Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 15 – Telford Spartans 3 (Challenge Match)

Stephen Shelley was the Cobras' MVP against Telford (Photo by Scott Dutton) 

Sunday 30^th November 2025 – Challenge Match: Connah’s Quay Cobras 15 – Telford Spartans 3

The Connah’s Quay Cobras played their first game of the new rec season notching up a 15-3 challenge match win over Telford Spartans at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The recreational season runs from October to October for administrative purposes but the majority of competitive games and tournaments are held during the summer months when there is more ice time available - and this friendly game gave the Cobras an opportunity to try out their new signings in a match situation.

The game on Sunday saw Cobras debuts for Steve Kewin, Ellis Flanagan, Karl Jones and Stephen Shelley – all of whom previously played for the Chester Road Reapers team – and also George Spofforth, another ex-Reaper who played Laidler Division hockey for the Deeside Ducks last season.

The Cobras opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the game with a goal from Mike Filek and never really looked back from there. Further goals from Sam Plant, Spofforth and Shelley saw them take a 4-0 lead into the first period break.

The second period saw Connah’s Quay add an incredible  8 goals to their tally – from George Kelly (3), Libor Krempasky, Spofforth again, Sam Hunt (2) and Slavo Sykora – but Telford did, at least manage three of their own to keep their heads above water.

However, with the score standing at 12-3 at the second interval, it was already over as a contest and three unanswered goals in the third period – a second for both Filek and Sykora and a hat-trick strike from Sam Hunt – saw the Cobras cruise to an emphatic victory.

The MVP awards went to netminder Maxine Hancock for the Spartans and Stephen Shelley for the Cobras.

The Connah’s Quay Cobras train at 8.30pm on Sunday evenings at Deeside Leisure Centre and are always keen to welcome new players.  More information can be found on their website HERE and Facebook page  HERE .

Match Report: Deeside D1 Dragons 11 – Leeds Knights 2 (NIHL Moralee Division)

Dragons goalscorers Barlow, Witkowski, Dickinson, Cromie and Kennedy (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

Sunday 30th November 2025 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 11 – Leeds Knights 2

The Deeside Dragons recorded their fourth win in a row with an 11-2 victory over Leeds Knights at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

Team captain Jared Dickinson opened the scoring for the Dragons on 5 minutes and further goals from Colin Cromie and Jake Witkowski saw them leading 3-0 at the first period break.

Deeside outshot the Knights by over two to one in the first period and the onslaught continued in the second period as goals from Dickinson, Ross Kennedy and Witkowksi again doubled the lead.

Leeds finally found the back of the net themselves on 33 minutes and then scored a second goal two minutes later but that was as good as things got for the Yorkshiremen.

A goal from Matty Barlow and a second of the night from Ross Kennedy late in the period extended the Dragons lead again and the score stood at 8-2 at the second interval.

Third period goals followed from Bailey Thomas and Colin Cromie again, and the scoring for the game was rounded off with Ross Kennedy’s hat trick strike, for which he was deservedly named MVP.

Jace Gledhill put in a solid performance in the Dragons goal, turning away 23 of the 25 shots that he faced.

Following the weekend games, the Dragons remain in third place in the Moralee Division table with 35 points from their 17 games to date. Blackburn Hawks lead the table with 45 points and Solihull Barons are in second with 43. All of the top three teams have now played the same number of games.

Telford Tigers are just behind the Dragons in fourth place with 30 points and a game in hand.

The D1 Dragons are at home again this Sunday 7^th December when they take on last season’s champions Billingham Stars at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off. The two teams have yet to meet this season so it should be a fascinating encounter.

Before that, the D2 Dragons team – who were without a game this weekend - are at home on Saturday when they take on Laidler Division league leaders Sheffield Titans – 5.15pm face off.

Young Dragons Play Up

Deeside's Dan Fadejevs (Photo by Lewis Cleveland)

A trio of young Deeside Dragons players had the chance to play some NIHL National Division hockey at the weekend as guest players with the Milton Keynes Lightning team.

Rhys Edwards, Dan Fadejevs and Bailey Thomas all lined up for the Buckinghamshire club in their home game against Sheffield Steeldogs on Saturday.

League rules allow for players under the age 23 to “play up” for other teams in a different league to their own in order to give them extra match experience and help with their development. With their young players getting experience of playing a higher level of hockey, this will -  obviously - have knock on benefits for the Dragons as well.

Rhys Edwards already had a lot of National League experience as he made a number of appearances for the Hull Seahawks during the 2023/24 season when he was a Widnes Wild player and 2024/25 when he was based on Humberside and alternated between the Division 1 Jets and the Seahawks.

Saturday, however, saw debuts at that level for both Fadejevs and Thomas who are both Deeside Under 19 players but also regularly turn out for the senior Dragons team in the Moralee Division.

The game finished 3-3 after regulation time and had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out, which was won by Sheffield.

Match Report: Widnes Wild Women 0 – Kingston Diamonds 7 (WNIHL Division 1 North)

Ellen Tyrer was the Wild Women MVP against Kingston (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Sunday 30^th November 2025 – WNIHL Division 1 North: Widnes Wild Women 0 – Kingston Diamonds 7

The Widnes Wild Women put in a spirited performance against unbeaten league leaders Kingston Diamonds before ultimately slumping to a 0-7 defeat at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

While that might sound like a heavy defeat on paper, when the same two teams met seven day earlier, the Humbersiders strolled to a comprehensive 0-18 victory so Sunday’s game actually represented a significant improvement.

Having only just played the Diamonds, the Wild Women adapted their tactics for this game and re-arranged the playing lines to better counter the opposition’s strengths.

This move obviously worked – up to a point – as the two Kingston players who had caused the most damage in the previous game, scoring 6 goals each, were both restricted to a solitary strike on this occasion.

The beefed-up Widnes defence kept the title favourites at bay for 5½ minutes before the first goal eventually went in and, by the end of the first period, the score stood at 0-4 to Kingston.

Just two goals followed in the second period for the visitors and one in the third.  Widnes had their own chances in front of goal but were unable to get past the Diamonds’ netminder, who recorded her third shut out in a row.

At the other end, Stephanie Drinkwater was kept busy in the Widnes goal and put in her usual heroic performance to keep the score down.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards are once again this season being sponsored by niche publishers Ice Hockey Review and were presented by match goal judge Valerie Cooper. They went to Holly Smith for Kingston and Ellen Tyrer for Widnes.

The Wild Women are away to Sheffield Shadows this Sunday 7^th December and then off to the Lace City on 14^th December to take on the Nottingham Vipers for the first time this season.

They are next at home on Sunday 11^th January when they entertain the Caledonia Steel Queens at Plant Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.