Match Report: Widnes Wild 9 - Hull Jets 2

Photo by Geoff White - www.gw-images.co.uk

The Widnes Wild returned to action on Sunday night playing host to the Hull Jets who travelled to the nearly sold out Silver Blades rink with twenty players and some dedicated supporters.

With both teams looking to secure second place in the league, it was always likely there would be a frantic start to the game.  Within the first few minutes both teams had chances, but it was the Jets that took an early lead with some scrappy play in front of the Wild goal seeing the puck eventually bundled over the line.

Within minutes the home team had equalised with Player/Coach Scott Mckenzie showing his pedigree when he skilfully placed the puck in the net past Hull netminder David Good.   Hull then showed why they were early league leaders when they responded almost instantly with a breakaway goal to reclaim the lead.

However the Wild weren’t about to let the team from East Yorkshire establish dominance and some great team work saw a brace of goals from McKenzie give the Widnes boys a 3-2 lead heading into the break.

Widnes opened up the second period where they left off. After a spell of possession in the Jets end the Wild got that forth goal they were looking for, knocking the wind out of the travelling side whose heads visibly dropped thanks to a Geoff Wigglesworth shot from the edge of the circle.  Pavel Vales then capitalised on an inch perfect pass from Wild Skipper Shaun Dippnall to enable the Wild to leave the ice at the end of the second period leading the Jets 5-2.

The third period was little more than a masterclass in ice hockey from the Wild with goals from Wigglesworth, Dippnall, Kieran Strangeway and Mckenzie sealing a 9-2 victory and leaving Wild in second place in the league table.

 Coach Mckenzie had this to say about the game;

‘I don’t think we were truly at our best tonight, which is really frightening. There is some good hockey being played but we really need to start better in games.’

‘We have played 5 games now and I still don’t think we have played for a full 60 minutes, it will come, it is still early in the season but I do believe this team will get better. This is just the beginning,” added the Scotsman.

 With another two points in the bag for the Wild next week the Widnes team face their more challenging opposition so far as league leaders, Nottingham Lions, travel to Widnes.  Face off is at 17:30 on Sunday with doors opening at 4:45pm and the game should prove to be an exciting, physical match between the top two teams in the league.