Connah's Quay Cobras Link Up With Charity Choir

The Deeside based Connah’s Quay Cobras team welcomed a group of visitors from local charity Conwy Connect to their home game against the Shropshire Huskies on Saturday at Deeside Leisure Centre. 

Conway Connect For Learning Disabilities (or CC4LD for short) helps promote the rights of people with a learning disability living in North Wales and they have a special “Sing and Sign” Choir which incorporates Makaton signing language into their musical performances.

Makaton is the UK's leading programme for adults and children with learning or communication difficulties. It is a language programme that combines signs, symbols and speech to give different options for people to communicate and is used by over 100.000 people across the country.

In the run up to the game, the Cobras players learned some basic Makaton signs and worked with the charity to produce a joint music video performing the Guns N Roses song “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, which was then played in public for the first time on the big screen at the ice rink during the match.

You can watch the full video HERE 

And find out more about Conwy Connect at: https://www.conwy-connect.org.uk/

2024 Rob Craig Memorial Game At Blackburn

The White and Blue teams at the 2024 Rob Craig Memorial game (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

The annual Rob Craig Memorial match took place at Blackburn Arena on Sunday, featuring a wide range of current and former NIHL league players, along with recreational players from various north west clubs.

The game is played every year in memory of former Blackburn recreational player Rob Craig who took his own life in 2017 and aims to raise funds and awareness for mental health charities.

A healthy crowd of over 600 cheered the teams on and they were treated to an entertaining goal fest worthy of the occasion.

The “Blue” team included current Widnes player Matty Barlow along with former Wild players Kieran Brown, Ian Thirkettle and Bobby Streetly while the “White” team featured Calum Ruddick, Mark Higson and Adam Barnes.

There were also a number of current and former Blackburn Hawks and Eagles players were spread across both teams as well as former team mates of Rob Craig from the Blackburn Falcons and Wyre Seagulls recreational teams. Manchester Storm’s Canadian import CJ Garcia also played on the White team.

The beneficiary of the 2024 Rob Craig Memorial game is Andy’s Man Club – an organisation that started off in Halifax and now organises local groups across the country where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgement-free, non-clinical environment.

Over £8000 has been raised so far from this year’s memorial game – with the total set to rise as player shirts are being sold off in an online auction.

For the record, the “Blue” team beat the “White” team 12-11 but, on this occasion, the taking part was certainly much more important than the winning.

You can find out more about the annual Rob Craig Memorial game HERE

and about Andy’s Man Club and their local groups via their website at andysmanclub.co.uk.

Wild Academy U12s At National Championship

The Widnes Wild Academy Under 12 team had a memorable weekend at the National Championships in Sheffield, losing all three of their games but making lots of new friends.

The competition saw the top two teams from each of the 4 regional Under 12 divisions come together to decide an overall national winner. Widnes - who had finished in second place in the North West Division – were joined by North West champions Solihull and Leeds and Sheffield from the North East Division, as well as Chelmsford and Streatham from the South East and Guildford and Slough from the South West. 

The teams were drawn into two groups of four that would play each other in a “round robin” format to decide who would proceed to the semi finals.

The Wild lost their first game 9-1 to Leeds on the Saturday morning – with the only Widnes goal coming from Caleb Eddleston - and then lost 8-0 to Guildford on Saturday evening. Sunday morning saw a much closer game where they narrowly lost out to Streatham 4-3 - with goals from Eddleston (2) and Harrison Ward (1) - but they still finished bottom of the 4-team group.

Eddleston actually scored two more goals on Saturday but, unfortunately, neither of them are counted as they came after the cut-off point in the game under the mercy /slaughter rule - thus demonstrating what a poorly thought-out piece of legislation that is… 

Guildford beat Chelmsford 7-3 in the first semi final and Sheffield beat Leeds 8-0. The final saw Sheffield beat Guilford in a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the teams had drawn 2-2 in normal play.

Match Report: DMUK Widnes Wild Women 2 – Leeds Roses 3 (WNIHL Div2 N)

Team Captain for the day Laura Marcroft was the Wild Women’s MVP in the match against Leeds (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 12th May 2024 – WNIHL Div2 N: DMUK Widnes Wild Women 2 – Leeds Roses 3 

The DMUK Widnes Wild women’s team put in a battling performance but ended up on the wrong end of a 2-3 scoreline against Leeds Roses in their last game of the season at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The Wild Women had lost 8-2 in the away fixture against Leeds earlier in the season and then suffered a huge disappointment in their last home game against Sheffield when an equalising goal with just 27 seconds left to play robbed them of a win, so there was a lot of cross-Pennine pride at stake in this final league game.

The match started well for Widnes and they opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a well-taken goal from Preston Gennoe. There were numerous chances for both teams and the visitors had a slight edge in terms of shots on goal, but Stephanie Drinkwater water looked very composed in the Wild net and the score remained 1-0 at the first period break.

The second period was as closely contested as the first – with lots of end to end action - and Leeds eventually equalised with a goal on 25 minutes.   Widnes hit straight back, however, and a second goal from Gennoe on 29 minutes edged the home side back in front.

The score stood at a tantalisingly close 2-1 to Widnes at the second interval and the Wild Women just needed to carry on as they were and hang on for another 20 minutes to bring their season to a winning conclusion.

Having managed to keep penalty free during the first two periods, it all began to go wrong in the third as the clock ticked down and the game began to get niggly. Leeds pushed forward in an attempt to force an equaliser and Widnes were forced into conceding penalties to keep them at bay.

The game changing moment came when the Wild women were 35 seconds into a slashing call and Leeds were able to make the most of their player advantage to level the score with 12 minutes still to play. This gave the Roses a huge boost and they went on to take the lead 3 minutes later.

The Wild women pushed hard to try and find a way back into the game but they were unable to make any headway against the stubborn Leeds defence in the last 10 minutes and the game ended in a narrow 2-3 victory for the visitors.

The Wild Women’s Most Valuable Player awards for this season have been sponsored by Lucy London - Poet In Residence for the 5th year in a row and consist of goodie bags containing a limited edition MVP teddy bear and a selection of Body Shop products provided by Running Mum Beauty. The awards were presented by match volunteer Colin Ellis and went to Emma Allender for Leeds and Laura Marcroft for Widnes.

*****

The Wild Women finish the season in a mid-table position in WNIHL Division 2 North.  Their final placing is not yet confirmed as other teams still have games left to play.

There is also the situation regarding two unresolved away games - at Grimsby and Hull – which were supposed to be re-arranged but have not been due to ice availability issues. The League Management Committee will make a decision on these games and allocate league points accordingly.

Match Report: Connah's Quay Cobras 5 - Shropshire Huskies 6 (PS) - Challenge Match

Saturday 11th May 2024 - Challenge Match:  Connah's Quay Cobras 5 - Shropshire Huskies 6 (PS)

The Connah’s Quay Cobras put in a battling performance in their Challenge Match against the Shropshire Huskies at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday, drawing 5-5 in normal time before losing out on a Penalty Shootout for the second time in successive games.

The Cobras opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a goal from Martin Rybka but the visitors hit back with two goals of their own to lead 1-2 at the first period break. 

Shropshire further extended their lead with the only goal in a tight second period, on 35 minutes and then went 1-4 ahead with another strike 3 minutes into the third period.

This seemed to gee up the Cobras a bit and two unanswered goals quickly followed from Rybka to complete his hat-trick for the game and drag the home side back to within one goal on the Huskies.  The fightback was completed when a goal from Mike Filek drew the two sides level with 10 minutes left to play.

Connah’s Quay edged back into the lead when Brad Commins fired in with just 2 ½ minutes left on the clock but the Cobras were denied a hard-earned victory by a late goal from the Huskies, which tied the score at 5-5. A Penalty Shootout was then held to decide an overall winner and this went the way of the Huskies by 2 strikes to 1.

A group of visitors from the charity Conwy Connect were VIP guests at Saturday’s game.  The Charity helps promote the rights of people with a learning disability living in North Wales and they have a special Sing and Sign Choir which incorporates Makaton signing language into their musical  performances.

In the run up to the game, the Cobras players learned some basic Makaton signs and worked with the charity to produce a joint music video performing the Guns N Roses song “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, which was then played in public for the first time on the big screen at the ice rink during the match.

The Connah’s Quay Cobras are next in action on Sunday 26th May when they take on rink-rivals Flintshire Phantoms in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure.  The game faces off at 8.30pm and admission is free for all spectators.

Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 6 – Newcastle Predators 7 (PS) – Summer Classic Cup

Connah's Quay Cobras and Newcastle Predators played out a thrilling draw in the Summer Classic Cup (Photo by James New / @snapshotdev)

Sunday 5th May 2024 – Summer Classic Cup: Connah’s Quay Cobras 6 – Newcastle Predators 7 (PS)

The Connah’s Quay Cobras played out a highly entertaining 6-6 draw before losing out in a dramatic penalty shoot out to the Newcastle Predators in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The Cobras had been unbeaten in the competition so far and the Predators arrived from the North East with a similar record, so this was always going to be an extremely close game.

The visitors were quickest out of the blocks and opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the game. They were 0-2 up by the time former Deeside Dragons NIHL player Chris Keating found the back of the net for the Cobras but then two more goals late in the period saw the Predators leading 1-4 at the first interval.

A fifth goal in the 24th minute looked to have put the Newcastle team well in control but a second goal from Keating shortly after that and a strike from Martin Rybka on 26 minutes narrowed the deficit.  Despite numerous chances for both teams, the rest of the second period played out goal-less and the score stood at a tantalisingly close 3-5 with 20 minutes left to play.

The Predators scored again early in the third period to make the score 3-6 but the Cobras were far from finished and began to fight back.  A hat-trick goal from Keating just 59 seconds later narrowed the gap and three minutes after that he scored his fourth goal of the game to cut the Newcastle lead down to just 1 goal.

Former Deeside Dragon Chris Keating
scored 4 goals against the Predators
(photo by James New / @snapshotdev) 

The Cobras put the Predators goal under immense pressure in the closing stages  – outshooting them by 15–4 in the period – and they were rewarded with an equalising powerplay goal from Rybka with just 86 seconds left.   Had the game gone on for another 5 minutes, Connah’s Quay might have gone on to snatch a late winner but time ran out and the match finished as a 6-6 draw.

The result was then decided by a tense penalty shoot out, which went the way of the visitors.  That means that the Predators take the two points for the win while the Cobras get one point for an Overtime Loss.

The Cobras are in action again this Saturday 11th May then they take on the Shropshire Huskies in a challenge match at Deeside Leisure Centre, 4.30m face off.

The game will have guests from the charity Conwy Connect, who help promote the rights of people with a learning disability living in North Wales. 

Admission is free for all spectators. 

Widnes Wild Academy Round Up - 4th & 5th May

The Widnes Wild Academy rounded off the regular junior league season with three wins and one defeat from the four competitive games that were played at the weekend.

The Under 16 team beat Leeds Under 16s 4-1 at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday while the Under 18B team lost 3-6, also to Leeds.

On Sunday, the Under 18B team beat Sutton Sting 5-4 and the Under 10 team hosted a 4-team cross ice tournament.  The Under 12s won 0-8 away at Coventry on the same day.

The Wild Under 12 team have finished in second place in the U12s league and have qualified for the Play Offs, which are being held this weekend at Sheffield. They will play round robin group games against Leeds and Guildford on Saturday and Streatham on Sunday. 

Halton Huskies in 20 Goal Thriller

Dave Priestley (#70) found the back of the net in the 10 -10 draw at Blackburn (Photo by Lydia Turner / lydiaturnerphotography.co.uk )

Saturday 4th May 2024 – Challenge Match: Blackburn Renegades 10 – Halton Huskies 10

The Halton Huskies played out a thrilling 10-10 draw in their Challenge Match against the Blackburn  Renegades away in East Lancashire on Saturday.

This was, overall, an excellent advertisement for recreational ice hockey with plenty of end to action, lots of goals and it was an especially spirited performance by the Huskies who found themselves up against a number of former league players in the Renegades team.

The first period alone saw seven goals – more than are often scored in total in a higher division game these days – and strikes from Jake Berry, Jack Davies and Matt Kohler ensured that the Huskies remained well in contention with their hosts with the score at 4-3 at the first break. 

Blackburn visibly upped their game in the second period and scored 4 unanswered goals to open up a 7-3 lead but then an extended powerplay on a fighting penalty gave the Huskies a 5 on 3 player advantage and they were able to pull back deficit with goals from Berry, Kohler and Reid Ryan to leave the score standing at a finely balanced 7-6 with one period left to play.

The Renegades scored early in the third period to briefly double their advantage but this was short lived as a dazzling spell from Halton saw them draw level - with hat-trick goals from both Kohler and Berry.  They then took the lead themselves with a strike from Dave Priestley and edged further ahead with a fourth goal of the night from Berry to lead 8-10. 

Blackburn were not finished, however, and fought back again to tie the game at 10-10.  Unfortunately, by this time, the game had over-run its allocated amount of ice time and had to be cut short with 4.40 remaining on the clock.

Talking afterwards, Huskies manager Ste Hay said:  “It was a standard game against a team from Blackburn - fiery and exciting throughout. I am looking forward to the return game on home ice.”

The Huskies are next in action on Saturday 25th May when they play the return game against the Renegades at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.15pm face off.  

Mayhem Sledge Weekend

Mayhem sledge team with sponsors Fletchers Solicitors (Photo by @haganovaphoto)

The Mayhem Sledge team are marking the start of the 2024 Para Ice Hockey season with a special weekend at the Planet Ice rink in Widnes on 18th & 19th May.

On Saturday 18th May from 4.15 to 8.15pm there is a 3v3 tournament with mixed squads made up of players from around the country competing in short format cross-ice games to decide an overall winner.

On the Sunday, there is a free taster session from 4.15 to 6.15pm where people can go along and give the sport a try, with equipment and guidance all provided, followed by a match between the Mayhem and the Great Britain women’s team. 

The whole weekend is free for spectators to go along and watch and anybody interested in taking part in the taster session is asked to contact the Mayhem team in advance via email to info@manchestermayhem.co.uk. 

The Mayhem’s first league game of the 2024 season is against the Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday 1st June at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off. 

Wild Players To Take Part in Rob Craig Memorial Game

Widnes Wild players past and present will be joining players from many other clubs in this year’s Rob Craig memorial game which will be played this Sunday 12th May at Blackburn.

The game is played every year in memory of former Blackburn recreational player Rob Craig who took his own life in 2017 and aims to raise funds and awareness for mental health charities.  

Alongside Matty Barlow, it has been announced that former Widnes players Bobby Streetly and Adam Barnes, Calum Ruddick - all now with Blackburn Hawks - Kieran Brown, now captain of the Leeds Knights National Division team, and Mark Higson (Bradford Bulldogs) will also be playing in the memorial match.

Hawks player James Riddoch, Blackburn Head Coach Dominic Osman – a former Elite League player with Hull – and Manchester Storm’s Canadian import CJ Garcia are also due to play, and the bigger name players will be spread across two teams to ensure an entertaining and competitive game.

Event co-organiser Wez Spurett – himself a former General Manager of the Widnes Wild NIHL team - said: “It’s not just a game of hockey for us, we play against our friends all the time, but this started off as just trying to get our friends together and remember Rob and the underlying purpose of it was to make sure that we spread awareness about what happened with Rob and do anything we can to try and prevent that.”

The beneficiary of the 2024 Rob Craig Memorial game will be Andy’s Man Club – an organisation that started off in Halifax and now organises local groups across the country where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgement-free, non-clinical environment.

You can find out more about Andy’s Man Club and their local groups via their website at andysmanclub.co.uk.

Advance tickets for the game on 12th May are now on sale via the Planet Ice Blackburn ticketing website at £3 for adults  and £1 for Under 16s  HERE  – or you can pay on the door.    

Anybody who would like to help with sponsorship - or otherwise get involved with the event - is asked to contact the organisers at robcraigcharity@outlook.com

Wild Women Face Leeds in Pennine Derby

Natalie Buckles was the Wild Women’s MVP in their last match (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The DMUK Widnes Wild women’s team will be looking to end their season on a winning note when they play their last game of the season against Leeds Roses this Sunday 12th May at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Widnes had their slim outside chance of reaching the end of season play offs dashed when they only managed a draw in their previous home game against Sheffield Shadows while Leeds’ 6-2 defeat away to Telford at the weekend means they are now unable to qualify for the Sheffield finale weekend either.

However, both teams are jockeying for the mid-table positions in the league and, with all-important cross-Pennine pride at stake, there is still plenty to play for in Sunday’s game.

Widnes Wild NIHL Team Presentation Evening

All smiles at a previous Wild Presentation Evening (Photo by Geoff White)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced that their end of season Presentation Evening will take place at The Venue, Widnes Old Town Hall, on Saturday 18th May from 7pm.

The evening will give the opportunity for fans to mix with players and coaching staff and see the annual player awards presented.

Supporters who have sponsored “own and loan” players’ shirts for the season will also have them presented to them and have the chance to have photos taken with their favourite players.

Tickets for the evening cost £15 for adults and £12 for children and the price includes a hot and cold buffet. Tickets are only available via the Wild club shop website – HERE - and must be booked by 10pm on Friday 10th May at the latest so that catering requirements can be confirmed.

Cobras Face Predators In Top Of The Table Clash

The Connah’s Quay Cobras have a top of the table clash this Sunday 5th May when they take on the Newcastle Predators in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure Centre, 8.30pm face off.

Both teams go into Sunday’s match with an unbeaten record – with the Cobras having won all three of their cup games to date and Newcastle winning two out of two – so there is a lot at stake.

Talking about the game, Cobras’ manager Scott Dutton said:

“We are all looking forward to the top of the table clash with the Predators. We've not had the chance to play these guys yet and, judging from their track record so far, it will be a good test for us.” 

“Newcastle Predators are a bit of an unknown team as they were in the East Conference last year, and given the distance between us we have not played common teams either. It will be a great test for us.”

The game on Sunday faces off at 8.30pm at Deeside Leisure Centre and admission is free for all spectators.

Wild Academy Round Up - 27th & 28th April

The Widnes Wild Academy junior teams had a mixed weekend, winning one, drawing one and losing two of the four games that were played across the age groups.

The Under 18A team won 2-3 away to Telford on Saturday while the Under 16s drew 3-3 away to Deeside.  The Under 18B team lost 8-6 away to Deeside on Sunday and the U16s lost 9-2 away to Manchester.

This weekend sees the Wild Academy U16s at home to Leeds on Saturday 4th May at Planet Ice Widnes – 4.20pm face off - and the Under 18B team at home to Leeds straight afterwards. The Under 10s have a 4 team cross ice tournament at home on Sunday starting at 4.15pm, with the Under 18B team at home to Sutton at 5.45pm. The Academy Under 12 team travel to play Coventry on Sunday.

Admission is free for all spectators to Wild Academy home games at Planet Ice Widnes and fans are encouraged to go along and support the stars of the future.

Match Report: DMUK Widnes Wild Women 2 – Sheffield Shadows 2 (WNIHL Div 2N)

Wild Women MVP v Sheffield Natalie Buckles (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 28th April – WNIHL Div 2N: DMUK Widnes Wild Women 2 – Sheffield Shadows 2

The DMUK Widnes Wild women had to make do with one point instead of two after the Sheffield Shadows snatched a 2-2 draw in a dramatic finish at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

With the Shadows having won the corresponding away game back in November by a single goal, this game was also going to be a close one and it turned out to be one of the tensest encounters seen at the Widnes rink this season.

The Wild women took the lead with a goal from Jemma Brown in the 6th minute and despite numerous chances for both sides, the score remained 1-0 at the first period break.

Sheffield moved up a gear in the second period – outshooting the Wild by more than 2 to 1 - and this pressure was rewarded with an equalised goal in the 24th minute. However, Widnes bounced back and Phoebe Patient edged the Wild Women back in front with just 28 seconds to go in the second period, handing the home side a rather precarious 2-1 lead.

The third period was fascinating to watch with plenty of end to end hockey as the Wild women looked to extend their lead and Sheffield sought to draw level again. The atmosphere around the rink was electrifying and the pressure built up as the clock ticked slowly down.

With two minutes left to play, the period remained goal-less and it looked as if the Wild Women might be able to hang on to their slender lead and record their first home win since January.

But then it all went wrong. A slashing penalty given at 58.26 meant that Widnes, at best, would have to play out the rest of the game a player short. Sheffield called a timeout at this point and replaced their netminder with an extra attacker meaning that Widnes had to defend the ensuing face off in their defensive zone with 4 players against 6.

Although this meant that the Shadows goal was undefended – and a well placed place shot out of defence might have settled the game with an empty net goal - the Wild Women found themselves under so much pressure at their own end that that opportunity never arose.

Sheffield surrounded the Widnes goal, determined to make the most of their two player advantage and the tactic paid off when netminder Ellie Green - clearly unsighted due to the sea of grappling bodies directly in front of her – was beaten by a close range shot with just 27 seconds left to play.

Widnes – now back to full strength after the goal wiped out the penalty – pushed forward to try and snatch a late winner but the clock ran down and the game finished as a 2-2 draw.

The Wild Women’s Most Valuable Player awards for this season have been sponsored by Lucy London - Poet In Residence for the 5th year in a row and consist of goodie bags containing a limited edition MVP teddy bear and a selection of Body Shop products provided by Running Mum Beauty. The awards were presented by match volunteer Anthony Stock and went to Hayley Reynolds for Sheffield and Natalie Buckles for Widnes.

The Wild Women are next in action on Sunday 12th May for their last match of the season when they take on Leeds Roses at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

GB Silver For Widnes Wild’s Rhys and Kyle

GB Silver medal for Kyle Carruth and Rhys Edwards (Photo by David Edwards)

Widnes Wild NIHL team players Rhys Edwards and Kyle Carruth have won silver medals with the Great Britain team at the Under 18 World Championships that were held in Sosnowiec, Poland, last week.

Great Britain finished 2nd out of the 6 nations taking part, with an impressive 4 wins from their 5 matches following a 6-4 loss to the hosts in their initial game.

Edwards scored his goal in the first game against Poland, while Carruth’s goal came in their last game, which was a 9-1 win over the Netherlands. Both Wild players ended the competition with 1 goal and 3 assists and Edwards also picked up a 5+game misconduct penalty in the last game.

The top GB scorer overall was Romford Raiders’ Brynley Capps with 6 goals and 5 assists, with Canada based Jack Clarke a close second with 6+4.

The full schedule of GB results was:

17th April: Great Britain 4 – Poland 6

18th April: Croatia 2 – Great Britain 4

20th April: Great Britain 4- Serbia 0

21st April: Romania 2 – Great Britain 9

23rd  April: Great Britain 9 – Netherlands 1

Match Report: Halton Huskies 8 – Sheffield Ice Tigers 2 (Challenge Match)

Sunday 21st April 2024 – Challenge Match: Halton Huskies 8 – Sheffield Ice Tigers 2 

The Halton Huskies played their first home game of the 2024 summer season, beating the Sheffield Ice Tigers 8-2 in a challenge match at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The Ice Tigers took the lead in the 3rd minute but a goal from Jack Davies two minutes later pulled the Huskies level and they edged in front with a goal from Jonathan Lomax after 7 ½ minutes. Two more goals  – from Jake Berry and David Hrubovsky – saw the Huskies with a healthy 4-1 lead at the first period break.

A second goal for Hrubrovsky five minutes into the second period and a strike from Matt Kohler ten minutes after that put the Huskies 6-1 ahead but a second Sheffield goal on 37 minutes served as a warning that the game was far from over.

However, the Huskies upped their game in the third period and had noticeably more of the play. They outshot the visitors by more than 3 to 1 in this final 20 minutes and the pressure was rewarded with goals for Nathan Hewitt and Valerica Florea.

After the game Huskies team manager Ste Hay said:

“It was a good all round performance, with the whole team putting in a shift. What the coach is drilling into us is finally starting to show on ice. The crowd was brilliant – a massive attendance for a rec game, which really gave all the lads a boost.”

“The Ice Tigers played a good game and battled all the way until the end of the 3rd, but they brought a short bench, which always makes the game harder. We know it'll be a different game at their place and are looking forward to the challenge.” 

The man of the match (voted by opposition) was netminder Adam Darbyshire, who turned away 25 of the 27 shots that he faced, while the Huskies’ choice of player of the match was Conor Cooper.

The Huskies are next in action on Saturday 5th May when they travel to East Lancashire to take on the  Blackburn Renegades, 4.45pm face off.  They are next at home on Saturday 25th May when they entertain the same opposition at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.15pm face off.

Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 9 – Blackburn Buccaneers 5 (Challenge Match)

Mike Filek was the Cobras MVP against Blackburn 

Sunday 21st April 2024 – Challenge Match: Connah’s Quay Cobras 9 – Blackburn Buccaneers 5 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras extended their impressive winning run to 11 games with a 9-5 challenge match win over Blackburn Buccaneers at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

This was a highly entertaining game with lots of end to end action, plenty of goals and was played in good spirit throughout with very few penalties being handed out.

The game also saw Cobras debuts for three new players - Tom Wlodarczyk, Phil Hand and Artur Podracki.  

After a tense opening phase, with plenty of chances for both sides, the Buccaneers eventually opened the scoring on 13 minutes.   The Cobras equalised with a goal from Mike Filek 2 minutes later but Blackburn edged in front again before being pegged back again with a Luke Wainwright strike to level the period at 2-2.

The second period was just as closely contested and Connah’s Quay took the lead for the first time in the game with Filek’s second goal of the night on 23 minutes.

A goal from Slavomir Sykora on 28 minutes gave the Cobras a 2-goal lead at the mid-point of the game but this was reined in by 2 Blackburn strikes  to leave the score at a finely balanced 4-4.  A goal from Louie Bailey with just 53 seconds on the clock fired the Cobras back in front, handing them a slender 5-4 lead with one period left to play.

Connah’s Quay pulled away in the third period and goals from Sykora, again, Artur Podracki and Sam Plant put daylight between the two teams for the first time.

A goal for Blackburn with 5 minutes left to play narrowed the score to 8-5 but a hat trick strike from Sykora straight from the restart rounded off the scoring for the game.

The Cobras are next in action Sunday 5th May when they take on the Newcastle Predators in a top of table clash in the Summer Classic Cup at Deeside Leisure Centre. Face off is at 8.30pm and admission is free for all spectators. 

Widnes Wild Academy Round Up - 20th / 21st April

Widnes Wild Academy Under 16 team (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Widnes Wild Academy junior teams had a mixed weekend, winning one and losing two of the three games that were played across the age groups.

The Academy Under 16 team beat Sutton U16s 8-5 at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday while the Under 18A team lost 0-12 to Sheffield U18s straight afterwards. On Sunday the Under 14 team lost at home 6-7 to Hull U14s. 

Also on Sunday, the Wild Academy Under 10 team took part in a 4 team cross ice tournament away at Altrincham where they took on the home side as well as teams from Deeside and Blackburn.  Cross ice games are played purely for fun and no match scores or player stats recorded.

This weekend sees the Wild Academy U18s away to Telford on Saturday 27th April – 7pm face off. The Under 16s are away to Manchester on Sunday, 3.45pm face off and the Under 18B team away to Deeside (4.35pm). 

Wild Women v Sheffield Preview

Preston Gennoe is the Wild Women’s top scorer so far this season (Photo by Brian Noble)

The DMUK Widnes Wild women’s team play their first game in over a month when they take on Sheffield Shadows this Sunday 28th April at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

The Wild women have had a bit of an “up and down” season and have narrowly lost their last two home games – to league champions Caledonia Steel Queens and play off contenders Telford – and will be keen to bounce back from those defeats.

Sunday’s opponents Sheffield are above Widnes in the league table with 6 wins from their 10 games to date, as opposed to the Wild’s 4 wins from the same number of games.  The away game in Sheffield back in November was very close and saw the Wild women fight back from being 5-1 down early in the third period to almost snatching a point in a 5-4 defeat, so there are hopes that the game on Sunday will be just as keenly contested and entertaining. 

Sheffield are in 4th place in the Division 2 North table at present and are still harbouring hopes of qualifying for the end of season Play Offs.  

The Caledonia Steel Queens have already secured the first spot in the play offs, having won the Division 2 North league title with games still to play but qualification for the second spot is still wide open with a chasing pack of 5 teams still in the running.

As the league table stands at present, the Wild Women could – mathematically, at least – still snatch second spot in the table and take the other play off berth if a rather unlikely series of events were to take place.

Firstly they would have to win both of their remaining league games – which is certainly possible - then hope that everybody else takes points off each other – which is less likely – and, finally, hope that they get a favourable decision from the League Management Committee on the allocation of points from two unplayed games that can’t be rescheduled.

With that over-complicated scenario seeming rather improbable, it looks as if the Wild Women might miss out on the Play Offs this season, which may be a blessing in disguise as there is a bit of a storm brewing in that direction.

The EIH(A) have announced that the Play Offs will take place at iceSheffield over three days on the weekend of 31st May to 2nd June. Last year they were played over the Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday to Monday - which was fine for most people - but this year, as the venue was, apparently, not available for that particular weekend, the event is being run from Friday to Sunday – with the first day being a normal working day for many players, officials and, of course, supporters.

Six semi final matches are scheduled to be played on the Friday, starting at 9am in the morning and running through until 10pm or later in the evening, and as the women’s leagues don’t officially finish until the end of May, some teams may not even know who has qualified for them until a few days beforehand. This could cause a logistical nightmare in terms of getting time off work, booking hotels and travelling to Sheffield on a busy weekday and the scheduling for this year’s event has provoked a lot of criticism from around the country.