Wild Women Aim To Top Table in Crunch Encounter

Widnes Wild Women's team (Photo by Wil Evans)

The Widnes Wild women’s team have the chance to go back to the top of the WNIHL Division 2 North table this weekend as they take on current league leaders Telford Wrekin Raiders this Sunday 26th January at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

The two teams drew 2-2 in a very close and nail biting encounter in Shropshire two weeks ago – the first time that the Wild women have ever taken a point away to Telford – and they will be keen to go one better on Sunday.

A win for the Wild women would see them leapfrog the Raiders and take a narrow 1 point lead at the top. With just 2 points being awarded for a win in the women’s leagues  – as opposed to three for a regulation time victory in the men’s NIHL – the league positions are very close with just three points separating the top 5 teams.

Telford currently lead the table with 9 points from their 6 games to date while Widnes are second with 8 points from 6 games. Kingston Diamonds have also played 6 games and are in third place with 7 points, while Leeds and Sheffield are close behind with 6 points each from 5 games played.

The Wild women previously won the league title at this level back in the 2019/20 season, when it was known as Division 1 North.

Wild NIHL Player News

Flynn Massie has rejoined the Wild for the rest of the season (Photo by Steve Cunningham)

The Wild team away at Nottingham was boosted by the return of two former players after Dani Haid and Flynne Massie rejoined the club for the remainder of the NIHL season.

German national Haid played 86 games for Widnes between 2019 and 2023 and was part of the Wild team that won the North21 cup, the Division 1 National Championship and the 2021/22 Moralee Cup, scoring 40 goals, 23 assists and picking up just 15 penalty minutes. He has spent the last season and a half playing for Solihull Barons, scoring 10+7 in 47 games. 

Scottish junior international Massie played 14 games for the Wild last season as part of a two way deal with SNL team North Ayrshire Wild, scoring two goals and 4 assists.  He has spent this season in Germany, playing in the Under 20s league for Frankfurt Lions, scoring 4+3 in 26 games. 

Will Daley in his farewell game for the Wild - with Head Coach Tom Jackson (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The Wild team have announced that defenceman Will Daley has left the club. 16 year old Daley joined Widnes as his first senior NIHL club after playing junior hockey with Whitley Bay, Billingham and Solway and has played 21 games for Widnes this season.

Wild Head Coach, Tom Jackson said of Daley’s departure: “Will called me last week and I spoke with him and his dad, Chris at length about Will’s situation with the club and unfortunately as a family, they have chosen to request his release.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish Will and his family all the best for the future. Will came in from day one and earned his spot on the team as one of the mainstays this season, his competitiveness and ability will certainly be missed. He was a young kid who asked the right questions, rarely made mistakes and was a pleasure to coach. If he continues playing like he can, he will be an asset on any team he plays for.”

“Despite the short time he spent at Widnes he wanted to leave the right way and asked to play one more time with the guys (last weekend - against Solihull ) and say his goodbyes to the team. For me this shows great character and the door for his return will remain open while I’m in this role.”

Talking about leaving the Wild, Daley said: “I would like to thank everyone involved at the club and the fans for the opportunity that has been given to me this season. I’ve really loved my time at Widnes and would like to thank TJ and the coaching staff for having me as part of the team, I have made friends for life within the squad. Due to travel and college commitments, I can’t continue with the club unfortunately.” 

Following his departure from Widnes, Daley was immediately snapped up by fellow Moralee Division team Whitley Warriors.

*****

Damarni James missed the game at Nottingham after having been been handed a 6-game suspension by the governing body’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS).

He picked up a 5 plus game penalty in the match away at Leeds for an illegal check to the head which resulted in a 3-game suspension and has also been given an extra 3 games for reaching the threshold of 15 disciplinary points for the season.

The EIH has a system which involves the accumulation of disciplinary points for committing offences and receiving penalties prior to, during and after games, and 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.

Match Report: Nottingham Lions 3 – Widnes Wild 5 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Dani Haid scored in his first game back for the Wild (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 18th January 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Nottingham Lions 3 – Widnes Wild 5

The Widnes Wild NIHL team gave their play off hopes a boost with a highly important 3-5 win away to Nottingham Lions on Saturday.

The first period played out goal-less and it remained goal-less until Nottingham finally broke the deadlock with the opening goal in the 28th minute.

4 minutes later, the score was 2-0 to the Lions and it looked as if the Wild could be in trouble. However, they rallied from this and a goal late in the period from Bailey Thomson kept Widnes in contention, and the score stood at 2-1 at the second interval.

Nottingham edged further ahead on 45 minutes but a Wild goal from Ben McLellan 40 seconds later reduced the deficit back to just one 

Widnes were on a roll by now and Luke Alston fired in the equalising goal on 49 minutes but received a heavy challenge for his trouble.  McLellan piled in to stick up for his team-mate and was subsequently banished from the game for a check to the head on the perpetrator.

The Wild dug deep and managed to weather the ensuing 5 minute powerplay and Dani Haid fired them into the lead for the first time in the game with a goal on 56 minutes.

Nottingham withdrew their netminder in favour of an extra attacker in the hope of salvaging something from the game but Bailey Thomson scored an Empty Net Goal with 56 seconds left on the clock to seal the win for Widnes.

With Sheffield Scimitars not playing at the weekend, Saturday’s win sees the Wild leapfrog them off the bottom of the Moralee Division table into 9th place, three points behind Leeds Knights whom occupy the final play off spot. 

The Widnes Wild NIHL team are next in action on Saturday 25th January when they entertain high-flying north-west rivals Blackburn Hawks at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off.

Match Report: Telford Wrekin Raiders 2 – Widnes Wild Women 2 (WNIHL Division 2 North)

Widnes Wild Women's Lise Gillen (Photo by Wil Evans)

Sunday 12th January 2025 – WNIHL Division 2 North: Telford Wrekin Raiders 2 – Widnes Wild Women 2

The Widnes Wild women’s team put in a superb performance in their top of the table clash away to Telford Wrekin Raiders to come home from Shropshire with a creditable 2-2 on Sunday.

It is the first time in 4 attempts that the Wild women have ever picked up a point away to the perennial title contenders and it will stand them in good stead should the teams finish locked on points at the end of the season, when league positions are decided by results between the two teams.

Telford opened the scoring with just 18 seconds on the clock but Widnes equalised 51 seconds later with a goal from Leen de Decker and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.

The Wild Women took the lead 47 seconds into the second period with a Lise Gillen strike and it took Telford until the 35th minute to manage a reply. There was absolutely nothing to choose between the two teams as they went into the third period at a finely balanced 2-2.

Despite numerous chances at both ends, neither side was able to break the deadlock and the game finished as a draw.

The situation at the top of the Women’s Division 2 North is extremely close after the weekend’s games. Telford remain top with 9 points from 6 games and Widnes are second with 8 points from 6.

Kingston Diamonds are just one point behind them and Leeds and Sheffield both follow on 6 points each.

The fascinating title battle will continue when the Wild women play host to Telford at home on Sunday 26th January at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off. 

Widnes Wild NIHL Weekend Report - 11th & 12th January

Widnes captain Andrew Hopkins scored three goals over the weekend (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 11th January 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Leeds Knights 7 – Widnes Wild 2

Sunday 12th January 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 5 – Solihull Barons 7

The Widnes Wild NIHL team got 2025 off to a losing start with a 7-2 defeat away to Leeds Knights on Saturday and then a narrow 5-7 loss at home to Solihull Barons at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday 

A win on Saturday would have seen Widnes overtake Leeds in the Moralee Division table and move up to the dizzy heights of 8th place and a play off spot. But it was not to be and goals from Owen Rae and Andrew Hopkins were not enough to stave off a 7-2 defeat.

Unfortunately, the loss – the Wild’s third of the season at the hands of the Moralee Division's newest team – was instead compounded by a surprise win for fellow strugglers Sheffield Scimitars, who beat Hull Jets on penalty shots on Saturday. That win lifted Sheffield back above Widnes in the table, leaving them rock bottom in 10th position.

The Wild put up a much better fight against the visiting Barons on Sunday and, had they had the rub of the green, they might well have got something out of the game. 

The score was 3-3 at the end of the closely contested first period, with the Widnes goals coming from Tomas Vyrostek, Matty Barlow and a Penalty Shot from team captain Andrew Hopkins  

Hopkins and Barlow both scored again in the second period but three goals for Solihull – who had been boosted by the signing of talented player Zach Yokoyama - took a 5-6 lead into the second interval.  Despite numerous chances at both ends, the only goal of the third period fell to Solihull and they were able to celebrate a 5-7 victory.

Despite the defeat, Harry Campbell was impressive in the Widnes goal, keeping out 49 of the 56 shots that he faced  - and Will Daley received the MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award for the Wild.

The Widnes Wild NIHL team are next in action this Saturday 18th January when they travel away to face the Nottingham Lions, 1pm face off.  They are next at home the week after when they entertain high-flying north-west rivals Blackburn Hawks on Saturday 25th January at Planet Ice Widnes, 7pm face off.

*****

The Halton Huskies team have announced their first game of the new year. They will play the Beighton Bombers from Sheffield in a challenge match on Sunday 2nd February at Planet Ice Widnes, 6pm face off. Admission is free for all spectators.

Match Report: Bradford Bulldogs 9 - Deeside Ducks 1 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Sunday 12^th January 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Bradford Bulldogs 9 - Deeside Ducks 1

The Deeside Ducks slumped to their second defeat of the New Year with a 9-1 loss away to Bradford Bulldogs on Sunday.

Bradford took the lead on 3 minutes and the score was 2-0 by the time Chris Jones pulled a goal back for the Ducks on a tripping powerplay on 16 minutes.

Deeside still looked pretty much in contention at 2-1 down at the end of the first period and visibly upped their game in the second

Unfortunately, 4 unanswered goals in the period saw Bradford pull away and three more goals in the third handed the Bulldogs a convincing win.

Deeside have dropped to the bottom of the Laidler Division table after erstwhile wooden-spoon contenders Nottingham Lions put together a run of three straight wins to lift themselves into a play-off spot.

The Ducks still have an outside chance of catching them however, as they have two games to come against the Lions and two games in hand.

The Deeside Ducks are next in action away to Telford Tigers on 26^th January and are then at home on Saturday 1^st February when they take on Sutton Sting at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 14 – Riverside Raiders 15 (Challenge Match)

Alex Mason (left) and George Kelly (right) were the MVPs in the Cobras v Raiders 29-goal thriller (Photos by Scott Dutton) 

Sunday 5th January 2025 – Challenge Match: Connah’s Quay Cobras 14 – Riverside Raiders 15 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras shook off any lingering new year cobwebs with a rigorous work out against the Riverside Raiders, only narrowly losing out 14-15 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Deeside v Widnes clashes are always passionate affairs – irrespective of the level that they are played at – and this game was no exception, with end to end action, plenty of goals but surprisingly few penalties handed out.

Both teams iced a number of new players, with the Cobras’ squad having been boosted by the signings of Sam Hunt from Flintshire Phantoms, George Kelly from the Chester Road Reapers and former Deeside Dragon Mike Jones.

The Raiders took the lead on 4 minutes with a goal from Kai Gennoe but Connah’s Quay equalised 80 seconds later with a strike from Martin Rybka.

The visitors edged back into the lead with a second goal from Gennoe, only for the Cobras to equalise again through Louie Bailey 21 seconds later. Connah’s Quay briefly took the lead in the 10th minute through Sam Plant, only for Preston Gennoe (former Widnes Wild women’s team player, and Kai’s elder sister) to draw the Raiders level once more.

Further Cobras goals – from Arthur Podracki and Bailey again – and a single Raiders strike from Kai Gennoe for a first period hat trick – saw the home side go into the first break with a narrow 5-4 lead.

And so it continued all the way through the game with lots of goals for both teams and the lead changing hands several times - but with neither side being able to build up a clear advantage.

Connah’s Quay had slightly more of the play overall and fired in an eye watering 96 shots on Raiders netminder James Allet over the course of the game – 82 of which he kept out  - while Andy Teece faced a “mere” 49 shots in the Cobras goal.

The Cobras scored three goals in the second period – from Mike Filek, Rybka and Sam Kennedy – but five goals for the Raiders – from Josh Hartwon, Kai Gennoe, Preston Gennoe and Alex Mason - saw the visitors leading 8-9 at the second interval.

The third period was even closer with yet more goal mouth action and 6 goals for each team – from Mike Jones on his debut, Filek, Rybka, Plant and Ken Valyear for the Cobras and Mike Durbin, Hartwon (2), Ben Donkin, Kai Gennoe and Preston Gennoe for the Raiders.

The score was actually level at 12-12 with 4 minutes left to play and a dramatic finale then ensued.  Three straight goals for the Raiders put some daylight between the two teams for the first time but the Cobras fiercely fought back. A goal with just 65 seconds left on the clock narrowed the deficit to two and then a strike with 1 second left to go brought the final score to a “so near, yet so far”, quite incredible 14-15.  

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards went to Alex Mason for the Riverside Raiders and George Kelly for the Connah’s Quay Cobras.

Wild Women In Top Of The Table Clash

Widnes Wild women's team (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Widnes Wild women’s team will be hoping that the weather has improved enough for them to be able to travel to Telford on Sunday 12th January for a top of the table clash against the Wrekin Raiders in their first match of the new year.

The Wild women topped the Division 2 North table over the festive period but a narrow 2-1 win for Telford over Whitley Bay Beacons on Saturday saw them leapfrog them into top spot and they now head the table by 1 point, having played the same number of games.

The Wild women are then at home to Telford on Sunday 26th January at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off. 

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 2 - Altrincham Aces 4 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Ducks MVP against Altrincham Dan Fadejevs – presented by Junior Dragons Jacob and Frankie Shelly (Photo by Maxine Roscoe)

Sunday 5^th January 2025 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 2 – Altrincham Aces 4

With widespread snowfall across the north of England overnight on Saturday – and severe weather warnings remaining in place from the Met Office for all day Sunday - a number of NIHL games were called off as teams decided not to risk travelling.

Luckily, Sunday’s visitors to the “Pond” – the Altrincham Aces - had an easier journey than most and that game went ahead as scheduled.

After a very tense opening, the Aces eventually opened the scoring on 18 minutes and took a 0-1 lead into the first break - but a Cody Ogden goal in the 25th minute saw the Ducks draw level.

The Aces retook the lead 4 minutes later and then a penalty shot for a tripping call with just 80 seconds left on the clock made it 1-3 at the second interval.  Deeside hopes were raised, however, by a Dan Fadejevs strike 76 seconds into the third period that narrowed the deficit to just one goal to set up a barnstorming finale.  

Unfortunately the Ducks were unable to build on this and an Altrincham powerplay goal on 51 minutes saw the Aces end up with a 2-4 victory.

The Ducks now have two away games – at Bradford Bulldogs this Sunday 12^th January and then at Telford on 26^th January. They are next at home on Saturday 1^st February when they take on Sutton Sting at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Widnes Wild NIHL Weekend Games Postponed

Wild's former Nottingham Lion Joe Howie (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies) 

Despite being a winter sport, ice hockey fell victim to the weather this weekend and the Widnes Wild NIHL team found themselves without a game.

They had been due to play a juicy double header against Nottingham Lions - away in the Lace City on Saturday and then at home at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday - in a pair of games where victories might have seen them pull further away from the bottom of the Moralee Division table, following their timely win over Sheffield Scimitars in the last game of 2024.

Unfortunately, the away game on Saturday was called off due to issues in the Nottingham camp and then with heavy snowfall across the country over Saturday night,  and an amber weather warning  from the Met Office remaining in place throughout Sunday, it was deemed unwise for Nottingham to undertake the journey across the Pennines and, indeed, a number of games in NIHL North were postponed on safety grounds.

It is hoped that alternative dates can be found for these two games later in the season – especially as Nottingham are one of the teams that Widnes have a chance of overtaking in the league table, if results go their way.  

However, with a number of teams now needing to re-arrange unplayed games, this will have a knock-on effect across the league. Also, with ice time being difficult to secure at Nottingham’s home rink due to the number of other teams that also play there, it could become a scheduling nightmare for the sport’s governing body, England Ice Hockey.

Because of a quirk in the fixture list, Widnes haven’t played Nottingham yet this season, meaning that 4 of their remaining 15 league games will be against the Lions, twice home and twice away. Former Lions player Joe Howie joined the Wild in the summer and the weekend postponements mean that he will have to wait a little longer to come up against his former team-mates.

Weather permitting, Widnes will be back in action this weekend with a visit on Saturday 11th January to Leeds Knights – who are just above them in the league table, occupying the last play off spot - and then at home to Solihull Barons on Sunday at Planet Ice Widnes.  

Deeside Ducks Game Away At Sutton Sting Postponed Due to Weather Concerns

The Deeside Ducks game away at Laidler Division leaders Sutton Sting on Saturday was postponed after Ducks officials decided not to travel amid concerns about worsening weather conditions.

With the game not scheduled to face off until 7pm, extreme weather warnings in place from the Met Office and widespread snow forecast, it was felt that a late night drive home from Sheffield across the Pennines would represent potential safety risks to the travelling players.

Speaking of the decision, Ducks Head Coach Gary Shaw said:

“The Ducks game against Sutton was called off by the Ducks management for safety reasons, with the players driving themselves to the game and with a lot of our players inexperienced drivers in bad weather.”

“The forecast for heavy snow on the high ground and the late finish of the game, we decided that, with the risk of the players safety driving in these conditions, it was more important than fulfilling the game.”

“As a person that has driven for a living, it was an easy decision to make for the protection of the players. I understand the frustration from Sutton as it is a nightmare trying to rearrange a game at the Sheffield Rink due to the amount of teams playing there but the decision was not made lightly.”

“Looking after our players is paramount and, if the decision was reversed, I would support and respect it.”

Attempts will now be made to try and reschedule the game for another date – although that might be difficult with the amount of teams that use the ice at the iceSheffield venue.  

If that is not possible and the game can’t be fitted in before the end of the season, the sport’s governing body – England Ice Hockey – will have to decide whether to award it as a forfeit win or a non-fault draw in the league standings.

Wild Deliver Christmas Teddies

Tom Jackson and Steve Cunningham deliver Christmas teddies to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital (Photo by Widnes Wild IHC)

Widnes head coach Tom Jackson and General Manager Steve Cunningham made the Wild club’s annual visit to deliver teddies to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool on Christmas Eve.

The toys had all been donated by kind hearted fans at the “Air The Bear” teddy toss during the recent Widnes Wild v Deeside Dragons local derby game where supporters were invited to throw soft toys out onto the ice at a predetermined moment in the game - and over 150 donations were collected.

Any gifts that weren’t suitable to be taken to Alder Hey were separated out and taken to local animal shelters so that homeless pets can have a treat too, meaning that no donation goes to waste! 

Widnes Wild NIHL Happy To See Back Of 2024 

2024 has not been the most successful of years for the Widnes Wild NIHL team. In fact, critics might point out that it has been their worst calendar year ever in terms of results with just 4 wins out of 17 competitive games at the end of last season and 4 from 21 since the start of the current season  

The team only managed 7th place in the Moralee Division table last time out and 7 of their 8 top points scorers for that season moved on to pastures new during the summer, so things were always going to be difficult for new player coach Tom Jackson.

So, with the best will in the world, the Wild are clearly not going to win the Moralee Division league title this season.  

They are currently 43 points behind league leaders Billingham Stars with only 45 points left to play for in their remaining 15 games – all which are now against teams that are above them in the table.

They are not going to win the Moralee Cup this season either, having finished bottom of their qualifying group and failed to reach the semi-finals that will be played in January.

However, all is not lost and they still do have some achievable targets to aim for this season.

The first thing would have to be keeping off the bottom of the table – which they finally achieved with a 12-4 win over fellow strugglers Sheffield in their last game of 2024 and which saw them leapfrog the Steel City team and consign the Scimitars to the wooden spoon position.

The next logical objective would be to try and climb into 8th place in the table and qualify for an end of season play off spot. 8th is currently occupied by Leeds Knights who are 2 points ahead of Widnes, having played one game less.

Leeds are a new team to the Moralee Division this season and have also been struggling.  They only have four wins to their credit from 20 league games and two of those were against the Wild.

Widnes have two games still to play against Leeds – once home and once away – and, so, could have a realistic chance of catching them – especially if other results go their way as well in the latter stages of the season.

With the season that the Wild have had so far, finishing any higher than 8th would probably be viewed as an added bonus. 

Nottingham Lions are having a good season this time around and currently occupy 7th position - with a 9 point lead over Leeds and 13 points over Widnes. Interestingly enough, with the way that the fixture list has panned out this season, Widnes haven’t played Nottingham yet and have 4 games against them – 2 home and 2 away – still to come.

It just so turns out that the first weekend of the new year sees Widnes in a double header clash with the Lions.  They play away in the Lace City on Saturday 4th January – 1pm face off – and then at home the following day at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm start. The way things stand at the moment, these two games will go a long way to defining the Widnes season as a whole.

Widnes Wild Women Top Of The League For New Year

The Wild Women enjoy their annual Christmas fancy dress scrimmage (photo by Rachael Pearce)

The Widnes Wild women’s team finish the year proudly occupying top spot in the Division 2 North league table, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat from their 5 league games to date.

They are being stalked, however, by Leeds Roses and Telford Wrekin Raiders who are just 1 point behind and each with a game in hand, but there is still a long way to go in this year’s league title chase.

It is a fascinating competition this season with no one team dominating and everybody looking capable of beating everybody else. 

The only exception to this might be the Edinburgh based Caledonia Queen Bees who are a new team for this season and are a development team for the Steel Queens team who won the league last season and were promoted to Division 1. They have lost all 5 of their league games so far this season, conceding 67 goals, of which 12 came in the Wild Women’s visit north of the border in early December. 

Team captain Charlotte Cramp is the Wild Women’s leading scorer at this early stage of the season with 7 goals and 5 assists from 5 games. Former Belgium international player Leen de Decker is second with 6+3 and recently returned Amanda Armstrong is just behind them with 3+4. 

The goals and assists have been widely spread around the squad this season with Lise Gillen, Jemma Brown, Phoebe Patient, Jennifer Hickey, Victoria Connelly, Abigail Aldred, Katie Fairclough and Charlotte McAdam all having found the net and 6 other players all contributing assists.

Katie Fairclough is the current leader by some distance in the Division 2 North “Bad Girl” stakes with 31 penalty minutes, due mainly to her 5+game for slashing in the home game against Whitley.

Katie is beaten, however, in the overall Division 2 penalty standings by three players from Division 2 South who all have 45 PIMs despite each having played fewer games than her. 

The Wild Women are also taking part in a cup competition for the first time this season – playing Sheffield and Telford home and away in a 3-team round robin. They lost their opening game 2-10 at home to Sheffield just before Christmas so have a bit of ground to make up if they are going to have any chance in that competition.

The Wild Women are back in action on Sunday 12th January when they travel to Telford to face the Wrekin Raiders for a league game.  

They are next at home on Sunday 26th January when they take on the same opposition at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Deeside Ducks - New Year Round Up

Deeside favourite Chris Jones has 4 goals and 4 assists for the Ducks so far this season (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Heading into the New Year, the Deeside Ducks can look back upon their first few months as a club with some satisfaction, having already achieved much of what they set out to do at the start of the season.

They have given over 20 promising young local players the chance to play regular competitive league hockey that they might never have managed otherwise – or only after weeks of bench warming in the hope of the odd shift with a higher league team.

And Deeside junior club players Cody Ogden, Henry Phillips, Daniels Federevs and Jace Gledhill have all made appearances for the Dragons senior team this season, as well as playing for the Ducks, showing that the development pathway from juniors to seniors is working well.

The team has won two of their 15 league games so far this season – two more than Head Coach Gary Shaw admitted that he expected for their debut league campaign. 

Add to that the fact that they have lost 4 more matches by a single goal margin, any of which – on another day with the rub of the green, or better player discipline, in some cases - could easily have been a win instead.

So, things are looking good as the Ducks head towards the business end of the season in the battle for a top 8 play-off slot.

Cody Ogden remains the Ducks’ top goal scorer on 6 strikes, with Kieran Clarkson and Chris Jones just behind on 4 each. Charlie Spridgeon is the leading playmaker with 7 assists while Clarkson, Jones and Player Coach Stewart Cutting all have 4.

Following on from the festive break, the Ducks are away to unbeaten league leaders Sutton Sting this Saturday 4^th January and are then at home to north-west rivals Altrincham Aces on Sunday at Deeside Leisure Centre – 5pm face off.

Widnes Wild Weekend Report - 21st & 22nd December

Wild Head Coach Tom Jackson was in a festive mood at the weekend (photo by David Tattum)

Saturday 21st December 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 4 - Deeside Dragons 10

Sunday 22nd December 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Widnes Wild 12 - Sheffield Scimitars 4

The Widnes Wild NIHL team pulled themselves off the bottom of the Moralee Division table with a sensational 12-4 win over fellow strugglers Sheffield Scimitars at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

It was a mixed weekend overall for the Wild as they lost at home to fierce local rivals Deeside Dragons 4-10 but, considering the season they have had so far, one out of two ain’t bad.

Games against the Dragons are always keen-fought and passionate affairs and Saturday’s match was no exception. Spice was added to the occasion by the presence of ex-Wild import Jakub Hajek on the Dragon’s bench, along with more former Widnes players in MJ Clancy, Matt Wainwright and Will Harper.

The game actually started well for the Wild and they took the lead with a goal from Tomas Vyrostek after just 4 minutes. Mikey Gilbert fired the Wild 2-0 up two minutes later but then a brace for the Dragons talented American import Jake Witkowski saw the score level at the first period break.

Witkowski fired the Dragons into the lead for the first time on 27 minutes with his hat trick goal and Clancy doubled the advantage for the visitors on 32 minutes. 

Owen Rae pulled a goal back for Widnes just 2 minutes later with his first strike of the season but Hajek restored the two-goal cushion 2 minutes after that.

A goal from Wild captain Andrew Hopkins narrowed the deficit to just one on 37th minutes and the score stood at a tantalisingly close 4-5 at the second interval.

Everything went wrong for Widnes in the third period. Deeside scored again just 30 seconds from the restart and four more unanswered goals swept them to a convincing 4-10 victory.

With local bragging rights Deeside-bound down the M56 for the time being, Sunday’s game against Sheffield really was a “must win” for the Wild, knowing that a regulation time victory would lift them above the Scimitars in the league table and off the bottom spot that they had occupied for much of the season.

Bailey Thomson scored 4 goals in the Wild's win over Sheffield on Sunday
(Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

This game also started well for the Wild, with Bailey Thomson opening the scoring in the 4th minute and from then on, Widnes never looked like losing.

A second goal for Thomson on 14 minutes and then a strike for Mikey Gilbert two minutes later saw them with a 3-1 lead at the first period break and further goals - from Andrew Hopkins, Matty Barlow and Thomson again, for his hat-trick - made it 6-2 at the second interval.

Widnes really ran riot in the third period with goals from Ross Chalmers, Tomas Vyrostek, two more for Hopkins, a fourth from Thomas and a last minute strike from Damarani James with just 13 seconds left on the clock to round off an impressive victory.

The odd goal here and there from the plucky Sheffield side didn’t really matter too much as Widnes were able to celebrate their biggest ever win in the Moralee Division and the first time they have scored double figures since stepping up to the higher league in 2021.

Sunday’s win sees the Wild move above Sheffield into 9th place in the 10-team league table – with 11 points to the Scimitars’ 10 – and two points behind 8th place Leeds with a game in hand. The Wild now have a break to regroup and, hopefully, build on this achievement when the season restarts in January.  

The first weekend of the new year sees them in a double header clash with the Nottingham Lions.  They play away in the Lace City on Saturday 4th January – 1pm face off – and then at home the following day at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm start.

The Wild haven’t played Nottingham yet this season and they are one of the teams who are on their radar as infinitely catch-able in the race for final league placings.  As such, these two games will go a long way to defining the Widnes season as a whole.

*****

Play was interrupted after Tomas Vyrostek’s opening goal in the game against Deeside on Saturday – but it was all in a good cause.

It was the Wild’s annual “Air The Bear” Christmas Teddy Toss and it has become a tradition that, after the first goal is scored (assuming there is one and it is not a 0-0 draw…) fans throw donations of soft toys onto the ice.

These are then gathered up and distributed to good causes over the festive period 

The Teddy Toss was generously supported by the visiting fans from Deeside as well and the toys will be taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and local animal shelters.

Match Report: Deeside Ducks 1 – Altrincham Aces 6 (NIHL Laidler Division)

Callum Preston receives the MVP
award from Violet Foster-Noble
(Photo by Maxine Roscoe)

Saturday 21st December – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 1 – Altrincham Aces 6

The Deeside Ducks put in another spirited performance but ultimately lost out 1-6 to near neighbours Altrincham Aces at Deeside Leisure on Saturday.

The game saw two new faces in Ducks shirts with debuts for former Deeside junior Corey Swift and ex-Telford forward Rhys Howells, who played for the Dragons in the Moralee Division last season.

The Ducks had been trounced 16-4 in the away game in Altrincham a few weeks ago so this was a much better performance all round and it remained very close until the latter stages.

The first period ended 0-1 to the Aces and they only managed to score their second goal with just 7 seconds left to play in the second period.

The score was 0-3 to the visitors by the time Deeside managed to find the net themselves with a strike from Rhys Howells – scoring on his Ducks debut - on 53 minutes.

This breakthrough did not spark a late Deeside rally, unfortunately, and 3 late goals for the Aces gave the final score a slightly more one-sided look than the Ducks’ performance necessarily deserved.

As well as taking the 3 league points back up the M56, the 5-goal margin means that Altrincham leapfrog Coventry in the group table for the parallel Laidler Cup competition and qualify for the semi finals in second place behind Telford.

Deeside finish bottom of the cup group with just 1 win from their 8 qualifying games.

Following on from the festive break, the Ducks will be away to unbeaten league leaders Sutton Sting on Saturday 4^th January and are then at home again to Altrincham Aces on Sunday 5^th at Deeside Leisure Centre – 5pm face off.

New Book Review: "Gone But Not Forgotten" by Stuart Latham

I have said, in the past, that you "can never have too many ice hockey books”. And, while I WOULD say that because I do, occasionally, sell the odd one or two to help fund my Twiglet habit, this one is not one of mine.

Yep, just when I was wondering how I was going to cope over the festive period without any NIHL hockey to watch or report on (we in the lower reaches don’t have Boxing Day games etc like the “Elite” boys and National Division do...) this latest offering from the fine stable of Stuart Latham ice hockey club histories has landed on the doormat.

“Gone But Not Forgotten” is an interesting book as it covers a number of different teams from different eras.

Depending on how old you are and how much you might have read about past glories in British ice hockey, you may have heard of a lot of these teams already, but it is nice to see so much information all gathered up in one place.

And what we have here covers, among others:

• Kensington Corinthians (1930s)
• Richmond Hawks (1930s)
• Earls Court Royals (1930s)
• Grosvenor House Canadians (1930s)
• Wembley Canadians (1930s)
• Wembley Monarchs (1930s & 40s)
• Wembley Vets (1970s)
• London Phoenix Flyers (Richmond – 1970s)
• Richmond Flyers (1980s)
• Earls Court Rangers (1930s & 40s)
• London Lions (1920s & 30s)
• London Lions (1970s - exhibition team)
• Wembley Lions (1930s, 40s & 50s)
• Milton Keynes Kings (1990s & 00s)
• Ashfield Islanders (1980s & 90s)
• Bournemouth Stags (1980s & 90s) 

As you’d expect with a Stuart Latham compilation, the book is packed with league tables, player statistics and fascinating photos and is bound to be of interest to ice hockey fans of all the various eras.

Now if I were being picky here, (picky – moi? shurely not...) - but if I WAS being picky, I would have expected the 1980s London All Stars team (Dave Richards, Bob Mitura et al) to be worthy of a page or two in this as well. Ice hockey fans of a particular vintage may well recall that they won the 1984/85 British League Division 2 South title.

That was quite an achievement for them because – like Ashfield Islanders - they had to play all of their games away, as their home ice at the Sobell Centre in Islington wasn’t suitable for playing league matches. There was, actually, quite a lot of that went on during those halcyon Heineken-fuelled “expansion” days of the mid 80s – check out Brighton and Hastings as well...

But I am not being picky today.  The last train to Picky-Ville has departed “ohne mich” - so I won’t mention them...

Anyway, despite that, this book is all very interesting and represents a very good record of a lot of teams that have fallen by the wayside over the years.

So, there we have it: “Gone But Not Forgotten.  To order your copy, drop Stuart a line via Facebook HERE  or send him an email HERE  - and get him to tell you about his other ice hockey books as well.

Deeside Ducks Weekend Report - 14th & 15th December 2024

Chris Jones was the Ducks' MVP at home to Bradford (Photo by Chris Jones - a different one...)

Saturday 14^th December 2020 – NIHL Laidler Division: Deeside Ducks 5 – Bradford Bulldogs 6

The Deeside Ducks put in a battling performance before narrowly losing out 5-6 to Bradford Bulldogs at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday

This game was played between two very closely matched teams and there was never more than one goal in it. It was entertaining end to end hockey throughout with plenty of chances for both sides.

Continuing with the Ducks’ policy of encouraging young talent, the game saw senior league debuts for Dragons Under 19 players Callum Garwell and Rafferty Smith.

After a tense opening phase, the Ducks took the lead on 6 minutes with a debut goal from Rafferty Smith.

Bradford equalised on 12 minutes but Deeside edged back into the lead with a Stewart Cutting goal just 14 seconds later. The Bulldogs equalised on 14 minutes and the score remained 2-2 at the first period break.

The second period was just as close and Gary Dixon fired the Ducks back in front just 90 seconds in.  Bradford equalised again and Chris Jones re-established the Deeside lead on 26 minutes.

Cue another equaliser from the visitors before Rory Sillery scored his first ever league goal to hand the Ducks a narrow 5-4 lead at the second interval.

Unfortunately, the game slipped away from Deeside in the third period as two quick goals within 90 seconds of each other saw Bradford draw level again and then take the lead for the first time.

A spate of late penalties hampered the Ducks attempts to salvage something from the match and it finished up as a 5-6 win to the Bulldogs.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards went to Liam Hine for Bradford and Chris Jones for Deeside.

Rafferty Smith was the Ducks' MVP away at Billingham (photo by Paul Ali Photography)

Sunday 15^th December 2020 – NIHL Laidler Division: Billingham Buccaneers 12 - Deeside Ducks 0

The Ducks’ first ever trip to the north east to face high flying Billingham was always going to be a tough one, and that is exactly how it turned out.

The hosts led 3-0 after the first period and 8-0 after the second.  Four more goals in the final 20 minutes handed them a comprehensive 12-0 victory and saw the Ducks making the long journey home on the back of their second shut-out of the season.

The Deeside Ducks play their last game of the calendar year this Saturday 21^st December when they entertain the Altrincham Aces at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5pm face off.

Widnes Wild Weekend Report - 14th & 15th December 2024

Matty Barlow scored two goals in the Wild’s win away in Sheffield (Photo by RDG Digital)

Saturday 14th December 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Sheffield Scimitars 1 - Widnes Wild 4

Sunday 15th December 2024 – NIHL Moralee Division: Blackburn Hawks 7 - Widnes Wild 1

The Widnes Wild NIHL team had a mixed weekend, winning 1-4 away at fellow strugglers Sheffield Scimitars on Saturday and then losing 7-1 to Blackburn Hawks on Sunday.

The 9th v 10th game in the Steel City was a “must win” for the Wild if they are to have any chance of lifting themselves away from the bottom of the league table this season and, for once, things went pretty much their way.

Matty Barlow gave the Wild the lead, before a Sheffield equaliser saw the score delicately poised at 1-1 at the first period break. The second period saw goals from Andrew Hopkins and Ross Chalmers fire the Wild to a 1-3 lead by the second break and the win was assured by Barlow’s second goal of the game in the third.

Harry Campbell was the Wild’s MVP away in Blackburn
(Photo by Nicole Lomax / Hawks Media)

The game away in East Lancashire on Sunday was always going to be the tougher of the two weekend matches for the Wild, and that was exactly how it turned out. 

The hosts took a 3-0 lead into the first interval but the Wild had the better of the second period keeping the Blackburn attack at bay, with Mikey Gilbert firing in a late goal to narrow the deficit.

The Hawks upped their game again in the third period and four unanswered goals saw them cruise to a convincing victory.

After three away games in a row, the Wild are finally back at home this weekend when they play Deeside Dragons on Saturday 21st December (7pm face off) and Sheffield Scimitars the following day (5.30pm) in a mouth-watering double header at Planet Ice Widnes.

*****

The Wild NIHL team will be holding their annual “Air The Bear”  Christmas Teddy Toss during Saturday’s home game against Deeside Dragons.

Fans are asked to bring a mix of new teddies and dog toys (wrapped in plastic bags to protect them) which will then be thrown onto the ice after the Wild’s first goal is scored. 

The donations will be gathered up and distributed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and local animal shelters.

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

Cath Thornton made her debut
for the Wild Women
(photo by Scott Dutton)

Sunday 15th December 2024 – WNIHL North Cup: Widnes Wild Women 2 – Sheffield Shadows 10 

The Widnes Wild women’s team had a difficult start to their WNIHL North Cup campaign with a rather unexpected 2-10 defeat at home to Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

When the two teams met in the league earlier in the season away at iceSheffield, the game had finished in a very close 1-2 win for the Wild, so this result was rather unexpected. 

This is the first year that the WNIHL has run a separate cup alongside the league competition and it has been introduced for this season to make up the number of games after the Grimsby team withdrew from this season’s WNIHL Division 2 North. Alongside their league meetings, Widnes are playing Sheffield and Telford once home and once away in a three team “round robin” cup group that will decide an overall winner. A separate cup competition also sees Leeds, Kingston and Caledonia meeting in a similar format.

Sheffield came out of the blocks the quickest and took the lead after just 3 minutes. They doubled their advantage three minutes later and Widnes had to wait until the 14th minute to open their own account with a goal from Katie Fairclough. The score stood at a fairly manageable 1-2 to Sheffield at the first period break with both sides very much in contention.

Two more goals early in the second period saw the Shadows edge further ahead but Fairclough found the back of the net once again to bring the score to 2-4 at the second interval.

Widnes still looked in with a shout at this point but the floodgates opened up in the third period as Sheffield outshot the Wild Women by a massive 24 to 5 and their effort were duly rewarded. 6 unanswered goals swept past overworked netminder Stephanie Drinkwater in the final 20 minutes of play, helping Sheffield to a higher margin of victory than the Wild performance possibly deserved.

The Wild Women have a few weeks’ break now to lick their wounds and regroup before the season restarts in January.  They travel to Telford to face the Wrekin Raiders on Sunday12th January and are next at home on Sunday 26th January when they take on the same opposition at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

****

Sunday’s game saw a Widnes debut for recent signing Cath Thornton. Cath may be a new face to Widnes fans but she played league ice hockey for the Deeside-based Flintshire Furies – alongside fellow Wild women Catherine Fell and Vanessa Crickmore-Clarke - for four seasons from 2005 to 2010, scoring 7 goals and 4 assists in 48 competitive matches.  She has most recently been playing for the Connah’s Quay Cobras recreational team at Deeside. 

Thornton was named MVP for the Wild Women in her first game at Widnes.