Sledge Hockey 2026: Latest Player Statistics

We are now a third of the way through the 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League season so thought it was time to have a look at the player statistics so far.

Not all teams have played the same amount of games so this is not a true “like for like” comparison, but the situation at present is as follows.

A grand total of 68 different players have taken to the ice so far this season across the 5 teams in the league. Of those, a very pleasing 36 – more than half – have got onto the scoresheet with goals or assists, and this includes a number of new players who are taking part in the league for the first time this season.

Manchester Mayhem’s Karl Nicholson tops the points standings after a 4+3 performance against Peterborough on Saturday brought his total for the season so far to 10 points from the three games that he has played in. Cardiff Huskies’ Tyler Christopher is second with 9 points from three games and Jon le Galloudec is third with 6.

Sheffield Steelstings pair Jurrian Raa and Jake Oakley are next - both have 5 points but the Sheffield development team have only played one game so far this season.

The Mayhem also lead the way in the netminder standings at this early stage of the season with Dan Hartshorn boasting a 2.25 Goals Against Average and 1 Shut Out from his 4 games so far. Cardiff’s Dan Hutchinson is second with a 3.00 GAA and a shared Shut Out but with a better Sv%.

The Sheffield Steelkings pairing of Jonathan Gill and Damien Barker have made a solid start to the season, having only conceded one goal between them in two matches and, once they have reached the qualifying threshold of minutes played, will undoubtedly be challenging for honours.

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

Yarwood Back For D2 Dragons

Deeside Dragons' Liam Yarwood (Photo by Lewis Cleveland) 

The Deeside D2 Dragons are continuing to build their squad for next season and have confirmed that Liam Yarwood will return for the forthcoming 2026/27 Laidler Division campaign.

Yarwood was one of the original group of promising young players who signed up for the Deeside Ducks – as the development team was originally called – in their first season and got 1 assist in 16 games. 

He built considerably on that last season and contributed 6 goals and 3 assists in 31 games.

A little extra intrigue has been added to the close-season rumour mill this year with the announcement that near rivals Widnes will be running a “Wild 2” development team – on similar lines to the D2 Dragons team - in the Laidler Division for the first time.

Games between teams from Deeside and Widnes are always keenly contested and passionate affairs so the prospect of several more local derbies over the course of the season will be keenly anticipated by both sets of supporters.

Match Report: Mayhem 8 - Peterborough Phantoms 1 (BPIHL Match #6)

Tom Kimm was the Mayhem MVP against Peterborough (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

Saturday 20^th June 2026 – BPIHL Match #6: Mayhem 8 – Peterborough Phantoms 1

The Mayhem sledge team moved up into second place in the British Para Ice Hockey League table after an impressive 8-1 win over Peterborough Phantoms at Planet ice Widnes on Saturday.

The game saw a Mayhem league debut for Jonathan Billington – one of 5 new players who are in their first season of para ice hockey this year.

Peterborough arrived on the back two defeats from their opening two games with a rather short bench but put in a battling performance and kept the numerically superior Mayhem out until mid-way through the first period.  The hosts outshot the visitors by a massive 9 to 1 in the first period and were eventually rewarded with a goal from Anthony Booth on 8 minutes.

Karl Nicholson doubled the advantage three minutes later and then scored again 2 minutes after that to give the Mayhem a 3-0 lead at the first period break.

Peterborough scored a goal of their own on 19 minutes – only their second strike of the season – but the Mayhem hit back with a straight hat-trick goal from Nicholson on 22 minutes and a first of the season from Tom Kimm on 24 minutes to lead 5-1 at the second interval.

The third period started off with a goal almost straight from the face off as Felicity Gregory edged the Mayhem further ahead.  More goals followed - from Nicholson on 33 minutes and Booth on 38 minutes – and the Mayhem were able to celebrate their biggest victory of the season so far.

A particularly pleasing aspect of the game was that new players for this season Craig Riley, Annie Arnill and Maddy Howard all got their names on the scoresheet for the first time, each bagging an assist.

The MVP awards were presented by Scarlet and Ruby and went to Kevin Briggs for the Phantoms and Tom Kimm for the Mayhem.

Mayhem v Phantoms - both teams (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

In the other game of the weekend, last season’s league and play off double winners Sheffield Steelkings moved to the top of the table with a 4-1 victory over erstwhile leaders Cardiff Huskies

The Mayhem’s win over Peterborough saw them climb into second, also leapfrogging Cardiff, but it is still very tight at the top of the league table with the Steelkings, Mayhem and Huskies level on 4 points each, but separated – in that order - by head to head results.

This coming Saturday - 27th June - sees an intriguing 1st v 2nd encounter as the Mayhem travel to iceSheffield to take on the Steelkings, 6.20pm face off.

They make the same trip again a week later on Saturday 4th July to play the Steelstings development team for the first time this season and are next at home on Saturday 25th July when they take on the Stings at Planet Ice Widnes.

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 #5 (21st June)

Sheffield Steelkings took over at the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table after a 4-1 victory over erstwhile leaders Cardiff Huskies at iceSheffield on Saturday.

The goals were shared around the Sheffield team, with Gary Farmer, Bill Hardy, Jon Plummer and Max Phillips–Brant getting one each, and Josh Davies scoring Cardiff’s only goal, in the second period.

In the weekend’s other game, Manchester Mayhem cruised to an 8-1 win over strugglers Peterborough Phantoms. Karl Nicholson led the scoring with 4 goals, Anthony Booth pitched in with 2 and Felicity Gregory and Tom Kimm got the others.  The game also saw maiden assists for Craig Riley, Annie Arnill and Maddy Howard who are all playing in their first season. Callum Shakespeare scored the consolation goal for the Phantoms.

It is still very tight at the top of the league table with the Steelkings, Mayhem and Huskies occupying the top three places all level on 4 points each, but separated – in that order - by head to head results.

The Steelstings drop to 4^th place in the table, although they have only played one game so far this season, and the Phantoms remain bottom with three defeats from their three games to date.

This coming Saturday - 27^th June - sees an intriguing 1^st v 2^nd encounter as the Sheffield Steelkings entertain the Manchester Mayhem in Sheffield, 6.20pm face off.

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

D2 Dragons Player Awards

Karl Bacon receives the Iron Man award from (l to r) Maxine Roscoe, Angela Wilkes, Gary Shaw, Simon Hughes and James Parsons (Photo by Dragons IHC)

The Deeside D2 Dragons have held their end of season player awards presentation following their very successful campaign where they achieved their highest league finish to date of 6^th in the Laidler Division and also beat the odds to reach the play off final.

The winners of the awards were:

• Most Points Scored: James Shaw
• Most Improved Player: Ben Roscoe
• Unsung Hero: Stewart Cutting
• Players’ Player Of The Season: James Shaw
• Coaches’ Player Of the Season: Charlie Spridgeon
• Iron Man Award: Karl Bacon

New Para Ice Hockey Club For Nottingham

Plans have been announced to set up a new Para Ice Hockey team in Nottingham 

There are currently 5 league teams across the country – Peterborough Phantoms, Cardiff Huskies, Manchester Mayhem – who play in Widnes – and two teams in Sheffield, the Steelkings and the Steelstings – and the Sheffield club has also revealed the intention of setting up a junior team.

Para Ice Hockey is far from new to the Lace City venue as there was a Nottingham Knights team that competed in the British Sledge Hockey Association league (as it was called back then) for a number of years in the early 2000s. Other former league teams have included the Battle Back Bison(s) at Basingstoke, London Ravens at Alexandra Palace and the highly successful Kingston Kestrels in Hull.

The sport’s governing body – the British Para Ice Hockey Association – is keen to expand participation to other areas and has held recent end of season play off tournaments in Nottingham (in 2024) and Lee Valley (2025) to help spread awareness.

The new Nottingham Nightwings club are keen to hear from anybody who would be interested in getting involved in Para Ice Hockey at the National Ice Centre, initially by email to nottinghamparaicehockey@gmail.com

No prior experience is necessary and all ages and abilities are welcome.  Although the sport was originally designed for players with lower limb disabilities, able-bodied players are also welcome to take part - and playing equipment will be provided for introductory sessions.

You can find out more about Para Ice Hocey in the UK on the official British Para Ice Hockey Association website HERE

Sledge Hockey 2026: Round-Up #4 (14th June)

Cardiff Huskies moved to the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table with a comprehensive 9-0 victory over Peterborough Phantoms in the Welsh capital on Saturday.

The Huskies led 2-0 after the first period, 4-0 after the second and then fired in 5 more goals in the third, outshooting the Phantoms by 16 to 7 overall.   

Tyler Christopher top-scored for Cardiff with 3 goals and 3 assists, Shannon Couch weighed in with 3 goals and Jon le Galloudec, Tyler Konner and Dani Czernuszka-Watts all scored one each.

Nicole Hill and Daniel Hutchinson shared duties in the Cardiff goal and notched up a 7-shot shut out

With Cardiff taking over at the top of the table, with 4 points from their 3 games so far this season, Sheffield Steelstings, Sheffield Steelkings and Manchester Mayhem - none of whom played at the weekend - all drop down a place and remain on two points each.

Peterborough Phantoms are still propping up the table with two defeats from their two games to date.

This coming Saturday - 20^th June - sees Manchester Mayhem entertain the Phantoms in Widnes (5.25pm face off) and the Sheffield Steelkings take on Cardiff at iceSheffield, 6.20pm start.

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

Deeside Dragons Launch Official Supporters Club

The Deeside Dragons club have announced the launch of a new Deeside Dragons Official Supporters Club.

The purpose is to bring together the passionate, loyal and vocal fans who make game nights at the Den so special and to continue building the fantastic Dragons community.

The new Supporters Club has already hit the ground running by staging displays at local community galas and organising fund-raising events such as a quiz night and a stand up comedy evening featuring the Dragons’ very own Colin Cromie.

Dragons fans are encouraged to join the Official Supporters Club as this offers:

• Official club badge
• Discount on official club merchandise
• Access to media features and insights that aren't available to the general public
• Priority ticket access, giving a chance to secure tickets before they are released to everyone else, and
• Invitations to exclusive Supporters Club social events

The cost is £8 per year for adult members and there are also special family rates available as well.

More information can be found on the Supporters Club page HERE

Chris Jones and Ben Roscoe Back For D2 Dragons

Deeside D2 Dragons' Captain Chris Jones (Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

The Deeside D2 Dragons have announced that inspirational captain Chris Jones will return to play for the development team in the Laidler Division once again for the forthcoming 2026/27 NIHL season.

Following an impressive senior career of over 20 years with the main Dragons, Jones was one of the first recruits for the Deeside Ducks team – as it was originally called - when it was formed in 2024 to offer a stepping stone between the Deeside junior set-up and the senior Dragons.

D2 Dragons' Ben Roscoe
(Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

The idea was to include a few older players to bring experience and stability to an otherwise youthful side and this strategy has certainly paid off.

In his two seasons with the development team, Jones has scored 13 goals and 35 assists in 38 Laidler Division matches and also helped the young Dragons to reach the play off final last season.

Another re-signing for the new season is Ben Roscoe, who returns for his third season at NIHL level.

Roscoe is a perfect example of the type of young player that the development team was set up to encourage.  He made his senior NIHL debut with the Ducks in the 2024/25 season and went on to contribute 6 assists in 22 games.

This initial experience obviously served him well as, last season, he doubled his points tally with 5 goals and 7 assists in 29 games and also earned a call up to the senior Dragons team, where he made 2 appearances in the Moralee Division.

Match Report: Mayhem 0 - Sheffield Steelkings 3 (BPIHL Match #4)

Ben O'Brien and Dan Hartshorn were the respective MVPs for the Steelkings and Mayhem on Sunday (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 7^th June 2026 – BPIHL Match #4: Mayhem 0 - Sheffield Steelkings 3

The Mayhem sledge team put in a battling performance against defending champions Sheffield Steelkings but ultimately succumbed to a 0-3 defeat at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

It was a very closely-contested, high octane encounter - and a great advert for Para Ice Hockey - which could have gone either way for much of its duration.

After a tense opening, with chances for both sides, Sheffield eventually took the lead in the 12^th minute with a goal from summer signing Gary Farmer and the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

The second period was just as close until the Steelkings doubled their lead with just 39 seconds left on the clock to put daylight between the two teams at the second break.

The third period followed a very similar pattern – with the Mayhem enjoying plenty of puck possession but not being able to convert that into scoring opportunities.

It was quite a physical game although this was not reflected in the penalty count – 8 for the Mayhem and 4 for Sheffield – as, for the most part, the match officials let the play flow rather than repeatedly blowing the whistle for constant stoppages.

Just as it looked as if the third period would play out goal-less, Sheffield struck another late goal – this time with just 24 seconds left in the game – and secured a 0-3 victory.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards were presented by Mayhem sponsor Alex Graham of Swisspine Galston and went to Ben O’Brien for Sheffield and netminder Dan Hartshorn for the Mayhem.

Sunday’s result means that an incredible FOUR teams are now level on points at this early stage of the league competition, all having one win each.

Sheffield Steelstings remain top of the league table on goal difference courtesy of their 8-1 win over Peterborough the previous weekend while their rink-mates the Steelkings now move into second place.

Manchester Mayhem are third – just above Cardiff Huskies, over whom they have a marginally superior playing record from the two matches between the two teams - and Peterborough Phantoms occupy bottom spot with “null points” after their loss to the Stings in their only game to date.

There is just one game this weekend when Cardiff Huskies take on Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday 13^th June down in the Welsh capital, 6.25pm face off. 

The Mayhem are next in action the following Saturday - 20^th June – when they entertain the Phantoms at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.25pm face off.

Sledge Hockey 2026: Weekend Round-Up #3

Defending champions Sheffield Steelkings opened their 2026 British Para Ice Hockey League campaign with a hard-fought 0-3 win away at Manchester Mayhem on Sunday.

It was a very closely-contested, high octane encounter - and a great advert for Para Ice Hockey - which could have gone either way for much of its duration.

After a tense opening, with chances for both sides, Sheffield eventually took the lead in the 12^th minute with a goal from summer signing Gary Farmer and the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

The second period was just as close until Ben O Brien doubled the Steelkings’ lead with just 39 seconds left on the clock to put daylight between the two teams at the second break and a further strike late in the third – from Daniel Clarke, with 24 seconds left in the game - handed Sheffield a 0-3 victory.

The netminders at both ends were in fine form – although the Mayhem’s Daniel Hartshorn was the busiest – and Jonathan Gill and Damien Barker shared a shut-out in the Sheffield goal.

The result means that an incredible FOUR teams are level on points at this early stage of the league competition, all having one win each.

Sheffield Steelstings remain top of the league table on goal difference courtesy of their 8-1 win over Peterborough the previous weekend while their rink-mates the Steelkings now move into second place.

Manchester Mayhem are third – just above Cardiff Huskies, over whom they have a marginally superior playing record from the two matches between the two teams - and Peterborough Phantoms occupy bottom spot with “null points” after their loss to the Stings in their only game to date.

There is just one game this weekend as we see Cardiff Huskies take on Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday 13^th June in the Welsh capital, 6.25pm face off. 

The following Saturday - 20^th June - sees Manchester Mayhem entertain the Phantoms in Widnes (5.25pm face off) and the Sheffield Steelkings take on Cardiff at iceSheffield, 6.20pm start.

For more information about the British Para Ice Hockey League, check out the official website HERE

and follow the latest news on their Fabebook page HERE

D2 Dragons Confirm Coaches For New Season

Deeside D2 Dragons
Head Coach Gary Shaw
(Photo by Paul Breeze

The Deeside D2 Dragons Laidler Division team have confirmed that Head Coach Gary Shaw will be back at the helm for the forthcoming 2026/27 Laidler Division season, with Simon Hughes and James Parsons also returning as assistant coaches.

The Division 2 development side – known as the Ducks for their first season – was formed in 2024 to offer a stepping stone between the Deeside junior programme and the main Dragons Moralee Division team, giving promising younger players the opportunity to benefit from playing regular competitive hockey to help with their development.

In the past two seasons, the Ducks / D2 Dragons set up has given NIHL debuts to 27 such players and a number of them have also had opportunities to play up with the senior Dragons team.

After finishing in 9^th place out of 9 teams in their first season, the D2 Dragons showed a great improvement this time around, finishing 6^th in the final league table and going on to surprise a lot of people by beating higher ranked opposition in both the quarter-final and semi-final of the playoffs to win through to the final, only to lose out to league champions Sutton Sting.

Gary Shaw has a decades-long connection with Deeside and is a former player with both the Deeside Dragons and Flintshire Freeze. He has also served as Assistant Coach and Head Coach with the Deeside Dragons, Head Coach of the Deeside Dragons U18 programme, and most recently leading both the Deeside Ducks and D2 Dragons.

Simon Hughes brings valuable hockey experience, having played senior hockey with both the Deeside Dragons and Trafford Metros and was an Assistant Coach under Gary Shaw with the Deeside Demons second team back in the late 1980s. His knowledge of the game, calm approach, and dedication to player development make him a key member of the coaching staff.

James Parsons is another long-time Deeside favourite with over 20 years’ experience playing for the senior Dragons. He made a great impression with the development side last season both as coach and also as a player where he scored 17 goals and 13 assists in 26 games.

Match Report: Cardiff Huskies 5 - Manchester Mayhem 4 (BPIHL Match #2)

Craig Riley was the Mayhem MVP away at Cardiff (Photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 30^th May 2026 – BPIHL Match #2: Cardiff Huskies 5 – Mayhem 4

The Mayhem sledge team put in a battling performance in their second game of the new British Para Ice Hockey League season, narrowly losing out 5-4 to Cardiff Huskies in the Welsh capital.

The two teams had already met up in Widnes two weeks earlier, with the Mayhem winning 2-0 but both teams had additional players available for Saturday’s clash, with GB internationals Karl Nicholson and Tyler Christopher lining up for the Mayhem and Huskies respectively.

Cardiff opened the scoring early in the first period and went on to double the lead before Karl Nicholson pulled a goal back for the Mayhem with just 23 seconds left on the clock.

The Huskies scored again on 26 minutes but Nicholson fired in for the Mayhem again two minutes after that and the score stood at a very close 3-2 with one period left to play.

The Mayhem had plenty of chances on goal in this game – hitting the post 4 times – and actually narrowly out-shot the Huskies by 25 to 23 over the course of the game but were just not able to make them count. Cardiff edged further ahead again with a goal 2 minutes into the third period and, once again, Karl Nicholson responded almost immediately with his hat-trick goal. 

The game continued on a knife-edge and the tension mounted around the South Wales rink as the clock slowly ticked down.

The Huskies scored again with two minutes left to play but Dean Lahan pulled a goal back for the Mayhem with just 32 seconds left on the clock.  Unfortunately, it was too late to spark a late rally and the game finished in a narrow 5-4 victory for the Welsh team.

Craig Riley – playing only his second ever Para Ice Hockey match – was named Player of the Game for the Mayhem. 

Head Coach Peter Hagan commented afterwards:  “Lady Luck wasn’t with us today but there was some good play out there. There are few things to look at to improve upon - but we can take lots of positives from the game. We are definitely on the right track!”

The other game of the weekend saw the Sheffield Steelstings - the Steel City’s  “development “ team – trounce last year’s league runners up Peterborough Phantoms 8-1.

The Steelstings have been the league’s whipping boys in recent years and only managed to score two goals in their 8 league games last season - so this was quite a turn-around in fortunes. 

Senior Kings players Jake Oakley and Barry Grayson have switched to the Stings for this season  to give some extra experience and depth to the development side that had 6 new players icing in their first ever game and, judging from this initial result, the BPIHL competition is going to be a lot closer this year.

The weekend results saw the Steelstings take over at the top of the BPIHL table – quite possibly for the first time ever- leading a pack of 3 teams that all have 1 win each. 

The Stings are top of the pile on goal difference while the Mayhem are in second due to a superior playing record over Cardiff in the games between the two teams.  Peterborough have “null points” from their defeat away in Sheffield and the Sheffield Steelkings – last year’s league and play off champions - have yet to play this season.

The Mayhem are at home this Sunday 7th June when they take on the Steelkings at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.15pm start.

Find out more about the Manchester Mayhem on their official website HERE

and about the British Para Ice Hockey League HERE

Sledge Hockey 2026: Round-Up #2

Sledge Hockey 2026: Round-Up #2

It’s all change at the top of the BPIHL table after Sheffield Steelstings notched up an 8-1 win over Peterborough Phantoms at iceSheffield on Saturday.

A new-look Stings team saw 6 players making their BPIHL debuts, supported by senior Kings players Jake Oakley and Barry Grayson who have switched to the Stings for this season to give some extra experience and depth to the development side.

Dutch player Jurrian Raa scored 5 goals on his UK league debut and Jake Oakley fired in the other three. D-Jay Hall got the consolation goal for the Phantoms.

The other game of the weekend saw Cardiff Huskies beat Manchester Mayhem 5-4 in a highly entertaining and closely fought match that could have gone either way until the very last second.

Karl Nicholson scored a hat-trick for the Mayhem with Dean Lahan scoring the last goal. Tyler Christopher and Jon le Galloudec both bagged a brace for the Huskies and Josh Davies got the other one.

The league table has three teams all with one win each at this early stage of the season. The Stings are top of the pile on goal difference while the Mayhem are in second due to a superior playing record over Cardiff in the games between the two teams. 

Peterborough have “null points” from their defeat away in Sheffield and the Sheffield Steelkings – last year’s league and play off champions - have yet to play this season.

This weekend sees the Mayhem take on the Steelkings on Sunday 7^th June at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.15pm start.

League Leaders Mayhem Head To Cardiff On Saturday

The Mayhem team after their table-topping victory over Cardiff (Photo by Kat)

The Mayhem sledge team head to South Wales this Saturday 30th May to play their second game of the new British Para Ice Hockey League season away to Cardiff Huskies (face off 6.30pm)

The two sides met in a highly entertaining season opener at Planet Ice Widnes two weeks ago in a game that the Mayhem narrowly edged 2-0 to leave them top of the league table at this early stage of the season.  Mayhem team captain Mark Colquitt also leads the BPIHL scoring standings for the time being with his one goal and one assist from the first game but there is, obviously, still a long way to go, with other teams yet to play.

Also on Saturday, the Sheffield Steelstings development team take on Peterborough Phantoms in the first game of the season for both teams in Sheffield. 

The Mayhem are next at home on Sunday 7th June when they take on the last season’s league and play off champions, Sheffield’s senior side - the Steelkings - at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.15pm start.

Flintshire Phantoms In 17 Goal Thriller

Ondra Liebelt was on target for the Phantoms against the Huskies (Photo by Greg Grogan)

Sunday 24th May: Flintshire Phantoms 5 – Halton Huskies 12 

The Flintshire Phantoms played out a 17-goal thriller against the Widnes-based Halton Huskies, unfortunately ending up on the wrong end of a 12-5 defeat on Sunday.

Games between Deeside and Widnes based clubs are always keenly contested, passionate affairs due to the relative proximity of the two venues and a regular migration of players over the years in both directions, are rarely dull – and this was no exception.

The game was actually a home game for the Phantoms but had to be played at Widnes as there wasn’t any suitable ice time available at Deeside Leisure Centre due to a weekend hockey training camp being held at the venue.

The Huskies – the “visitors” in this case – took the lead after 7 minutes and were 0-3 ahead at the first period break. They scored twice more in the second period before the Phantoms finally found the back of the net themselves with a goal from Geoffrey Coombs on 26 minutes.

Flintshire further narrowed the deficit with goals from former Deeside Ducks league player Louis Ellwood and Ken Valyear but 4 more goals for the Huskies saw them leading 3-9 at the second interval. 

The Phantoms scored again on 48 minutes with a second Valyear strike but three more goals followed for the Huskies – rounding off an impressive 4-goal haul for Jack Davies, another former Deeside Duck – to bring their tally to 12, before Ondra Liebelt rounded off the scoring for the game with the Phantoms’ fifth goal.

The two teams will meet again in the return match on 27th June which will officially be the “away” game for the Phantoms and will, once again, take place at Widnes.

Halton Huskies in 17 Goal Thriller

Jack Davies scored four goals for the Huskies against Flintshire (Photo by David Tattum)

Sunday 24th May:  Flintshire Phantoms 5 – Halton Huskies 12 

The Halton Huskies played out a 17-goal thriller against the Deeside-based Flintshire Phantoms coming out 12-5 winners at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

Games between Deeside and Widnes based clubs are always keenly contested, passionate affairs due to the relative proximity of the two venues and a regular migration of players over the years in both directions, are rarely dull – and this was no exception.

This game was actually a “home” game for the Phantoms but had to be played at Widnes as there wasn’t any suitable ice time available at Deeside Leisure Centre due to a weekend hockey training camp being held at the venue.

The Huskies – the “visitors” in this case – took the lead after 7 minutes with goal from David Hrubovsky and were 0-3 ahead at the first period break after further strikes from Jack Davies and Edward Ridding.

Halton scored twice more in the second period – with goals coming from Valerica Florea and Jordan Birtwistle - before the Phantoms finally found the back of the net themselves on 26 minutes. Flintshire further narrowed the deficit with 2 more goals but 4 strikes for the Huskies – from Hrubovsky, Davies, Gez Evans and Dominic Harbour - saw them leading 3-9 at the second interval.

The Phantoms pulled another goal back on 48 minutes but three more goals followed for the Huskies – two more for Davies, rounding off an impressive 4-goal haul, and a second for Evans – to bring their tally to 12, before Flintshire finished off the scoring for the game with their fifth and final goal.

The two teams will meet again in the return match on 27th June which will officially be the “home” game for the Huskies and will, once again, take place at Widnes.

Deeside Dragons Launch Women's Team

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

The Deeside Dragons club have announced the formation of a new senior women’s team.

The club has run an Under 16 girls team for the past two seasons and this latest decision follows two successful sessions at the North Wales rink that were well attended by girls and women players of varying ages and experience from across the region.

This won’t be the first time that Deeside has had a women’s ice hockey team as the previous Flintshire Furies club played league hockey at the venue from 2002 to 2010, winning two league championships during that period - and a number of former Furies players are still active with other clubs.

There are currently three other women’s league teams in the North West – at Altrincham, Blackburn and Widnes – so it will be interesting to see what happens when the new Dragons outfit joins the mix.

The overall lead for Deeside girl’s and women’s programme is Emma Pearson, who is currently head Coach of the U16 Girls team and has been involved with the Dragons juniors for a number of years.

Emma has a huge experience of women’s ice hockey having played some 250 competitive matches over a 20 year period, with spells at Altrincham Deeside, Kingston, Sheffield and Widnes, winning league titles with Flintshire in 2003, Manchester Phoenix in 2015 and the Widnes Wild Women in 2020.

Emma’s husband Phil Pearson will already be a familiar face to many at Deeside as he is a netminder for the senior Dragons NIHL team, however, he has also been heavily involved in coaching the Deeside juniors and girls and he will be the Head Coach for the new women’s team.  Phil already has a good record in women’s league hockey as he coached the Wild Women to the Division 1 North title back in the 2019/20 season, where Emma was team captain and top scorer.

Emma Dutton is another highly experienced women’s league player and joins the staff of the new women’s team as Assistant Player Coach. She is the all-time record appearance holder for the Flintshire Furies with 111 games over 8 seasons and also has three league titles under her belt – two with Flintshire and one the Manchester Phoenix.

She is a founder and head coach of the Deeside–based Connah Quay Cobras rec team and also played league hockey last season for the Widnes Wild Women.

The management team is completed by Katy Lennon as Team Manager, continuing the role that she has carried out so successfully with the Under 16 Girls team for the past two seasons.

Dragons Under 16 Girls at Play Offs

The Dragons Girls at the Play Offs in Sheffield (Photo by Katy Lennon)

Saturday 23^rd May 2026 – U16 Girls Play Off Semi Final: Ice Bees 1 – Deeside Dragons 0

The Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls team put in a battling performance in their play-off semi final, narrowly losing out 1-0 to the Ice Bees in Sheffield on Saturday.

Having finished in second place in the North Division, the Dragons girls were paired up against the Slough-based Ice Bees, who finished first in the South Division and, as teams from the north and south don’t meet very often, it was impossible to predict what might happen.

As the score suggests, it was a very closely fought game with little to choose between the teams. The Bees took the lead in the first period and, while Deeside had their chances, they were unable to make any sort of breakthrough.

Violet Lennon put in a superb display in the Deeside goal and was named Player of the Game for the Dragons girls.

In the other semi-final  North champions Whitley Bay beat South runners up Chelmsford Rattlesnakes 4-2 and went on to beat the Ice Bees 3-0 in the National final on Sunday.

Dragonettes Head To Women's Play Offs

Dragonettes Head Coach
Emma Pearson

The Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls team are heading back to Sheffield this weekend to take part in the Women’s Play Off Weekend for the first time, after finishing in second place in the league in just their second season of competition.

The Play Off Weekend is a huge jamboree that sees the top teams in the Women’s Elite League,  Division 1 North and South, Division 2 North and South – Elizabeth and Valerie sections - and the U16 Girls League North and South meet in semi finals and finals to decide overall national champions for each division.

It is a masterpiece of organisation as there are 15 games to fit in back to back over the three days from Saturday to Monday.

Having finished in second place in the U16 North Division, the Dragonettes will play the Slough-based Ice Bees - who finished top of the South Division – in their semi-final facing off at 10.45 on Saturday.

North champions Whitley Bay will play South runners up Chelmsford Rattlesnakes in the early start game at 9am and the two winners will meet in the final at 12.30 on Sunday.

Talking about the Dragonettes achievements this year, Head Coach Emma Pearson said:

“We are incredibly proud of the girls and the season they’ve had. We knew it was always going to be tough to beat Whitley, but to only lose two games all season — both against them — is a massive achievement and really shows how far this group has come. It’s a relatively young team, and the development and commitment they’ve shown throughout the year has been outstanding.

“Looking ahead to the playoffs, we know it’ll be a tough game against the Ice Bees after they finished top of the southern division, but the team will do everything we can to go out there, compete, and see where it takes us.”

The full schedule for the WNIHL Play Offs is as follows:

Saturday 23^rd May

• 9am - U16 SF1: Whitley v Chelmsford
• 10.45am - U16 SF2: Ice Bees v Deeside
• 12.30pm - Elite SF1: Queen Bees v Whitley
• 2.45pm – Elite SF2: Guildford v Solihull
• 5pm - D1 SF1:Kingston v Fire Bees
• 7.15pm - D1 SF2:  Swindon v Caledonia

Sunday 24^th May

• 8.30am - D2V SF1: Kingston v Slough
• 10.30am - D2V SF2: Haringey v Whitley
• 12.30pm - U16 Final
• 2.15pm - Elite Final
• 4.30pm - D1 Final
• 6.45pm - D2E SF1: Caledonia v Coventry
• 8.45pm - D2E SF2: Invicta v Manchester

Monday 25^th May

• 10am - D2V Final
• 12.15pm - D2E Final

To find out about tickets for the WNIHL Finals Weekend - and also the livestreaming option - in check out the EIH(A) ticketing portal HERE