Widnes Wild 6 - Coventry Blaze 1 : A Few Thoughts....

Goal mouth action from Widnes Wild's win over Coventry Blaze
Photo by Geoff White  (www.gw-images.co.uk)

The term “a game of two halves” is usually attributed to football but this match was pretty much  game of two halves as well – even thought it was, obviously,  played over the customary three 20 minute thirds.

With Widnes Wild having already beaten Coventry 0-6 on their own ice and the Blaze having only scored 3 goals in their 4 - winless - games to date, this game really looked like being a simple formality – at least on paper.

On ice it was a completely different kettle of fish and, for the first period you couldn’t really tell which side had enjoyed the better start to the season. Coventry looked very well organised, defended well and looked dangerous going forward.  But, what do you expect? They now have former Chicago Blackhawks NHL draftee, reclassified import, former GB International Ian Pound - a veteran of over 300 top class games in the UK dating back to the British League period as head coach for this season - so things would have to improve.

 OK - Widnes had their chances as well but they didn’t really seem to stamp as much authority on the game as one might have expected and then shock horror – Coventry took the lead.

With the scoreline still at 0-1 heading towards the break, Lucy suggested that we might have to come up with a headline using the term “Coventry Climax”. My somewhat fertile imagination started running away with all sorts of visions of West Midlands sex shops and the like until she reminded me that this was, in fact, the name of a famous engineering company that used to make engines for Formula 1 cars in the 50s and 60s.   We then spent most of the first break looking up the history of this fascinating company on my phone – which you can now read about   HERE

Most ice hockey games that I have been to tend to have a certain game changing moment that usually comes in the second period. I don’t why it happens then - but it just does.  The game changing moment on this occasion was the 28^th minute. Prior to the 28^th minute, Coventry had been leading and Widnes had huffed and puffed without really achieving anything.  Then came two goals 39 seconds apart and it was “game over”.  I didn’t actually see the second goal because I was busy writing a note about the first one when it went in.     

Coventry had no reply to offer and, by the end of the second period, it was 4-1 to the Wild - and my concerns about concocting a Coventry Climax related headline were gladly diminishing.

A 5^th goal right at the start of the third period from player coach Scott McKenzie  – the first strike of the night at our end of the ice – settled any remaining doubts as to how this game was going to go and then a well taken short-handed goal towards the end wrapped up the scoring.

This was a very pleasurable game to watch all round – and the various break time entertainments such as the two girls giving an ice dancing demonstration and, later on, the Chuck a Duck competition all help to make match night at Widnes a fun experience for all the family.

Incidentally: I have to say that this was one of the quickest finishing games that I have ever seen.  The first 7 minutes ran through almost without stopping the clock at all and the first period was over in easily less than half an hour. The match had finished by 7.40 (having started at 5.30) and I can only assume that somebody was in a hurry to watch the rugby or something…

 

       

Laidler Conference Weekend Round Up - 26th & 27th September

Deeside Dragons remain top after a 1-11 win away at Blackburn Eagles on Saturday.  The Dragons remain the only team in the Laidler with a 100% record from their 4 games to date. 

Nottingham Lions beat Hull Jets 6-2 to leapfrog them into second place and Widnes Wild remain 4^th after a 6-1 over struggling Coventry Blaze.

The Eagles hit back on Sunday night to win 2-3 away at Altrincham Aces and they join Widnes on 6 points from 4 games in a comfortable mid-table position.

Altrincham Aces picked up their first win of the season with 1-6 win away at Coventry Blaze. The Blaze remain pointless with 5 defeats from their 5 games and a terrible record of having only scored 4 goals in total so far.

Moralee Conference Weekend Round Up: 26th & 27th September

Erik Bakalar scores for Solihull Barons against Solway Sharks
(photo by Keith & Jenny Davies) 

Whitley Warriors remain top of the Moralee Conference after a 5-4 home win over Telford Tigers. They had led 3-0 after two periods but 3 straight goals from the visitors left the Warriors needing to dig deep and they made sure of the win with a PPG from Ben Richards on 57.25.

24 hours earlier, the Tigers had picked up their first win of the season with 6-3 home win over Solway Sharks with last season’s Laidler Conference top scorer James Smith hitting 4+2.

The Sharks’ away day blues continued on Sunday when they lost 5-4 away to Solihull Barons, giving the Midlands side their first win of the season.

With 3 Moralee teams playing their home games at iceSheffield this season, there was always going to be lot tension in the Steel City and last weekend saw back to back encounters between Sutton Sting and Sheffield Spartans.  Sting beat Spartans 7-5 in their “home” game on Saturday and Spartans got the revenge the next night with a very tense 1-0 victory - the only goal of the game coming from Michael Mawer on a 5-3 powerplay at 17.17.

That win moves the Spartans back up into 3^rd place with 6 points from their 5 games so far, level with Blackburn Hawks who didn’t have a game at the weekend. The Warriors lead the table with 9 points from 5 games.

Widnes To Play Higher Opposition In New NIHL North Cup

NIHL North Laidler Conference side Widnes Wild will take on three teams from the higher Moralee Conference in a revamped NIHL North Cup competition.

They will play Solway Sharks, Billingham Stars and Blackburn Hawks in the round robin competition, with each side playing the other home and away. Games tied at 60 minutes will be resolved with a sudden-death overtime period followed by penalty shots if required to secure a decisive result.

Competition points will be two points for any win, one point for an OT or shootout loss and nothing for a regulation loss.  At the conclusion of the round robin games the team with the most points will be the Cup winners.

The full list of cup fixtures is as follows:

31/10/2015 Solway v Blackburn

08/11/2015 Blackburn v Solway
28/11/2015 Solway v Billingham
09/01/2016 Billingham v Widnes
13/02/2016 Billingham v Solway
27/02/2016 Blackburn v Widnes
06/03/2016 Widnes v Blackburn
12/03/2016 Billingham v Blackburn
27/03/2016 Widnes v Solway
02/04/2016 Blackburn v Billingham
02/04/2016 Solway v Widnes
03/04/2016 Widnes v Billingham

Laidler Conference: Deeside Dragons 9 - Altrincham Aces 1

Deeside's Adrian Palak in action against Altrincham Aces
(Photo by Peter Sheffield - www.psd-images.co.uk)

Dragons boss Lol Paul admitted he raised his voice “for the first time this season” during Saturday’s 9-1 win over Altrincham Aces – and his side responded with five unanswered goals.​

A bad-tempered encounter at Chester Road saw the Dragons leading 4-1 at the end of the second period, with Owen Bennett thrown out of the game for fighting.

Paul lifted the lid on his frustrations with the Deeside squad during that second break, as Altrincham threatened to claw their way back into contention and their response confirmed the Flintshire side’s pre-season tag as favorites for Laidler Conference honours.

Paul said: “It definitely wasn’t as easy as it looked against Altrincham. We spent a lot of time in the penalty box, and they had a seven-minute powerplay. I have never seen that happen before.

“We were a bit flat in the first and second periods, but still ended that part of the game 4-1. In the second break, I raised my voice for the first time this season and the guys scored five times.

“There were a few silly penalties for lipping at the referee, but I was still pleased with our overall performance. Adrian Palak was outstanding and his second goal was an absolute rocket.”

Palak was on target after just seven minutes on Saturday night, before an equaliser from the Aces just moments later. Further strikes from Mike Jones and Filip Supa extended that advantage before the first break, while Palak added a fourth on 26 minutes.

A chaotic middle session saw no further goals – but in the final 20 minutes, Deeside hit a purple patch. James Parsons added his first of the evening, alongside two further strikes from Palak, and goals from Supa and Simon Furnival.

Paul added: “I told the lads last night that every game is now a final. It is one thing to get to the top of the league, but another to stay there.

“We have got to go out and win every game, as the other teams will be looking to knock us off.

“It is a long season, so we need to keep up our 100mph energy and passion from the minute the puck drops.”

The Dragons are back in NIHL action next weekend, when they make the trip to face Blackburn Eagles on Saturday evening.

Laidler Conference - Weekend Round Up

Hull Jets top the Laidler Conference after a four point weekend that brought wins over the bottom two teams.  On Saturday night they won 0-3 away at Coventry Blaze and then edged out bottom team Bradford Bulldogs 5-4 in Hull on Sunday, despite being outshot 37 to 45.

Blackburn Eagles came back from 2-0 down to win 2-3 away at Nottingham Lions and inflict a first defeat of the season on the Midlands side.  The winning goal came from Captain Arron Arrowsuch with 5 minutes left to play.  The Lions had themselves 24 hours earlier snatched a last gasp powerplay winner as they won 4-5 away at Bradford Bulldogs on Saturday in a game that saw the home side amass 91 PIMs to the Lions’ 34.

In the other Laidler game of the weekend, Deeside Dragons beat Altrincham aces 9-1 on Saturday night to maintain their 100% start to the season but they now drop down to second place behind new leaders Hull.

Moralee Conference - Weekend Round Up

Whitley Warriors took over at the top of the Moralee Conference after a 3 point weekend that saw a 3-3 draw away at newly promoted Telford Tigers on Saturday and then a narrow 2-1 win at home to last season’s Laidler champions Solihull Barons at home on Sunday. 

The only other undefeated team - Blackburn Hawks - shut out Sutton Sting 5-0 and move up into second place, a point behind the Warriors.

The previous leaders - Sheffield Spartans - drop down to 4th place after being shut out 4-0 away at Billingham Stars on Sunday.     

In the other Moralee game of the weekend, Solway Sharks picked up their first win at the third attempt with a 12-1 demolition of Sheffield Senators who remain bottom of the table with 3 defeats so far. 

2015 NIHL Yearbook Available NOW

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The 2015 NIHL Yearbook features league-by-league and team-by-team stats of all teams and competitions in NIHL North and South for the 2014/15 season including cups and play offs.

This is the only publication in the planet that covers NIHL ice hockey in this detail.  For details of how to order YOUR copy, click HERE

Moralee Conference Weekend Overview - 12th & 13th September

Goal action from the Blackburn Hawks v Telford Tigers game
Photo by Steve Pollitt

It’s Sheffield top and bottom of the of the Moralee Conference after the Sheffield Spartans faced newly promoted Sheffield Senators in back to back “home and away” games at the weekend.

Both teams play their home games at iceSheffield so the weekend was a very carbon friendly and the Spartans won both encounters 7-1. They lead the table on goal difference while  the Senators prop up the table having “played two - lost two”.

Solway Sharks currently occupy the unusual (for them) position of second from bottom as they have also lost both their opening games – a 3-5 home defeat to Billingham Stars coming hot on the heels of the 7-4 loss away at Whitley a week earlier.

The Warriors are currently second having also won both their opening games after a 2-6 win away over Moralee new boys Solihull Barons.   The other newly promoted team Telford Tigers lost 5-3 away at reigning champions Blackburn Hawks.  The result was incredibly close considering they were outshot by the Hawks by 80 shots to 37.    

Blackburn drop down to third despite having a 100% record so far as they have an inferior goal difference to both Spartans and Whitley.  Sutton Sting are one of 5 teams that have zero points so far this season although they are the only team yet to play a game.

NIHL North 2: 4 Point Start For Deeside Dragons

Match Action form Deeside Dragons v Blackburn Eagles
Photo by Peter Sheffield - www.psd-images.co.uk

It was a four point weekend for the Dragons wining 10-2 at home on Sunday against Blackburn Eagles and then away on Sunday to Widnes Wild with a score of  7-5

 

Deeside Dragons got their Laidler Conference campaign off to the best possible start with a 10-2 demolition of Blackburn Eagles.  Simon Furnival was on target after just 60 seconds on Saturday night, before a further strike from James Parsons on five minutes.

 

Marc Lovell doubled that advantage with two goals midway through the session, before Simon Furnival added a fifth on 19 minutes. 

 

Blackburn, however, grabbed some consolation with their first goal just before the interval. The onslaught continued in the second period, but not before the visitors struck once again, with just two minutes on the clock.

 

James Parsons and Adrian Palak shared the spoils in that middle session, with Parsons recording his hat-trick, while Palak bagged a brace to make it 9-2.

 

A relatively quiet third period, meanwhile, saw just the one goal, from Parsons, as the Dragons eased the pressure on Blackburn’s goal.

 

Sunday

 

The Dragons have started of the season in style with a four point weekend after a road win on Sunday night at Widnes Wild

 

Head coach Lol Paul said "Its been a great weekend for the Dragons with two wins and four points and sitting at the top of the league I could not have asked for more from the lads ,and to come back from 3-1 down to win 7-5 away from home shows lot of commitment and determination"

 

it was a gritty affair with both teams taking penalties but Widnes raced to an early 3-1 lead by the end of the first period.  The Dragons came out in the second period and turned the game around with five unanswered goals to finally go on to win the game 7-5 and take all the points

Challenge Match: Deeside Dragons 2 - Telford NIHL Tigers 4

Photo by Peter Sheffield - www.psd-images.co.uk

Deeside Dragons boss Lol Paul is determined to draw the positives from his pre-season programme, despite a 4-2 defeat to Telford Tigers NIHL.

 

Saturday night at Chester Road saw a healthy crowd welcome the Red Hockey era to Flintshire, following a summer of changes at the club.

 

But with Telford taking advantage of a slow start to secure a 4-2 victory, Paul must now wait until the start of the NIHL season next weekend for his first win.

 

And the Dragons chief believes his side is poised to fulfill expectations in the Laidler Conference.

He said: “It was a good game for us and there were a lot more positives than negatives. We outshot Telford by nine shots, but their netminder stood on his head.

“That isn’t to take anything away from The Tigers, and they never stopped pushing our guys.

“We’ve got two good imports and a team of strong players, so we should be a match for anyone in the league.

“I am pleased with the performance, but at the end of the day, the scoreline doesn’t lie.”

Philip Mulcachy was first on the scoresheet for Telford after just six minutes, before a strike from James Smith just moments later.

Deeside hit back through Adrian Palak at the start of the second period, although the visitors secured victory later on with goals from Callum Bowley and Brad Betteridge.
That was despite a late consolation goal from Deeside’s Filip Supa.

Paul added: “It was a good atmosphere in the rink, but I want a really packed out crowd next Saturday night for our first league game against Blackburn.
“When there is 800 people in this rink, the noise is incredible and it really spurs the guys on.
“I’ve looked at the other teams and how they played at the weekend. We have got to be careful and take it one game at a time.”​

Laidler Conference Weekend Round Up - 5th & 6th September

Goalmouth action from the game between Bradford and Blackburn
(photo by Matt Strong)

Blackburn Eagles are the early leaders of the table after a 1-8 win away at Bradford Bulldogs. They outshot their hosts 41 to 76 in lively game that saw 130 minutes of penalties (65 each) and the lion’s share of the goals were scored by new summer signings.

Slovakian Tomas Mitrik – who played at Deeside Dragons last season – hit 2+1 and fellow former Dragon Chris Jones added 2+0. 

 

Former Lancashire Raptor Bobby Caunce, who joined from Widnes Wild in the summer, scored 2+0 and the other Eagles goals came from Arron Arrowsuch and Carl Slater. 

Caunce’s previous club set their stall out for the new campaign with a 0-6 shut out of Coventry Blaze down in the Midlands.  New player coach – former Telford EPL Tiger Scott McKenzie - scored 1+3 as the Wild outshot the Blaze 20-51.

In the other Laidler game of the weekend, Hull Jets drew 2-2 at home to Nottingham Lions

Moralee Conference Weekend Round Up - 5th & 6th September

Blackburn Hawks appear to have picked where they left off last season with a 0-4 shut out of last season’s league and play off runners up Billingham Stars away in the North East.   The Hawks outshot their hosts 30-36 and goals from new signings RJay Berra (2+0) and Richard Bentham (1+0), along with fans’ favourite Tom King (1+0)  - were much more than the Stars could cope with. 

Things went better further up the north east coast where the new look Whitley Warriors defeated Solway Sharks 7-4. 

Most of the talk during the summer has been about the return of GB international David Longstaff and Canadian import Andre Payette to the Bay and it was the former Guildford Flames EPL captain who made the biggest impact on the match with a haul of 3+2. 

 

Sharks’ new Slovakian import - former Edinburgh and Dundee Elite League player - Martin Cingel hit 2-2 as his team battered the Warriors - outshooting them by 46 to 78 and even leading for a while in the first half of the game - but the previously perennial champions were unable to make their pressure count and were kept goalless for the last 30 minutes.

Saturday Results At A Glance

Laidler Conference:
Bradford Bulldogs 1- Blackburn Eagles 8
Hull Jets 2 – Nottm Lions 2
Coventry Blaze 0 – Widnes Wild 6

 

NRHC: Riverside Raiders (Widnes) 19 - Manchester Rhinos 3

Riverside Raiders 19 - Manchester Rhinos 3

Period Scores:  5-1, 6-2, 8-0

On a night when the Widnes Wild NIHL team got shut out 9-0 away at Blackburn and the friendly between Whitley Warriors and Kirkcaldy Kestrels got abandoned midway through the game, I would have to say that we were probably picked the best game to go to.  Ok a 19-3 scoreline tells its own story but I can honestly say that the performances on the ice were a lot closer than the numbers suggest.

The visiting Rhinos battled throughout – even once it was obvious that the game was beyond them -and only in the latter stages did it get a bit niggly and the penalties started to mount up. Referee Mr Hamilton was officiating the game on his own and did a very good job in keeping everything under control. He didn’t out up with any nonsense from the players and we had several misconduct penalties for arguing about decisions or hitting the boards in annoyance. In fact, I have never seen quite a referee’s hands go to his hips quite so often in a game and if more referees did this, a lot of the niggling that build up in games at all levels would probably disappear overnight.

We even had the tense drama of a penalty shot – which the Rhinos’ player missed. These happen so infrequently that I couldn’t possible tell you when I last saw a penalty shot awarded during a match. I could tell you when the first one I ever saw was – so rare as they are – but that can wait for another occasion.

I can’t go into specifics because I don’t have the gamesheet and they didn’t have a match announcer so I can’t be sure of who scored what but this was a very solid all round performance from the Riverside Raiders who are in their first season of competition.

From my own point of view, this was actually the very first item that I had actually seen a “Manchester” team play ice hockey, believe it or not. I have seen Altrincham Aces and Trafford Metros numerous times over the years but - for one reason or other - never got round to seeing Manchester Storm, Phoenix or Minotaurs.    Also, just off the top of my head, this is probably the highest scoring game that I have been at since watching Peterborough Pirates beat Grimsby Buffalos in the halcyon days of the British League in 1984. 

There is more recreational ice hockey at Silver Blades Widnes next Sunday when Widnes Wildcats take on group leaders Grimsby Ice Bears in their last group game in the Northern Rec Hockey Cup in a 7.30pm face off. 

The day before the Wildcats are in action at iceSheffield in the Summer Cup play offs. They play Whitley in the second semi-final at 11am and the final is at 6pm.  Admission is free for what should be good day of hockey.     

Deeside Dragons Sign Slovakian Import

The Dragons will be looking to “raise the bar” next season, after the capture of prolific forward Adrian Palak from Romanian side Dunarea Galati.

 

Palak, 25, collected a remarkable 75 points in just 25 games last year – including 38 goals - as he led his side to the Romanian league title.

 

Dragons boss Lol Paul has been tracking Palak for much of the summer, as he builds a squad capable of challenging for the Laidler Conference title and the Deeside chief is delighted to have finally got his man

He said: “Bringing Adrian on board has taken much of the off-season, but last week we got together and agreed a contract for him.

 

“He is a great player and last year really came into his own in Romania. I think he’ll be a great player in this league and raise the bar for us.

 

“Alongside Filip Supa, Adrian is another guy who will provide a statement of intent for The Dragons. We want to give the fans a great season.”

Although still relatively young, Palak will be handed a senior role at Chester Road, in a dressing room that is already “full of leaders”.

 

He spent much of his early career with HK Dukla Trencin in the Slovakian under-20s league, before moving to France and then back to Slovakia.

 

Paul believes his team-building strategy will pay dividends during a lengthy NIHL campaign.

 

He added: “Adrian is only 25, but he’s played in several good leagues during a short career. Wherever he’s played, his stats have usually been over a point per game.

 

“Like many of our other players, he will be able to pass on that experience to the rest of the team. As I have said before, I want a dressing room full of leaders.”

Latest News From Haringey Racers

The London Haringey Racers have today announced that the Charity they will be sponsoring for this season is 'The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust' (SMAT). This charity is close to the hearts of Racers owners Dave and Verity Richards, as their baby Ruby died of this disease in April
this year.

This information comes from the SMAT itself and explains a bit about the disease : -

“What is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?
Children born with the inherited condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) lack a gene which sends messages from their brain to muscles around the spine that control moving and breathing. There are 4 types of SMA that vary greatly in severity. In its most severe (and common) form, SMA is the leading genetic killer of children under 2. Improvements in care mean that people with milder forms of the condition are living much longer but many are never able to walk and the progressive nature of the condition means that their muscles become progressively weaker over time, leading to greater risk of severe respiratory problems. Although SMA is still classified as rare, there are around 2,500 people in the UK with the condition and 1 in 40 of us is a carrier (1.5 million people). There is currently no treatment or cure for SMA.”

Find out more by going to http://www.smatrust.org

Racers owner returns to the ice

London Haringey Racers have today announced that owner Dave Richards has signed to return as a player this season following nearly a year out of the game.

Dave says that he is looking forward to his return on the 3rd October especially given the cause that we are raising money for, and is immensely proud to be playing in memory of his little girl. He is also looking forward to be playing other games in the season when the time arises and is back over from Spain.

"Training so far has been hard work but rewarding and its been great to be back in the room with the boys, some old faces and some new. With 2 seasons now under our belt, we have a great coaching team in place and a great roster of players and this could well be our year".

Davies Back For Deeside Dragons

Deeside Dragons' Paul Davies
Photo by Peter Sheffield - www.psd-images.co.uk

Deeside Dragons coach Lol Paul will have further striking options next season, after Paul Davies agreed terms on a second season with the Flintshire outfit

The former Bristol Pitbulls forward was a revelation for Deeside last time out, bagging 43 points in just 30 Laidler Conference games.

Overall, Davies boasts a record of well over a point per game at NIHL 2 level, and performed admirably for Telford during a single season in NIHL 1. It is that record which persuaded Paul to extend Davies’s stay at Chester Road, as he looks to fulfil pre-season expectations of a fresh title challenge.

He said: “Paul came in last season and did incredibly well. He was one of the club’s top scorers and I expect him to repeat that next season.

“He has some great experience at this level with Bristol, and at the higher NIHL 1 standard with Telford. That is one of the reasons why I decided to keep him.

“He still at a good age and has an awful lot of potential. We are building a squad for the future here at Deeside, and I see Paul being a big part of that.”

Paul, who is still tracking a high-profile import signing for The Dragons, expects his latest capture to blossom into key player next season.

He added: “I am confident that Paul Davies’s potential will come to the fore in the next twelve months. We have already got a superb squad and he will compliment that.

“He has already proved how well he can integrate into the team and work with the guys we have here.

“When we have our full quota of imports in place, this will be a team that can compete for titles and give the supporters a great year of ice hockey.”

 

The Dragons will take on Telford Tigers NIHL in a pre-season friendly ahead of the new Laidler Conference campaign.

 

The two teams will meet in Shropshire on August 29th, before the return encounter at Deeside Ice Rink on September 5th.

 

 

 

 

 

Deeside Dragons Announce Fixtures & Season Ticket Offers

Deeside Dragons have announced their NIHL North Laidler Conference fixtures for the 2015/16 season.  In a change from previous years, they will be playing their home games on Saturday evenings with a 7.10pm face off. This is due to the fact that Manchester Phoenix will be playing their home EPL games at Deeside Ice Rink on Sunday evenings.

A season-long pass, which covers all home league games, will cost £65 for adults – the equivalent of just over £4.60 per match.

Children under 16 and OAPs will pay £32 for season tickets – a price that works out at around £2.20 per game at Deeside Ice Rink.

Family season tickets, which cover two adults and two children, are set to cost just £145 – the equivalent of just over £10 per family.

Season ticket holders will also receive a hefty 25% discount on replica Dragons shirts.

Single match tickets will cost just £6 for adults, £3 for under-16s and OAPs, and £14 for families

Match Report: Widnes Wildcats 3 - Sheffield Ice Tigers 17

Following their long away trip to Hull and back on Saturday night from whence they came back with a 6-9 victory, there must have been few tired legs in the Wildcats camp - and that unfortunately showed in the early stages of the this "big cats" encounter with Sheffield Ice Tigers.

We actually missed the first 10 minutes and were surprised to find the visitors winning 0-5 upon our arrival. That became 0-10 by the end of the first period and everybody seemed a little shell shocked to say the least.

The second period started in much the same vein with the Tigers scoring 3 more goals before the Wildcats finally broke their duck with a strike on 29th minutes and it ended 1-15 after two periods.

There must have been a very good team talk in the Wildcats' dressing room during the second break as they came out on fire for the third period. They fought for every puck and didn't give up until the final buzzer. The period score was 2-2 - a draw but if it had been a boxing round I'd definitely have given to the Wildcats for their guts and determination.

So, in all a very entertaining game - if a little one sided at times - but you can't really complain at game that has 20 goals in it and lots of end to end action.

The Wildcats are at home next on Sunday 16th August when they take on Manchester Rhinos in a 7.30pm face off. 

You can find out more about the Widnes Wildcats on their website www.widneswildcats.co.uk