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: 

(awaiting quote)

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.

New Signings For Deeside D2 Dragons

Oli Howells
(Photo by Keith &
Jenny Davies)

The Deeside D2 Dragons have signed a number of new players to boost their roster ahead of the forthcoming 2026/27 Laidler Division season.

The best known to Deeside fans would be Oli Howells who spent two seasons with the senior Dragons team in the Moralee Division from 2023 to 2025. He played last season for Widnes Wild and has also had spells with Telford, Sheffield and Solihull.

The former Telford junior has over 150 competitive games under his belt at NIHL level, having scored 8 goals and 23 assists from his defensive role while notching up 185 penalty minutes.

Other new arrivals for the season are experienced forward Shannon Lingwood – who has spent a number of years away from the competitive game but has over 150 NIHL games to his record, with stints at Sutton Sting, Bradford Bulldogs and Sheffield Spartans – and Ollie Massey and Ben Fox, who have both played the past three seasons with Bradford Bulldogs.

A returnee from last season’s D2 Dragons team is 19-year old Thomas Warburton.

Thomas Warburton (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Warburton stepped up from the Deeside Junior Under 19 team last season to make his senior NIHL debut with the D2 development side Dragons. He played in 10 league and play off games, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist.

Mayhem Qualify For Play Offs

Manchester Mayhem (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

The Mayhem sledge team have qualified for the end of season play offs without having to strike a puck in anger, after other results at the weekend worked in their favour.

With league champions Sheffield Steelkings beating struggling Peterborough Phantoms 11-0 in Sheffield on Saturday, it means that the league’s basement team are no longer able to accrue enough points from their remaining games to overtake the Mayhem, who are now guaranteed of finishing at least fourth.

Sheffield have already qualified for the play offs as champions and Cardiff Huskies – who are second in the table with one game left to play - will join them, along now with the Mayhem.

The fourth - and final - play off spot will probably be decided this coming weekend when the Sheffield Steelkings B team (the Stings) play their last two games of the regular season – away at Cardiff on Saturday and at home to Peterborough on Sunday. 

A single point from one of those two games would be enough to clinch 4th place in the league table for the Stings and mean that they would beat Peterborough for the final play off spot.

Aside from Sheffield’s dominance, it has been quite an unpredictable season overall with most teams taking points off each other. 

Depending on their result away at Peterborough and the other teams’ results in the other two games in the meantime, the Mayhem could still finish as high as second in the final league table – or as low as fourth.

The top four teams in the final table qualify for the end of season play offs, which are to be played at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in East London over the weekend of 12^th and 13^th September. 

The final league placings are important as they decide the match-ups for the two semi finals and the higher finishing teams get a theoretically easier draw by being paired against the lower sides, with 1^st playing 4th and 2^nd playing 3^rd.

The Mayhem play their last game of the regular season away to Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday 30^th August.

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 

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #12 (9th August)

The Sheffield Steelkings finished their 2026 league title winning season with a 100% record after an 11-0 win over struggling Peterborough Phantoms at iceSheffield on Saturday.

It was very much a team effort as all 10 outward players scored a goal and all 11 players on the Kings’ roster got on the scoresheet.

The win means that the Kings have won all 8 of their 8 league games this season – equalling the feat that Cardiff Huskies achieved twice, in 2022 and 2023, when they also won back-to-back league titles.

Sheffield have now extended their lead at the top of the league table to 16 points – 8 ahead of second place Cardiff, who didn’t play at the weekend and still have one game left to go in the regular season.

The defeat for Peterborough means that Manchester Mayhem now have their spot confirmed in the end of season play offs as, even if they win their two remaining games, the Phantoms wouldn’t be able to accrue enough points to overtake them.

The final play off spot will probably be decided this coming weekend when the Sheffield Steelkings B team (the Stings) play their last two games of the regular season – away at Cardiff on Saturday and at home to Peterborough on Sunday. 

A single point from one of those two games would be enough to clinch 4th place in the league table for the Stings and mean that they would beat Peterborough for the final play off spot.

The remaining league fixtures for the 2026 BPIHL season are as follows:

Saturday 15^th August:  Sheffield Steelkings B v Cardiff Huskies

Sunday 16^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Sheffield Steelkings B

Sunday 30^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Manchester Mayhem

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

D2 Dragons Continue To Build Roster

Deeside D2 Dragons' Charlie Spridgeon (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The D2 Dragons development side continue to build their roster for the 2026/27 Laidler Division season and have announced the return of three more senior players.

Charlie Spridgeon was one of the first players to join the original Deeside Ducks team – as the Laidler Division outfit was originally known when it started in 2024 - and has played 51 games over two seasons for the D2 side, scoring 13 goals and 27 assists, to add to his 105 games beforehand over 5 seasons with the senior Dragons.

Popular enforcer Karl Bacon returns for his second season with the development team, having played in 31 games last season - scoring 3 goals and 14 assists and notching up an enthusiastic 78 penalty minutes.

Charlie Nicholson is also back for his third season with the development team, having been another original Duck.

He has also played for Deeside junior teams for the past three seasons and is a good example of how the D2 side gives promising young players an opportunity to improve their game by playing up a level with regular senior league hockey.

Nicholson has made 33 Laidler Division appearances over the past two seasons, scoring 2 goals.

Lewis Baldwin Joins Deeside Dragons

Lewis Baldwin
(Photo by Geoff White)

The Deeside D1 Dragons have announced the signing of defenceman Lewis Baldwin for the forthcoming 2026/27 Moralee Division season.

Baldwin brings a huge amount of experience to the Dragons, having played some 350 games at NIHL National Division level with over 6 seasons with Leeds and also two seasons in the erstwhile EPL with Hull Pirates, Manchester Phoenix and Sheffield Steeldogs.

He has also played 2 seasons in the Moralee Division with Blackburn Hawks and Solway Sharks, was a double trophy winner with Widnes Wild during the “Covid” series and spent the latter part of last season with Billingham Stars.

In an impressive senior career dating back 11 years, Lewis has notched up 67 competitive goals and 180 assists and also played for Great Britain in two World Championships at Under 18 and Under 20 level.

Talking about Baldwin’s signing, Dragons Head Coach Mike Clancy said:

“Lewis is a player we’ve admired for a long time. He’s played a lot of hockey at a higher level and brings real quality to our defence. He’s calm on the puck, makes smart decisions, moves it quickly, and can contribute offensively while remaining solid in his own zone.”

“We felt our defence improved massively last season, and adding someone with Lewis’ experience and ability gives us another huge boost. We’re delighted to welcome him to Deeside and can’t wait to see him in a Dragons jersey.”

 

Dragons Returnees

A number of last season’s players who were already signed up for the Dragons on two-year deals are due to come back for the new campaign.

Ryan Jones, Matt Wainwright, MJ Clancy, Ross Kennedy and Ethan Mayoh have all signed contract extensions which commit them to the club until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #11 (1st August)

The Sheffield Steelkings maintained their 100% record at the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League with a comprehensive 1-13 win over rink-mates Sheffield Steelkings B (the Stings) at iceSheffield on Friday night.

The Steelkings goals were nicely spread across the team with strikes from Matt Clarkson (3), John Plummer (3) Rachel Oakley (2), Bill Hardy (2) and one each for Gary Farmer, Daniel Clarke and Russ Clarke.

Jake Oakley scored the only Stings goal in the 28^th minute, thus depriving the impressive Kings netminding partnership of Jonathan Gill and Damien Barker of another shut out.

The table-topping Steelkings now have 14 points from their 7 league games to date, 6 points ahead of Cardiff Huskies, who have also played 7 games and have accrued enough points to guarantee their place in the play offs.

The Sheffield A team haven’t lost a league game since June 2025 when they suffered an overtime loss away to Cardiff and they will be hoping to finish off the regular season with a 100% record this time around as they take on bottom team Peterborough Phantoms in their last league game this Saturday 8^th August.

While the title race may already be sewn up, there is still plenty to play for in the remaining games of the regular season as three teams are chasing the two final play off spots.

The top four teams in the final table will qualify for the end of season play offs, which are to be played at the Lee Valley Ice Centre in East London over the weekend of 12th and 13th September.  The final league placings are important as they decide the match-ups for the two semi finals and the higher finishing teams get a - theoretically - easier draw by being paired against the lower sides, with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd. 

The remaining league fixtures for the 2026 BPIHL season are as follows:

• Saturday 8^th August: Sheffield Steelkings A v Peterborough Phantoms
• Saturday 15^th August:  Sheffield Steelkings B v Cardiff Huskies
• Sunday 16^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Sheffield Steelkings B
• Sunday 30^th August:  Peterborough Phantoms v Manchester Mayhem

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

New Netminders For Deeside Dragons

Curtis Warburton (Photo by Dean Woolley)

The Deeside D1 Dragons team have revealed an impressive quartet of netminders to backstop their 2026/27 Moralee Division campaign, with two new signings and two returnees.

The first of the new arrivals is 24 year old Curtis Warburton who will join on a two way arrangement with Sheffield. He is part of the highly respected Sheffield development pathway and will also play with the Steeldogs in the NIHL National Division and Sheffield Steelers in the Elite League if he is called upon.

Warburton has over 100 games at National Division level under his belt and, as well as the Steeldogs, has also had spells with Hull Seahawks, Solway Sharks and the Slough-based Bees. He has also played a number of Elite League games with the Steelers.

Dragons Head Coach Mike Clancy said of Warburton: 

“Curtis is someone that has competed at the highest level and will allow us to compete at the very top end of all competitions. He’s a fantastic addition to our team and, at 24 years of age, has a huge future ahead of him. We’re delighted to welcome him to the club and look forward to supporting his continued development alongside the Sheffield Steelers and Sheffield Steeldogs.”

Ryan Wardell
(Photo by Vince Cowell)

The other new netminder is Ryan Wardell who played for the Billingham Buccaneers in the Laidler Division last season and previously had stints with Whitley Warriors and Billingham Stars in the Moralee Division.

Wardell had the top Save Percentage in the Laidler Division last season with 94.35% from his 12 league matches and an impressive 2.29 Goals Against Average.

Mike Clancy said of Wardell:

 “Ryan has the quality to play at a high level. His 6ft 3in stature and athleticism have made him one of the top prospects at the age of 21. The work he has done coaching the junior club in Billingham has also been noted, and I’m sure he will do similar great things with the Dragons juniors. He’s a great lad and will be a positive addition to the dressing room.”

The Dragons’ netminding group for the new season is completed with the return of Jace Gledhill and Phil Pearson.

Former Manchester Storm and Nottingham junior Gledhill comes back for his fourth season with the Dragons, having also iced a number of times for the Deeside Ducks development team during the 2024/25 season.

He played in 11 Moralee Division games for the senior Dragons last season, recording an impressive 2.63 Goals per Game Average and 89.90 Save Percentage.

Seasoned veteran Phil Pearson also returns for his fourth season with the Dragons, although it is his fifth overall on Deeside if you count the two games that he played for the erstwhile Flintshire Freeze back in the 2011/12 season.

Pearson brings a huge amount of experience to the Dragons with over 200 appearances at NIHL level under his belt with spells at Blackburn, Bradford and Widnes, among others.

This season, he’ll play a key role in mentoring and helping coaching the other netminders, along with Coach Dave Clancy, while still being ready to pull on the pads whenever the team needs him.

He is also involved in coaching the junior teams and will be Head Coach of the new Deeside Dragons women’s team for this season.

Match Report: Mayhem 0 – Sheffield Steelkings B 4 (BPIHL Match #15)

Mayhem face off v Sheffield B (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

Saturday 25th July 2026 – BPIHL Match #15 - Mayhem 0 – Sheffield Steelkings B 4

The Mayhem sledge team slumped to a frustrating 0-4 defeat at home to the Sheffield Steelkings B team (the “Stings”) in their final home game of the 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League season at Planet Ice Widnes on Saturday.

The Widnes–based outfit had beaten the Stings in Sheffield 1-3 three weeks ago but it had been a hard game and this return match always had the potential to be a sticky fixture.  The Mayhem had a number of regular players missing from their line-up on Saturday and found themselves up against a Stings team who were on fine form.

The game was actually very close in its early stages with opportunities for both sides but Sheffield took the lead on 7 minutes with a goal from experienced Dutch player Jurrian Raa, who is playing his first season in the BPIHL this year.

The score remained at a very close 0-1 at the first period break and the second period was even tighter and played out goal-less.

The Mayhem had plenty of puck possession but were unable to make the most of their chances in front of goal when they came - and their task became much harder 6 minutes into the third period when Jurrian Raa scored his second goal of the game to double the Stings’ advantage.

Things got even worse three minutes later when, with the Mayhem goal under considerable pressure and surrounded by a melee of players, netminder Dan Hartshorn was assessed a penalty for “throwing equipment“ (ie: his stick... ) as he attempted to keep the Stings’ attack at bay.

Because this infringement was deemed to be preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity, a penalty shot was awarded and Jurrian Raa duly dispatched this to round off his hat-trick.

As the game entered its final two minutes, there was yet more drama as Sheffield picked up their first penalty of the game, handing the Mayhem a late powerplay opportunity.

The Stings called a time out at the same time and then promptly raced up the other end to score a short-handed fourth goal. The goalscorer – Stings Player Coach Jake Oakley - then picked up a delaying the game penalty straight from the face off, leaving the Mayhem to play with a 5 on 3 advantage for the rest of the game. 

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to make the extra players count and force a late consolation goal so the score remained 0-4 at the final buzzer.

To his credit, Bryan Hackworth in the Sheffield goal put in an impressive performance and was rewarded with a 14-shot shut-out while Hartshorn performed his usual heroics for the Mayhem to keep the score down, stopping 20 of the 24 shots that he faced.

Felicity Gregory was the Mayhem MVP against Sheffield
(Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards were presented by Off-Ice Official and press writer Paul Breeze and went to John Oakley for Sheffield and Felicity Gregory for the Mayhem.

The other game of the weekend saw the Sheffield Steelkings A team secure the 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League title after a 1-5 victory away at Cardiff Huskies. There are still a number of games to play in the regular season schedule but the Steelkings’ perfect record of 6 wins from their 6 games means that they cannot now be overtaken on points and celebrate their second championship win in a row, and third overall.

The Mayhem now have several weeks to regroup and prepare for their last game of the league season when they travel to play the Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday 30^th August. 

A win in that game would secure the Mayhem a place in the end of season Play Offs, although the matter may well be decided before then depending on results between other teams.

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 

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #10 (26th July)

Sledge Hockey 2026:  Weekend Round-Up #10 (26^th July)

Steelkings Are League Champions

The Sheffield Steelkings have secured the 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League title after a 1-5 victory away at Cardiff Huskies on Saturday.

There are still a number of games to play in the regular season schedule but the Steelkings’ perfect record of 6 wins from their 6 games means that they cannot now be overtaken on points and celebrate their second championship win in a row, and third overall.

Cardiff actually scored first down in the Welsh capital with a goal from Tyler Christopher and led 1-0 at the first period break but goals from Gary Farmer (2) Ben O’Brien (2) and Matthew Clarkson saw the Kings overturn the deficit and romp to victory in a game that saw them out-shoot the hosts by more than 2 to 1.

The other game of the weekend brought a Sheffield double whammy as the Steelkings B team (the “Stings”) won 0-4 away to Manchester Mayhem. 

Jurrian Raa gave the Stings a narrow 0-1 lead at the first break and the score remained 0-1 at the second interval. Two more goals from Raa and one from Jake Oakley settled matters in favour of Sheffield and Bryan Hackworth recorded a 14-shot shut-out.

There is just one game in the BPIHL this coming weekend as the Sheffield Steelkings B team host the Sheffield A team in the second Steel City derby of the season this Friday 31^st July at their shared iceSheffield venue, face off at 6.40pm.

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