Colin Cromie was the Dragons MVP after his 5-goal haul on Sunday (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)
Saturday 11th
October – NIHL Moralee Division: Leeds Knights 4 - Deeside
Dragons 3
Sunday 12th October – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside Dragons 14 – Leeds Knights 2
The Deeside Dragons had a mixed weekend with a narrow 4-3 defeat away to
Leeds Knights on Saturday and then a 14-2 trouncing of the same opposition on
Sunday at Deeside Leisure Centre.
The away game on Saturday saw a Dragons debut for new signing Damarni
James – who has played for the past two seasons with local rivals Widnes Wild.
The game in Leeds started badly for Deeside as the hosts took the lead
after just 58 seconds. They scored again on 8 minutes and took a 2-0 lead into
the first period break.
Two minutes into the second period, Leeds scored again to extend their
lead to 3 but Deeside were having more of the play by then and were eventually
rewarded with a Jake Witkowski goal on 28 minutes.
A second Dragons goal - from Charles Phillips on 36 minutes – narrowed
the deficit to just one and the teams went into the second interval with the game
finely poised at 3-2.
Deeside noticeably upped their game in the third period as they pushed
forward, trying to force an equalising goal.
They outshot Leeds by an impressive 19 to 4 but were caught out by
another Knights goal on 45 minutes.
Despite sustained Deeside pressure, the score stubbornly remained 4-2 to
Leeds heading into the final minutes. Then, just when Deeside were hoping to
make a last push, they picked up a penalty for a face off violation, meaning that
they would have to play the rest of the game a man down.
They withdrew their netminder for the last minute in order to have an
extra attacker on the ice and this tactic paid off with a goal from team
captain Jared Dickinson with 12 seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately, it came too late to spark a late
rally and the Dragons slumped to their first defeat of the league season.
Saturday’s disappointment was quickly forgotten, however, as the Dragons
put in a superb performance, hammering the Knights in the home encounter less
than 24 hours later.
Damarni James set the ball rolling in his first home game at the Den as
he opened the scoring for the Dragons in the 3rd minute and it was
2-0 to Deeside 2 minutes later courtesy of a Charles Phillips goal.
Further strikes from Jake Wikowski, Jared Dickinson and Colin Cromie saw
the Dragons leading 5-0 at the first period break.
The second period started in similar vein with two more goals from Cromie
for a straight hat-trick, another from Witkowski and one for Matty Barlow.
The Dragons hit the post and the bar several times and, with rebounds
pinging off the beleaguered Leeds netminder left, right and centre, it looked
as if they might accrue a cricket score.
However, Leeds then managed to score two goals of their own – against the
run of play – but Jake Witkowski allayed any possible Deeside jitters with his
hat trick goal in the very last second of the period.
The Dragons dominance continued in the third period and goals from Matt
Wainwright, Witkowski again and two more for Cromie rounded off a comprehensive
victory, with Cromie being deservedly awarded the MVP award for his 5-goal haul.
The weekend results mean
that the Dragons remain in second place in the Moralee Division table, now just
one point behind leaders Blackburn Hawks, who were without a game.
They have played one game
more than Blackburn, however, and Solihull Barons – lurking menacingly one point
behind them in third place - also have a game in hand over the Dragons.
Interestingly enough, those
two sides will meet for the first time this season this coming Sunday 19th
October when Solihull Barons are the visitors to Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm
face off.
