, he was the official media photographer at Deeside Dragons for a long time - and was always a great help to me personally providing photos for news stories and for my various publications..

He was one of the driving forces behind the British American Sports Network (BASN) who filmed NIHL matches and produced highlights packages for Liverpool Bay TV and BASN’s own YouTube channel.

While mainly being associated with Deeside, Peter was also very active with BASN at Widnes with occasional match highlights videos during the Laidler Division period and more regularly when the Wild’s NIHL matches were live-streamed between 2021 and 2023.

He also took photos at the 2019 play off tournament at Widnes when the Wild won their third Laidler Play Off title in row and was able to record their historic achievement. Sheffield’s most memorable Widnes-related photo is probably the shot of the team (below) celebrating the 2019 play off final with team staff and fans.

Match Report: Deeside Dragons 4 - Widnes Wild 5 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Bailey Thomson scored the winning goal away at
Deeside (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Sunday 24th November 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside Dragons 4 - Widnes Wild 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team picked up their first regulation time win of the season with a 4-5 derby day victory away over local rivals Deeside Dragons on Sunday.

Widnes travelled with a very strong squad - quite possibly the strongest line-up they have managed all season following various injuries and other player availability issues - and the difference that this made in their performance was noticeable.

The game was goal-less in the first period and Deeside eventually took the lead with a goal just 1 minute into the second period.

Widnes turned the game on its head with two goals within a minute of each other – from Ross Chalmers and Robbie Thomson - and led 1-2 at the halfway point in the game. Two more quick fire goals later in the second period – from team captain Andrew Hopkins and Mikey Gilbert further extended the lead but a late strike from Deeside’s gifted American Jake Witkowski saw the score standing at 2-4 at the second interval. 

Deeside pulled themselves back into contention with a third goal 42 seconds into the third period and the game remained tight until Bailey Thomson scored what would turn out to be the winning goal for Widnes on 55 minutes.

The Dragons removed their netminder for the last minute in the hope of salvaging the game and the addition of an extra attacker helped for a goal with just 30 seconds left. However, the Wild held out as the clock ticked down and managed to secure their first win of the season in regulation time – at the 15th attempt – and the all important 3 points.  

Despite the win, Widnes remain bottom of the Moralee Division table with 5 points, 5 behind Sheffield Scimitars and Leeds Knights who both have 10, although they have both played more games.

The Wild are next in action this Sunday 1st December when they take on Whitley Warriors at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

*****

Widnes Wild NIHL player Damarni James has been handed a 2-game suspension by the governing body’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) after having passed the threshold of 10 disciplinary points for the season.

The EIH has a system which involves the accumulation of penalty points for committing offences and receiving penalties prior to, during and after games, which are: 

• 5-minute penalty: 1 point
• 10-minute misconduct penalty: 2 points 
• Game misconduct penalty: 4 points 
• 5+ game misconduct penalty: 5 points 

James passed the 10 point mark for the season with his 5 minute penalty for fighting in the recent home game against Sheffield Scimitars.  

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 6 – Whitley Bay Beacons 5 (WNIHL Division 2 North)

Jemma Brown was the Wild Women’s MVP against Whitley (Photo by Mark Bird Sports Photography)

Sunday 24th November 2024 – WNIHL Division 2 North: Widnes Wild Women 6 – Whitley Bay Beacons 5

The Widnes Wild Women’s team won their first home game of the season by the narrowest of margins with a 6-5 victory over Whitley Bay Beacons at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

This was a highly entertaining match to watch with plenty of end to end action throughout and numerous chances for both sides.  

Whitley had the better of the first period, outshooting the Wild women by some 2 to 1. They took the lead in the 10th minute and were 0-2 up by the first period break.

Widnes visibly upped their game in the second period and pulled a goal back through Jemma Brown on 27 minutes, however, that was the only goal action of the second period and the score stood 1-2 to the Beacons with 20 minutes left to play.

The third period saw a veritable scoring-fest, with 8 goals being fired in, and the result remaining open to question until the very last seconds.

Whitley scored again just 34 seconds in to lead 1-3 but 2 goals within a minute of each other - from team captain Charlotte Cramp and Phoebe Patient – saw the Wild Women draw level.

Just when it looked as if Widnes would go on to take control of the match, Katie Fairclough picked up a game misconduct penalty for slashing and the Wild women had to play 5 minutes shorthanded.  Despite coming under intense pressure, they managed to weather this storm with staunch team defending and netminder Stephanie Drinkwater performing heroics in the Widnes goal.   

A strike from Leen de Decker on 52 minutes put Widnes ahead for the first time in the game and a second goal from Cramp just 27 seconds after that extended the home advantage. Two goals from Whitley levelled the score again but Leen de Decker fired home the winning goal with just over 2 minutes left on the clock.

The Wild Women are next in action on Saturday 7th December when they make the long journey north of the border to play the Caledonia Steel Queens in Edinburgh, 4pm face off, and are next at home on Sunday 15th December when they take on Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm start.

Deeside Ducks Latest News

Luke Wainwright (Photo by Mark Ray)

Saturday 23^rd November 2024 – NIHL Laidler Division: Coventry NIHL Blaze 17 – Deeside Ducks 2

The Deeside Ducks suffered a heavy 17-2 defeat on the road away to the Coventry NIHL Blaze on Saturday.

Coventry led 5-0 after the first period and 12-0 at the second break. Third period goals from Charlie Spridgeon and Luke Wainwright – his second in two games - finally gave the travelling fans something to cheer about but 5 more for the Blaze handed them a convincing victory. 

The Ducks are in action again this Saturday when they face the Blaze at home at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

*****

Ducks player Ben Roscoe has been handed a 2-game suspension by the governing body’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) after being banished from last Sunday’s home game against Telford for an illegal check to the head.

The disciplinary panel observed: “The player recklessly endangered his opponent. This was an unnecessary check on a player who was in a vulnerable position and unaware of the impending hit.”

Another Ducks player, Thomas Milnes, previously received a 1-game ban for kicking out at an opponent who had legally checked him in the away game at Telford two weeks earlier.

Widnes Wild Women's First Home Game Of The Season

Wild Women in action away at Whitley (Photo by Mark Bird Sports Photography)

The Widnes Wild women’s team play their first home game of the 2024/25 WNIHL Division 2 season this Sunday 24th November when they take on Whitley Bay Beacons at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

The Wild Women have played three away games so far this season, winning 1-2 away at Sheffield Shadows, drawing 4-4 with Kingston Diamonds in Hull and then losing 6-4 away to Whitley in their last game.

Their leading scorer this season so far is Leen de Decker with 4 goals and 2 assists from the three games.

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 1 – Telford Tigers2 11 ( NIHL Laidler Division)

The Deeside Ducks MVP against Telford was Stewart Cutting  (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 17^th November 2024 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 1 – Telford Tigers2 11 

The Deeside Ducks put in a spirited performance but lost out 1-11 to Laidler Division title favourites Telford Tigers at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

While this might sound like a heavy defeat, the Tigers won the away game in Shropshire 24-4 just two weeks ago so, in comparison, this was actually quite an improvement.

Telford took the lead after just 16 seconds and never really looked like losing. They were 0-4 up at the end of the first period and 0-6 ahead by the second interval.

Deeside were outshot by some 4 to 1 over the course of the game and, were it not for spells of staunch team defending and an impressive performance by Paul Jones in goal, the score would undoubtedly have been much higher.

The Tigers hit three quick-fire goals within 50 seconds of each other early in the third period to further extend their lead but the Ducks finally broke their duck at 49.13 when Luke Wainwright fired in a rocket shot from outside the blueline that beat the Telford netminder to record his first senior goal.

Two late goals put Telford past double figures and the game ended up as a 1-11 win for the visitors.

The Ducks are away to Coventry Blaze this Saturday 23rd November and then at home to the same opposition the following Saturday 30^th November at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Talking after the game, Head Coach Gary Shaw said:

“I was away but going on what we have been doing over the last couple of weeks in training and the request for the players to interact more and force errors from our opponents, the team has taken this on board.”

“I wanted to cut the goals against by half and we achieved that.  Plus we were missing a few good players on Sunday, so the result could have been better for us.”

“We obviously are still making mistakes in poor areas, but once we have things done better in our zone, we can improve the score again.”

“The team are away this weekend at Coventry and it will be another tough encounter, but we need to keep progressing and I'm confident that we will improve again.”

Tough Weekend For Widnes Wild

Mikey Gilbert scored in both Wild games at the weekend (Photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 16th November – NIHL Moralee Division: Billingham Stars 15 – Widnes Wild 2

Sunday 17th November – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 2 – Sheffield Scimitars 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a disappointing weekend with back to back defeats, losing 15-2 away to Billingham Stars on Saturday and then 2-5 at home to Sheffield Scimitars on Sunday at Planet Ice Widnes.

The away trip to the North East to face the league leaders was always going to be a tough one and the Wild were outplayed pretty much from the start.

The first period ended 5-1 to the home team, with a solitary strike from Bailey Thomson being just enough to keep Widnes in the running. By the end of the second period, the score was 10-2 – with Mikey Gilbert adding to the Wild total - and then 5 unanswered goals for the Stars in the third saw them romp to an emphatic victory.

Sunday’s home game against fellow strugglers Sheffield looked to be considerably more winnable but a short benched Widnes – missing a number of key players – never really managed to get going. 

After a tense opening spell, the Scimitars opened the scoring in the 15th minute and led 0-2 at the first interval.

This game was littered with niggly penalties for both sides and Widnes seemed unable to build up any kind of momentum.  The only goal of the second period fell to former Wild player George Crawshaw and the score stood at 0-3 with 20 minutes left to play.

Mikey Gilbert gave the home fans some hope with a Widnes goal 2 minutes into the third period but Sheffield struck back to re-establish the three goal cushion.

Matty Barlow fired in his first goal since returning to the Wild for his third spell last week to narrow the score to 2-4 but Widnes got caught out while pushing forward to try and salvage something from the game and a 5th goal for the visitors late on killed off any lingering hopes.

The weekend results leave the Wild languishing at the bottom of the Moralee Division table with just 2 points from their 14 league games to date.  Leeds Knights are in 9th place - 5 points ahead, having played the same number of games.

The Wild are away to local rivals Deeside Dragons this Sunday 24th November - 5.15pm - face off and are next at home on Sunday 1st December when they take on Whitley Warriors at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

*****

The Wild Junior Academy had 4 teams playing away at the weekend.

The Academy Under 18 team won 1-7 away to Manchester Storm on Saturday and The Under 10s played a cross-ice tournament against Manchester and Leeds at Altrincham on the same day. Under 10s games are played for fun and no scores are recorded.

The Under 12 team lost 6-3 away to Sheffield U12s, also on Saturday while on Sunday, the Academy Under 14 team lost 8-2 away to Leeds.

The Wild Academy are always keen to recruit new players across all age groups from Under 10 to Under 18 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

Matty Barlow Rejoins Widnes Wild

Matty Barlow returns to the Wild (Photo by David Tattum)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced that popular forward Matty Barlow has rejoined the club for the rest of the season.

This is actually Barlow’s third stint with Widnes as he played 32 games as part of Ollie Barron’s Laidler Division play off winning team in 2017/18 and then spent a further 3 seasons at Widnes in the post-covid Moralee Division from 2021 to 2024.

He moved to join the Leeds Knights team during the summer, joining fellow former Wild players Alex Mitchell and Harrison Walker, but only played 1 National Division game and 6 Moralee Division games, scoring 7 goals and 1 assist.

Barlow was the Wild’s top goalscorer in the Moralee Division last season with 10 goals - and second top points scorer overall in all competitions with 17+20, just 4 short of Joey Coulter, having played 7 games fewer due to injury earlier in the season.

In total in his two previous spells with Widnes, Barlow made 128 appearances, scoring 55+60 with 145 penalty minutes.

Commenting on Barlow’s return to the Wild, Widnes Player Coach Tom Jackson said:

“Matty is a massive piece to be returning to the team, during the summer he was initially in my plans for this season but an opportunity to play in the national league enticed him over to Leeds for the start of the season. He is my closest friend living 100m from my doorstep and when things weren’t going the way he wanted them to at Leeds I reminded him the door is always open for his return home.” 

“Matty is a piece that the team has been missing so far this season, he can change the game himself and while doing so can help guide the younger guys on the team. He has had a few weeks off to sort out his personal life and get his new home up and running but will be joining the team on the ice for the foreseeable future.”

Deeside Ducks - The Season So Far

Cody Ogden is the Ducks' top goalscorer so far this season with 6 (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Deeside Ducks team were without a game at the weekend and are now preparing for a big home game against title favourites Telford Tigers this Sunday.

They are now one third of the way through their debut competitive season in the NIHL’s Laidler Division and certainly seem to be heading in the right direction.

From their eight league games to date, the Ducks have two wins and five defeats – with a question mark over the away game at Kingston in September that was abandoned due to safety concerns after a problem with the ice surface. A decision regarding the outcome of that game is still awaited from the sport’s governing body.

Cody Ogden is the Ducks’ leading goalscorer so far this season with 6 strikes – including an impressive hat-trick away to league leaders Telford Tigers  – while Michael Speare, scorer of the winning penalty shot away to Bradford in the last game – is a close second with 4.

Looking back over the season so far, Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw said:

“The season for the Ducks so far has been a big learning curve from a group of players that we have put together from all different levels.”

“They are still trying to figure out each other’s skills and the best way of playing, the biggest problem that we have as a coaching team is trying to get them to communicate with each other, they are very quiet when on the ice. If they would talk to each other giving information of what was happening, this would give the players the opportunity to make the right decision and not throw the puck away to the other team.”

“The players have a good base to work from and we just need them to play as a unit on the ice and play as a group of five and not individually.”

“We give them the opportunity to express themselves and make decisions, some they get right and others wrong but as a coaching team we need them to make mistakes so they can learn from their wrong decisions. We just need them to make fewer mistakes - the less they make the better for the team and the more chance they have to win the game.”

“For the next few weeks we will be trying to get the players to be more aggressive in the plays that they are doing, to get the opponents to turn the puck over and create more scoring chances for us.”

“Overall we as a coaching team are happy with the progression of the players, we just need more intensity on what they are doing in all areas of the ice and try not to over complicate what they do.”

“With two wins this season already we have over-achieved, as some new teams that joined the league took two seasons to get the win.”

“I was not expecting to win any games this season and focus on keeping the score as low as possible but, looking on what is happening in the league, I am expecting to win a few more, and hopefully with the big defeats we have suffered against the top teams in this league we can try and cut the score by half - with the first one coming up this weekend against Telford.”

“We the coaches believe that they can do it, they themselves have to believe it and put it into practice and it will come right.”

After three consecutive away games - and an absence of almost 6 weeks – the Ducks are finally at home this Sunday 17^th November when they take on defending champions and cup holders Telford Tigers at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Match Report: Widnes Wild 4 – Whitley Warriors 7 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Remembrance wreaths were placed on the ice at Widnes before the game against Whitley (Photo by David Tattum)  

Sunday 10th November 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division : Widnes Wild 4 – Whitley Warriors 7

The Widnes Wild NIHL team put in a battling performance in the Remembrance Day game before losing out 4-7 to Whitley Warriors in the NIHL Moralee Division at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The game was very close in its early stages and the Wild took the lead through team captain Andrew Hopkins and held the 1-0 advantage at the first interval.

Widnes had the chance to go 2-0 up on 26 minutes when Matty Barlow was brought down on a breakaway and was awarded a Penalty Shot - but the Warriors netminder saved and the score remained 1-0. Boosted by the this, the Warriors scored their first goal just 20 seconds later and then went 1-2 up on 32 minutes.

Two quick-fire goals within 40 seconds of each other – from Mikey Gilbert and Hopkins again – saw the Wild draw level and re-take the lead but two counter-strikes late in the period saw Whitley leading 3-4 at the second break.

A shorthanded goal from Damarni James just 58 seconds into the third period drew Widnes level once again but Whitley upped their game and two goals from Shaun Kippin put daylight between the two teams for the first time with 8 minutes left to play.

With time agonisingly ticking by, the Wild withdrew netminder Harry Campbell in favour of an extra attacker for the closing minutes to try and narrow the two goal deficit in the for the closing minutes.  Defenceman Will Daley kept them in the game with a dramatic goal line clearance but an Empty Net Goal from Whitley’s Kippin to secure his hat-trick rounded off the scoring with just 38 seconds left on the clock.  

The Wild are away to league leaders Billingham Stars this Saturday 16th November in a re-arranged fixture and are next at home on Sunday 17th November when they take on Sheffield Scimitars at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Tomas Vyrostek
(Photo by Keith &
Jenny Davies) 

Vyrostek Signs For Season

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have signed Tomas Vyrostek on a permanent basis for the rest of the season.

Tomas originally joined the Wild on a temporary basis having progressed through the Solway Sharks academy, racking up an impressive 73 points from 27 games at Under 16 level and 35 points across his 2 seasons at Under level so far. He has also represented Scotland at Under 16 and Under 17 level, posting 5 points from 10 games. 

Vyrostek made his debut last season in the Scottish National League (SNL) with the North Ayrshire Wild and also made multiple appearances for the Solway Sharks NIHL team during pre-season. 

However, this season is his first experience of playing Moralee Division hockey, where he has already made a huge impact with Widnes, scoring 3 goals in 9 appearances - including the all-important game winning overtime goal away at Sheffield to help secure the Wild’s first league victory of the season.

Charlotte Cramp Selected For GB Students' Team

Wild Women Captain Charlotte Cramp (Photo by Mark Bird Sports Photography)

Widnes Wild women’s team captain Charlotte Cramp has been selected to play for the Great Britain students’ team at the World Students Games in Italy in January.

The 2025 FISA World University Games will take place in the Piedmonte region around Turin from 13th to 23rd January and will feature a variety of outdoor and indoor winter sports.

Alpine skiing, snowboarding, and freestyle will be staged in Bardonecchia, cross-country skiing, biathlon, and ski orienteering in Pragelato, and ski mountaineering in Sestriere.

The indoor sports of figure skating, short track speed skating and curling will be held in Turin and ice hockey matches will be divided around three venues - in Pinerolo, Torre Pellice and Turin. 

The GB Students team will come against opposition from Canada, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, Japan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, and the USA.

Talking about her GB selection, Charlotte said:

“I'm so excited to have been selected to compete in the FISU World University Games with the GB Students Ice Hockey Team. Being selected for any form of team or competition is amazing, however this opportunity is an absolute dream come true.”

“I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to represent GB Students in Torino, Italy in January 2025.Over the next few months I will be putting in a lot of hard work both on and off the ice to ensure I am ready for the challenges at the World University Games. Bring on Italy!”

*****

Charlotte Cramp is now playing in her fourth season with the Wild women, having joined the team in 2021 from a background of university hockey with Manchester Metros.

In her previous three seasons with the Wild, she played 42 games and scored 6 goals and 14 assists.

She is captain of the Wild women’s team for the second season in a row, having admirably fulfilled the role last term.

Charlotte is also a qualified match official and regularly officiates at Moralee and Laidler Division matches in the NIHL.

Charlotte Cramp has set up a Go Fund Me page to help with her expenses for the trip such as travel, kit and other tournament fees, and potential sponsors can find out more HERE 

Widnes Wild's First League Win Of The Season

Ben Mclellan away at Sheffield – photo by RDG Digital

Saturday 2nd November 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Sheffield Scimitars 2 - Widnes Wild 3 (OTW)

Sunday 3rd November 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Billingham Stars 7 - Widnes Wild 0

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a mixed weekend on the road, winning 2-3 in overtime away to Sheffield Scimitars on Saturday and then losing 7-0 away to league leaders Billingham Stars on Sunday.

The win away in Sheffield over fellow strugglers Scimitars was the Wild’s first league win of the season and was especially welcome as it removed the spectre that had been looming of notching up 10 league defeats in a row for the first time in one season. 

As you can imagine from the scoreline, the game was very closely fought throughout and the result could easily have gone either way.

The Scimitars scored first and led 1-0 at the first interval and then scored again early in the second period.  A goal from Wild captain Andrew Hopkins halved the deficit and the score stood at a finely poised 2-1 at the second period break.

A first goal for the Wild from recent signing Ben Mclellan tied the score at 2-2 and sent the game into a nail-biting overtime period where Jonathan Williamson fired in the sudden death winner.

Under new regulations introduced for this season, Widnes receive 2 league points for the overtime win while Sheffield get 1 point for drawing at the end of regulation time.

The game on Sunday away to league leaders and defending champions Billingham Stars was always going to be difficult, and so it turned out. The Stars led 2-0 at the end of the first period, 4-0 at the end of the second and then a third period hat-trick from their Canadian star Iain Brown rounded off the scoring for a 7-0 shut out.

The Wild are next in action this Sunday 10th November whey they take on Whitley Warriors at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Match Report: Bradford Bulldogs 5 – Deeside Ducks 6 (PS) NIHL Laidler Division

Deeside Ducks' Michael Speare
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 3rd November 2024 – NIHL Laidler Division: Bradford Bulldogs 5 – Deeside Ducks 6 (PS)

The Deeside Ducks picked up their second Laidler Division win of the season with a 5-6 penalty shot victory away to Bradford Bulldogs on Sunday.

Bradford opened the scoring just one minute into the game but goals from Stewart Cutting and Daniel Fadejevs saw Deeside leading 1-2 at the first break.

The Bulldogs pulled a goal back early in the second period but goals from Kieran Clarkson and Thomas Milnes helped the Ducks soar into a 2-4 lead.  However, Bradford had the better of the chances after this and three unanswered goals gave them a 5-4 lead at the second interval.

The only goal in a closely fought third period fell to the Ducks’ Michael Speare, tying the scores at 5-5 and sending the match into an extra 5 minute period of sudden death over time.

With no deciding goal in the extra 5 minutes of play, the game had to be decided on a penalty shoot-out and strikes from Speare, Clarkson and Josh Jones sealed a first ever away win for the Ducks.

Under new regulations introduced for this season, Deeside receive 2 league points for the penalty shot win while Bradford get 1 point for drawing at the end of regulation time.

After the game, Ducks’ Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said:

“Following last week’s heavy defeat at Telford, we decided to re-set mentally and really dig in. The whole team bought into a totally different positive mindset and the lads worked hard for the win.”

“It was a very close game but silly penalties made it harder than it needed to be. We have the next couple of weeks to work on some things before we face Telford at home.”

The Ducks are without a game this coming weekend but are back in action on Sunday 17^th November when they face title favourites Telford Tigers 2 at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Mayhem Players At The World Women's Challenge

Mayhem GB trio Felicity Gregory, Peter Hagan and Emily McLean at the World Women's Challenge in Norway (Photo by Breanna Wagner)

Four members of the Mayhem sledge team were on international duty at the World Women’s Challenge in Skien, Norway, last week.

Felicity Gregory and Emily McLean were part of the Great Britain women’s team while Mayhem Team Manager Peter Hagan travelled as Equipment Manager. Mayhem’s Canadian national Peggy Assinck also attended the tournament as a player with Team Canada. 

The tournament acts as an unofficial world championship for women’s sledge hockey and pitched the GB ladies up against national teams from the USA and Canada - and two composite teams made up of players of different nationalities from Europe and the Pacific region.

Team GB lost their first two games 10-0 to Canada and 7-0 to the USA but then recorded their first ever victory in this competition with a narrow 1-0 win over Team Pacific. GB team captain Stacey Quirk from Peterborough Phantoms scored the only goal of the game 2 minutes into the first period and Cardiff Huskies netminder Jodi Hill recorded a shut out.

Team GB’s last game of the competition was also close as they lost out 1-4 to Team Europe. Mayhem’s Emily McLean scored the GB goal in the 7th minute, in a game where all 5 goals came in the first period.

Peggy Assinck picked up her third silver medal in a row with Team Canada after they lost 3-0 to Team USA in the last game to finish behind the Americans in the final group standings.  The USA went through the whole tournament unbeaten – without even conceding a single goal – to win their third gold in three years.