Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 8 – Caledonia Bees 0 (WNIHL Div2 North)

Jennifer Hickey was the Wild Women's MVP against Caledonia (Photo by Paul Breeze) 

27th April 2025 – WNIHL Div2 North: Widnes Wild Women 8 – Caledonia Bees 0

The Widnes Wild women’s team took a step closer to winning the league title with an 8-0 win over Caledonia Bees at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The Edinburgh-based Bees are a new team in the division for this season and are a development team for the Caledonia Steel Queens who play in Division 1. They arrived bottom of the league table, having lost all 11 of their previous games and the Wild Women beat them 4-12 when they ventured north of the border back in December, so this game always seemed likely to be a bit of a home banker.

The match was actually very close in its early stages and a single goal – scored by Leen de Decker on 6 minutes - saw the Wild Women take a very slender 1-0 lead into the first period break.

A second goal for the Wild – from Ellen Tyrer just 90 seconds into the second period settled any nerves that might have been lingering and then a goal from Jennifer Hickey just 60 seconds after that put the Wild Women well and truly in the driving seat.

The score remained 3-0 at the second interval but the flood gates opened in the third period and 5 unanswered goals – from Charlotte Cramp, de Decker again, Phoebe Patient and a brace for Ruth Leopold - saw Widnes sweep to the win.

While the end result was quite conclusive, this was far from a one-sided game and the Bees put in a very good showing. They looked dangerous going forward and Stephanie Drinkwater was called upon to make a number of spectacular saves to secure a first shut out of the season. 

The MVP awards - sponsored this season by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review – were presented by match volunteer Lynda Bird and went to Lily Taylor for Caledonia and Jennifer Hickey for Widnes.

The win means that Widnes remain top of the Division 2 North table with 17 points from 11 games. With title rivals Leeds Roses beating Kingston Diamonds 3-0 at the weekend, the run-in for the league championship remains very tight. Leeds have games in hand to play and need to win them all if they are to have any chance of overtaking Widnes.  The two teams meet in their last game of the league season - in what may well be a title decider - in Bradford on 10th May. 

Widnes Wild Women In League Title Push

The Wild Women celebrate their 2020 title win (Photo by Mo Muir)

The Widnes Wild Women play their last home game of the season this Sunday 27th April when they take on Caledonia Bees at Planet Ice Widnes and their mission is clear. If they can win this game and then win their final league game away at Leeds Roses on 10th May, they will secure the Division 2 North league title.

The Wild Women currently top the Division 2 North league table with 15 points - a playing record of six wins, three draws and one defeat from their 10 games to date. There is a chasing pack of three more teams who are also still in with a chance of the title – perennial challengers Telford Wrekin Raiders, Sheffield Shadows and Leeds Roses. Sheffield and Telford are currently vying for second place and have 14 and 13 points respectively from 10 games. 

Leeds are playing catch up in the fixture list and have 2 games in hand.  The good news for the Wild Women is that the Roses have games against both Telford and Sheffield over the weekend of 3rd and 4th May so it is likely that, depending on those results, one or more of those teams will be played out of the title race by the time Widnes play Leeds the weekend after.

With there only being 12 matches in the league schedule this season, the table is very tight and the title may well be decided by a single point margin or less. This works in Widnes’ favour at present as teams that finish on the same number of points are separated by results in matches played between them. 

With the Wild Women having beaten Sheffield both home and away and also having beaten Telford narrowly at home after a draw away in Shropshire, they would take the top spot if they were to finish on the same number of points as either of those two teams.  

On paper, the home game against Caledonia should be the easier of the two games in the Wild Women’s title run-in.  The Edinburgh-based Bees are a new team in the division for this season and are a development team for the Caledonia Steel Queens who play in Division 1. They are bottom of the league table, having lost all 11 of their games to date, with a goal difference of minus 81.  The Wild Women beat them 4-12 when they ventured north of the border back in December.

But there is no such thing as a certainty in ice hockey and games still need to be won - so the Wild women will need to be at their very best on Sunday.

The away game at Leeds is likely to be a very different kettle of fish entirely and the Wild Women only very narrowly beat them 2-1 in the recent encounter in Widnes. Depending on the other results in the intervening period, the game on 10th May could well be a deciding “winner takes all” clash for the league title.  

The Wild Women previously won the league title in the 2019/20 season.  They finished second in the league in 2022/23.  

WNIHL Div2N Remaining Fixtures:

• Widnes v Caledonia 27th Apr
• Leeds v Kingston 27th Apr
• Leeds v Sheffield 3rd May
• Telford v Leeds 4th May
• Leeds v Widnes 10th May
• Sheffield v Whitley 10th May
• Telford v Kingston 11th May

Deeside Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw Named Coach Of The Year

Deeside Ducks' Gary Shaw received the Laidler Coach of the Year award from NIHL General Manager Haydn Hunter (Photo by RDG Digital)

Deeside Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw has been named Coach Of The Year for the Laidler Division in the official NIHL awards, sponsored by The Ice Barn.

Shaw made the 3-name shortlist along with Ian Weedall of Billingham Buccaneers who finished 3rd in the Laidler Division and Ian Brown of Bradford Bulldogs who finished just above the Ducks in 9^th place.

The choice is notable because there was no room for the coaches of the top two teams in the Division – Sutton Sting, who were runners up, and Telford Tigers who went on to win the league, cup and play offs – and clearly demonstrates that, at this level, the development and progression of younger players is just as highly valued as winning trophies.

The shortlist for the Moralee Division comprised of Stephen Foster from Billingham Stars, Dominic Osman from Blackburn Hawks and Andy Daintith & Mike Roddy from Hull Jets - and the award eventually went to Foster, who guided his team to an historic treble of league, cup and play off titles.

The award was presented to Shaw at the NIHL Play Off Weekend in Sheffield and came as a complete surprise to him, as he explains:

“When attending the NIHL Play Offs on Sunday, I was asked to drop the puck for the Division 2 game for which I was glad to accept the honour. While we were waiting, they announced that there was a presentation award they had to give out.”

“They announced that it was for Coach of the Year and I had no idea that I was there for the award as they had kept it under wraps really well and I was shocked that the announcement was made for me.”

“I never thought that I would be nominated for an award like this - I have always maintained that it’s always been about the players’ development throughout my coaching career, and I have never been one to take the accolades for their accomplishments on the ice.”

“I have coached at a few different clubs and have had the enjoyment of starting kids at novice level to players representing England and Great Britain, and this is why I have kept coaching for so long in the game I love so much.”

“I am humbled and proud to be named Coach of the Year, especially for representing my home club at Deeside where I have played and coached for over 40 years.”

Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 2 – Don Valley Vikings 8 (Summer Classic Cup - Elite Group)

Martin Stolicny (left) was the Cobras MVP against Don Valley (Photo by Scott Dutton)

Sunday 13th April 2025 – Summer Classic Cup (Elite Group): Connah’s Quay Cobras 2 – Don Valley Vikings 8 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras suffered their first defeat of their 2025 Summer Classic Cup campaign with a 2-8 reverse at home to Don Valley Vikings at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The two teams had met in the Play Off Final last year where Don Valley won by just one goal so the Cobras had plenty to prove in this match. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite their way but, despite the final result, the game was quite close for the first two periods.

Connah’s Quay actually scored first, with a goal from Sam Plant in the 6th minute but the Vikings drew level 5 minutes later. They then took the lead themselves on 13 minutes and the score remained 1-2 at the first period break.

Don Valley edged further ahead with another goal 90 seconds into the second period but Connah’s Quay battled on and were rewarded with a Slavo Sykora goal on 36 minutes. The score stood at a finely balanced 2-3 at the second interval and there was still much to play for in the final period.

Don Valley started the third period as they had started the second – with another early goal – and they then extended the lead to 2-5 with a shorthanded goal on 43 minutes. The Cobras were unable to find a way past the staunch Vikings defence and three more unanswered goals gave the visitors a comprehensive victory.

The Connah’s Quay Cobras are next in action on Sunday 4th May when they entertain Leeds Lightning in their next Elite Group game in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure Centre. Face off is at 8.30pm and admission is free for all spectators.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 2 – Leeds Roses 1 (WNIHL Division 2 North)

Stephanie Drinkwater was the Wild Women’s MVP against Leeds (Photo by Paul Breeze) 

Sunday 13th April 2025 – WNIHL Division 2 North: Widnes Wild Women 2 – Leeds Roses 1

The Widnes Wild Women maintained their Division 2 North title challenge with a hard fought 2-1 win over Leeds Roses at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

This was a very entertaining game to watch – with the result remaining in doubt until the very last seconds - and many observers agreed that it was quite possibly one of the best women’s matches ever seen at the Widnes rink.

Leeds opened the scoring with a goal on 9 minutes and the score remained 0-1 at the first period break. Widnes equalised on 24 minutes with a strike from Ruth Leopold and, despite chances for both teams, the score stood at 1-1 at the second interval.

This game was end to end action throughout, although the Roses had the edge in terms of shots on goal – out-shooting the Wild Women by 49 to 36 over the whole 60 minutes.  However, they came up against Stephanie Drinkwater who was in fine form in the Widnes goal and made a succession of stunning saves, keeping out an impressive 48 of the 49 shots that she faced, for a 97.96 save percentage.

Widnes eventually took the lead on 47 minutes with a goal from Amanda Armstrong, setting up a nail-biting finale. 

Despite the closeness of this game and its significance for the league standings, it was played in good spirit throughout, with very few penalties being awarded.

Just 4 minutes of penalties were handed out to each side over the course of the game and two each of these came in the third period when Widnes were defending their slender lead.

The Wild Women managed to fend off the Leeds assault when they were a player down and were unable to take advantage when the tables were turned with 6 minutes left to play.  

The clock slowly ticked down and, despite a late flurry of pressure from Leeds, Widnes were able to hold on and record an important victory.

The MVP awards - sponsored this season by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review – were presented by match volunteer Lynda Bird and went to Kirsty Hodgins for Leeds and Stephanie Drinkwater for Widnes.

The Wild women now have 6 wins, three draws and one defeat from their 10 league games to date.  The other teams in the mix for the league title have games to catch up on so the table standings for Division 2 are far from clear at present.

Widnes play their last home game of the season on Sunday 27th April when they take on Caledonia Steel Queens at Planet Ice Widnes.  The game has a later than usual face off time of 5.45pm.

They then finish off their regular league schedule with an away game to Leeds Roses on 10th May – which will be played at Bradford Ice Rink due to a lack of available ice time at Leeds.

Deeside Ducks Coach's Comments On Debut Season

Deeside Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw has given his verdict on the team’s debut season in the Laidler Division. 

Looking back on their first season of league competition, he said:

“The Ducks season - if you look at the league table - seems not to have been a good one. But you have to remember that this team was put together from a range of different abilities - with players playing at rec and Under 19 level and a few older players to help out.

“The goal was to enhance the development of the younger players into senior. We had 16, 17, 18 year olds who had never played at this level and the key was to have the selection of older experienced players help nurture this raw talent and keep them safe on the ice.

“The Ducks had some poor losses but also had some very close games and as the season progressed we were becoming more confident and had started to compete with the other teams that are well established and had players that were very comfortable playing at this level of hockey.

“When we started the season, my only goal was to get them playing together as a unit and be competitive as a team, which we achieved and had as a bonus that the players actually won games.

“The strategy was to develop players and get through the season - which we achieved. We now have 4 or 5 players training with the Dragons each week, as well as the three already signed for them.”

“So, as the first season for the team closes, we now have a group of players that we can progress onto the Dragons in a few years time.”

“From my point of view the season was a success. Looking at the results, maybe not - and I hate to lose - but the amount of players that have improved this year is a big plus. They have earned the wins they achieved, and they have competed all year.”

“I am very happy with how the team has done this season, and looking forward to carry on the progression of these young players and the future Dragons players.”

Shaw also revealed that plans are already well under way for next season: 

“We now already have more players interested in playing for the Ducks and some stronger developed experienced players are interested who will enhance the squad and help develop the young talent further.”

“The squad next year should be stronger in terms of quality and depth and will compete from the very start of the season. Let’s go Ducks!” 

Ducks' Gledhill Named Netminder Of The Month

Jace Gledhill - Netminder Of The Month for February 2025 (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Rather like buses, you hang around waiting for ages and then two come along in quick succession. 

Following on from Chris Jones’s Player of the Month Award for January, the Ducks can boast another accolade winner in Jace Gledhill, who was named as Netminder of the Month for the Laidler Division for February 2025 by NIHL North Updates.

Regarding Gledhill’s award, NIHL North Updates commented: 

“This goaltender of the month award cannot go to anyone else. Having stepped down from the Dragons to fill in an incomplete Ducks tandem, Jace Gledhill has had one of the best netminding performances in the NIHL this season. Jace netted Deeside two momentous upset victories (half of the team's total wins this season), including a 40-save shutout — his first as a senior — against the 4th-placed Coventry Blaze who have been a force to be reckoned with in 2024/25.”

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.