Deeside Dragons v Telford Tigers Pre-Season Weekend

New Deeside netminder Curtis Warburton (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 5^th September 2026 – Challenge Match: Telford Tigers 2 - Deeside D1 Dragons 5

Sunday 6^th September 2026 – Challenge Match: Deeside D1 Dragons 4 - Telford Tigers 1

The Deeside D1 Dragons opened their season with back to back challenge match victories over fierce rivals Telford Tigers over the weekend, winning 2-5 away in Shropshire on Saturday and 4-1 at home at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The away game on Saturday saw Dragons debuts for summer signings Curtis Warburton, Kane Morin and Lewis Baldwin and also call-ups for D2 Dragons players Lewis Edward and Ben Roscoe.

Deeside took the lead with a goal from Noah Percival on 5 minutes and the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

Matty Barlow edged the Dragons further ahead 2 minutes into the second period and further goals from Damarni James, Colin Cromie and Ross Kennedy saw them leading 0-5 at the halfway point of the game.

In comparison to some of last year’s tempestuous meetings between the two teams, this was a relatively tame encounter but Telford eventually got going and scored a goal of their own on 36 minutes, leaving the score at 1-5 at the second interval.

The Tigers scored the only goal of the third period on 55 minutes and the game finished 2-5 to the Dragons.

Deeside outshot Telford by 48 to 32 over the 60 minutes and new netminder Warburton put in an impressive display, keeping out all 10 of the shots that he faced before handing over to Jace Gledhill half way through the game.

Sunday’s return match started off with a goal-less first period and the deadlock was eventually broken with a Colin Cromie goal 70 seconds into the second period. 

A second goal from the same player 4 minutes later doubled the Dragons advantage but Telford pressure was eventually rewarded with a goal on 27 minutes.

Summer signing Ryan Wardell took over in goal from Curtis Warburton at the half way stage to make his Dragons debut and went to record a half “shut out” as he turned away all 15 shots that he faced.

Damarni James scored for the second game in a row on 35 minutes and the Dragons led 3-1 at the second interval.  The only goal of the third period came from the stick of Dragons’ U18 GB international Theo Malone to hand Deeside a 4-1 victory.

The competitive league season starts this Sunday 13th September for the D1 Dragons as they take on Sheffield Scimitars in the NIHL Moralee Division at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Deeside Dragons Women's First League Game

Deeside Dragons women's team play their first ever game (Photo by Adam Bassett)

Saturday 5^th September 2026 – WNIHL Div 2 N: Deeside Dragons Women 13 – Leeds Thorns 1

The Deeside Dragons women’s team opened their debut league campaign with a comprehensive 13-1 victory over Leeds Thorns at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

It has been 16 years since a women’s team last played out of the north Wales rink and it was rather fitting that the first goal of this new era was scored by former Flintshire Furies player – now Dragons player coach - Emma Pearson after 6 minutes and 21 seconds of the first period.

Further goals followed – from Niamh Walsh, Charlotte McAdam and Lucy Kirkham – and the Dragons Women led 4-0 at the first period break.

The visiting Leeds team put in a spirited performance but were no match for Deeside and the Dragons scored two more goals – from Grace Taylor on 24 minutes and McAdam again on 29 – before they managed to find the back of the net for the only time of the game on 33 minutes.

Deeside responded quickly with a goal from Ava Langford just 50 seconds later, a strike from Alicia Smith on 36 minutes and a hat-trick goal for Mc Adam with just 53 seconds left in the period.  The Dragons took a 9-1 lead into the second interval and looked well in control.

The third period continued in similar vein with Deeside well on top and outshooting the visitors by some 3 to 1 overall. Goals from Teagan Walsh, Niamh Walsh, Ava Langford and Lucy Kirkham rounded off the scoring for the game and the Dragons women were able to celebrate their maiden league victory.

Chloe Smith was the Dragons Women's MVP against Leeds (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Despite being the less busy of the two netminders, Chloe Smith put in a solid performance in the Deeside goal in her fist ever senior WNIHL game, narrowly missed out on getting a shut out and was named MVP for her sterling efforts. The MVP award for Leeds went to Grace Eggett.

Talking afterwards about the game, Dragons player coach and overall Women’s Lead at Deeside, Emma Pearson said:

“Yesterday was an incredible start to the first ever season for the Dragons women's team. There hasn't been a women's team at Deeside for around 16 years and to see all the people who came down to support us was just amazing.”

“We had a lot of under 16s and girls who have just turned 16 icing and that was the main reason why we wanted to set the team up. We want them to have somewhere to progress to and to help keep them in the sport after they turn 16. I'm very proud of the team and what we have achieved so far.”

The full Deeside squad for this historic first league game was:

Chloe Smith (NM), Ava Langford, Emma Pearson (Player/ Coach) , Lucy Kirkham (C) , Grace Taylor, Sophie Royle, Jessica Petley, Autumn Lennon, Niamh Walsh, Teagan Walsh, Alicia Smith, Katie Jenkinson, Jenny Wild, Eleanor Johnson, Charlotte McAdam, Emily Davies, Lana Botes.

Bench Coaches: Phil Pearson, Gary Shaw, Dave Clancy & Stewart Cutting,

Match Officials: George Perrett & Adam Hedges

 

The Dragons women’s team have three away games in a row now – at Kingston (Hull) Diamonds on 20^th September, Manchester Storm on 3^rd October and Nottingham Vipers on 10^th October.  They are next at home on Saturday 17^th October when they take on Kingston at Deeside Leisure Centre, 6.30pm face off.

 

The full list of fixtures for the Dragons Women’s 2026/27 WNIHL season is as follows:

• Sat 5^th Sept: Home v Leeds Thorns (won 13-1)
• Sun 20^th Sep: Away @ Kingston Diamonds
• Sat 3rd Oct: Away @ Manchester Storm
• Sat 10^th Oct: Away @ Nottingham Vipers
• Sat 17^th Oct: Home v Kingston Diamonds - 6.30pm
• Sat 31st Oct: Home v Whitley Bay Beacons - 6pm
• Sun 8^th Nov: Away @ Nottingham Vipers
• Sat 14^thNov: Away @ Manchester Storm
• Sat 28^th Nov: Away @ Whitley Bay Beacons (at Dumfries)
• Sun 6^th Dec: Away @ Leeds Thorns
• Sun 10^th Jan: Away @ Kingston Diamonds
• Sat 6^th Feb: Home v Leeds Thorns - 5.45pm
• Sat 13^th Feb: Home v Nottingham Vipers - 6pm
• Sat 20^th Mar: Home v Whitley Bat Beacons - 6.15pm
• Sat 3rd April: Away @ Whitley Bay Beacons (at Dumfries)
• Sat 10^th April: Home v Kingston Diamonds - 6pm
• Sat 17^th Apr: Home v Manchester Storm - 6pm
• Sat 24^th Apr: Home v Manchester Storm - 6pm
• Sat 1^st May: Home v Nottingham Vipers - 6pm
• Sat 15^th May: Away @ Leeds Thorns

Deeside Dragons In Charity Cricket Match

Deeside Dragons "Blades" cricket team. Back row:  Jace Gledhill, Steve Fellows, Jared Dickinson, Rhys Stout, Shaun Bebbington, Noah Percival, Colin Cromie, Front Row: Ross Kennedy, MJ Clancy, Ethan Mayoh, Ben Roscoe, Mike Clancy, Alan Steele 

The Deeside Dragons ice hockey team swapped their sticks for bats on Bank Holiday Monday as they played a charity cricket match against Connah’s Quay Cricket Club in aid of the Blood Bikes Wales charity.

The match was part of an overall family fun day held at the North Wales cricket venue which also offered games & stalls, food & refreshments, raffle and tombola and live music.

The game was played as a “Pairs” game rather than the traditional format and, for the record, the CQCC Batz scored 390 for 8 off 24 overs and the Deeside Dragons Blades scored 350 for 14 off 24 overs, with the Batz starting on 200 and the Blades on 300*.

The Dragons team was made up of: Jace Gledhill, Steven Fellows, Jared Dickinson, Rhys Stout, Shaun Bebbington, Noah Percival, Colin Cromie, Ross Kennedy, MJ Clancy, Ethan Mayoh, Ben Roscoe, Mike Clancy and Alan Steele.

The top scorers for the Dragons were Rhys Stout with 20 runs and Ben Roscoe with 18 - and Mali Auty and Josh Clarke got 32 and 24 respectively for Connah’s Quay.

With the ball in hand, Ross Kennedy took 2 wickets for 23 runs and Ben Roscoe 2 for 7 for the Blades, while Luke Bennet took 4 for 11 and George Cottrell 2 for 11 runs for the Batz.

Sports fans will, no doubt, be hoping to see a return match on ice at some stage where the Dragons players will probably have the upper hand...

*For the benefit of the uninitiated, "Google AI" describes Pairs Cricket as follows:

In pairs cricket (common in junior and school formats), each team starts with a baseline score like 200 runs. Batters face a set number of overs as pairs (usually 3 or 4 overs per pair). When a wicket falls, 5 runs are deducted from the team total, but the batters keep batting and swap ends.

 

****

Lucy had done cricket scoring before I met her and, when I introduced her to ice hockey, she noted the similarities between the two - otherwise quite disparate - sports in terms of record keeping and player statistics. She subsequently became a keen and very accurate gamesheet scorer for ice hockey.

She has also commented on other similarities between the two sports:

“There are partially disabled cricket teams - national mixed-disability teams, county-level softball and hardball squads, and regional disability champion clubs supporting players with physical, learning, and hearing problems. So that is another similarity between ice hockey and cricket, as Para Ice Hockey is also played regularly.”

In white ball (limited overs) cricket, each team has a powerplay where they are fielding restrictions in place.

In the Hundred, each team an call a strategic “Time Out” of up to 90 seconds. They can choose when they use it. The coach can walk out to the middle of the ground and discuss tactics with their players during the time out.

Incidentally, “Timed Out” is also a method of dismissal in cricket. It occurs when an incoming batsman is not ready to play within two minutes of the previous batsman being out (or 90 seconds in T20 matches). It is very rare to be out in such a fashion, and has never occurred in any international match.”

You can find out more about Blood Bikes Wales – or make a donation - on their website at https://www.bloodbikes.wales/

New Deeside Dragons Women's Team Play First Game this Saturday.

Deeside Dragons Coaches Emma Dutton, Phil Pearson, Emma Pearson and Josh Grocutt (Photo by Katy Lennon)

The new Deeside Dragons women’s team play their first ever league game this Saturday 5^th September when they take on Leeds Thorns in WNIHL Division 2 North at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.45pm face off.

Doors open at 5pm and admision is free!

There hasn’t been a women’s team at Deeside since the demise of the Flintshire Furies back in 2010 and the opening games of the season will represent a steep learning curve for the new-look team.

The Dragons Women have a good mix of ages and abilities with a number of former Deeside juniors on their roster, a few former Furies and some other experienced players who have joined from other teams.

They will play in the B (Elizabeth) Section of Division 2 North which will see them take on Leeds, Nottingham, Kingston (Hull), Whitley Bay and also near rivals Manchester Storm twice home and twice away for a 20-game season.  

Read more about the coaching line-up HERE

and you can follow all the news about the new Deeside Dragons Women’s team on their Facebook page HERE

*****

The Deeside D1 Dragons are back on the ice action this weekend when they play fierce rivals Telford Tigers in back to back challenge matches.

They travel away to Shropshire on Saturday 5^th September and play the return home game at home on Sunday 6th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

The competitive league season starts the following weekend when the Dragons are at home to Sheffield Scimitars on Sunday 13^th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Wild Women Prepare For New Season

Leen de Decker
(Photo by Paul Breeze) 

The Widnes Wild Women have announced their coaching team in preparation for the new 2026/27 WNIHL season.

Steve Furber returns as Head Coach supported by Leen De Decker and Suzie Miller as Player / Coaches.

It is the same coaching group that oversaw the Wild Women’s successful Division 2 North title winning campaign in 2024/25 and then enjoy their best season since 2017 in the higher Division 1 North (previously known as the “Women’s Premier League”) last season after being promoted.

De Decker’s presence as a player on the ice will be crucial in the new season as she is the club’s all-time highest points scorer with 112 goals and 48 assists in 108 games.  She was one of the founder members of the Wild Women when the former Manchester Phoenix team moved en-bloc to Widnes from nearby Altrincham in the summer of 2015.

She had previously played 8 seasons for Kingston Diamonds before arriving at Widnes via Manchester. She was, until recently, the most capped player for her native Belgium with 52 World Championship games under her belt, along with 3 WC bronze medals and 1 silver medal.

Two more of the Wild Women “originals” have also re-signed for this season.

Netminder Stephanie Drinkwater holds the club record for appearances with 123 over the eleven years of the Wild Women’s history – but only 10 seasons as there was no competition in the 2020/21 season due to Covid closures.

Vanessa Crickmore-Clarke is a highly experienced attacker turned defender who won 5 league titles with the Sunderland Scorpions in her native north east and then spent 9 seasons playing with the Flintshire Furies at Deeside and Phoenix at Altrincham before the move to Widnes.

In an impressive career to date, Vanessa has played some 400 competitive games in total, including 84 for Widnes.

Drinkwater, Crickmore-Clarke and de Decker were all key members of the Widnes team that won league titles in 2019/20 and 2024/25.

The Wild Women will be playing in WNIHL Division 1 North again this season and have been holding player trials at their weekly training sessions. They are always keen to hear from prospective new squad members and players with higher league or international experience are especially welcome.

Anybody interested is asked to contact the team via Facebook or by email to widneswildwomen@gmail.com

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #14 (31st August)

The regular season schedule for the 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League was brought to a close with Manchester Mayhem recording a 0-9 shut-out win away to Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.

Dean Lahan led the scoring with 3+2, Karl Nicholson scored twice and Emily McLean, Anton Tomlinson, Mark Colquitt and Peggy Assinck all got a goal each.

Peterborough put in another battling performance but couldn’t get past the Mayhem defence and netminder Dan Hartshorn was able to record a 7-shot shut out – his second clean sheet of the season.

The result means that the league table finishes with a fascinating three-way tie for second place with Sheffield Steelkings B team (the Stings) the Mayhem and Cardiff Huskies all level on 8 points each.

Under league regulations, teams that finish level on points are separated in the league standings by head to head results in matches between them.  With three teams involved, it becomes more complicated but, in the current situation, the Stings finish up as league runners up – 8 points behind league champions Sheffield Steelkings A – as they have superior playing records against both the Mayhem and the Huskies.

The Mayhem finish in third place as they have a better record against Cardiff who end up in fourth, and then  Peterborough prop up the final table with 8 defeats from their 8 league games this season, thus missing out on the end of season play offs.

For more information about the British Para Ice Hockey League, check out the official website at www.paraicehockey.co.uk 

Match Report: Deeside D2 Dragons 2 – Milton Keynes Thunder 12 (Challenge Match)

Dragons' MVP Joe Everitt (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 30^th August 2026 – Challenge Match: Deeside D2 Dragons 2 – Milton Keynes Thunder 12

The Landstruction Deeside D2 Dragons continued their pre-season programme with a robustly contested 2 -12 challenge match defeat at home to Milton Keynes Thunder at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Teams from NIHL North don’t play against teams from the south very often and, with Milton Keynes making their first visit to Deeside in over 30 years, this fixture was very much an unknown quantity.

The game saw home Dragons debuts for summer signings Oliver Massey, Joe Everitt, Ben Fox and Oli Howells and former Deeside juniors Jake Lowndes and Sophie Davies.

It was fairly close in its early stages. Milton Keynes took the lead after 3 minutes but Deeside snatched an equaliser with just 1 second left in the first period with a maiden goal from Joe Everitt.

Oliver Massey (Photo by View
From Up Here Photography)

The Thunder edged ahead again on 23 minutes but a goal from another new Deeside player – Oliver Massey, on 29 minutes - levelled the score again.  Three unanswered goals followed for Milton Keynes and they finished the second period with a commanding 2-5 lead. 

The visitors scored again just 36 seconds into the third period and ran away with the game after that.

The game was punctuated with niggly fouls throughout, with the two teams amassing 40 penalty minutes between them and, in between sin-bin visits, a further 6 Milton Keynes goals followed for a final scoreline of 2-12.

A positive aspect of the game was that the new players look to be settling in well and Joe Everitt was named Most Valuable Player for the new look Deeside team.

The D2 Dragons start their Laidler Division campaign this Saturday 5^th September when they travel away to face the Nottingham Lions, 7.20pm face off. Their first home league game is the following Saturday 12^th September when they entertain Sheffield at Deeside Leisure Centre in a later than usual 6.40pm face off.

Match Report: Peterborough Phantoms 0 – Mayhem 9 (BPIHL Match #20)

Peterborough Phantoms v Manchester Mayhem - both teams (Photo by Rox Photography)

Sunday 30^th August 2026 – BPIHL Match #20: Peterborough Phantoms 0 – Mayhem 9

The Mayhem sledge team rounded off their regular season schedule with a 0-9 shut-out win away to bottom team Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.

Dean Lahan opened the scoring for the visitors on 3 minutes and, by the end of the first period, the lead had been extended to 0-4 thanks to strikes from Emily McLean, Lahan again and Karl Nicholson.

The second period continued in similar vein with Peterborough defending valiantly but the Mayhem enjoying most of the play.  Five unanswered goals – from Nicholson, Anton Tomlinson, Lahan for his hat-trick, Mark Colquitt and Peggy Assinck – gave them an unassailable lead and the score stood at 0-9 at the second period break.

With the game well and truly won by that point, the Mayhem eased off the gas and the third period played out goal-less.

Dean Lahan was named MVP for the Mayhem for his haul of three goals and two assists while netminder Dan Hartshorn was able to record a 7-shot shut out – his second clean sheet of the season.

Dean Lahan was the Mayhem's top scorer away at Peterborough (Photo by Rox Photography)

The win means that the Mayhem finish the season in a fascinating three-way tie for second place in the final league table, level on 8 points with both Sheffield Steelkings B team (the Stings) and Cardiff Huskies.

Under league regulations, teams that finish level on points are separated in the league standings by head to head results in matches between them.  With three teams involved, it becomes more complicated but, in the current situation, the Stings finish up as league runners up – 8 points behind league champions Sheffield Steelkings A – as they have superior playing records against both the Mayhem and the Huskies.

The Mayhem finish in third place as they have a better record against Cardiff who end up in fourth, and then  Peterborough prop up the final table with 8 defeats from their 8 league games this season, thus missing out on the end of season play offs.

The Play Offs take place at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in east London over the weekend of 12^th and 13^th September.

The semi final match-ups are seeded, meaning that League winners Sheffield A will take on fourth place finishers Cardiff in the first semi final and Sheffield B will play the Mayhem – who finished second and third respectively - in the other game on the Saturday.

The two losing semi-finalists will meet in the 3^rd place play off game on the Sunday and that will be followed by the two winners meeting in the final.

The Mayhem won the Play Off final back in 2017 and have finished in third place four times since then - in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2025.

Manchester Mayhem official website:  www.manchestermayhem.co.uk

For more information about the British Para Ice Hockey League, check out the official website at www.paraicehockey.co.uk 

Mayhem Players On GB Duty

Felicity Gregory, Dean Lahan, Mark Colquitt, Karl Nicholson and Daniel Hartshorm (Photo by Rox Photography)

A number of players and team staff from the Mayhem sledge team were involved with the Great Britain international side at the weekend as they took part in a 4 game challenge series against Ukraine at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in east London.

Karl Nicholson, Dean Lahan, Felicity Gregory and Mark Colquitt were already experienced international players but the tournament saw a GB debut for Mayhem netminder Daniel Hartshorn.

This was quite an impressive achievement as he only started playing in goal last season having previously played out as a defenceman.

Talking about his first international experience, Hartshorn said: 

 “Pulling on the GB jersey and representing my country for the first time was an incredibly proud moment and something I’ll never forget. The whole weekend was a fantastic experience, and what impressed me most was seeing how much we grew as a team. With every game we became stronger, fought harder and learned more about each other.”

“It was also a real privilege to share the ice with the Ukraine team. They were an incredible group of players, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to play alongside and against them over the weekend. Their skill, determination and spirit made the experience even more memorable.”

“To finish the weekend by being named MVP in our final game was a huge personal honour, but having such supportive teammates and coaches around me made the whole experience even more special. I gave everything I had out there, and hopefully this is just the beginning of my journey with GB.”

The Ukraine team provided tough opposition and, despite some battling performances from the British team, managed to win all 4 games.  They won the first game on Friday 1-3, the game on Saturday morning 1-3, the game on Saturday afternoon 0-3 and the final game on Sunday 0-2 for a 4-0 series win.

Mayhem players Lahan and Nicholson scored the two Team GB goals. Peggy Assinck and her brother Patrick were team coaches for the GB team and Peter Hagan helped out in an off-ice capacity.

The Saturday afternoon also saw an exhibition game to showcase the GB Women’s team against a composite side made up of GB and Ukraine men’s players and coaches.  

Mayhem player Emily Maclean played for the GB women with Karl Nicolson as head coach while Peter Hagan was bench coach for the select team. The game finished as a 0-7 win for the Ukraine select.

The Mayhem are back in league action this weekend after the international break with an away trip to face bottom side Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.

It is the last game of the regular league schedule and, if the Mayhem win, they will finish in third place in the final table, which will give them a more favourable draw in the Play Offs which will take place at Lee Valley on 12/13^th September. 

Match Report: Bradford Bulldogs 6 - Deeside D2 Dragons 5 (Challenge Match)

Deeside D2 Dragons, August 2026 (Photo by Dragons IHC)

Sunday 23rd August 2026 - Challenge Match: Bradford Bulldogs 6 - Deeside D2 Dragons 5

The D2 Dragons played their first game of the new season on Sunday when they travelled to face Bradford Bulldogs in a pre-season challenge match.

Having trailed 3-1 at the end of the first period, they fought back to draw 5-5 in the third before conceding a late Bulldogs goal to narrowly lose out 6-5.

A number of the new signings made their first appearances in the new-look Dragons line–up and there was also a late call-up for former Deeside junior and GB international player Sophie-Rose Davies who was making her senior men’s / mixed debut.

Davies scored a goal and was named MVP in her first Dragons NIHL level game.  The other goals came from James Parsons, Shannon Lingwood, Noah Percival and Lewis Edward.

The D2 Dragons are at home this Sunday 30^th August when they take on Milton Keynes Thunder of NIHL South Division 2 in a challenge game at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Deeside D2 Dragons Complete Roster

Deeside D2 Dragons' Cameron Kushnirenko (Photo by Keith & Kenny Davies)

The Deeside D2 Dragons have put the finishing touches to their roster ahead of the forthcoming 2026/27 Laidler Division season with the return of several more players and two new signings.

Popular defenceman Cameron Kushnirenko is back for his second season with the Deeside development side.

He scored 6 goals and 9 assists last season and also had the dubious honour of receiving the most penalty minutes in the whole of the Laidler Division – with 85 minutes in his 19 league games, and 103 in all competitions.

Luke Wainwright with Rory Sillery (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Luke Wainwright and Rory Sillery both return for their third season with the D2 team, having both originally signed up for the Ducks – as they were then called – back in 2024.

Since then, Sillery has played 50 senior games, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists, while Wainwright has scored 2 goals in 33 games. 

Former Deeside Junior Thomas Chong is back for his second season, having scored 3 goals and 3 assists in 24 games for the D2 Dragons last season, and netminder Miles Radford also returns.

The D2 Dragons have also signed two promising young players from near rivals Telford.

Former Telford junior Callum O’Reilly played 21 games for the Tigers during the 2024/25 season but didn’t play competitively last year. Luke Everitt – is also a graduate of the Telford junior system and made his senior NIHL debut last season.  

The D2 Dragons play the first game of the new season this Sunday 23rd August when they travel to face Bradford Bulldogs in a pre-season challenge match. They are at home for the first time next Sunday 30^th August when they take on Milton Keynes Thunder of NIHL South Division 2 in a challenge game at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Team GB Para Ice Hockey Tournament At Lee Valley This Weekend

There’s an opportunity to see international Para Ice Hockey this coming weekend – 21^st to 23^rd August - when the Great Britain team play a series of games against the Ukraine national side at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in East London.

Team GB (mixed) will take on Ukraine in 4 matches over the three days and there will also be a special Women’s Showcase which will see the GB Women’s team play an exhibition game against a composite team made up of GB and Ukraine men’s players and coaches.

The full programme for the weekend is:

Friday 21^st August

• 2pm: Team GB v Ukraine (Game 1)

Saturday 22^nd August

• 10.20am:  Team GB v Ukraine (Game 2)
• 2pm: GB Women’s Showcase
• 5pm:  GB v Ukraine (Game 3)

Sunday 23^rd August 

• 2pm: Team GB v Ukraine (Game 4)

Admission is free for all spectators.

You can read more about Para Ice Hockey in the UK and the fortunes of the GB mixed and women’s teams on the official British Para Ice Hockey Association Facebook page HERE

and also on the BPIHA’s website HERE

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round -Up #13 (16th August)

The Sheffield Steelkings B team (the Stings) have secured second place in the 2026 BPIHL table after finishing their regular season campaign with back to back victories at the weekend.

They beat Cardiff Huskies 8-0 at home on Saturday evening and then won 0-7 away at Peterborough on Sunday.

Cardiff travelled to Sheffield with a very short bench and struggled to make any sort of impact on the numerically superior Stings.

Jurrian Raa opened the scoring for the home side on 5 minutes and further goals from Paul Brown and Jake Oakley (2) saw them leading 4-0 at the first break.

A second goal for Raa came just 41 seconds into the second period and this was followed by a debut strike by Ash Mason and two more for Brown to give the Stings an 8-0 lead at the second interval. There were no more goals in the third period and that remained the score at the end of the game.

The somewhat depleted Huskies were unable to manage a single shot on goal all game and Sheffield netminder Bryan Hackworth recorded his second clean sheet of the season. 

(Note: awaiting gamesheet / Gameday information for Sunday’s game...)

There is no BPIHL action this coming weekend as the Great Britain team are playing an international challenge series against Ukraine at Lee Valley (read more about that HERE).

The final game of the BPIHL 2026 season will take place on Sunday 30^th August when Peterborough Phantoms entertain Manchester Mayhem at Mallard Road, 4.00pm face off.

For more information about the British Para Ice Hockey League, check out the official website at www.paraicehockey.co.uk 

Deeside Dragons To Play Telford Tigers In Pre-Season Games

Deeside Dragons v Telford Tigers (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have announced two mouth-watering challenge matches against Telford Tigers as part of their preparation for the new Moralee Division season.  They will travel away to Shropshire on Saturday 5^th September and play the return home game at home on Sunday 6th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

The two teams enjoyed a fierce rivalry last season as they shared the spoils in two preseason games, then sparred for league places for much of the season and also met in the keenly contested Moralee Cup final.

In their 8 meetings overall last season, Deeside won 6 of the games but they were all very close and the two pre-season friendly matches are likely to be just as passionately contested this time around.  

The competitive league season starts the following weekend when the Dragons are at home to Sheffield Scimitars on Sunday 13^th September at Deeside Leisure Centre.

UPDATE: The D2 Dragons game that had been arranged for this Saturday 22^nd August against Lee Valley Lions has, sadly, been cancelled.  Their first home game will now be a challenge game against Milton Keynes Thunder on Sunday 30^th August at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Deeside Dragons Sign Kane Morin

Kane Morin (Photo by All Sports Photography)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have signed 18 year old forward Kane Morin on a 2-year deal that commits him to the Moralee Division club until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Former Manchester Storm junior Morin is the son of new Dragons coach Mike Morin and played for Altrincham Aces and Blackburn Hawks on a 2 way agreement for the past two seasons, making 33 Laidler Division appearances and 11 Moralee Division appearances in all.

He has 15 senior goals under his belt and 24 assists, with 40 penalty minutes from his 44 games.

Matty Barlow Re-Signs For Deeside Dragons

Matty Barlow (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have announced that popular forward Matty Barlow will be returning to the club for the forthcoming 2026/27 Moralee Division season.

Former Bradford junior Barlow joined the Dragons last season after spending most of his Moralee Division career with near rivals Widnes Wild and quickly became a fans favourite.

He scored 27 goals and 49 assists in 41 matches overall last season – including the dramatic over time winner away at Blackburn that put the Dragons into the Moralee Cup final – while picking up 46 penalty minutes.

Barlow was the recipient of the inaugural Dragons Player Of The Month Award for September 2025.

Also returning for a second season with the Dragons are Bailey Thomas and Theo Malone who will both play on a 2-way arrangement with Manchester Storm.

The Dragons have also boosted their back-room staff with the return of Robyn Crebbin as sports injury specialist for a third season and the appointment of Sports Science student Fyske Whitehead, who will work alongside the coaching staff to support the team with video analysis and performance data.

Long term Dragons player Alan Steele joins the team as equipment support, working with Rhys Stout who returns as Equipment Manager.

Connah's Quay Cobras In 20-Goal Thriller

Cobras' 7-goal hero Martin Rybka
(Photo by RDG Digital)

Saturday 8^th August 2026 – Challenge Match: Shropshire Huskies 6 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 14

The Connah’s Quay Cobras took part in a 20-goal thriller, battling their way to a 6-14 win in a challenge match away to the Shropshire Huskies in Telford on Saturday.

Despite being a “friendly” game, an eye watering 106 penalty minutes were shared between the two teams and the overall mood was not helped by a number of curious calls by match officials against both sides.

The game was quite close in its early stages and the score stood at 3-3 after just 10 minutes of play – with Martin Rybka having scored an early hat trick for the Cobras.  Two more goals - from Scott Dutton and Mike Filek – followed and Connah’s Quay took a 3-5 lead into the first period break.

The Cobras had much the better of the play in the second period and goals from Rybka (3), Martin Stolicny (2) and Emma Dutton (1) saw them leading 3-11 by the time the Huskies found the net themselves with three quick–fire goals.

Further strikes from Sam Plant and a seventh from Rybka, however, saw Connah’s Quay well in control with a 6-13 lead at the second interval.

There was only one goal scored in the third period – Stolicny’s hat-trick goal on 49 minutes – and the game became memorable for all the wrong reasons when tensions that had been slowly simmering all came to a head.

There had already been a couple of fights earlier on and some niggly penalties for both sides saw the game erupt on 53 minutes with an unseemly melee. Once the dust had settled from this, three Huskies players were banished for the remainder of the match with 10 minute misconduct penalties and they were joined by two Cobras players.

At this point, the Huskies team refused to carry on with the game and the match was abandoned with 6 minutes and 57 seconds left to play – and the Cobras leading 6-14.

Setting aside the unsatisfactory finish to the game, it was a good all-round performance from the Cobras with 12 different players getting on the scoresheet - and even netminder Paul Jones picked up an assist.

Theo Coulson took over in goal for the second half of the game and was named MVP for his efforts.

The Connah’s Quay Cobras train at 8.30pm on Sunday evenings at Deeside Leisure Centre and are always keen to welcome new players.  More information can be found on their website - https://cobras.hockey/ - and “Cobras Hockey” Facebook page HERE. 

Wild Women Back In Training

The Widnes Wild Women’s team are starting back in training as they prepare for the 2026/27 WNIHL league season.

They are holding two open training sessions over two weeks and any new players who wish to try out for the team are invited to attend.

The sessions will be held at Planet Ice Widnes on Tuesday 18^th August from 8.45 to 9.45pm and Tuesday 25^th August from 9.30 to 10.30pm and will cost £15 per player per session.

Interested parties are asked to book their place at the trial sessions by contacting the Wild Women via Facebook / Instagram or by email to widneswildwomen@gmail.com

Players with higher league or international experience are especially welcome.

The final make up of the Women’s league for the new season has yet to be confirmed but there are expected to be some new teams competing in the WNIHL North divisions.

The Manchester Storm club are planning to run a second team to act as development pathway for their first team, who had a successful debut in Division 2 North last season, while Deeside Dragons have announced that they will be running a new women’s team to complement the Under 16 girls team that has run for the past two seasons under former Wild Women player and captain Emma Pearson.

D2 Dragons Add Pre-Season Games

Deeside D2 Dragons (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

UPDATE 16th August:  The D2 Dragons game that had been arranged for this Saturday 22^nd August against Lee Valley Lions has, sadly, been cancelled.  Their first home game will now be a challenge game against Milton Keynes Thunder on Sunday 30^th August at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

The Deeside D2 Dragons team have added two more games to their pre-season schedule as they prepare for the 2026/27 Laidler Division campaign.

They have announced that they will be playing Lee Valley Lions on Saturday 22^nd August at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15 pm face off, and the Bradford Bulldogs away in West Yorkshire the next day.

The Lions play in NIHL South Division 2 and finished bottom of 12 teams in the league last season.

It will be an interesting game as teams from NIHL North and South very rarely play against each other and it will be a first opportunity for fans to see the new-look D2 Dragons team in action.

Deeside have enjoyed a number of close and entertaining games against the Bulldogs over the past two seasons and the away game on the Sunday will be a good test of the two teams’ relative strengths before they cross swords again in the Laidler Division again.

The Dragons development side have another game against D2 South opposition – Milton Keynes Thunder – the following Sunday 30^th August at Deeside Leisure Centre. Face off for that game is also 5.15pm.