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 have a warm up game against the Great Britain national team arranged on 29th March at Planet Ice Widnes, 8.30pm face off, and their first league game of the season is away to Cardiff on 17th May.

The full list of Mayhem fixtures is as follows: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*****

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*****

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Widnes Wild Weekend Report: 22nd & 23rd February

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ducks MVP Jace Gledhill (Photo by Maxine Roscoe)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Jones Named Defenceman Of The Month

Deeside Ducks' Chris Jones (Photo by All Sports Photography)

Deeside Ducks senior player Chris Jones has been named the Laidler Division’s “Defenceman of the Month” for January 2025 by the influential NIHL North Updates organisation.

NIHL North Updates operate a Facebook page where they post - as is suggested in the title - match updates for games being played in the NIHL North Moralee and Laidler Divisions each weekend.

In fact, during the current – and somewhat elongated - “transition” period while we wait for the EIH(A) to get their new Gameday online scoring and stats system up and running properly, NIHL North Updates is pretty much the only place where you can find an up-to-date and centralised summary of what is happening on match days across the two divisions.

The Player of the Month Awards were launched by NIHL North Updates this season and are based on nominations put forward by fans on the Facebook page, with the instruction: “Players don't need to be flashy goal-scorers ... they can be stay-at-home defencemen, brick wall goaltenders, the lot!”

Regarding Chris Jones’ award, NIHL North Updates commented:  

“The Deeside Ducks, in their first year, have been far from good. But, when they do have all their men on the bench, one of the side's brightest lights is Chris Jones, who can credibly contribute to the team's offence with (Charlie) Spridgeon but has been defensively instrumental in bringing some games within touching distance of points, or softening the blow in others.”

The full list of award winners for January 2025 is as follows:

Moralee Division

• Forward: Daragh Spawforth (Blackburn Hawks)
• Defence: Matt Cross (Blackburn Hawks)
• Netminder: Mark Turnbull (Billingham Stars)

Laidler Division

• Forward: Taylor Stanton (Telford Tigers)
• Defence: Chris Jones (Deeside Ducks)
• Netminder: Chris Outhwaite (Billingham Buccaneers)

You can follow what’s going on in the Moralee and Laidler Divisions every weekend on the NIHL North Updates Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/nihlnupdates

*****

The EIHA ran their own Player Of The Month Awards for all 4 NIHL Divisions in seasons 2017/18 and 2019/20, although the shortlists were compiled and the monthly winners picked by a panel of media experts.  The current NIHL North Updates awards differ from this as the shortlists are taken from nominations by the public.

Wild Women Face Cup Challenge

Lise Gillen has scored three times against Telford in the league this season (Photo by Wil Evans)

The Widnes Wild women’s team are back on the cup trail this weekend as they take on Telford Wrekin Raiders this Sunday 16th February at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

The two league meetings between Widens and Telford this season have been very close with the Wild Women having one win and one draw. They have struggled so far in the cup, however, and two defeats at the hands of the other team in the three-way competition, Sheffield Shadows, mean that Widnes are unlikely to win the trophy and have to depend on results between the other teams.

So, they are mostly playing for pride on Sunday - and to keep the momentum going for their league title challenge, which is, obviously, the main priority for the season. 

Admission to Wild Women’s games is free for all spectators and, with the men’s NIHL team away in Solihull the same day, this is an excellent opportunity for any non-travelling fans to get their “hockey fix” for the weekend.

Widnes Wild NIHL Weekend Report - 8th & 9th February

Johno Williamson and Mikey Gilbert in action away at Blackburn (Photo by Steve Pollitt)

Saturday 8th February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Blackburn Hawks 4 – Widnes Wild 2

Sunday 9th February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 1 – Billingham Stars 3

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a tough weekend, taking on the top two teams in the league, losing 8-2 away to Blackburn Hawks on Saturday and 1-3 at home to Billingham Stars at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

Blackburn never really looked like losing on Saturday and went ahead with goals from former Wild player Adam Barnes and promising teenager Daragh Spawforth.  A goal from Andrew Hopkins on 18 minutes halved the deficit for Widnes and the score stood at 2-1 at the first period break.

The Hawks scored 4 unanswered goals in the second period to put the game well beyond Widnes’ reach and added two more in the third.  A late strike from Matty Barlow with three minutes left on the clock gave the travelling fans something to cheer about but the game finished in a convincing 8-2 win for Blackburn.  

While the result on Saturday may have been somewhat predictable, the game on Sunday certainly wasn’t as the Wild put in a barnstorming performance against the league leaders.  

Widnes played out of their skins – clearly rattling the Billingham Stars - and for much of the game, it was hard to tell that there were 8 league places - and 58 points - between the two teams.

After a tense opening, Billingham eventually took the lead and the score remained at a very tight 0-1 at the first period break.

The Widnes attacking efforts were finally rewarded on 25 minutes when captain Andrew Hopkins fired in a rebound off a Matty Barlow shot to equalise with a powerplay goal and despite numerous chances at both ends, the teams remained locked at 1-1 after two periods.

This was the closest that the Wild had been against any of the top teams all season and it really looked as if an upset might be on the cards as the score remained 1-1 heading into the final 10 minutes.

The tension around the Planet Ice rink was electrifying as the extremely vocal Widnes support urged their team on.  Unfortunately, it was not to be and two late goals secured the win for the Stars.

Despite the disappointing end result, there was nothing to fault about the Wild performance.  Paul Maudsley played an absolute blinder in goal, having been given his first start in the Widnes net after a number of back-up stints, and went on to be deservedly awarded the MVP for the Wild.

Talking afterwards about the two weekend games, Mikey Gilbert said:

"We were going into an extremely tough weekend against the top 2 teams as major underdogs and people would have been expecting hammerings against vastly more experienced teams with big name players playing for them. And then even moreso when we didn’t have our starting goalie." 

"However as a team we stuck together and beared down. Played simple, worked hard and made sure we battled for each other." 

"Both games were really competitive end to end for the most part of both of them. The Sunday game sticking out for us even more keeping the top of the league team to 1-1 with 10 mins left to only concede when we were pushing even more to get the go ahead goal." 

"We created lots of offence in both games and really worked as a solid Unit in defence limiting chances as much as possible and keeping opposition to lower scoring areas. And Maudsley playing really well on Sunday too."

Paul Maudsley was Wild MVP against Billingham
(Photo by David Tattum) 

With bottom club Sheffield losing 11-4 away to Whitley and Leeds Knights losing twice - to Whitley and Hull – all remains the same at the bottom of the Moralee Division table.  Widnes stay in 9th place out of 10 teams, two points ahead of the Scimitars with games in hand - which should keep them clear of the wooden spoon - and 6 points behind Leeds, who currently occupy the last play off spot.

The Wild have three away games now in a row – starting with a trip to face the Solihull Barons on Sunday 16th February, and back to back road games against Deeside Dragons and Nottingham Lions the week after.  They are next at home on Sunday 2nd March when they take on Leeds Knights at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 4 – Nottingham Lions 2 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Ben Roscoe was the Ducks’ MVP against Nottingham (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 8^th February 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 4 – Nottingham Lions 2

The Deeside Ducks picked up their third win of the season – and their first since November - with a superb 4-2 victory over Nottingham Lions at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

This was a very closely fought and entertaining game with little to choose between the teams and it remained goal-less at the first period break. 

Nottingham finally broke the deadlock 25 seconds into the second period but Deeside equalised 4 minutes later with a goal from Charlie Spridgeon. A further goal on 38 minutes edged the Lions back in front but a powerplay strike from Dalton Thompson for the Ducks with just 10 seconds left on the clock tied the score again at 2-2.

Deeside took the lead for the first time 70 seconds into the third period with Spridgeon’s second goal of the game and Nottingham fought back.  However, they were unable to breach the stubborn Ducks defence or get past netminder Jace Gledhill, who was in fine form throughout the game.

The Lions withdrew their netminder in favour of an extra attacker for the final minute and put the Deeside goal under siege. The win, however, was secured for the Ducks with a long range Empty Net Goal from James Morgan with 5 seconds left to play.

After the final buzzer, Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw said: “Both teams played some good hockey throughout the game and I think either could have won - but we prevailed with a great team effort.”

The Ducks are at home again this Sunday 16th February when they take on Coventry NIHL Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre – 5pm face off.

Coach's Comments - with Gary Shaw

Deeside Ducks Head Coach
Gary Shaw (Photo: Ducks IHC) 

Talking about the Ducks’ win over Nottingham, Head Coach Gary Shaw said:

The Ducks played a team which has the same idea of developing players for the next stage of their careers.

The game started with both teams having some good offensive chances and our defensive shape was a little all over the place and due to this we went behind from a good play by one of their talented forwards.

The chances for both teams kept rising and our goalie Jace (Gledhill) made some great saves to keep us in the game, we put some good pressure on their defence and turned the puck over and Charlie managed to equalise for us and finished the period strongly.

The second period started much of the same of the first, end to end and players of both side had good chances but both goalies playing well. Nottingham took the lead again from a shot from the point which Jace didn’t pick up.

The game started to get a bit feisty we a couple of players delivering late hits which the refs didn’t pickup, so on a powerplay Dalton (Thompson) equalised with a good shot from the half wall as the netminder was not ready with his stick in the air. So the period ended all square.

During the break we talked about tightening up in our defence zone and making sure we keep their players to the outside and to be more patient in the offensive zone and control the game.

We started well and the players responded well causing Nottingham some defensive problems and their goalie was playing well.

After some strong attacking pressure on their net Charlie managed to score to give us the lead.

Nottingham started to put some strong pressure on our defence and come up with some good chances but Jace pulled off some great saves to keep our lead.

We called a time out to settle the players down and refocus on our goal about us controlling the game, Nottingham pulled their netminder to add an extra attacker in the last minutes of the game and James (Morgan) managed to score an empty net goal to secure the victory.  

Both teams played some good hockey throughout the game and I think either could have won - but we prevailed with a great team effort.

Deeside Ducks Weekend Report: 1st & 2nd February 2025

Oli Booth was the Ducks' MVP against Sutton (Photo by Maxine Roscoe) 

Saturday 1^st February 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks  1 – Sutton Sting 9

Sunday 2^nd February 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Altrincham Aces 5 – Deeside Ducks 3

The Deeside Ducks had an eventful weekend, losing 1-9 at home to league leaders Sutton Sting on Saturday and then having a much closer game, losing 5-3 away to Altrincham Aces on Sunday. 

Sutton had won 20 of their 21 league games so far this season and, while Deeside put in a good showing, they never really looked like beating the title favourites. However, the game was very close in its earlier stages and it took Sutton until a good 9 minutes in to open the scoring. 

It was 0-2 at the first period break and, with only a single goal scored in the second period and 0-3 at the second interval, leaving Deeside still in with a chance.

Sutton pulled away in the third period, however, with 6 more goals to lead 0-9 with 6 minutes left to play.

The Ducks continued to battle away and their perseverance eventually paid off with a consolation goal from Charlie Nicholson – his first senior goal -  on 55 minutes, which also saw off the unwanted spectre of a first ever home shut-out.

Despite the scoreline, Oli Booth – playing his first game for the Ducks - put in a good performance in goal, keeping out 49 of the 58 shots that he faced, and was named MVP for Deeside.

The away game at Altrincham on Sunday was a lot closer and Deeside were very much in contention right up until the dying moments.

The Ducks scored first with a goal from Rhys Howells on 4 minutes but the lead didn’t last long as the Aces equalised just 68 seconds later. A Chris Jones goal 76 seconds after that put the Ducks back in front but Altrincham fought back to equalise again and two more goals late in the period saw them leading 4-2 at the first break.

The second period was just as closely contested and remained goalless until Andrew Chappell – making his first Ducks appearance - scored with just 34 seconds left on the clock – to reduce the deficit to just one goal heading into the final 20 minutes.

Deeside weren’t able to build on this in the third period, however, and an Aces strike with 7 minutes left to go rounded off the scoring for the game.

The game got tetchier as it went on and an eye-watering 92 penalty minutes were handed out overall – 68 to Altrincham and 24 to Deeside.

The closing minutes saw a lot of disruption and the match finished in disarray with 4 Altrincham players – including former Duck Alfie Kelly – receiving 10 minute major penalties for misconduct and abusive behaviour, along with Deeside’s Rhys Howells, to end the game on a sour note.

The Ducks have another home game this Saturday 8^th February when they take on Nottingham Lions for the first time this season at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Match Report: Sheffield Shadows 7 - Widnes Wild Women 3 (WNIHL Division 2 North Cup)

Jemma Brown scored in the cup game away at Sheffield (Photo by Mark Bird Sports Photography)

Sunday 2nd February 2025 – WNIHL Division 2 North Cup: Sheffield Shadows 7 - Widnes Wild Women 3 

It look as if the Widnes Wild women’s team will be able to “concentrate on the league” after a frustrating 7-3 cup defeat away to Sheffield Shadows on Sunday.

This is the first time that the women’s league have organised a separate cup competition and the three-way tournament between Widnes, Sheffield and Telford offers additional games to pad out the regular league schedule.  However, despite doing well in the league and currently topping the Division 2 North table, Widnes have struggled in the cup and lost their opening match 2-10 at home to Sheffield back in December.   

The away game on Sunday was a much better performance and was closely fought for much of its duration. Widnes actually scored first, with Rachael Pearce firing home in the 3rd minute and it took Sheffield right up until the 19th minute to equalise, leaving the score at a finely-balanced 1-1 at the first period break.

The only goal of the second period saw Sheffield take the lead on 23 minutes and, despite numerous chances at both ends, they remained 2-1 ahead at the second interval.

Widnes equalised 9 minutes into the third period – some 25 minutes after the previous goal – with a strike from Leen de Decker but they were unable to push on from this breakthrough and take control of the game. Sheffield edged back in front on 50 minutes and two more goals within 77 seconds saw them open up a 5-2 lead.

Jemma Brown pulled a goal back for the Wild Women on 53 minutes but the damage had already been done and two late strikes for the Shadows gave the final score a more lop-sided look than the Widnes performance possibly deserved.

The Wild Women still have two more cup games to play – at home to Telford on Sunday 16th February and away in Shropshire on 3rd May – but even if they win both of those, the results in the games between Sheffield and Telford will probably determine the winners of this inaugural cup competition. 

Match Report: Widnes Wild 2 – Hull Jets 4 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Flynn Massie was the Wild MVP against Hull – Photo by David Tattum

Saturday 1st February 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 2 – Hull Jets 4

The Widnes Wild NIHL team put in another gutsy performance against a team from the top half of the league table but narrowly lost out 2-4 to Hull Jets at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday.

This game was pretty close for the first two periods and the result could have gone either way – and extra spice was added to the fixture by the presence of a number of former Widnes players – including former Wild player coach Richard Haggar - on the Hull roster this season 

It took until the 14th minute for the breakthrough, which fell to Hull with one time Wild player Kieran Beach firing the Jets in front. Matty Barlow equalised for Widnes in the 18th minute but evergreen Andrew Florence fired the visitors back in front just 30 seconds later and the score remained 1-2 at the first period break.

Widnes levelled again just 2 minutes into the second period with a goal from Bailey Thomson but they weren’t able to build on this and, despite numerous chances for both sides, the score stood at a finely balanced 2-2 at the second interval. 

Hull edged back into the lead on 43 minutes with a goal from their new signing – Latvian Devids Jurinenoks, recently arrived from Blackburn Hawks -  and the same player doubled the advantage 5 minutes after that.

Widnes had a chance to try and salvage something from the game late on when Kohen Taylor - another former Wild player – picked up a 2+5 penalty with three minutes left to go, meaning that the Jets would have to play the remainder of the game shorthanded. 

They withdrew netminder Campbell in favour of an extra attacker to try and force home the man advantage but were unable to make any headway against the stubborn Hull defence and the score finished at 2-4 to the visitors.

In the battle to avoid the wooden spoon, the Moralee Division’s bottom club Sheffield Scimitars lost to both Leeds Knights and Nottingham Lions over the weekend to leave them rooted at the foot of the table. Widnes are just 2 points ahead of them but have the luxury of 4 games in hand, so they look likely to avoid the unwanted kitchen utensil accolade. 

Those weekend wins for the Lions and the Knights mean that they have both increased their advantage over the Wild in the table - to 18 and 6 points respectively.  Despite having three games to come against Nottingham, Widnes are unlikely to be able to catch them in 7th place but they still have a chance of overtaking Leeds and snatching the 8th and final play off spot.  

The Wild have a tough weekend coming up when they take on the top two teams in the Moralee Division. They travel to East Lancashire to play second place Blackburn Hawks on Saturday 8th February  – 6pm face off – and are then at home to league leaders Billingham Stars on Sunday at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.

Match Report: Telford Tigers 11 - Deeside Ducks 2 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Dalton (DJ) Thompson scored within 22 seconds of his Deeside Ducks' debut away at Telford (photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Sunday 26^th January 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Telford Tigers 11 - Deeside Ducks 2

The Deeside Ducks slumped to an 11-2 defeat away to league title challengers Telford Tigers on Sunday.

The game saw a Ducks debut for Dalton (DJ) Thompson, a former Altrincham Aces and Deeside Dragons NIHL player who has spent the earlier part of this season playing Junior A hockey in the Greater Metro Hockey League (GMHL) in Ontario, Canada.  

Thompson’s arrival had an immediate effect as he fired the Ducks into an early lead with a goal after just 22 seconds of the first period.

The lead didn’t last long, however, and two goals from Telford’s new signing – experienced Czech forward Vladimir Luka - on 4 and 9 minutes put the Tigers ahead.

Deeside hit back again with a goal from Stewart Cutting with 27 seconds left on the clock and the Ducks were able to go into the first interval on level terms at 2-2

That was as good as things got for the Deeside team, however, as Telford fired in 6 unanswered goals in the second period and 3 more in the third to cruise to a comprehensive 11-2 victory.

Much of the damage was done by Luka, who scored 5 goals overall in the game and also added 1 assist.  His arrival in the Tigers 2 camp has raised a few eyebrows after he dropped down two divisions from the National Division to play in what many view as a development league.

So, in view of the strength of the opposition – and the fact that Deeside conceded 24 goals on their previous visit to Shropshire earlier in the season - Sunday’s result would have to be considered an improvement.  

The Ducks have another tough game this Saturday 1^st February when they take on league leaders Sutton Sting at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 5 – Telford Wrekin Raiders 4 (WNIHL Div 2 N)

Katie Fairclough was the Wild
Women’s MVP against Telford 
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 26th January 2025 – WNIHL Div 2 N: Widnes Wild Women 5 – Telford Wrekin Raiders 4

The Widnes Wild women’s team moved back to the top of the Division 2 North table after a close-fought and highly entertaining 5-4 victory over erstwhile league leaders Telford Wrekin Raiders at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The division’s top two teams had played out a fascinating chess-match like 2-2 draw down in Shropshire two weeks earlier and this game was just as nerve-wracking and finely poised - and the result could easily have gone either way right until the final seconds.

Telford took the lead in the 7th minute and, despite Widnes out-shooting the visitors by more than 2 to 1, the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

The continued Wild pressure was eventually rewarded in the 24th minute when Leen de Decker fired in a delayed penalty goal punishing a Telford holding call. 

Telford edged ahead again just 90 seconds later but the Wild Women levelled once more three minutes after that with a goal from Lise Gillen. A further Raiders goal on 35 minutes put Telford noses back in front and the score stood at 2-3 at the second interval.

The third period saw Telford on top in terms of shots on goal and they scored a fourth goal 4 minutes in to open up a two-goal lead.

Ellen Tyrer pulled a goal back for Widnes two minutes later and this sparked a late fight back by the home side.  De Decker fired home on a powerplay on 52 minutes to level the score once again and the Wild took the lead for the first time in the game with Gillen’s second goal of the night on 56 minutes. 

The Wild women held on in the last few minutes to secure a 5-4 victory - which could be highly significant for the league title race. Having drawn the away game with Telford 2-2, this win means that, should the two teams finish level on points in the league table at the end of the season, Widnes would take the higher position based on results between the two teams.

The Wild Women travel to Sheffield this Sunday 2nd February for a cup game and are then at home to Telford in a cup game on Sunday 16th February at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.