Wild Women Celebrate 10th Anniversary

Widnes Wild Women – September 2015 (Photo by Wild Women IHC)
Back Row: Sophie Sinclair Reeks, Penny Fletcher, Madeleine Gustavsson, Jakki Duncan, Abigail Hayes, Jodie Boyle, Vanessa Crickmore-Clarke, Sammi Boyle. Front Row: Elizabeth Wright, Leen de Decker, Katie Hills, Stephanie Drinkwater, Leanne Curry, Sarah Hutchinson, Charlene Chapman.

The Widnes Wild Women play their first game of the new season this Sunday 14th September at home to Sheffield Shadows, exactly 10 years - almost to the day - from their first ever league game.

The Wild Women were formed in the summer of 2015 when the erstwhile Manchester Phoenix women’s team moved along the M56 from Altrincham following a re-assignment of ice time arrangements there.

Their first ever league game was away to Slough Phantoms in the Women’s Premier League – at the time the second tier in the women’s ice hockey league pyramid – on 12th September 2015 and they came away with a 3-4 win.

The Wild Women’s first ever competitive goal was scored by Leen de Decker on 39 minutes and third period strikes from team captain Charlene Chapman, Rachel Cartwright – who has since gone on to be a 6-time Elite League champion and regular GB international player - and de Decker again handed them the win.

Widnes went on to have a very good season, finishing second in the WPL league table with 8 wins and 3 draws from their 14 games.  They came a fairly distant 7 points behind champions Swindon Top Cats, who went through the season unbeaten, but the Wild Women were one of only two teams to take a point off the “Calendar Girls” that season with a 3-3 home draw on Merseyside.

The Wild Women’s team for that first league game was Stephanie Drinkwater (NM), Charlene Chapman (C), Rachel Cartwright (A), Leen De Decker, Abigail Culshaw, Emma Middleton, Lucy Kirkham, Emma Pearson (A), Megan Bowen Fell, Katie Hills, Catherine Bowen Fell, Katharine Holliday, Elizabeth Wright, Jakki Duncan & Rebecca Wilde - and Drinkwater, de Decker and Catherine Fell are still with the team 10 years later. 

Drinkwater holds the Wild Women’s appearance record with 104 games over 9 seasons (the 2020/21 season was cancelled due to Covid…), de Decker is the top goals and points scorer with 104 goals and 150 points from 91 games while Fell is sandwiched between them in the all-time player standings with 22+33 in 92 games.

The Wild Women won the Division 2 North title last season and will be playing in WNIHL Division 1 North this season. This is the same level of competition as the Women’s Premier League was before it was renamed after a reshuffle and regionalised into North and South divisions.

The Wild Women face off the new season against Sheffield Shadows this Sunday 14th September at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off – admission is free for all spectators.

Mayhem Off To Play Offs

Photo by Barcud Photography

The Mayhem sledge team will be looking to finish their season on a winning note as they head down to Lee Valley in East London this weekend to take part in the British Para Ice Hockey Play Offs.

The Widnes–based team rounded off their regular season schedule with a narrow 1-goal defeat to league champions Sheffield Steelkings and then picked up a tremendous 6-9 win away to Peterborough Phantoms in their last game and, therefore, go into this weekend tournament on a bit of a roll. 

The top four teams in the league qualify for the Play Offs with the league winners playing the 4th place finishers in one semi final and 2nd v 3rd in the other one. Both semi finals take place on Saturday and the winners go through to the final on Sunday while the losers meet in a 3rd place play off. This means that the Mayhem will play Sheffield in the first semi final facing off at 2.15 on Saturday and Cardiff will play Peterborough, starting at 5pm.

Sheffield Steelkings are probably the favourites to take the Play Off crown to add to this year’s league title. They went through the league season unbeaten and only conceded 8 goals in their 8 league games.  But league form counts for little in the Play Offs and one –off games on neutral ice can throw up surprises – as happened back in 2017 when the Mayhem only finished 4th in the table but went on to win the Play Off title beating Cardiff 5-0 in the final at Hull. 

The Play Offs are being held at Lee Valley Ice Centre this year which is a new venue for Para Ice Hockey. The event was staged at Nottingham last year – another new venue – as the sport’s governing body British Para Ice Hockey works tirelessly to try and broaden awareness about the game across the country.

Deeside Dragons v Telford Tigers2 Weekend Report

Deeside Dragons celebrate a goal against Telford (photo by Emilia Roberts Photography) 

Saturday 6^th September 2025 – Challenge Match: Deeside Dragons 10 – Telford Tigers2 7

Sunday 7^th September 2025 – Challenge Match: Telford Tigers2 10 - Deeside Dragons 7

The Steel 4 Structures Deeside Dragons got the new season off to a mixed start in a two game challenge series against Telford Tigers, winning 10-7 at home on Saturday and losing 10-7 away on Sunday.

The home game on Saturday – sponsored by the Share homeless charity - saw Dragons debuts for a number of the summer signings including American import Colin Cromie, Matty Barlow, Rhys Edwards, Bailey Thomas and Ethan Mayoh - and Tyler de la Bertouche made his first start in goal.

Noah Percival – who scored two goals in his first 2 games with the D2 Dragons the previous weekend - also made a step up to make his senior Dragons debut.

The game was played at a furious pace throughout, with end to end hockey, and was a great advert for the NIHL Moralee Division.

Deeside took the lead with a goal from new team captain Jared Dickinson on 5 minutes but Telford equalised 4 minutes later. 

A powerplay strike from Jake Witkowski edged the Dragons back in front on 15 minutes only for Telford to reply again almost immediately but two quick fire goals – from Ross Kennedy and Matty Barlow – just 16 seconds apart in the last minute of the period gave the home side a 4-2 lead at the first break.

The second period was just as keenly contested but three goals in a row for Telford saw them overhaul the Dragons and take a 4-5 lead by the mid-point of the game.

However, the Dragons’ heads did not drop and goals from Witkowski and Barlow put them back in front to carry a narrow 6-5 lead into the second interval.

Two more Deeside strikes early in the third period – from Colin Cromie, his first as a Dragon, and Dan Fadejevs - finally put daylight between the two teams but Telford were not done yet and stubbornly pulled a goal back.

Witkowski’s hat-trick goal on 45 minutes restored the 3-goal cushion to bring the score to 9-6 but Telford scored again on 51 minutes to set up a potentially barnstorming finale.

However, as it turned out, a goal from another Deeside debutant - Rhys Edwards - just 20 seconds after that rounded off the scoring for the evening and the Dragons were able to celebrate a 10-7 victory.

Between the pipes, Tyler de la Bertouche impressed in his first outing for the Dragons. The former National Division netminder faced 37 shots and made several key saves, including a string of one-on-one stops.

The MVP awards were presented by Tom Phillips, MD of Dragons’ title sponsors for the season Steel 4 Structures, and his son Sebastian and went to Dan Mitchell for Telford and Matty Barlow for Deeside.

Matty Barlow was the Dragons' MVP in his first game for Deeside (Photo by Dragons IHC)

The return fixture in Telford on Sunday was played in similar vein and there was little to choose between the two teams for much of the game. Colin Cromie gave the Dragons the lead after just 18 seconds but the Tigers fought back to lead 4-2 at the first break, with the other Dragons goal coming from Jake Witkowski.

At the second interval, the score was 7-5 to Telford after a 3-3 period that saw Dragons goals from Witkowski (2) and MJ Clancy.

The Dragons continued to battle hard in the third period with goals coming from Jared Dickinson and Rhys Edwards but it wasn’t enough to stave off a 10-7 defeat. 

The Dragons D1 team open their NIHL Moralee Division campaign this Saturday 13^th September with an away trip to face Sheffield Scimitars at iceSheffield. They then play the same opposition at home the next day at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Match Report: Sheffield Titans 4 – Deeside Dragons D2 2 (Laidler Division)

James Shaw in action for the Dragons away at Sheffield (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 6^th September 2025 – Laidler Division: Sheffield Titans 4 – Deeside Dragons D2 2

The Dragons D2 team played their first Laidler Division league game of the season on Saturday, narrowly losing out 4-2 away to Sheffield Titans. 

The team was missing a few players who had been called up to play for the senior Dragons but the bench was boosted by the addition of highly experienced player coach James Parsons - who was a long term player with the Dragons D1 team before retiring in the summer - and Thomas Chong – a former Deeside junior who played last season with Bradford Bulldogs.

Sheffield led 1-0 after the first period and went 3-0 up in the second before Rafferty Smith finally found the back of the net for Deeside.

The Titans edged further ahead again in the third period but a powerplay goal from Cameron Kushnirenko - back in Dragons colours after a few seasons away at Sutton Sting - with just 43 seconds left in the game made the score a little more respectable.

The Dragons D2 team are away to Nottingham Lions this Sunday 14^th September and then play their first home league game of the season against Billingham Buccaneers on Saturday 20^th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

*****

The Deeside Under 16 girls team picked up their second win of the season with a 3-0 home victory over Leeds on Sunday. They now top the WNIHL U16 Girls (North) league table at this early stage of the season having already beaten the same opposition 1-5 away last weekend.

Also on Sunday, the Deeside Junior Club’s Under 14s played out a 2-2 draw with Telford U14s at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday while the Under 19s lost 4-2 away at Widnes.

Deeside Dragons D1 Challenge Games This Weekend

Colin Cromie – Photo by Jean -Paul Srivalson

The Deeside Dragons Moralee Division (D1) team play their first games of the new season this weekend with home and away challenge matches against Telford Tigers.

The Tigers are a bit of an unknown quantity, having been promoted to the Moralee Division in the summer after winning the Laidler Division title for the past two seasons.

However, they have assembled a strong squad with highly experienced Canadian Jason Silverthorn dropping down from the Telford National Division team and the signing of Brodie Jesson, who played for the Dragons for the past two seasons.

The weekend games will give Dragons fans the first opportunity to see the summer signings in action and most eyes will probably be on new American import Colin Cromie, who comes from a background of US college hockey and Canadian junior leagues.

Other additions to the squad include Matty Barlow - who has joined from local rivals Widnes Wild - and Rhys Edwards, another former Widnes player who spent last season at Hull.

Also new for this season are Tyler de la Bertouche, a promising young netminder who has played National Division hockey with Peterborough and Bristol, Ethan Mayoh - an experienced defenceman who has 5 seasons with Blackburn Hawks under his belt and Bailey Thomas who also played for the Hawks last season..

The Dragons take on Telford this Saturday 6th September at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off, and then travel to Shropshire for the return fixture on Sunday, 6pm start.

The NIHL season proper starts the weekend after with a trip to face Sheffield Scimitars on Saturday 13^th September and then a home game against the same opposition the next day at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

Wild Women Continue to Build Roster

Wild Women’s Katie Adshead (Photo by David Law Photography)

The Widnes Wild Women continue to assemble their roster for the forthcoming 2025/26 WNIHL season in Division 1 North with the re-signing of four more members of last season’s Division 2 North title-winning team.

Katie Adshead returns for her 7th season with the Wild team, having originally joined for the 2018/19 season. She has notched up 77 matches in that time, scoring 3 goals and 8 assists with 24 penalty minutes and was a key member of the both the 2019/20 and 2024/25 title winning seasons.

Jennifer Hickey
(Wild Womens IHC)

Jennifer Hickey joined the Wild Women for the 2021/22 season and has played in all 58 games overall.   She has contributed 6 goals and 12 assists and picked up just 8 penalty minutes. Hickey also plays University hockey for the Manchester Metros, scoring 16+29 in 79 games over five seasons.

Victoria Connelly is back for her fourth season as a Widnes player. She is a former Guildford Lightning Elite player, previously playing for the Bracknell Fire Bees and has made 22 appearances for the Wild Women over the past 3 seasons, scoring 7 goals and 6 assists.  Victoria will be the Wild Women’s captain for this season, with AC duties rotating between Elizabeth Loss, Laura Moran, Ellen Tyrer and Vanessa Crickmore-Clarke.

Ontario-born Lise Gillen brings a wealth of experience having played 3 seasons for the Guildford Lightning in the Womens’ Elite League, as well as playing in her native Canada. She has played 23 games for Widnes over the past 3 seasons, scoring 12 goals and 8 assists.  

The Wild Women start their league campaign in women’s Division 1 North on Sunday 14th September when they take on Sheffield Shadows at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Mayhem Players at Women’s World Championships

Mayhem contingent at the World Championships – Emily McLean, Felicity Gregory, Peter Hagan, Karl Nicholson and Nicola Terrell (Photo by GB Para Ice Hockey)

Mayhem sledge team players Felicity Gregory, Emily McLean and Nicola Terrell – along with Assistant Coach Karl Nicholson and Equipment Manager Peter Hagan – helped the Great Britain women’s para ice hockey team to a 4th place finish at the inaugural Women’s World Championships at Dolny Kubin in Slovakia last week.

Team GB won their opening group game with a narrow 2-1 victory over Team World. Mayhem’s Felicity Gregory scored both of the goals and was also named Player of The Game – but the next day saw a 0-7 defeat at the hands of Peggy Assinck’s Team Canada.  

While a loss is always disappointing, this has to be taken in context because the GB girls put in a battling performance and this score-line was a great improvement over previous meetings between the two teams, which had all finished in double-figure deficits.

Finishing second in Group B meant that Team GB then had to face the winners of Group A, Team USA, in the semi final on the Saturday. 

The Americans had not conceded a goal so far in the competition – nor indeed in the previous 3 years of international tournaments - so this was always likely to be a bit of an uphill struggle.

Both semi finals went very much to form with the USA beating GB 10-0 and Canada beating Norway 7-0 to set up an all North American final.

Great Britain, however, had a realistic chance of a medal with a bronze medal play off against Norway.

Unfortunately they never really got going in their 3rd v 4th game. Norway got an early goal and romped to a 6-0 win to take the bronze. 

The match was refereed by former Widnes Wild Women’s player Philippa Mackinnon, who was a member of the pool of international match officials for the tournament.

The gold medal match saw Team USA beat Canada 7-1, meaning that Mayhem’s Canadian player Peggy Assinck, at least, came home with a silver medal from the inaugural Women’s World Championships.

Deeside Dragons NIHL2 - Opening Weekend Report

Finn Ogden was the Dragons D2 MVP against Bradford (photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 30^th August 2025 – Challenge Match: Deeside Dragons D2 4 – Bradford Bulldogs 1

Sunday 31^st August 2025 – Challenge Match: Bradford Bulldogs 8 - Deeside Dragons D2 3

 The new Deeside Dragons Laidler Division team played their first ever games at the weekend – with back to back challenge matches against Bradford Bulldogs, winning 4-1 at home on Saturday and losing 8-3 away on Sunday.

The Dragons D2 team are carrying on the good work that was started by their predecessors - the Deeside Ducks - last season by offering regular senior league experience for promising young players and the game on Saturday saw senior debuts for Deeside juniors Finn Ogden, Ollie Price and Lewis Edward.

Also on view were new signing Noah Percival who joined from Leeds in the summer and will also play for the Dragons D1 team – Cameron Kushnirenko – back at Deeside after a spell with Sutton Sting - and former senior Dragons players Karl Bacon and James Shaw, who have dropped down a division to bring some extra experience to the youthful D2 set up.

The game started well for the Dragons and they took the lead after just 5 minutes with a goal from Liam Yarwood – his first ever senior goal.  Seven minutes later Henry Phillips found the back of the net and the score remained 2-0 at the first period break. 

Noah Percival edged the Dragons further ahead on 28 minutes but Bradford finally managed to convert one of their own chances to score with just 2 minutes left in the second period.

The only goal of the third period came from Ben Roscoe on 42 minutes – his first ever strike in senior hockey – and despite continued pressure from the visiting Bulldogs, the Dragons were able to hold on for a well deserved 4-1 win.

16 year old netminder Finn Ogden – playing in his first ever senior game - put in an impressive performance in the Deeside goal, stopping 29 of the 30 shots that he faced, and was named MVP for the Dragons.

In the away game on Sunday, the Dragons never really got going and found themselves 5-0 down early in the third period before Dan Fadejevs eventually broke their duck for the evening.

Further goals followed – from Liam Yarwood and Noah Percival – but it was not enough to prevent them slumping to an 8- 3 defeat.

The D2 Dragons open their league campaign this Saturday 6^th September with an away trip to face the Sheffield Titans.

*****

The Deeside Under 16 girls team played their first league game of the season on Sunday, winning 1-5 away to Leeds.