Damarni James and Owen Rae Re-Sign For Widnes Wild

Above left:  Damarni James (photo by Steve Cunningham) and above right:  Owen Rae (Photo by Peter Sheffield)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced two more returning players for the 2024/25 Moralee Division season.

Defenceman Damarni James returns for his second year with the Wild, having made the switch from Blackburn Hawks last summer. He played 22 games for the Wild last season, scoring 3 goals and 7 assists and picking up 26 penalty minutes. 

Talking about re-signing for Widnes, Damarni said: “I’m very glad to be back playing for the Wild for the upcoming 24/25 season. I can’t wait to get back to work with the boys and see what the new season ahead brings.”

Wild NIHL Player Coach Tom Jackson said of James: “Damarni was a great pick up for us last season - he is a big man for a 19 year old and still has a lot of time to develop. Dee brings both physicality and skill to the table and I’d like to see him continue to improve his skill set during the upcoming season.”

The other re-signing is Owen Rae who also returning for his second season in Wild colours. Rae joined the Wild last season for his breakout NIHL year and played on a 3-way deal, also making appearances for North Ayrshire Wild in the Scottish National League and Solway Sharks Under 19s.

He played 25 games for Widnes scoring 2 goals and 2 assists, picking up 26 penalty minutes. Rae was highly popular with the fans and was voted Fans’ Defenceman Of The Season.

He will be on a 2-way deal with Solway Sharks for the new season to allow a pathway for development, but Widnes will have priority on the deal.

Talking about his return to the Wild, Owen said: “I’m really looking forward to playing with Widnes again, the fans are fantastic and made me feel so welcome. Hopefully we have a good season and I look forward to the challenge!”

Widnes Player / Coach Tom Jackson said of Rae “Owen is another product of the Solway Sharks junior system and a great addition to the team for the upcoming season. He will be on a two-way with the Sharks and if the opportunity comes up in Solway, he will be encouraged to go and play for his home club.”

“While he is with us in Widnes, he will be getting a lot of ice time and I want to see how he develops over the course of the season. He’s great at both ends of the ice and I’ll be pushing Owen to commit himself to his development throughout the year.”

“He competes every time he’s on the ice and that’s exactly what I want from players this upcoming season.”

Deeside Ducks Sign Jack Davies

Ducks' signing Jack Davies as a Halton Huskie (Photo by David Tattum / DJT Ice Hockey Photos)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Jack Davies to boost their roster for the forthcoming  2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 19 year old forward is a former Widnes junior and also played for the Manchester Storm Under 18 team during the 2021/22 season. 

He has most recently been playing for the Widnes-based Halton Huskies recreational side.

Talking about joining Deeside, Davies said:  “I’m excited for the opportunity to play for the Ducks and to develop my game at the senior level”

Ducks Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said of Davies:

“Jack started his career at Widnes and he always stood out as a junior whenever Widnes have played against Deeside.”

“He’s a good reader of the play and his composure on the puck made Jack a solid pick for us all here.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Sledge Hockey Weekend Round Up - 27th / 28th July

The 2024 title race looks as if it will go right to the wire after Cardiff Huskies and Peterborough Phantoms both won at the weekend and opened a two point gap at the top of the table.

Peterborough narrowly beat Sheffield Steelkings – who were still harbouring their own title ambitions - 5-4 on Saturday while Cardiff won 1-2 away to Manchester Mayhem in Widnes on Sunday.

League top scorer Gary Farmer put the Phantoms on their way with a goal after just 50 seconds against Sheffield but two goals – from Connor Grocock and Daniel Clarke – edged the Steelkings ahead and it took another Farmer strike to level the score 2-2 at the first interval.

Two more goals from Farmer and a second for the visitors from Grocock saw Peterborough leading 4-3 after two periods and a goal for each side – from Ali Amini for the Phantoms and a second from Clarke for Sheffield mean that the game finished as a 5-4 home win.

The game in Widnes on Sunday was a very cagey affair and the Mayhem took a 1-0 lead into the first break with a strike from Anthony Booth.  

An equaliser from Tyler Christopher with just 26 seconds left the second tied the scores and a goal from captain Paul Furber on 33 minutes handed the Huskies the win.

The weekend results mean that Cardiff and Peterborough both have 10 points at the top of the table but Cardiff have a game in hand.

There are just 3 more games to be played in the regular league schedule and every one of them will have a bearing on the title race.

Cardiff could go clear on points if they beat the Mayhem in the Welsh capital this Saturday 3rd August – 6.25pm face off – but the Steelkings also have a game that day – in the second home derby of the season against the Steelstings – and, should the Huskies slip up, a Kings win would then leave three teams on 10 points.

In fact, any scenario from next weekend’s games means that the destination of the 2024 British Para Ice Hockey League title will not be decided until the last game of the season – when Peterborough host Cardiff on 10^th August.

You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website HERE 

Match Report: Mayhem 1 – Cardiff Huskies 2 (British Para Ice Hockey League)

Goalmouth action from the Mayhem v Cardiff Game - Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk  / www.instagram.com/roksana.oniszczuk/

28^th July 2024 – British Para Ice Hockey League: Mayhem 1 – Cardiff Huskies 2

The Mayhem sledge team put in an impressive performance against league leaders Cardiff Huskies before ultimately losing out 1-2 at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

As the score suggests, this was a very close game – with barely room for the metaphorical cigarette paper between the two teams – and, as such, the result could have gone either way until the very last seconds.

The Mayhem slightly edged the first period, but it took until the 13^th minute for the first goal –which fell to Anthony Booth on a powerplay punishing Cardiff t-boning penalty.

The score remained 1-0 at the first period break and it was still 1-0 heading into the last minute of the second period as well. The Mayhem had successfully killed off a penalty of their own for t-boning but then got caught out with a Cardiff strike just 26 seconds before the buzzer to tie the game at 1-1.

A second goal for Cardiff three minutes into the third period edged them into the lead for the first time and, try as they might, the Mayhem were unable to muster any sort of reply.

The two teams meet again on Saturday 3^rd August in the Welsh capital –6.25pm face off – in what will be the Mayhem’s last game of the regular season.

There's a round up of all of the weekend sledge hockey action HERE

You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website HERE  

Anthony Booth scored the only Mayhem goal against Cardiff – Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk  / www.instagram.com/roksana.oniszczuk/

Dean Lahan was the Mayhem MVP against Cardiff – Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk  / www.instagram.com/roksana.oniszczuk/

Widnes Wild NIHL Team Recruiting Match Night Volunteers

 Widnes match night volunteers celebrate the 2019 Laidler Division title win with the Wild team (Photo by Geoff White)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team are looking for volunteers to help out with different roles on match nights for the forthcoming 2024/25 Moralee Division season.

Home matches are usually played on Sundays with a 5.30pm face off time and, occasionally, on Saturday evenings as well.  Match night volunteers fulfil a number of roles ranging from Front Of House duties such as raffle ticket sales and stewarding, to off ice game officiating and media duties.

Anybody with experience in these areas is encouraged to apply but newcomers are also welcome as training and support will be given as required.

Interested parties are requested to contact info@widneswild.co.uk for more information.

Wild Women Staging 3v3 Tournament During August

Following a well-earned break, the Widnes Wild women’s team resume their training in August in preparation for the 2024/25 WNIHL season. 

In a repeat of years of last year’s successful event, the club are again organising a 3 on 3 draft tournament – to be played during their Tuesday evening training sessions over four weeks starting 6th August.

Players are required to be 14+ years of age, have full kit and some hockey experience, preferably at WNIHL Division 2 or Development player standard. They do not have to be Widnes players but do need to be EIH registered. 

The cost for taking part in the tournament is £50 per player, which covers all 4 sessions. 

As well as running the tournament, the Wild Women are recruiting for their league and development teams for the 2024/25 season and would be particularly happy to hear from any players with league or international experience.

Anybody interested in taking part in the tournament or joining the Wild women for the new season is asked to contact them by email at: widneswildwomen@gmail.com 

Wild Academy Under 16s At Sheffield Tournament

The Widnes Wild Junior Academy Under 16 team took part in the Sheffield National Tournament at the weekend, giving a good account of themselves but narrowly missing out on reaching the final.

They played 5 group games, beating Sutton 4-1, drawing with Haringey 2-2 and then losing 1-0 to Milton Keynes on the Saturday.  On Sunday morning, they drew 1-1 with Leeds and lost 3-2 to Solihull.

This meant that they finished 3rd in the 6 team group behind Milton Keynes and Solihull – neither of whom lost any of their games - and failed to qualify for the final. The play off game on Sunday afternoon saw Milton Keynes beat Solihull 1-0 to take the trophy. 

The Wild Academy are looking to recruit new players for the 2024/2025 season across all age groups from Under 10 to Under 18 and have been holding a series of welcome sessions at the Planet Ice rink during the summer months. 

Separate “Learn To Play” sessions are also available for anybody new who would like to take up the sport.  For more information, contact Academy Head Coach mike.gilbert@wildacademy.co.uk

Ben Roscoe Joins Deeside Ducks

Ben Roscoe with the Dragons Under 18 team at the 2024 Sheffield tournament (Photo by Martyn Warwick / myteamphoto)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Ben Roscoe to add to their roster for the forthcoming 2024/25 Laidler Division season.

The 17 year old forward is a product of the Deeside junior system and was Alternate Captain for the Dragons Under 18 team last season

Talking about joining the Ducks, Ben said:  “

“I love ice hockey and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to play with this fantastic new senior team, the Deeside Ducks.”

“I’m excited to start the season and can’t wait to play alongside these talented players.”

Assistant Coach Simon Hughes said of Roscoe:

“If you are looking for an example of commitment and enthusiasm for Ice Hockey, then they would be wearing #29. Ben was a latecomer to the sport at 14 and played one season at U16 which was cut short by the pandemic.”

“With the reopening of the Den in December 2022, he returned to the ice with gusto for the newly formed U18 squad. The pace of his skill development has been impressive.”

“Ben is now a promising addition to the Ducks and also helps out with coaching the Juniors. I look forward to seeing him progress into senior hockey, guided by more experienced players.” 

“I'm sure he will continue to learn and develop further in a challenging D2 league. There will be some hard lessons and my best piece of advice for this fearless Duckling is ‘keep your head up, Roscoe’.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Deeside Ducks Sign Alfie Kelly

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Alfie Kelly as part of their roster for the new NIHL season.

The 17 year old defenceman is a former Manchester junior and was captain of the Storm Under 18 team last season. He also made 22 appearances for the Altrincham Aces in the Laidler Division in what was his breakout senior season. 

Talking about his move westwards Kelly said:

“I am really grateful for the opportunity to come and play for the Deeside Ducks  and am looking forward to the coming season.”

“I am excited to work with the coaching group and within the pathway for juniors to progress into senior hockey.  I played for Altrincham Aces last season and gained some experiences in this league and I am keen to gain more here at Deeside.  I can’t wait to get started!”

James Parsons, Head Coach of the Deeside Juniors, said of Kelly:

“Alfie came to our open trials in June, and what stood out right away was his fantastic attitude and work ethic.”

“Alfie already has a good amount of games played in NIHL 2, which I feel will benefit the team as they enter their first season.Not only that, but Alfie will also get to train and play with our junior team. Welcome, Alfie!”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Match Report: Solihull Vikings 16 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 1 (Challenge Match)

Sunday 21st July – Challenge Match: Solihull Vikings 16 – Connah’s Quay Cobras 1 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras slumped to an uncharacteristic 16-1 defeat away to the Solihull Vikings in a challenge match away in the West Midlands on Sunday evening. 

This was their first match since the middle of June as their last cup group game against Trafford Thunder – which had been scheduled for 14th July - had to be cancelled after the Altrincham-based side were unable to raise a team, and this game had been arranged to give the team a decent run out before the Summer Cup Play Offs in three weeks time.

When the two teams met at Deeside back in January, it was a very close game with the Cobras eventually winning 9-7. Sunday’s game was actually closer than the final scoreline suggests but the Cobras travelled with a short bench – just 10 skaters - and found themselves up against a very strong Solihull side. 

After a tense opening phase, the Vikings opened the scoring on 5 minutes and were leading 3-0 by the time Cobras’ Player / Coach Emma Dutton fired in a superb goal for the visitors. The score stood at 4-1 at the first period break, 9-1 at the second interval and the hosts ran away with the game with 7 more unanswered goals in the third period as the numerically inferior Cobras began to tire. 

The Cobras are next in action at the Summer Classic Cup Play Offs, which will be held in Sheffield over the weekend of 10th and 11th August. The full line-up is yet to be decided as there are group games still to be played and the semi final pairings depend on finishing positions in the two qualifying groups.  

Connah’s Quay are currently top of the Elite Group 1 with 13 points from their 8 games but could still be overtaken by Newcastle Predators who are 1 point behind in second place and play Trafford on 27th July in their final group match. The other group sees a three way tussle between Leeds Lightning, Don Valley Vikings and Grimsby Stormers for the other two semi final places.  

Mayhem To Face League Leaders.

Following two weekends without a game, the Mayhem sledge team are back in action this Sunday 28th July for their final home game of the 2024 British Para Ice Hockey league season at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

The opponents are Cardiff Huskies who won the league title last season and currently lead the table again after a 5-1 victory over erstwhile league leaders Peterborough Phantoms on Saturday.

The Mayhem haven’t played Cardiff yet this season and they play them again in their final league game away in the Welsh Capital on 3rd August.

It has been announced that the end of season play offs will be held at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham over the weekend of 14th and 15th September. This is a new venue for the competition and, unlike previous seasons, offers the added advantage that it will not be a home rink for any of the participating teams.

The top four teams in the final league table will qualify for the play off weekend and, assuming that the format is the same as previous years,  there will be 4 games played over the two days. The two semi-finals will be played on the Saturday with the winners going through to the final on Sunday, to be preceded by a 3rd place play off match.

The Mayhem are already guaranteed a place in the play offs as Sheffield Steelstings – in 5th place - will not be able to overtake them in the league table, irrespective of the results of games left to play.

You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website HERE

And there's a round up of all of the weekend sledge hockey action HERE

Sledge Hockey Weekend Round-Up – 20th July

Cardiff Huskies moved to the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table after a 5-1 win over erstwhile leaders Peterborough Phantoms in the Welsh capital on Saturday.

They got off to a flying start and were leading 3-0 after just 8 minutes with an early brace from Jon Le Galloudec and a strike from Tyler Christopher.  A goal-less second period gave the visitors some hope but a 4^th goal for Cardiff on 38 minutes – from Paul Furber - and then a hat-trick strike from Le Galloudec ensured that the Huskies took the points.

Peterborough did manage a consolation goal from Gary Farmer but the result means that Cardiff leapfrog the Phantoms to take over at the top of the table.

This sets up a fascinating finale to the regular season as it leaves the top three teams in the table all on 8 points after Sheffield Steelkings beat their rinkmates, the Steelstings, 7-0 at iceSheffield, also on Saturday. 

The Steelkings made pretty easy work of their development team counterparts and took a 0-4 lead into the first interval with goals from Connor Grocock, Paul Brown, Bill Hardy and Jake Oakley.

Second period strikes from Oakley and Hardy and a third period goal from Rachel Paget rounded off the scoring and Kings netminder Matt Davis recorded a 6-shot shut out.

The outcome of the Sheffield derby means that the Steelstings are no longer able to catch Manchester Mayhem in 4^th place in the league table and will miss out on the end of season play offs.

Next weekend sees two games of huge importance to the league title race with Peterborough Phantoms at home to the Sheffield Steelkings on Saturday 27^th July – face off 4.25pm - and Manchester Mayhem entertaining Cardiff Huskies on Sunday – also 4.25pm face off.

You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website at:  https://www.mystatsonline.com/PBStats

 

It has been announced that the end of season play offs will be held at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham over the weekend of 14^th and 15^th September. This is a new venue for the competition and, unlike previous seasons, offers the added advantage that it will not be a home rink for any of the participating teams.

The top four teams in the final league table will qualify for the play off weekend and, assuming that it is the same format as in previous years,

There will be 4 games played over the two days. The two semi-finals will be played on the Saturday with the winners going through to the final on Sunday, to be preceded by a 3^rd place play off match.

The 2024/25 Laidler Division Explained.

League Format

The Deeside Ducks will play in the Laidler Division (NIHL North 2) for the 2024/25 season. It will be a 10-team league and, in a departure from previous seasons, it will be split into two regional sections with 5 teams in each.

The Deeside Ducks will play in the same regional group as Altrincham Aces, Bradford Bulldogs, Coventry NIHL Blaze and Telford Tigers 2.

The other group will comprise: Billingham Buccaneers, Kingston (Hull) Sharks, Nottingham Lions 2, Sheffield Titans and Sutton Sting.

Each team will play the other teams from their own group twice home and twice away and the teams from the other group once home and once away for a 26 game league season.

Cup Competition

There will also be a Laidler Cup competition, with two qualifying groups of 5 teams each feeding into knockout semis and a final.

Rather than playing separate cup games for the qualifying stage, the first league meeting home and away between the participating teams will be counted towards the cup group table and this will decide who goes through to the latter stages.

 

Play Offs

The end of season Play Offs also have a change of format for this year. The top 8 teams in the final Laidler Division table will qualify for the Play Offs and two groups of four will play each other home away.

The top two finishers in each group will meet in 2 legged semi-finals played on a home and away basis.

The winners of the two semi finals will then meet in the Laidler Division Play Off final, which will be held as part of a bigger NIHL Finals Weekend – at a venue yet to be announced - over the weekend of 12th & 13th April 2025.

All four NIHL divisions – Moralee (North 1), Laidler (North 2), Britton (South 1) and Wilkinson (South 2) will have their respective play off finals held on the Saturday and the winners of each will meet in North v South national finals on the Sunday.

 

League Points

Another important development for the new season is the change in the allocation of points for league and cup qualifying tables.

In order to encourage teams to push for a win in regulation time, rather than hold out for a draw and overtime, 3 points will be awarded for a win in regular time for the 2024/25 season.

2 points will be awarded for a win in Overtime or by Penalty Shoot Out and 1 point for an OT / PS loss. A loss in regulation time will yield 0 points as before.

 

Imported Players

A further rule change sees the number of imported players allowed on the team roster for any one game reduced from three last season to two this season, and both being allowed on the ice at the same time.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Mikey Gilbert Back In The Wild

Widnes Wild's Mikey Gilbert is back for his eighth season (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies) 

The Widnes Wild team have announced that highly-rated forward Mikey Gilbert will be returning to the club for the forthcoming 2024/25 NIHL season.

This will be Gilbert’s eighth season at Widnes and, in his seven seasons to date – including the Covid lockdown cup series - he has played 199 games for the Wild, contributing 90 goals and 134 assists, picking up 204 penalty minutes. 

Mikey was a member of the Wild team that won three Laidler Play Off titles in a row in 2017,18 & 19, secured the Laidler Division league title in 2019, won the 2021 NIHL North Cup and Division 1 National Championship and the Moralee Cup in 2022.

He is also the General Manager at the Planet Ice rink in Widnes and head coach of the highly successful Wild Junior Academy.

Talking about Gilbert’s return for the Wild, Player-Coach Tom Jackson commented: 

“Mikey has come off arguably one of his better seasons playing in the Black and Yellow. He has been an obvious decision for me to bring back to the ranks of the team.” 

“I will be looking for him to help guide this team in the right direction and show his worth as the season unfolds as he has in different ways throughout his time with the Wild.”

“I will be leaning on Mikey for guidance with his experience and hoping he will be able to share his past experience with the local schools when we intend on bringing more fans to the sport of ice hockey in and around Widnes.”

Gilbert added: 

“Not long after Tom Jackson was announced (as head coach), he contacted me regarding my plans and that he wanted me as part of the team this coming season. It was a privilege to be asked to sign back up again and I was quick to respond with a yes.”

“The past couple of seasons haven't lived up to what we are used to as a club at Widnes, which was a given due to the step up in leagues. However, this is a challenge and as players and as a club we must challenge ourselves to do better and push each other to limits. If we became content with an easy life in the league below then we wouldn’t be doing things correctly.”

“It has been frustrating with how things have been going for us recently results wise, however that comes with a re-build and time just has to be given in order to get the change into results.”

“I hear lots of good things from TJ and the GM of the team which all build on those factors and more. I feel there are exciting times ahead and I am really looking forward to what the future brings and I am ready to battle once more for the Black and Yellow!”

Widnes Wild Academy Awards Evening

Widnes Wild Academy junior players and team staff at the Presentation Evening (Photo by Widnes Wild Academy)

The Widnes Wild Junior Academy recently held their end of season  presentation evening and the following awards were given out:

Under 10s 

• Manager’s Player - Myles Ormiston
• Most Improved - Zoja Skrinar
• Attitude & Fair Play - Jan Skrinar
• Coaches’ Player - Logan Dean Nicolls 
• Players’ Player - Logan Dean Nicolls

 Under 12s

• Manager’s Player - Poppy Ward
• Most Improved - Stanley Shearn
• Top Points - Caleb Eddleston (27 Goals, 7 Assists) 
• Unsung Hero - Ethan Liversage
• Coaches’ Player - Harrison Ward
• Players’ Player - Caleb Eddleston

 Under 14s

• Managers Player - Dan Teinert
• Most Improved - Joey Abram
• Top Points’ - Caleb Eddleston (46 Goals, 17 Assists) 
• Unsung Hero - Ben Roberts
• Coaches’ Player - Caleb Eddleston
• Players’ Player - Ben Roberts

 Under 16s

• Manager’s Player - Charlie Shearn
• Most Improved - Alex Reid
• Top Points - Austin Busby
• Unsung Hero - Lewis Speare
• Coaches’ Player - Austin Busby
• Players’ Player - Lewis Speare

 Under 18s Div 2

• Manager’s Player - Tristan Lewis
• Most Improved - Harry Kay
• Top Points - Jared Knowles
• Unsung Hero - Reece O'Brien
• Coaches Player - Jared Knowles
• Players’ Player - Adam Vigh-Vecsey

 Under 18s Div 1

• Manager’s Player - Porter Harrop
• Most Improved - Brett Harper
• Top Points - Luke Alston
• Unsung Hero - Matthew Reid
• Coaches’ Player - Gregor Donaldson
• Players’ Player - Brett Harper

Vernon Neil Award (U10s, U12s & U14s) - A player who works hard at everything, spreads joy & happiness, huge enthusiasm towards the sport & an amazing attitude always! - Poppy Ward

Jon Little Recognition Award (U16s, U18s Div 1 & 2) - A player who is true to themselves, dedicated, shows integrity, is a role model, loves to help out and be on the ice and has made big steps in their progression - Shared Between Jared Knowles & Luke Alston

Paul O'Prey Award (Full Club) - A player who has shown excellence, competes for everything, strives to progress, gives it their all always, goes the extra mile and is charismatic. - Caleb Eddleston

The Wild Academy are looking to recruit new players for the 2024/2025 season across all age groups from Under 10 to Under 18 and have been holding a series of welcome sessions at the Planet Ice rink during the summer months. 

Separate “Learn To Play” sessions are also available for anybody new who would like to take up the sport.  For more information, contact Academy Head Coach mike.gilbert@wildacademy.co.uk

Kieran Clarkson Joins Deeside Ducks

Kieran Clarkson in action for the
Connah's Quay Cobras
(Photo by Mark Ray)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of Kieran Clarkson as part of their roster for the new NIHL season.

The 22 year old defenceman is a former Deeside and Manchester junior and has also played 4 seasons of Laidler Division hockey for Altrincham Aces and Bradford Bulldogs.

In that time he has made some 70 competitive appearances at NIHL level and has most recently been playing for the Connah’s Quay Cobras recreational team.

Ducks Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said of Clarkson:

“Kieran started his hockey at Deeside and moved to Manchester. We have watched his career with interest and he was on our wanted list as soon as the D2 team was in its early stages. A solid player with a cool attitude, we are really glad for him to be playing at Deeside again.”

Talking about joining the Ducks, Kieran said: “I’m so glad to be back where it all started.  I’m looking forward to the new season and can’t wait to hit the ice with the team.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Deeside Ducks Sign Callum Preston

Callum Preston with his father – former Blackburn and Widnes player Chris Preston (Photo by Geoff White)

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of promising 17 year old netminder Callum Preston for the forthcoming Laidler Division season.

Callum is a former Widnes, Blackburn and Bradford junior and played last season for the Manchester Storm Under 18 team that finished 5^th in EIHA Division 1 North.

He already has some NIHL level experience as he dressed for Widnes Wild as a back-up netminder for 4 Moralee Division games in the 2022/23 season and played a 20 minute shift in a North West Cup game, during which he achieved a 6-shot shut out.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Callum said:

“After 15 years of juniors and a handful of senior appearances under my belt, I am keen to make my step up to senior hockey full time. This is something everybody can look forward to and, of course, I have heard great things about the fans in Deeside.”

“I can’t wait to play in front of the crowds at this rink.  The team is fast approaching its inaugural season and I am honoured to be here for it.  With all eyes on the team being new to the league, I am excited to bring experience and energy and provide support wherever I can”.

Ducks Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said of Preston:

"I am excited to have Callum as one of our netminders this year. He started his journey playing U10’s back in Widnes in 2014 and stood out back then. I’ve followed his junior career and seen him go from strength to strength. He stood out in the trials and all the coaching staff immediately voiced their opinions that Callum was a solid choice for us between the pipes.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Widnes Wild NIHL Season Tickets On Sale

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have put their season tickets on sale for the 2024/25 Moralee Division season.

They are priced at £220 for adults, £195 for concessions and £140 for children and cover all 18 Moralee Division home games plus two pre-season friendly matches.

The season tickets don’t cover cup and play off games but holders will be able to book tickets for those games at a reduced rate.

As ever, season ticket holders will receive a number of benefits, these being: 

• Seat reserved for all home games.
• Exclusive voting rights in player of the month and end of season awards.
• 10% discount in a selection of local stores
• 10% off Wild merchandise
• 20% ticket discount on all club organised events.
• Discounted tickets on any non-included games

The club are offering an “earlybird” incentive with discounts on all season tickets purchased before the 31st July.  There is also the option to pay in three instalments - and further information can found on the sales website HERE

Andrew Hopkins Re-Signs For Widnes Wild

Andrew Hopkins receives the Wild Player Of The Month Award for March 20923 (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The Widnes Wild NIHL team have announced that Andrew Hopkins will be returning to the side for the forthcoming 2024/25 Moralee Division campaign.

Belfast born Hopkins previously played for the Belfast Giants U20s team and then had two NIHL seasons with Altrincham Aces before joining the Wild in the summer of 2022.

In his 2 seasons to date with the Wild, Hopkins has played 66 games in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and 15 assists, picking up 32 penalty minutes.

Talking about Hopkins’ return, Wild Player/Coach, Tom Jackson said: 

“I’m really happy to welcome Hoppy back for the 3rd season. He had a rough season last year with injuries so I’m looking forward to see him bounce back after having the off season to recover. Hoppy has the ability to score goals and works hard all over the ice so it was an easy decision for me to welcome him back!” 

Hopkins added: “I’m buzzing to be back playing for the Wild next season, after a fairly disappointing season last year personally due to a number of injuries. I’m grateful for TJ asking me to come back and looking forward to see him step up into the coaching role and take the club forward. I can’t wait to see the fans again, hopefully fill out the barn and build up what we had last year.”

*****

As part of their preparations for the 2024/25 Moralee Division season, the Wild are holding an open player trial at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday 14th July.

Players are required to arrive at 3.15pm to be ready to go in the ice 4.15.   Anybody who wants to take part is asked to contact gm@widneswild.co.uk in advance to register their interest.  

Immediately after the player trial, the Wild club are holding an open fans’ meeting at the rink where supporters will be able to ask new player coach Tom Jackson any questions they have.

The event starts at 5.30pm on Sunday with doors opening at 5pm so that fans can watch the last 15 minutes of the players trial session.

Widnes Wild Academy Under 10s Win Sheffield Tournament

The Widnes Wild Academy Under 10s celebrate winning the Sheffield Tournament for the second time (photo by Wild Academy)

The Widnes Wild Academy Under 10s team won the prestigious Sheffield Tournament for the second time in three years with an awesome goal-rich display at iceSheffield at the weekend.

They beat Solent 8-2, Peterborough Phantoms 21-0, Mini Samurai (Sheffield) 19-0, Sutton 10-3 and Milton Keynes 10-1 to finish top of the group table with a 100% record from their 5 games and a massive goal difference of +68.

They met second placed team Sutton again in the final and beat them 9-1 to secure the trophy.

The Wild Academy are looking to recruit new players for the 2024/2025 season across all age groups from Under 10 to Under 18 and have been holding a series of welcome sessions at the Planet Ice rink during May and June. 

Separate “Learn To Play” sessions are also available for anybody new who would like to take up the sport.  For more information, contact Academy Head Coach mike.gilbert@wildacademy.co.uk

Kenny Williams Joins Deeside Ducks

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of another experienced NIHL player – Kenny Williams - for the forthcoming Laidler Division season.

Williams was a highly popular player for both the Flintshire Freeze and Deeside Dragons over a 10 year period and was a member of the Dragons side that won the Laidler Division League and Play Off double in 2016.

He is a veteran of over 200 games at NIHL level and has most recently been playing for the Deeside-based Connah’s Quay Cobras recreational team.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Williams said:

 “I am really grateful to be given the chance to play at Deeside again with the new team. It has a brilliant coaching team and it will be great to see the junior step up into senior hockey and hopefully, make the move to the Dragons in the future.”

Ducks Assistant Coach Stewart Cutting said of Williams: 

“Kenny has been a fantastic voice and guide for the younger members of this team already, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to the table. His presence on the ice this season will be key to the success we are looking to achieve, not only this season, but for the future of the Ducks.”

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Deeside Ducks Sign Charlie Spridgeon

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of another experienced NIHL player – Charlie Spridgeon - for the forthcoming Laidler Division season.

Spridgeon is a product of the Deeside junior system and has played over 130 competitive games at NIHL level over 5 seasons.

He has played most of his career at Deeside – apart from the 2021/22 season, when the rink was closed and he won the Laidler Division title with Telford.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Spridgeon said:

“I am really excited to start playing hockey again after missing all of last season through injury.  I think that we can have a really competitive season in this league and I’m looking forward to it.”

Ducks Lead Coach Peter Bleackley said of Spridgeon:

“It’s great to have Charlie on the squad this season. Having coached him as a junior, we know he brings good energy to a team with his work rate and net drive. Recently, injury has plagued his seasons at D1 but, now he is back to fitness, we are hoping for big things from him with the Ducks.”

Spridgeon will also continue to be an important member of the Dragons organisation and will train regularly with the senior team.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Match Report: Halton Huskies 10 – Bradford Cannibals 4 (Blood, Sweat & Beers Cup)

Howard Smith was in action for the Huskies (Photo by David Tattum / DJT Ice Hockey Photos)

Sunday 7th July – Blood, Sweat & Beers Cup: Halton Huskies 10 – Bradford Cannibals 4 

The Halton Huskies sealed their position at the top of the Blood, Sweat & Beers Cup group with a 10-4 win over Bradford Cannibals at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

With last year’s winners - and their closest challengers - Blackburn Renegades losing out to Manchester Swarm on Saturday, and despite other games still to be played, it means that the Huskies cannot be overtaken and thus win the league part of this competition.

The game on Sunday was closer than the final scoreline suggests and the visiting Cannibals gave a good account of themselves throughout.

The Huskies took the lead on 3 minutes with a goal from Nathan Hewitt and doubled the advantage 66 seconds later with a strike from Jake Berry.

Bradford pulled a goal back but Matt Kohler rested the two goal cushion on 13 minutes.  The Cannibals fired in a goal with just 30 seconds left to go in the period to leave the score standing at 3-2 at the first interval.

The second period was similarly close, with plenty of chances for both sides. The only goal came in the 32nd minute when Dave Priestley fired in for the Huskies to bring the score to 4-2 at the second break.

Bradford scored again just 20 seconds into the third period to keep themselves  in contention but then the Huskies began to pull away with unanswered goals from David Hrubovsky, Priestley and Berry to lead 7-3.  

Another Cannibals goal on 56 minutes interrupted the flow briefly but further goals from Hrubovsky, Elliot Michaels and Matt Kohler rounded off the scoring for the Huskies, handing them a 10-4 victory.

After the game, Huskies Team Manager Ste Hay said:  “The Cannibals netminder was on loan from Swarm - they kept it close and made us work. We only started to get a chance to build a comfortable lead in the final period, which, considering the size of their travelling roster, was quite a feat."

Finishing top of the group means that the Huskies qualify directly for the final of the play offs, where they will face the winners of the 2nd v 3rd elimination match.

Blackburn, Manchester and Bradford are all in contention for the other play off places and they all still have games to play. The Huskies play their last game of the group stage away to Bradford on Saturday 10th August.  

Details of the play off fixtures will not be finalised until the other competing teams are known.

Chris Jones Joins Deeside Ducks

Chris Jones will bring a huge amount of experience to the Deeside Ducks team this season (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies) 

The Deeside Ducks have announced the signing of experienced player Chris Jones for the forthcoming NIHL Laidler Division season.

The idea of the new Ducks team is to provide regular senior hockey for young players coming out of the Deeside junior programme and to act as a stepping stone towards the senior Dragons team.

While the majority of the team will be Under 23s, a number of older more experienced players are also being added to the roster to bring stability and wisdom to the mix

Deeside supporters won’t need any introduction to Chris Jones who has been a long term favourite at the North Wales rink.

He was a Flintshire junior player and has enjoyed 19 seasons of senior hockey – mainly with the Flintshire Freeze and Deeside Dragons but with brief sojourns at Telford and Blackburn as well.

In that time he has played some 460 competitive games, scoring 314 goals, 231 assists and amassing 1628 penalty minutes.

Talking about joining the Ducks, Chris Jones said:

“I am pleased to join Deeside Ducks for the coming season and for the new challenge in my hockey career. I feel that being part of the team as a player will be a great experiences for me for me - as will helping build the team and assisting in developing the juniors through the club.”

“The Ducks team is exactly what Deeside needs to create a pathway into senior hockey.  There is a strong D1 Team at Deeside and this new team gives the younger players a stepping stone to that league in their future hockey careers.”

Ducks’ Head Coach Gary Shaw said of Jones’ signing:

“I have known Chris for many years from juniors to seniors and had a lot of time coaching his progression as a player. I now have asked him to give back to this new team and help me prepare the new talent for the next step up to senior hockey. Chris’s knowledge and experience will be vital to help the coaching team develop the next generation. Welcome on board, Chris.”

Jones will also continue to be an important member of the Dragons organisation and will train regularly with the senior team.

You can follow the progress of the new Deeside Ducks team as they prepare for their debut season in the NIHL Laidler Division on their Facebook page HERE

Sledge Hockey Weekend Round Up - 6th / 7th July

The 2024 BPIHL title race is too close to call after the Sheffield Steelkings notched up a superb 3-1 win over league leaders Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.

Two first period goals from Daniel Clarke gave the home side the upper hand early on but a strike from the league’s top scorer – Phantoms’ Gary Farmer - midway through the second period fired the title hopefuls back into contention. 

A third goal for the Steelkings with 5 minutes left in the period – from the stick of John Plummer – restored the 2-goal cushion and Sheffield led 3-1 at the second interval.

A goalless third period – during which Peterborough battered the Sheffield goal to no avail - meant that the Steelkings were able to hold on for an important victory.

This was the Phantoms’ first defeat of the season and the Steelkings’ third win from their 5 starts.  The result means that the situation is very tight at the top of the league table with just two points separating the top three teams.

The other game of the weekend saw the Manchester Mayhem win 0-6 away to Sheffield Steelstings on Saturday.  Karl Nicholson scored all 6 goals for the Mayhem and netminder Darren Pomfrett recorded his second shut-out of the season.

The teams all have a game-free weekend now but the action resumes on Saturday 20^th July with two mouth watering encounters.

Sheffield Steelstings take on the Steelkings in the first rink derby meeting of the season at iceSheffield – 4.50pm face off –  and Cardiff Huskies entertain Peterborough Phantoms down in the Welsh capital, face off 6.25pm

You can see up-to-date league standings, player statistics and match summary sheets for the 2024 sledge hockey season on our unofficial stats website  HERE   https://www.mystatsonline.com/PBStats