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Dalton (DJ) Thompson scored within 22 seconds of his Deeside Ducks' debut away at Telford (photo by Keith & Jenny Davies) |
Sunday 26th 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 1st February when they
take on league leaders Sutton Sting at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.