Match Report: Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls 2 – Caledonia Iron Maidens 0 (WNIHL Under 16 Girls North)

Deeside Dragons U16 Girls at home to Caledonia (Photo by Rachael Feather)

Sunday 12^th April 2026 – WNIHL Under 16 Girls North: Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls 2 – Caledonia Iron Maidens 0

The Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls team moved level on points with league leaders Whitley Bay after a 2-0 home shut out of the Caledonia Iron Maidens at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

(awaiting gamesheet information for detailed report)

The Dragons girls team are in their second season of competition and have made remarkable progress in such a short time.  In their first season, they finished 4^th out of 7 teams with 3 wins from the 11 league games that they played. This season they are in second place in the league table, having won 12 out of their 13 games so far, and have already qualified for the end of season play offs.

They are currently level on points with league leaders Whitley Bay – the only team to have beaten the Dragons this season – although they have played a game more.  The two top teams have to meet again this season up in the north east, so the Dragons girls are still in with a mathematical chance of winning the league title.

They are at home again this Sunday 19^th April when they take on the Sheffield Shadows in their last home fixture of the season at Deeside Leisure Centre, 4.30pm face off.

They then play away in Whitley next Saturday 25^th April for a crunch encounter and then travel to Sheffield on Saturday 9^th May to round off the regular season.

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The Deeside Dragons club have announced an initial trial for the new women’s team that they plan to operate next season.

The one-hour trial session will take place at Deeside Leisure Centre on Monday 20th April from 7.15 to 8.15pm and will cost £10.00 per person. Interested parties must complete and submit the “Expression Of Interest” form HERE before attending.

Match Report: Blackburn Hawks 4 - Deeside D1 Dragons 3 (Moralee Play Off Final)

Jake Witkowski opened the scoring for the Dragons in the Play Off final at Sheffield (Photo by RDG Digital)

Saturday 11^th April 2026 – Play Off Final (at Sheffield): Blackburn Hawks 4 - Deeside D1 Dragons 3

The Deeside D1 Dragons’ otherwise highly successful season finished on a slightly disappointing note after they narrowly lost out 4-3 to Blackburn Hawks in the Moralee Division play off final at Sheffield  on Saturday.

As the score suggests, this was a very tight game, played between two very closely matched teams at a breakneck pace throughout. The result was in doubt until the very last second and it was a superb advert for NIHL ice hockey.

Deeside took the lead with a Jake Witkowski goal in the 5th minute but Blackburn eventually equalised with a hotly debated goal on 16 minutes to leave the score at 1-1 at the first period break.

The second period saw an incredible 4 goals scored within 80 seconds of each other, with Blackburn taking the lead on 27 minutes, Ross Kennedy firing the Dragons level 41 seconds later and Rhys Edwards putting Deeside back into the lead 30 seconds after that. This frantic phase was rounded off with another Blackburn goal straight from the restart to level the score at 3-3 at the midway point of the game.

The score was still 3-3 with the clock ticking down to the last minute of the period but a goal from former Dragons import Jakub Hajek with just 32 seconds left handed the Hawks a narrow 4-3 lead with 20 minutes left to play.

The third period played out goal-less, despite numerous chances for both teams, and Blackburn were able to hang on to secure the play off title to go with their league championship crown.

The Dragons did come home with one trophy, however, as top scorer Jake Witkowksi was named Moralee Division Player of the Season in the official NIHL league awards.

Despite Saturday’s defeat, the Dragons still have plenty to be pleased about this season.  It was their first appearance in a play off final for 10 years - and their most successful league campaign since 2016 was rewarded with the runners up position in the Moralee Division.

They also won the Moralee Cup for the first time and the Welsh Cup for the second year in a row, making plenty of new friends along the way.

Match Report: Sutton Sting 9 - Deeside D2 Dragons 0 (Laidler Play Off Final)

D2 Dragons' James Parsons in action in the Play Off final at Sheffield (Photo by RDG Digital)

Saturday 11^th April 2026 – Play Off Final (at Sheffield): Sutton Sting 9 - Deeside D2 Dragons 0

The Deeside D2 Dragons put in a plucky performance in the Laidler Division play off final at Sheffield on Saturday but slumped to a 9-0 defeat at the hands of league champions Sutton Sting.

The Sting opened the scoring on 5 minutes and led 3-0 by the first period break. The score was 5-0 at the second break and four more goals were added in the third period.

Despite the one-sided look to the score, the Dragons players’ heads did not drop and they gave a good account of themselves but, unfortunately, weren’t able to make the most of their chances in front of goal.

Even getting to the final was quite an achievement for the D2 Dragons, who are only in their second season of competition and have a squad composed of mainly young and less experienced players. They only finished 6^th in the final league table yet went on to exceed most people’s expectations by beating higher placed teams in the quarter final and semi final to win through to the Sheffield showdown.

They will have gained a lot from their experiences this season and will, undoubtedly, come back stronger and wiser next time around.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 2 – Sheffield Shadows 10 (WNIHL Division 1 North)

Laura Bibby was the Wild Women's MVP against Sheffield (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 12th April 2026 – WNIHL Division 1 North: Widnes Wild Women 2 – Sheffield Shadows 10

The Widnes Wild Women got off to a good start in their latest WNIHL Division 1 North game at home to Sheffield Shadows before eventually losing out 2-10 at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The game was quite even in its early stages, with the Wild Women giving as good as they got. However, disaster struck in the 8th minute when there was a mix up in defence and the puck somehow trickled over the goal line to hand Sheffield the lead. 

While this was technically an “own goal”, you don’t have own goals in ice hockey and the goal was credited to the last Shadows player to have touched the puck before it went in the net.

The Wild Women quickly recovered from this early setback and Tayla Huxley-Richards fired in a superb equalising goal on 11 minutes, and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.

Widnes actually went ahead on 23 minutes with a superb goal from Jennifer Hickey but the lead only lasted 87 seconds before Sheffield equalised. They then edged back in front on 26 minutes and added another goal just 58 seconds after that to lead 2-4 at the halfway stage of the game.

Things got worse for the Wild Women in what was left of the second period as Sheffield scored 5 unanswered goals to lead 2-9 at the second break.

The Widnes ship was steadied in the third period, however, and, while they were unable to make anything from their own chances in front of goal, they did - at least - manage to restrict the visitors to just one goal for a final score of 2-10.

Overworked netminder Stephanie Drinkwater put in her habitual heroic performance in the Widnes goals, turning away an impressive 77 of the 87 shots that she faced.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards for Wild Women home games are once again this season being sponsored by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review and, as well as the usual trophies, the winners also receive special edition pens handcrafted and donated by Anthony Stock. 

The awards were presented by the goal judge Lynda Bird and went to Charley Farr for Sheffield and Laura Bibby for Widnes.

The Wild Women are away to Kingston Diamonds in Hull this Sunday 19th April and then have a trip north of the border to face the Caledonia Steel Queens in Edinburgh the Saturday after.

They are next at home on Sunday 3rd May when they take on Nottingham Vipers in their last game of the season at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Dragons Under 16 Girls At Home On Sunday

The Deeside Dragons Under 16 Girls team celebrate their recent 0-9 win away at Nottingham (Photo by Rachel Feather)

For any Deeside fans who are not travelling to Sheffield for the NIHL play offs this weekend, but who still fancy watching some live ice hockey, why not go and cheer on the Dragons Under 16s girls team who are playing the Caledonia Iron Maidens – from Edinburgh – this Sunday 12th April at Deeside Leisure Centre – 4.30pm face off.

The Dragons girls team are in their second season of competition and have made remarkable progress in such a short time.  In their first season, they finished 4th out of 7 teams with 3 wins from the 11 league games that they played.  This season they are in second place in the league table, having won 11 out of their 12 games, and have already qualified for the end of season play offs.

They are currently 2 points behind league leaders Whitley Bay – the only team to have beaten the Dragons this season – and a win on Sunday would see them draw level, albeit having played one game more.  The two top teams have yet to meet again this season up in the north east, so the Dragons girls are still in with a mathematical chance of winning the league title.

Their remaining matches this season are:

• 12th April: home v Caledonia Iron Maidens
• 19th April:  home v Sheffield Shadows
• 25th April: away @ Whitley Bay Beacons
• 9th May: away @ Sheffield Shadows

The Deeside Dragons club have announced an initial trial for the new women’s team that they plan to operate next season.

The one-hour trial session will take place at Deeside Leisure Centre on Monday 20^th April and will cost £10.00 per person.

Interested parties must complete and submit the “Expression Of Interest” form HERE before attending.

Play Off Semi Final Report: Deeside D1 Dragons v Hull Jets (NIHL Moralee Division)

Colin Cromie scored 5 goals over the weekend against Hull (Photo by Angel Devlin)

Saturday 4^th April 2026 – Play Off S/Final (1): Hull Jets 2 - Deeside D1 Dragons 6

Sunday 5^th April 2026 – Play Off S/Final (2): Deeside D1 Dragons 6 – Hull Jets 5

Deeside win 12-7 on aggregate

The Deeside D1 Dragons won through to their first play off final for 10 years after beating Hull Jets 12 –7 on aggregate over two legs in the semi final at the weekend.

They won 2-6 away in Humberside on Saturday and then narrowly edged a much closer game 6-5 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

In the away game on Saturday, after a tense opening phase, Colin Cromie gave Deeside the lead on 14 minutes and Ross Kennedy doubled the advantage just 36 seconds later.

Cromie edged the Dragons further ahead 58 seconds into the second period and a goal from Theo Malone and hat-trick strike from Cromie saw them leading 0-5 before the first Hull goal came on 35 minutes.

Hull scored again 79 seconds into the third period but that was it in terms of a Jets revival and a second goal of the night for Malone rounded off the scoring for the game 2 minutes later.

The first period had been penalty-free but things got more tetchy as the game went on and tensions came to a head with a mass altercation on 50 minutes that saw 3 players from each team sent to the penalty box.  Luckily, this had no bearing on the final result and the Dragons came home with a 2-6 advantage to take into the second leg.

Sunday’s home game also started well for the Dragons  with goals from Matty Barlow on 8 minutes – his first since his return from injury - and Jake Witkowski on 14 minutes giving them a 2-0 lead.  Hull pulled a goal back 60 seconds later and the score stood at 2-1 at the first period break.

The visitors were the quickest out of the blocks in the second period and equalised on 24 minutes before taking the lead just 38 seconds after that.  Colin Cromie levelled the score for Deeside with 57 seconds left in the period and the match remained balanced on a knife edge at 3-3 at the second interval.

Ross Kennedy fired the Dragons back in front 16 seconds from the puck drop and Cromie doubled the advantage on 44 minutes.

There seemed little likelihood of Hull overturning the aggregate deficit by this point but they didn’t give up and two more goals saw them draw level once again, setting up a dramatic last 10 minutes.

Jake Witkowski scored the game winning goal on 56 minutes and the Dragons were able to round off their home games for the season with a 6-5 victory on the night and a 12-7 overall aggregate victory.

The Dragons will now meet league champions Blackburn Hawks – who beat Billingham Stars 11–6 in the other semi final – in the single game play off final this Saturday 11^th April at iceSheffield.

The match is part of the annual Sheffield Showdown play off weekend which sees all four regional division finals  being played on the Saturday and then north v south finals at division 1 and division 2 level on Sunday to decide overall national champions.

The full weekend programme is as follows:

Saturday 11^th April

10.15:  Laidler (N2) Play Off Final

13.15:  Wilkinson (S2) Play Off Final

16.15:  Moralee (N1) Play Off Final

19.15:  Britton (S1) Play Off Final

Sunday 12^th April

13.00:  National Champions Div 2 Final

16.30:  National Champions Div 1 Final

Advance tickets for the play off weekend can be purchased via the England Ice Hockey website here:

https://eih.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/steel_city_showdown_2026

 

For any Deeside fans not going to Sheffield at the weekend, the Dragons Under 16 girls team are at home on Sunday to Caledonia Iron Maidens in their penultimate home game of the season at Deeside Leisure Centre, 4.30pm face off.

Play Off Semi Final Report: Deeside D2 Dragons v Sheffield Titans (NIHL Laidler Division)

The D2 Dragons celebrate their play off semi-final win away at Sheffield (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 4^th April 2026 – Play Off S/Final (1): Deeside D2 Dragons 6 – Sheffield Titans 2

Sunday 5^th April 2026 – Play Off S/Final (2): Sheffield Titans 4 - Deeside D2 Dragons 1

Deeside win 7-6 on aggregate

The Deeside D2 Dragons play off fairytale continued as they beat highly rated Sheffield Titans 7-6 on aggregate in the Laidler Division semi final, winning 6-2 at home on Saturday and then losing 4-1 away on Sunday

In the home game on Saturday, the D2 Dragons put in what was arguably their best performance of the season. Cody Ogden fired them into the lead on 10 minutes and they never really looked back from there.

A second Ogden goal on 14 minutes extended the lead and a fine breakaway strike from Rhys Howells gave the Dragons a well-deserved 3-0 lead at the first period break. 

Sheffield scored 73 seconds after the restart but a James Parsons goal just 17 seconds later restored the 3-goal cushion. Goals from Stewart Cutting and James Shaw followed for the Dragons and they led 6-1 at the second interval.

The Titans scored again just 23 seconds into the third period but that was the last goal of the game and the Dragons were able to take a 4-goal aggregate lead into the away leg on Sunday.

The away game against the league runners-up at their home venue was always likely to be a lot tougher and Sheffield raced to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period.

The Dragons steadied the ship, however, and top scorer James Shaw fired in the only goal of the second period on 32 minutes to leave them leading 7-5 on aggregate with 20 minutes left to play.

Sheffield threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Dragons during the final period but were only able to score one more goal and Deeside managed to hold on to book their place in the play off final.

Finn Ogden was the Dragons' MVP in both matches against Sheffield (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Young netminder Finn Ogden put in an heroic performance in the Deeside goal for the second night in a row – turning away 48 of the 52 shots that he faced - and was rewarded with his second MVP award of the weekend.

The D2 Dragons will now face treble-chasing Sutton Sting, who beat Billingham Buccaneers 13-5 in the other semi final, in the play off final at Sheffield next Saturday.

Women's Team Trial At Deeside

The Deeside Dragons club have announced an initial trial for the new women’s team that they plan to operate next season.

The one-hour trial session will take place at Deeside Leisure Centre on Monday 20^th April and will cost £10.00 per person. Interested parties must complete and submit the “Expression Of Interest” form HERE before attending.

The Deeside club have been running an Under 16 girls team in the Under 16 North division of the WNIHL (Women’s National Ice Hockey League) for the past 2 seasons and the team are currently second in the league table with 4 games left to play.

Their remaining matches this season are:

• 12^th April: home v Caledonia Iron Maidens
• 19^th April:  home v Sheffield Shadows
• 25^th April: away @ Whitley Bay Beacons
• 9^th May: away @ Sheffield Shadows

Deeside Dragons Players Named in All Star Teams

Matty Barlow, Jake Witkowski, Jared Dickinson, Colin Cromie and Ross Kennedy (Photo by Emila Roberts Photography)

A number of Deeside Dragons players have been named in the “All Star Team” poll for the Moralee Division for the 2025/26 season.  The vote was organised by the NIHL North Updates organisation, who ran a fans’ poll and a players’ poll via their social media pages.

Dragons’ top scorer Jake Witkowski was named as the top forward in both the players’ poll and the fans’ poll following his record breaking points total for the season and was joined in both lists by Colin Cromie and Ross Kennedy.

Witkowski topped the Moralee Division points scoring standings with 138 points (66 goals and 72 assists), breaking the record for points in a season that had stood since 2018/19. His tally of 72 assists was also the highest in the Moralee Division for the season but he was pipped for the most goals by Telford’s impressive Czech player Vladimir  Luka who scored 72 and finished second in the overall points charts with 72+47=119.

Ross Kennedy finished fourth in the Moralee list with 40+55=95 and Colin Cromie came fifth with 35+52=88.

Ethan Mayoh was named as top defenceman in the All Star fans’ poll and also appeared in the players’ votes, while Matty Barlow and Bailey Thomas both made it into the fans’ final list.

Tyler de la Bertouche (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Tyler de la Bertouche was named as top netminder in the Moralee Division in the fans’ selection and came second to Blackburn’s Harrison Walker in the players’ voting.

The full 2025/26 All Star Team listings are as follows:

Moralee Division – Fans’ All Star Team (in order of votes)

• Netminders: Tyler de la Bertouche (DEE), Harrison Walker (BLA)
• Defencemen: Ethan Mayoh (DEE), Sam Zajac (BLA), Bailey Thomas (DEE), Corey Goodison (SOL), Bobby Streetly (BLA), Thomas Barry (BLA)
• Forwards: Jake Witkowski (DEE), Vladimir Luka (TEL), Colin Cromie (DEE), Alex Rushby (NOT), Niklas Ottosson (SOL), Adam Barnes (BLA), Ross Kennedy (DEE), Andrew McKinney (BLA), Jacob Lutwyche (BLA), Chris Sykes (BIL), Matty Barlow (DEE), James Moss (BIL)

Moralee Division – Players’ All Star Team (in order of votes)

• Netminders: Harrison Walker (BLA), Tyler de la Bertouche (DEE)
• Defencemen: Sam Zajac (BLA), Corey Goodison (SOL), Henry Adams (SOL), Ethan Mayoh (DEE), Dan Harrison (TEL), Thomas Barry (BLA)
• Forwards: Jake Witkowski (DEE), Vladimir Luka (TEL), Niklas Ottosson (SOL), Alex Rushby (NOT), Andrew McKinney (BLA), Colin Cromie (DEE), Adam Barnes (BLA), Ross Kennedy (DEE), Jason Silverthorn (TEL), Jacob Lutwyche (BLA), James Moss (BIL), Dan Mulcahy (SOL)

NIHL North Updates operate a Facebook page where they post - as is suggested in the title - match updates for games being played in the NIHL North Moralee and Laidler Divisions each weekend.

In fact, during the current – and somewhat elongated - “transition” period while we wait for the EIH(A) to get their new Gameday online scoring and stats system up and running properly, NIHL North Updates is pretty much the only place where you can find an up-to-date and centralised summary of what is happening on match days across the two divisions.

You can follow all the latest news in the NIHL Moralee and Laidler Divisions on the NIHL North Updates Facebook page HERE  

D2 Dragons Players Named In All Star Teams

Deeside D2 Dragons top points scorer James Shaw (Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

Deeside D2 Dragons’ top points scorer for the season James Shaw has been voted onto the Laidler Division All Stars Team for the 2025/26 campaign.

The vote was organised by the NIHL North Updates organisation, who ran a fans’ poll and a players’ poll via their social media pages and Shaw was elected to both the fans’ and the players’ final selection of forwards.

Shaw scored 26 goals and 11 assists in 21 games and topped the D2 Dragons standings ahead of James Parsons in second, who got 15+10, and Chris Jones in third who got 7+18.

D2 Dragons popular “enforcer” Karl Bacon was voted onto the fans’ All Star Team as a defenceman.

The full 2025/26 All Star Team listings are as follows:

Laidler Division – Fans’ All Star Team (in order of votes)

Netminders: Ryan Wardell (BIL), Chris Outhwaite (BIL)

Defencemen: Artem Pavlov (BIL), Luke Reid (SHE), Karl Bacon (DEE), Charles Coney (COV), Alfie Kelly (ALT), Ethan McLaughlin (BIL)

Forwards: Sam Dowd (BIL), Morgan Glasby (SUT), Josh Milnes (ALT), Thomas Humphries (SHE), Matty Pickup (BIL), James Shaw (DEE), Lawson Glasby (SUT), Joe Colton (SUT), Jake Frost (ALT), Lewis Swaffield (SHE), Dan Caple (BIL), Steven Wallace (BIL)        

Laidler Division – Players’ All Star Team  (in order of votes)

Netminders: Nathaniel Bell (SUT), Ryan Wardell (BIL)

Defencemen: Artem Pavlov (BIL), Josh Rawsthorne (SHE), Charles Coney (COV), Jacob Truswell (SUT), Luke Reid (SHE), Jamie Scott (SUT)

Forwards: Morgan Glasby (SUT), Thomas Humphries (SHE), Sam Dowd (BIL), Josh Stockton (BRA), James Shaw (DEE), Josh Milnes (ALT), Joe Colton (SUT), Sam Parkin (SHE), Lawson Glasby (SUT), Lewis Swaffield (SHE), Harry Roebuck (SHE), Mackenzie Barker (KIN)

NIHL North Updates operate a Facebook page where they post - as is suggested in the title - match updates for games being played in the NIHL North Moralee and Laidler Divisions each weekend.

In fact, during the current – and somewhat elongated - “transition” period while we wait for the EIH(A) to get their new Gameday online scoring and stats system up and running properly, NIHL North Updates is pretty much the only place where you can find an up-to-date and centralised summary of what is happening on match days across the two divisions.

You can follow all the latest news in the NIHL Moralee and Laidler Divisions on the NIHL North Updates Facebook page HERE

Deeside Dragons Play Off Semi Final Arrangements Confirmed

Arrangements have been confirmed for the D1 and D2 Dragons’ play off semi-final matches this weekend.

The D1 Dragons are playing Hull Jets in back to back matches with the away game being played at Hull Arena on Saturday 4^th April, 5.30pm face off, and the home leg on Sunday 5^th April at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm start.

The Dragons beat Hull in three of their four league meetings during the regular season but the 6^th place Jets beat third place finishers Solihull Barons both home and away in their quarter final tie and will present tough opposition this weekend.

Admission to the home game on Sunday is by advance ticket only and tickets will be on sale via the Dragons website from 9pm on Wednesday evening  HERE.

Tickets for the away game in Hull are available now via the Jets website: https://buff.ly/0plbJ5g

The D2 Dragons are playing in the Laidler Division play off semi–finals this weekend.

They will meet league runners up Sheffield Titans, with the home game being played on Saturday 4^th April at Deeside, 5.15pm face off, and the away game in Sheffield the next day.

Tickets for the Saturday home game will be available on the door as usual.

Play Off Quarter Final Report: Deeside Dragons v Widnes Wild (NIHL Moralee Division)

Rhys Edwards scored home and away against his former club in the Dragons' QF win over Widnes (Photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 28th March 2026 – Play Off Q/Final (1): Deeside D1 Dragons 8 – Widnes Wild 3

Sunday 29th March 2026 – Play Off Q/Final (2): Widnes Wild 3 - Deeside D1 Dragons 5

Deeside win 13-6 on aggregate.

The Deeside D1 Dragons cruised into the semi finals of the Moralee Play Offs after a 13-6 two-leg aggregate victory over local rivals Widnes Wild at the weekend.

They beat their near neighbours 8-3 in the home leg at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday and then finished the job with a 3-5 win away on Merseyside on Sunday.

In Saturday’s home game, Deeside took the lead in the 5^th minute with a goal from Colin Cromie and then doubled the advantage 8 minutes later with a powerplay strike from Jake Witkowski.

Widnes pulled a goal back on 18 minutes and the score remained 2-1 at the first period break.

The second period was all Deeside as they outshot their opponents by more than 2 to 1. Their efforts were rewarded by two unanswered goals from Witkowksi – for a straight hat-trick – and then further strikes from Theo Malone and Rhys Edwards.

Widnes finally pulled a goal back early in the third period with a strike from former Deeside favourite Alex Parry but two quick-fire goals within 30 seconds of each other on 51 minutes – from Dan Fadejevs and Ross Kennedy – put the Dragons 8—2 ahead.

Widnes rounded off the scoring for the game on 55 minutes and Deeside were able to take an 8-3 lead into Sunday’s return leg.

Widnes led 1-0 after the first period of the game on Sunday and went 2-0 ahead just 48 seconds into the second period. However Deeside picked up after that and goals from Ross Kennedy and Colin Cromie saw them draw level and then a brace from team captain Jared Dickinson saw them open up a two-goal lead.

Widnes pulled a goal back on 35 minutes but the Dragons still led 3-4 on the night with one period left to play, and 12-6 on aggregate, so all was looking good.

Rhys Edwards scored the only goal of the third period to edge Deeside further ahead and they comfortably progressed to the semi final with a 13-6 aggregate victory.

The Dragons now face Hull Jets in the two legged semi final which will be played on a home and away basis this weekend. 

The other semi final will be contested by Blackburn Hawks and Billingham Stars and the two winners will meet in the single game final on 11^th April as part of the Sheffield Showdown NIHL play off weekend.

Play Off Quarter Final Report: Deeside D2 Dragons v Coventry Blaze (NIHL Laidler Division)

Thomas Warburton scored hs first senior goal away at Coventry and was named Dragons' MVP (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 28th March 2026 – Play Off Q/Final (1): Coventry Blaze 3 - Deeside D2 Dragons 3

Sunday 29th March 2026 – Play Off Q/Final (2): Deeside D2 Dragons 7 – Coventry Blaze 4

Deeside win 10-7 on aggregate

The Deeside D2 Dragons put in two battling performances in their first ever play off games at the weekend, beating Coventry Blaze 10–7 on aggregate over two legs.

They drew 3-3 away in the West Midlands on Saturday and then won 7-4 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Coventry took an early lead in Saturday’s away game and the score remained 1-0 at the first period break but goals from James Shaw and a first senior strike from youngster Thomas Warburton saw Deeside leading 1-2 at the second interval.

Coventry hit back with two goals of their own in the third period but a second goal of the night for Shaw saw the Dragons secure a 3-3 draw to carry over into the home leg.

Finn Ogden was impressive in the Deeside goal, turning away 40 of the 43 shots that he faced for a 93% save percentage, while Warburton was named MVP for the Dragons.

The home game on Sunday was riddled with niggly penalties for both teams and Deeside found themselves 0-2 down before Thomas Chong scored their opening goal of the game on 14 minutes.

Coventry edged further ahead again at the mid way point of the game but goals from Stewart Cutting on 34 minutes and James Shaw on 36 minutes saw the Dragons draw level and the score stood at 3-3 at the second period break.

Coventry re-took the lead early in the third period but, once Deeside managed to stop picking up penalties, they got into their stride and goals from Cameron Kushnirenko, James Parsons, and two more from James Shaw saw them coast to a hard fought but well-deserved victory.

The D2 Dragons now face Sheffield Titans in the two legged semi final which will be played on a home and away basis this weekend. 

James Shaw scored 5 goals over the two games against Coventry and was named MVP in the home leg on Sunday (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Deeside Dragons D1 and D2 Play Off Arrangements Confirmed

Arrangements have now been confirmed for the D1 and D2 Dragons’ play off quarter final matches this weekend.

The D1 Dragons are playing local rivals Widnes Wild in back to back matches with the home game being this Saturday 28th March at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.30pm face off, and the away leg in Widnes the next day, also starting at 5.30pm.

Both games will be ticket only and tickets must be purchased online before the game.

Deeside home game (Saturday): https://shop.dragonsihc.com/tf_event/deeside-dragons-v-widnes-wild/

Widnes home game (Sunday): https://iceaccount.co.uk/widnes-wild/event-tickets/?event_id=8432

The D2 Dragons take part in the play off for the first time this season, having finished 6th in the Laidler Division table.

They will meet 3^rd place finishers Coventry Blaze in back to back games in the quarter finals this weekend with the away game being played in Coventry on Saturday and the home game in Deeside on Sunday, 5.15pm start.

Tickets for this game will be available on the door as usual.

Match Report: Nottingham Vipers 6 - Widnes Wild Women 1(NIHL Division 1 North)

Ilyssa Flemington scored the Wild Women's goal away to Nottingham (Photo by All Sports Photography)

Sunday 22^nd March 2026 – WNIHL Division 1 North: Nottingham Vipers 6 - Widnes Wild Women 1

The Widnes Wild Women slumped to a 6-1 defeat away to Nottingham Vipers on Sunday.

Having been hammered 15-1 by the same opposition on their previous visit to the imposing surroundings of the National Ice Centre - with its impressive 7.500 capacity arena - back in mid-December, this result could reasonably be looked upon as an improvement.

However, in the light of a 3-1 home victory over the Vipers in January and last weekend’s encouraging 8-7 win over Solway Sharks, there might have been hopes of bringing something back from the Lace City on this occasion.

Nottingham were pretty much on top of things right from the start and the somewhat over-worked netminder Stephanie Drinkwater performed her usual heroics in the Widnes goal, doing a very good job of keeping the score down. 

The hosts were 4-0 up by the time the consolation goal  by Ilyssa Flemington at least gave the travelling fans something to cheer about and Widnes now have three weeks to regroup before their next game.

The Wild Women are next in action on Sunday 12^th April when they take on mid-table Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off. 

The 2026 NIHL Play Offs Explained

The regular season schedules for the 4 regional divisions in NIHL North and South were completed at the weekend and attention now shifts to the end of the season play offs. 

The top 8 finishing teams in each NIHL regional division qualify for the quarter finals and the pairings for the ties are decided by final league positions, with the higher finishing teams getting the easier draws.

The team that finishes in 1^st place in the table plays the team that finishes 8^th, 2^nd plays 7^th, 3^rd plays 6^th and 4^th plays 5^th.

The teams will meet in a home and away two-legged tie over the weekend of 28^th & 29^th March and the winners will meet in two-legged semi finals the weekend after on 4^th and 5^th April.

The winners of the semi final ties in all 4 divisions – North 1 & 2 and South 1 & 2 - will meet in one-off finals at the Steel City Showdown weekend, which takes place at iceSheffield over the weekend of 11^th & 12^th April.

The weekend programme is as follows:

Saturday 11^th April

• 10.15:  Laidler (N2) Play Off Final
• 13.15:  Wilkinson (S2) Play Off Final
• 16.15:  Moralee (N1) Play Off Final
• 19.15:  Britton (S1) Play Off Final

Sunday 12^th April

• 13.00:  National Champions Div 2 Final
• 16.30:  National Champions Div 1 Final

Advance tickets for the play off weekend can be purchased via the England Ice Hockey website HERE

Dragon Jake Sets New Points Record

Jake Witkowski
(Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Deeside Dragons’ star American forward Jake Witkowski has set a new Moralee Division record for points scored in a single league season.

Following a haul of 3 goals and 2 assists in the last two games of the regular season, his final tally of 138 points (66 goals and 72 assists) beats the previous record of 133 (65+68), which was set by Jason Hewitt of Hull Seahawks in 2018/19.

Damarni James Handed 4-Game Suspension

Deeside D1 Dragons' Damarni James (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

D1 Dragons’ Damarni James missed the weekend games against Billingham after being handed a 4 game suspension by England Ice Hockey’s disciplinary panel.

The decision follows an incident in the first period of the away game at Telford on 14^th March.

James was given a 5 minute penalty for fighting by the referee at the time but, after a video review, the Department of Player Safety has given him a three game ban for fighting plus one game for exceeding 10 disciplinary points. They observed: “Fighting an unwilling combatant. Player was the aggressor, removing his gloves before throwing multiple punches.”

The England Ice Hockey Department of Player Safety (DOPS) has a system which involves the accumulation of disciplinary points for committing offences and receiving penalties prior to, during and after games.

When a player or team has accrued a certain number of points – according to a fixed scale – sanctions such as suspensions or fines can be imposed.

James had already received a 2-game ban earlier in the season following an incident in the cup semi final against Blackburn in January.  This latest suspension takes him over the threshold of 10 disciplinary points, which has led to the additional game ban.

James will also miss the home and away play off quarter final games this weekend but will be eligible for selection for the semi finals, should the Dragons get that far.

Telford’s Joshua Hustwick has also been given a 4 game ban for an illegal check to the head which sparked the incident.  He was given 2 minutes for cross checking, 2 minutes for roughing and 5 minutes for fighting at the time.

The DOPS further commented: “Player delivered a two-handed cross-check to a stationary opponent behind the net. Hands were high, with follow-through, and the head/neck area was first point of contact, recklessly endangering his opponent.”

Dragons’ popular enforcer Will Harper got a 2 minute penalty for roughing and 2 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fracas but has escaped any further sanction.

You can see the whole incident unfold from 41.30 onwards on the match video HERE 

Deeside Dragons v Billingham Stars Weekend Report (NIHL Moralee Division)

Dan Fadejevs scored against Billingahm on Saturday (Photo by Angel Devlin Sports Photography) 

Saturday 21st March 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 5 – Billingham Stars 4

Sunday 22nd March 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Billingham Stars 7 - Deeside D1 Dragons 3

The Deeside D1 Dragons rounded off their Moralee Division regular league season with a mixed weekend beating Billingham Stars 5-4 at home on Saturday and then losing 7-3 to the same opposition away in the North East on Sunday.

Saturday’s home game was the Dragons’ first since they clinched the runners up spot in the league and there was quite a party atmosphere with a sizable, vocal crowd.

There were display stands for the Andy’s Men’s Club men’s health charity and Blood Bikes Wales and an exhibition of the rather bizarre game of “Bubble Football” on the ice during the break.

Jake Witkowski opened the scoring for the Dragons in the 3^rd minute with a goal that meant he had beaten the previous record for points scored in a single season in the Moralee Division.

Dan Fadejevs put Deeside further ahead on 9 minutes but Billingham pulled a goal back just 14 seconds later and the score remained 2-1 at the first period break.

This game was extremely close throughout and Billingham equalised on 23 minutes.  However, goals from Ross Kennedy on 28 minutes and Jake Witkowski on 37 minutes saw the Dragons leading 4-2 and the second interval.

Billingham fought back again in the third period and fired in two more goals to level the score at 4-4 with 5 minutes left to play.

Undaunted by this late setback, the Dragons dug deep and Colin Cromie scored the winning goal on 57 minutes on a powerplay, punishing a Stars hooking call, to hand Deeside a narrow, close fought 5-4 victory.

Billingham were quickest out of the blocks on Sunday and raced to a 3-goal lead before Jake Witkowski finally found the back of the net for the Dragons on 18 minutes.

Colin Cromie further narrowed the deficit two minutes into the second period but two more goals for the hosts saw them leading 5-2 and the second break.

Billingham scored twice more in the third period to open up a 7-2 lead and, although Ross Kennedy pulled another goal back for Deeside on 55 minutes, it was too little too late and the Stars coasted to a 7-3 victory.

With his 3 goals and 2 assists at the weekend, Jake Witkowski set a new Moralee Division record for points scored in a single league season. His tally of 138 points (66 goals and 72 assists) beats the previous record of 133 (65+68), which was set by Jason Hewitt of Hull Seahawks in 2018/19.

Despite Sunday’s defeat, Deeside finish the regular season in second place in the league table with 28 wins from their 36 games. They finish 11 points behind champions Blackburn Hawks and 5 ahead of Solihull Barons who finish 3^rd.

The Dragons’ attentions now shift to the end of season play offs where they will meet local rivals Widnes Wild in back to back games in the quarter finals this weekend.

Deeside beat Widnes in all four of their league meetings during the regular season and will be hoping to carry their excellent recent form into the knockout games. But play off hockey can be unpredictable and there is no such thing as a certainty.

The D2 Dragons have also qualified for the playoffs in the Laidler Division and will face Coventry Blaze over two legs in their quarter final tie this weekend.

Find out more about Andy’s Man Club HERE

Find out more about Blood Bikes Wales HERE

and find out more about Spartacus Bubble Soccer HERE

Match Report: Deeside D2 Dragons 7 – Bradford Bulldogs 4 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Thomas Chong was the D2 Dragons' MVP against Bradford (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 22nd March 2026 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside D2 Dragons 7 – Bradford Bulldogs 4

The Deeside D2 Dragons rounded off their Laidler Division regular league season with a 7-4 victory over Bradford Bulldogs at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The Dragons took the lead in the 5^th minute with a delayed penalty goal from James Shaw but Bradford equalised 2 minutes later and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.

Deeside had the upper hand in the second period and two unanswered goals from Thomas Chong (his first ever senior NIHL goals) on 23 and 35 minutes saw them leading 3-1 at the second break.

The third period started with a bit of a goal fest as two quick goals - from Liam Yarwood and Charlie Spridgeon – edged the Dragons further ahead but two more goals for Bradford cancelled them out.

Spridgeon scored again on 54 minutes and Karl Bacon found the back of the net 4 minutes later to give the Dragons an unassailable lead and a last gasp goal for Bradford with just 14 seconds to go on the clock left the final score at 7-4 to Deeside.

The D2 Dragons have finished in 6^th place in the Laidler Division table, meaning that they have qualified for the end of season play offs for the first time. 

They will now meet 3^rd place finishers Coventry Blaze in back to back games in the quarter finals this weekend.