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

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

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

There hasn’t been a women’s team at Deeside since the demise of the Flintshire Furies back in 2010 and the opening games of the season will represent a steep learning curve for the new team as they have only been training together for a few weeks.

The team has a good mix of ages and abilities with a number of former Deeside juniors, a few former Furies and some other experienced players who have joined from other north-west teams.

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

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

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

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

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

Wild Women Prepare For New Season

Leen de Decker
(Photo by Paul Breeze) 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dragons' MVP Joe Everitt (Photo by Paul Breeze)

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

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

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

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

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

Oliver Massey (Photo by View
From Up Here Photography)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayhem Players On GB Duty

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

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

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

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

Talking about his first international experience, Hartshorn said: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deeside D2 Dragons Complete Roster

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team GB Para Ice Hockey Tournament At Lee Valley This Weekend

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

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

The full programme for the weekend is:

Friday 21^st August

• 2pm: Team GB v Ukraine (Game 1)

Saturday 22^nd August

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

Sunday 23^rd August 

• 2pm: Team GB v Ukraine (Game 4)

Admission is free for all spectators.

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

and also on the BPIHA’s website HERE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deeside Dragons To Play Telford Tigers In Pre-Season Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

Deeside Dragons Sign Kane Morin

Kane Morin (Photo by All Sports Photography)

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

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

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

Matty Barlow Re-Signs For Deeside Dragons

Matty Barlow (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Connah's Quay Cobras In 20-Goal Thriller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wild Women Back In Training

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

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

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

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

Players with higher league or international experience are especially welcome.

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

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

D2 Dragons Add Pre-Season Games

Deeside D2 Dragons (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.