Match Report: Sheffield Steelstings 1 – Mayhem 3 (BPIHL)

Anthony Booth was the two-goal hero away at Sheffield (Photo by Roksana Oniszczuk)

Saturday 14^th June 2025 – BPIHL: Sheffield Steelstings 1 – Mayhem 3

The Mayhem sledge team notched up their second win of the 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League season with a 1-3 victory away to Sheffield Steelstings on Saturday.

The two teams had met in Widnes the week before where the Mayhem had shut out the Sheffield B team 6-0 but visits to Sheffield are always tricky and the Steelstings put in a gritty display on their home ice.

First period goals from Anthony Booth and Karl Nicholson gave the Mayhem a 0-2 lead heading into the first break and the second period was goal-less.

Lucas Thomas scored for the Steelstings in the third period – only their second goal in the league so far this season – to give the home team a glimmer of hope but a second strike of the game from Booth made sure of the points for the Mayhem.

The other game of the weekend saw the Sheffield A team – the Steelkings – trounce defending champions and league leaders Cardiff Huskies 9-0 at iceSheffield on Sunday.

Here again, the same two teams had met the week before with the Huskies very narrowly winning 2-1 in overtime down in the Welsh capital, so this result was quite a surprise.

Despite the defeat, Cardiff remain top of the league table with 6 points from their 6 games to date while the Steelkings move up to second with 5 points from 3 games.

The Mayhem play Cardiff in their next home game this Saturday 21^st June at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.15pm face off, and - with everybody looking capable of beating everybody else this season - it should be a fascinating contest.

Flintshire Phantoms Back To Back Wins Over Riverside Raiders

Ondra Liebelt scored 4 goals in the Phantoms home win over Riverside Raiders (Photo by Greg Grogan)

1st June 2025: Riverside Raiders 6 – 9 Flintshire Phantoms  

14th June 2025: Flintshire Phantoms 10 – 7 Riverside Raiders

Report by George Perret / Photos by Greg Grogan

The Flintshire Phantoms took both wins in a home-and-away series against old rivals Riverside Raiders. 

Phantoms vs. Raiders was the original hot summer rivalry between the Deeside and Widnes rinks. Since the teams first met in 2016, Phantoms had taken eight wins, Raiders two and one game drawn.   The teams have only met once since the lockdown, so this month saw the rivalry return with home-and-away games. 

Game 1 - Riverside Raiders 6 – 9 Flintshire Phantoms  

In the absence of Sterling Steeves through injury, Phantoms brought in veteran defencemen Brian Chalmers on the back line. Raiders had Ben Donkin out through suspension but plenty of speed and skill with Kai Gennoe leading their attack.

The first two periods saw the Phantoms attack enjoying pressure in the Raiders’ zone, with the home team hitting back with speed on the break. The visitors’ early scoring came from the blue line, with Andrew Cooke scoring twice. Raiders answered with a lovely rush goal from Vaantaja.  Ex-Raider Sam Plant was one Phantom forward finding a way to score, beating Allatt with a precision snipe, while the Phantoms top line of Coombs, Dallavalle and Liebelt were consistently creating chances with some fluid puck movement.     

Phantoms kept the pressure up in the second, with Chalmers, Sheppard and Dallavalle all scoring to extend their lead but the Raiders kept finding ways to answer right back on the break, snatching a couple of quick goals late in the second period to bring the score to 8-6. 

The third period saw the visitors take control of the game defensively. Netminder Andy Teece, making his Phantoms debut, stopped all of the Raiders efforts in the final frame, with Emma Dutton scoring the period’s only goal on the power-play to give a final score of 9-6. 

Phantoms MVP was defencemen Gareth Jones while netminder Allatt took the honours for Raiders with an outstanding performance. 

Game 2 – Flintshire Phantoms 10 – 7 Riverside Raiders

Within a fortnight the teams met again at Deeside. Donkin was back in for the Raiders with Gennoe out and Allatt returning in net. Phantoms swapped Canadians with Geoff Coombs out and captain Ken Valyear returning to the team. They also added Mark Stringfellow for his Phantoms debut, replacing Dallavalle.         

The first period was a close affair, with David Meadows opening for Phantoms and Vaantaja answering right back for the Raiders within a minute. Liebelt’s unassisted goal put the Phantoms back in the lead and he looked to have added another only for the referee Fairclough to judge goaltender interference on the play, ending the period at 2-1 Phantoms.  

Liebelt picked up where he left off in the second period, adding two more with assists to Valyear and Meadows, while Phantoms second line of Plant, Dutton and Spencer contributed two goals to the team’s total. In response, Raiders’ Vaantaja was showing a real scorer’s touch with David Geroc supplying the assists. But Phantoms were piling pressure onto the Raiders net and Allatt was the one keeping the visitors alive with some heroic multi-save efforts. By the end of the second, Phantoms were ahead by 6-3. 

In contrast to game 1 the third period was a wild one, with both teams scoring four times. For the Phantoms, Liebelt claimed his fourth, as did Vaantaja for the Raiders. The visitors sensed a chance to steal the game in the dying minutes and brought themselves within two goals on a delayed penalty, prompting Phantoms to use their time-out to refocus defensively. 

This had the desired effect, and the final goal of the game was scored by Mark Stringfellow (on his debut) and assisted by Chalmers settling the score at 10-7 to the home team. 

Phantoms MVP went to Mark Stringfellow for a lively debut while Raiders NM Allatt rightly deserved the Raiders title for a second game. 

Phantoms are in action next Sunday 22nd when they host the Newcastle Predators, FO 4:30. 

Sledge Hockey 2025: Round-Up #5

Cardiff Huskies moved back to the top of the BPIHL table after a 2-1 overtime win over Sheffield Steelkings in the Welsh capital on Sunday.

Tyler Christopher gave the defending champions a narrow 1-0 lead in the first period and, after a goal-less second period, John Plummer fired in an equaliser to take the game into overtime.

The sudden death winner was scored by Cardiff’s Jon Le Galloudec.

Manchester Mayhem picked up their first win of the season with a 6-0 home victory over Sheffield Steelstings.

Five goals in the first period – from Karl Nicholson (2), Anton Tomlinson (1) and Anthony Booth (2) – did most of the damage, and Booth rounded off his hat-trick with the last goal of the game in the third period.

This weekend sees the return matches in Sheffield, with the Steelstings hosting the Mayhem on Saturday – 6pm face off - and the Steelkings taking on the Huskies on Sunday, 4.30pm start.

 

Read more here:

Mayhem v Steelstings match report: http://www.icehockeyreview.co.uk/2025/06/match-report-mayhem-6-sheffield.html

Steelkings @ Cardiff match report: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1285847060212373&set=a.752543950209356

#sledgehockey2025

More Signings For Dragons NIHL2

Kieran Clarkson (Photo by All Sports Photography)

The Deeside Dragons NIHL 2 have announced three more returnees from last year’s Ducks to play for the re-branded team in the forthcoming Laidler Division season.

Kieran Clarkson was a stalwart for the Ducks last season, playing in 20 league games. His contribution of 5 goals and 4 assists made him the Ducks’ 4th highest points scorer overall.

Commenting on Clarkson’s return to the Den, Coach James Parsons said: “Kieran was a player we could rely on last season to play up and down the lineup — whether that meant working alongside younger players or more experienced ones. He can slot into any situation, which is a huge asset. Above all, he’s a team-first guy, and that’s exactly the kind of mentality we want in our senior group.”

Ben Roscoe
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

Ben Roscoe was another regular player for the Ducks last season, playing in 22 games and notching up 6 assists.

Talking about re-signing for the team, Roscoe said: “I am proud to be selected for the Deeside Dragons D2 Seniors. I’m excited to keep developing as a player and contribute to a strong team this season. I can’t wait to hit the ice — thank you to the club for the opportunity!” 

Another Ducks player from last year who returns for the new season is Luke Wainwright. He played in 14 Laidler Division games last time around and scored two goals.

Dragons NIHL2 Head Coach Gary Shaw said of Wainwright:

“I’m pleased to welcome Luke back for the coming season. Having coached him for much of his junior career, I know he’s a player who can contribute at both forward and defence. We’ll use that to our advantage as we continue to develop his game sense and puck movement.”

Luke Wainwright (Photo by Karen Booth)

Match Report: Mayhem 6 – Sheffield Steelstings 0 (BPIHL)

The Mayhem team after their win over Sheffield (Photo by @littlespanishflea)

Sunday 8th June 2025 - BPIHL: Mayhem 6 – Sheffield Steelstings 0

The Mayhem sledge team picked up their first win of the new 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League season with a 6-0 victory over Sheffield Steelstings at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday. 

The game saw a Mayhem debut for GB women’s international player Nicola Terrell and was the first home outing for Fiona Naylor who is new to the sport for this season. 

The Steelstings are Sheffield’s development team for the main Steelkings A team and their main aim is to encourage and nurture less experienced players, rather than necessarily battle for trophies so this game was always likely to be a win for the Mayhem. 

However, it took a while to get going until Karl Nicholson eventually gave the Mayhem the lead in the 8th minute.

Two more goals quickly followed after that – from Nicholson, again, on 9 minutes and Anton Tomlinson on 10.

A brace from Anthony Booth within 14 seconds of each other around the 13 minute mark rounded off the scoring for the period and the Mayhem took a commanding 5-0 lead into the first period break.

The second period saw the Mayhem firmly on top in terms of puck possession and shots on goal but solid defending and netminding from the Steelstings meant that it played out goal-less.

The only goal of the third period fell to Booth on 40 minutes - rounding off a well-taken hat trick and the game finished as a 6-0 win for the Mayhem.

Anton Tomlinson was the Mayhem MVP against Sheffield
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

The MVP awards went to Chris Haynes for Sheffield and Anton Tomlinson for the Mayhem.

Mayhem netminder Daniel Hartshorn also deserves a special mention for picking up a “shut-out” in what was only his second ever game in goal.

The Mayhem are away in Sheffield this Saturday 14th June to face the same opposition – 6.10pm face off – and are next at home on Saturday 21st June when they take on last year’s champions Cardiff Huskies at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25 pm face off.

Match Report: Connah's Quay Cobras 7 - Blackburn Buccaneers 5 (Challenge Match)

The victorious Cobras team - with mascots (Photo by Scott Dutton)

Saturday 7th June 2025 – Challenge Match: Connah’s Quay Cobras 7 – Blackburn Buccaneers 5 

The Connah’s Quay Cobras picked up a 7-5 win in a challenge match against the Blackburn Buccaneers at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

After the rigours of the Summer Classic Cup campaign in recent weeks, this was a “development” game aimed at giving wider squad members some extra ice time and was very close throughout and highly entertaining to watch.

The match saw a Cobras debut for Jaakko Tulkki and a first full game for Tom Wlodarczyk. The occasion had a nice family atmosphere with a number of junior mascots on the ice before and after the game.

The Cobras took the lead on 6 minutes with a goal from Sam Hunt but the Buccaneers equalised on 13 minutes.  Former Dragons 2 and Bradford Bulldogs league player Gez Evans edged the home side back in front with just 90 seconds left on the clock handing the Cobras a narrow 2-1 lead at the first period break.

Cobras Player Coach Emma Dutton fired Connah’s Quay further ahead with a goal just 30 seconds after the restart and a second goal from Evans a minute after that saw the hosts leading 4-1.

Blackburn pulled a goal back on 23 minutes and two more strikes saw them draw level at 4-4. A hat-trick goal from Evans on 36 minutes put the Cobras’ noses back in front and they led 5-4 at the second interval. 

A second goal for Dutton on 42 minutes doubled the Cobras advantage early in the third period but Blackburn hit back again on 55 minutes to set up a nail-biting finale.  Gez Evans fired in his fourth goal of the game to restore the Cobras’ two-goal cushion on 57 minutes but the Buccaneers kept pushing forward, trying to salvage something from the game. 

Andy Teece and Theo Coulson split the netminding duties for the Cobras, playing half the game each, and Coulson was called upon to make a number of impressive saves to keep the Blackburn attack at bay in the closing stages.

There was no more goal action, however, and the game finished 7-5 to the Cobras – with Coulson being named MVP for his performance.

Cobras MVP Theo Coulson (Photo by Scott Dutton)

The Cobras are back on the cup trail for their next game when they face a tricky trip away to last year’s champions Don Valley Vikings in Sheffield on Saturday 21st June – 8pm face off. They then finish off their qualifying group matches with an away game in Whitley Bay on Saturday 2nd August.

 

Sledge Hockey 2025: Round-Up #4

Sunday 1^st June 2025 – BPIHL: Peterborough Phantoms 7 - Cardiff Huskies 6

Peterborough Phantoms moved back to the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table after close-fought a 7-6 victory at home to defending champions Cardiff Huskies on Sunday.

This was the Phantoms’ second win over the Huskies this season and leaves them with a 100% record at this early stage of the campaign.

Gary Farmer scored 6 of the 7 Phantoms goals with the other coming from Callum Shakespeare.  Tyler Christopher scored 3 for Cardiff with Josh Davies adding 2 and Jon Le Galloudec 1.

(You can see a more detailed match report on the Peterborough Phantoms website HERE)

This weekend sees Manchester Mayhem play their first home game of the season when they take on Sheffield SteelStings on Sunday 8^th June at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.15pm face off  

Cardiff take on the Sheffield A team, the Steelkings, in the Welsh Capital the same day, 7.15pm face off

Previous Results:

• 3^rd May:  Cardiff Huskies 4 – Peterborough Phantoms 5
• 16^th May: Sheffield Steelstings 0 – Sheffield Steelkings 7
• 17^th May: Cardiff Huskies 6 – Manchester Mayhem 4
• 24^th May: Sheffield Steelstings 1 - Cardiff Huskies 8

Mayhem Ready For Home Face Off

Peter Hagan
(Photo by Blindside Trading Cards)

The Mayhem sledge team play their first home game of the new 2025 British Para Ice Hockey League season this Sunday 8th June when they take on the Sheffield SteelStings at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.30 pm face off.

They opened their campaign with a narrow 6-4 defeat away to defending champions Cardiff Huskies three weeks ago and are hoping to build on that performance against the Sheffield development side.

There are 5 teams in the league, with Peterborough Phantoms and the Sheffield A team - the Steelkings - making up the full complement.  Each team plays the others once home and away and the top four qualify for the play offs at the end of the season.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s game, Mayhem Team Manager and Head Coach Peter Hagan said: 

“The team are excited to get back into league action! We had a great game in Cardiff, despite a depleted squad, a new goalie and a brand new skater too!”

“Last season was the closest league for quite a few years, with a bounce here or there meaning 4 teams could’ve won the league, so hopefully be as competitive again. The women will be really going for it as they look to get to optimal performance for the inaugural Women’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships in August…so it should be a great league!”

“We are hoping to try and convert the narrow losses into wins this year and battle for the league and play off titles. We also want to bring new players into the sport, so are always happy to her from anybody who is interested. Next year it could be YOU on the ice!”

“I am looking forward to seeing new players, familiar foes & some great hockey at Widnes…and it’s all FREE!”

Anybody interested in trying out Para Ice Hockey – or sponsoring the Mayhem team - is asked to contact them in the first instance via email to info@manchestermayhem.co.uk

Widnes Wild Women Presentation Evening

Wild Women's award winner Stephanie Drinkwater with Head Coach Steve Furber (Photo by Ellen Tyrer)

The Widnes Wild Women’s team rounded off their successful Division 2 North title winning season with their annual awards evening at the weekend.

The player awards for the 2024/25 season were:

• Best Defence: Jennifer Greenwood
• Best Forward: Ruth Leopold
• Most Improved Player: Eleanor Johnson
• Coaches’ Player Of The Season: Stephanie Drinkwater
• Players’ Player Of The Season: Stephanie Drinkwater
• Unsung Hero: Rachael Pearce

Ruth Leopold had actually retired from playing after an impressive 37 year career with Blackpool, Sheffield, Swindon and Bristol but was tempted back onto the ice after a year away to play for the Wild Women this season.

She summed up her feelings thus: “Thank you so, so much to all at Widnes Wild Women's ice hockey team for such an enjoyable season. To get a league winners medal (and hat!) - and to top it off with an unexpected Best Forward award - and some very kind words from the coaches at the end of season do tonight, was amazing and emotional for me! I appreciate it so much.”

As well as being named Coaches’ Player and Players’ Player of the season, inspirational netminder Stephanie Drinkwater was the first inductee to the Wild Womens’ 100 Club, which has been newly set up to celebrate various playing milestones.

Drinkwater passed 100 appearances for the Wild Women this season – the first player on the team to do so.

She has been with the Wild Women since the team first started 10 years ago following its relocation from Altrincham. This season is actually her third title win overall as she also won the Division 1 North title (as it was then called) with Widnes in 2020, and with the previous Manchester Phoenix team in 2015.

In that time, Drinkwater has notched up 104 appearances for the Wild Women, and it would probably have been more had the league not been suspended for the 2020/21 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Hot on her heels in the “Appearances Stakes” are two more original Wild Women and triple title winners, Catherine Fell with 92 games and Leen De Decker with 91.   De Decker was also inducted into the 100 Club for having passed 100 goals for the team. She has 104 goals from her 91 games, and her tally of 46 assists and 150 points overall are also the all time highs for the Wild Women.

Talking about her hat-trick of accolades, Stephanie Drinkwater said:

“What an end to this year’s season. I am lost for words after receiving Coaches’ Player and Players’ Player awards last night! Also being inducted into the 100 Club with officially playing 100 games for the Wild Women. It has been an amazing year and I have so much love for this team - forever my girls!”

The Wild Women now have a few weeks’ well-earned rest before they return to the ice to prepare for the 2025/26 WNIHL season. 

They are always keen to attract new players – especially anybody with league or international experience - and anybody interested is asked to contact the team via their Facebook page HERE in the first instance.

Sledge Hockey 2025 - Round-Up #3

Saturday 24^th May 2025 – BPIHL: Sheffield Steelstings 1 - Cardiff Huskies 8

Defending champions Cardiff Huskies moved to the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table after a 1-8 victory away to Sheffield Steelstings at iceSheffield on Saturday.

The Huskies were pretty much on top throughout the game and outshot the home side by some margin.  They led 0-2 at the first period break but most of the damage was done in the second period when they fired in five more goals. 

Sheffield pulled a goal back but that was one of their few chances in the game.  A single goal to Cardiff in the third period rounded off the scoring.

(Awaiting gamesheet / match information)

This weekend sees the Cardiff in action again – with an away game against Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday 1^st June, 4.30 pm face off.

The two teams finished level on points at the top of the table in last season’s league competition and were only separated by results in matches between them.

They met in the first game of the current season with the Phantoms narrowly winning 4-5 in Cardiff, so both sides will have plenty to play for on Sunday.

 

Previous Results:

• Saturday 3^rd May:  Cardiff Huskies 4 – Peterborough Phantoms 5
• Friday 16^th May: Sheffield Steelstings 0 – Sheffield Steelkings 7
• Saturday 17^th May: Cardiff Huskies 6 – Manchester Mayhem 4

Cody Ogden & Josh Jones Sign For Dragons N2

Cody Ogden with Richard Beevers and Andrea Petrie (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Deeside Dragons NIHL2 team have announced that last season’s top goal scorer Cody Ogden has joined the re-branded team for the forthcoming 2025/26 NIHL season.

Ogden scored 7 goals in 16 games for the Deeside Ducks last season with 7 strikes in 16 Laidler Division games, and was the Ducks’ third top points scorer overall.

He also played 24 games for the senior Dragons Moralee Division side, contributing 4 goals and 5 assists - and turned out for the Under 19 team as well.

Ogden will once again be on a two-way arrangement, which will allow him to train with and play for both the senior Dragons and the Dragons N2 team, giving him all-important ice time which will help with his development.

Dragons Coach Gary Shaw said of Ogden:

“To re-sign Cody for the coming season is a massive boost for the forward line. Since working with him for over 18 months, I’ve watched him go from strength to strength.

Josh Jones (Photo by Billy Jane
Photography) 

“Last year, training with the senior team really pushed his development, and now it’s about helping him refine his game sense — the skills are already taking care of themselves.”

“As a coaching team, we’re excited about helping Cody take the next step.”

Another returnee from last season’s Deeside Ducks team is Josh Jones who scored 3 goals and 3 assists in 20 Laidler Division games.

Talking about Jones’ return to the team, Coach James Parsons said:

“Last year was Josh’s first season playing league hockey and I think he learnt a lot as the season went on. We’ll be looking for him to use that experience to keep building and have a good year.”

“He definitely has the ability to play at this level, so we’re looking forward to seeing him contribute and continue developing.”

Connah's Quay Cobras Awarded Forfeit Win

Sunday 25th May 2025:  Summer Classic Cup: Connah's Quay Cobras 5 - Leeds Lightning 0  (Forfeit)

The Connah’s Cobras Summer Classic Cup game that had been scheduled for Sunday evening was cancelled after opponents Leeds Lightning were unable to raise a team.

The game had already been moved once from its original date of 4^th May so will now be recorded as a 5-0 forfeit win to the Cobras, with them being given the 2 league points. 

This means that the Connah’s Quay team have three wins from their 4 group games to date and currently lead the Elite Group table but now face tricky away trips to face Don Valley Vikings - who have played fewer games and are unbeaten so far - in Sheffield and Whitley Islanders in the North East, which is always a tough place to go and play. 

The top two teams in the final group table will qualify for the Play Offs, which will be held in Sheffield at the end of August.

The Cobras are next in action on Saturday 7^th June when a development side take on Blackburn Buccaneers in a challenge match at Deeside Leisure Centre.

Face off is at 4.30pm and admission is free for all spectators.

Wild Women at WNIHL Play Offs

The Widnes Wild Women celebrate their Division 2 North title win at the WNIHL Play Offs (Photo by Stewart Cutting)

Saturday 24th May 2020 – WNIHL Play Off Semi Final: Widnes Wild Women 1 – Streatham Storm 8

The Widnes Wild women’s team put in a battling performance in their Play Off semi final at iceSheffield on Saturday, ultimately losing out 1-8 to Streatham Storm – but they, at least, had something to celebrate as they were presented with the trophy and medals for winning the Division 2 North League championship.

The Wild Women arrived at the Play Offs missing a few regular players and also had to contend with being the last game of the day, which didn’t face off until 8.15pm. Streatham were a bit of an unknown quantity as WNIHL North and South teams don’t usually play each other, although Widnes had played the Storm’s first team a few times back in their Women’s Premier League days. 

As it turned out, the game was fairly even in its early stages with the two sides cautiously testing each other out. Just as it looked as if the first period would play out goal-less, Streatham fired in a goal to take the lead just 41 seconds from the buzzer. 73 seconds into the second period, the score was 0-2 to the southerners and on 25 minutes they went 0-3 ahead.  

Widnes eventually found the back of the net themselves on 29 minutes with a goal from Leen de Decker, who picked up the puck behind the Storm goal and guided it around inside the right hand post – but that was about as good as things got for the Wild Women. Although they pushed forward, trying to build on this, Streatham scored again 4 minutes after that and the score remained 1-4 at the second period break.

The Widnes net bulged once again 34 seconds into the third period and, with Streatham leading 1-5 by then, the game was pretty much over as a contest.  The Wild Women had their chances but were kept out by a stubborn Storm defence.  This led to their own goal being put under intense pressure and only a string of impressive saves from Wild netminder Stephanie Drinkwater kept the score from being higher than it was.

The pressure continued, however, and three goals in the latter stages of the game handed Streatham a convincing 1-8 victory.

With Telford Wrekin Raiders also losing 8-1 in their semi final to Division 2 South champions Cambridge Kodiaks, this set up an all-south final on Sunday, which Cambridge went on to win 4-1.

After Saturday’s semi-final, the Wild Women were presented with the league championship trophy for their Division 2 North title win and the players were all given commemorative medals.  This was an extra special moment for the Widnes team as the last time they won the league title - back in 2020 - the playoffs were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the presentations were never made.

The Wild Women have their end of season presentation evening this weekend and can then enjoy a few weeks’ break before preparations begin for the new 2025/26 WNIHL season.

*****

For the sake of completeness, the full list of the WNIHL Play Off weekend results were as follows:

Saturday 24th May

• Division 1 Semi Final 1: Bristol Huskies 2 – Caledonia Steel Queens 1
• Division 1 Semi Final 2: Kingston Diamonds 1 – Swindon Topcats 4
• Elite Semi Final 1: Solihull Vixens – Guildford Lightning 1
• Elite Semi Final 2: Queen Bees 7 – Whitley Bay 2  
• Division 2 Semi Final 1: Cambridge Kodiaks 8 – Telford Wrekin Raiders 1
• Division 2 Semi Final 2: Widnes Wild Women 1- Streatham Storm 8

Sunday 25th May

• Under 16 Semi Final 1: Chelmsford Rattlesnakes 10 – Manchester Storm 1
• Under 16 Semi Final 2: Whitley 5 – Bristol 1
• Division 1 Final: Bristol Huskies 3 – Swindon Topcats 2
• Division 2 Final: Cambridge Kodiaks 4 – Streatham Storm 1
• Elite Final: Solihull Vixens 0 - Queen Bees 2

Monday 26th May

• Under 16 Final: Chelmsford 4 - Whitley 3
• Elite v Div 1 Relegation Match:  Kingston Diamonds v Bristol Huskies

Dragons 2 Announce First Signings For New Season

Long term Deeside favourite Chris Jones (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Deeside Dragons NIHL2 team have begun assembling their playing roster for the forthcoming 2025/26 NIHL Laidler Division season.

The first player to be announced is long term Deeside favourite Chris Jones who was the captain of the Deeside Ducks team – the forerunners of this year’s “Dragons 2” - last season - and was their second top points scorer overall with 6 goals and 8 assists in 15 league games.

Talking about his return for the new season, Jones said:

“I’m really looking forward to another season with the newly named Dragons. Last season had a tough start, but as the team grew together, we became a real challenge for our opponents.

“After speaking with the coaches, it’s clear we’re heading into this season stronger and more prepared, and we’re aiming to compete right from the first puck drop.”

Charlie Spridgeon
(Photo by Billy Jane
Photography)

Another of last year’s Ducks players who is returning for the new season is Charlie Spridgeon, who was the team’s top points scorer in the Laidler Division last year with 4 goals and 13 assists in 23 games.

Spridgeon commented on his re- signing:

“I’m looking forward to next season and progressing as a team. Last season had its ups and downs, and this year we need to be more consistent and take our chances when we get them. I’m sure we’ll have a much stronger season this year, and I’m excited to see where we can finish.”

Rory Sillery
(Photo by Karen Booth)

The third player signing for the Dragons 2 team is Rory Sillery – a former Widnes junior who played 23 games for the Ducks last season, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist. 

Coach Gary Shaw said of Sillery:

“I’m pleased to re-sign Rory for the upcoming season. He came to us looking to develop his game, and over the course of the year, he went from strength to strength —  establishing himself as one of our strongest defencemen.”

“With Rory choosing to stay on, I have no doubt he’ll continue to grow as a player. His ability to read the game and his confidence in moving the puck will only get better.”

Sledge Hockey 2025 - Round Up #2

Friday 16th May:  Sheffield Steelkings 7 - Sheffield Steelstings 0

Saturday 17th May:  Cardiff Huskies 6 - Manchester Mayhem 4

The Sheffield Steelkings moved to the top of the British Para Ice Hockey League table at this early stage of the season with a 7-0 win over rink-mates Sheffield Steelstings at iceSheffield on Friday.

The A Team out-shot the B Team by 15 to 1 over the 45 minutes of play and led 4-0 at the first period break.  One goal followed in the second period and two in the third to round off a comprehensive victory.

(Awaiting gamesheet / match information)

Manchester Mayhem put in a battling performance away to Cardiff Huskies on Saturday and actually led 2-4 after two periods before eventually succumbing 6-4 to the defending champions.

Tyler Christopher scored 5 goals for the Huskies with the other one coming from Jon Le Galloudec.  Karl Nicholson scored all 4 for the Mayhem.  (Read a fuller report HERE)

This weekend sees the Sheffield Steelstings at home to Cardiff Huskies at iceSheffield, on Saturday 24th May, 6.10pm face off.

Wild Women Head To Play Offs

Wild Women at the Play Offs in 2017 (left to right): Sav Sumner, Sophie Sinclair Reeks, Tegan Lavery, Abigail Hayes, Beckie Elliott, Leen de Decker, Lucy Kirkham, Katie Hills, Sarah Roberts & Emma Pearson. (Photo by MyTeamPhoto.com)

The Widnes Wild women’s team head to Sheffield at the weekend to take part in the Women’s National Ice Hockey League (WNIHL) Play Offs, which will run over 3 days and feature 13 games in total.

As champions of Division 2 North, the Wild Women will take on Streatham Storm (2nd team), who finished second in Division 2 South, in their semi final - giving them a, possibly, slightly easier match than if they had finished second themselves and then had to face D2S champions Cambridge.

They will play in the second semi final, which faces off at 8.15pm on Saturday evening. The other semi final sees Telford take on Cambridge with a 6pm start time. The Division 2 final is at 2.45pm on the Sunday and the winner will secure the Play Off title as well as promotion to Division 1 for next season.

The other games over the weekend see the semi finals and final for the Division 1, the Women’s Elite League and the Girls’ Under 16 championship, as well as the promotion / relegation match between the winners of the D1 final and the bottom team in the Elite League.

This is the Wild Women’s 4th trip to the play offs. On each previous occasion, they have bowed out at the semi final stage and have never yet got through to the final.

They reached the Play Offs two seasons running in their early years when they were in the Women’s Premier League (now called WNIHL Division 1).  They were runners up in the league in 2015/16 and narrowly lost 2-1 to Streatham Storm (1st team) in the play off semi final and finished 4th in 2016/17, losing to the same opposition again 6-1.

The Wild Women won the Division 1 North league title (which is now the equivalent of Division 2 North) in the 2019/20 season and qualified for the play offs once again, but they never took place because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

They came second in the third tier in the 2022/23 season and lost 3-1 in the play-off semi final to D2S champions Cardiff, so will be hoping to go one better this time around.

The full schedule for the weekend is:

Saturday 24th May

• 09.00:  Division 1 Semi Final 1
• 11.15:  Division 1 Semi Final 2
• 13.30:  Elite Semi Final 1
• 15.45:  Elite Semi Final 2  
• 18.00:  Division 2 Semi Final 1
• 20.15:  Division 2 Semi Final 2

Sunday 25th May

• 09.00: Under 16 Semi Final 1
• 10.45:  Under 16 Semi Final 2
• 12.30:  Division 1 Final
• 14.45:  Division 2 Final
• 17.00:  Elite Final

 

Monday 26th May

• 09.00:  Under 16 Final
• 10.45:  Elite v Div 1 Relegation Match

Tickets cost just £5 per person for the whole weekend and can be purchased online via this link.

https://eih.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/wnihl_finals_weekend_2025

For anybody who can't manage to get to Sheffield, the weekend's games will all be livestreamed and you can get a weekend package for just £5 by following this link:

https://eih.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/wnihl_finals_weekend_live

Match Report: Cardiff Huskies 6 – Mayhem 4 (British Para Ice Hockey League)

The Mayhem team away at Cardiff (Photo by Angela Reid). Fiona Naylor, Felicity Gregory, Daniel Hartshorn, Peter Hagan,  Mark Colquitt, Karl Nicholson, Tony Naylor, Anton Tomlinson

Saturday 17th May 2025 – British Para Ice Hockey League: Cardiff Huskies 6 – Mayhem 4

The Mayhem sledge team put in a battling performance in their first game of the new British Para Ice Hockey League season but narrowly lost out 6-4 away to defending champions Cardiff Huskies in the Welsh capital on Saturday.

This game saw a playing debut for Fiona Naylor – wife of Mayhem player Tony Naylor – who only took up the sport recently, and a first game in goal for Daniel Hartshorn who has switched roles, having previously played outfield.  

The Mayhem got off to a flying start and opened the scoring on 3 minutes with a goal from GB international player Karl Nicholson. Cardiff equalised 3 minutes later with a strike from their GB forward Tyler Christopher but another goal from Nicholson on 12 minutes saw the Mayhem leading 1-2 at the first period break.

The second period continued in similar vein with the Mayhem playing out of their skins, having more of the play and out-shooting their lofty hosts.   A third Nicholson goal on 16 minutes edged them further ahead but a second strike for Christopher kept the Huskies in contention.

Nicholson fired in his 4th goal of the game on 22 minutes and the score remained 2-4 to the Mayhem at the second interval.

Cardiff eventually made their numerical advantage in players count in the third period – with the Mayhem having travelled with a very short bench - and four unanswered goals – three more from Christopher and one for Jon le Galloudec, another GB international, saw them overhaul the visitors and secure their first win of the season.  

Despite the closeness of the game, it was played in a very good spirit throughout and no penalties were awarded to either side. The MVP awards went to Daniel May for Cardiff and Karl Nicholson for the Mayhem. 

The Mayhem are next in action Sunday 8th June when they take on Sheffield B team, the SteelStings, at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.30pm face off.

Match Report: Connah’s Quay Cobras 4 – Whitley Bay Islanders 3 (Summer Classic Cup)

The victorious Cobras team after their win over Whitley (Photo by Adka Feckova)

Saturday 17th May 2025 – Summer Classic Cup: Connah’s Quay Cobras 4 – Whitley Bay Islanders 3

The Connah’s Quay Cobras scored a dramatic late goal to snatch a 4-3 victory over the Whitley Bay Islanders in their Summer Classic Cup game at Deeside Leisure Centre on Saturday.

This was a really exciting game, played between two very closely matched teams, with only ever one goal between them throughout.

Connah’s Quay took the lead with a goal from Chris Keating in the 5th minute but Whitley struck back 10 minutes later and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.

The Islanders were quickest off the mark in the second period and edged themselves into the lead with a goal just 55 seconds from the restart.  Connah’s Quay struck back, however with a goal from Simon Soltes on 25 minutes and they had the chance to go back in front with a penalty shot just 36 seconds after that, but it was saved by the Whitley netminder.

Whitley took the lead again on 35 minutes but this was countered by a goal from Cobras team captain Sam Plant with just 20 seconds to go in the period and the score stood at a finely balanced 3-3 with 20 minutes left to play.

With the game being so close, tensions were high and there were lots of niggly skirmishes throughout the game – leading to an overall penalty count of 22 minutes to Connah’s Quay and 30 to Whitley.

The third period saw end to end hockey as both teams tried to fire themselves back in front but it was really was too close to call. The game entered its final 2 minutes with the scores remaining stubbornly locked at 3-3 and it looked as if it would have to go to penalty shots to decide an overall winner.  

However with just 1.14 left on the clock, Tomas Mitrik fired in an excellent solo effort to put the Cobras back into the lead.

The Islanders laid siege to the Connah’s Quay net in order to try and force a late equaliser and removed their netminder for the last 30 seconds in favour of an extra attacker, but it was to no avail and the Cobras held out for an important win.

Cobras MVP Martin Stolicny (Photo by Paul Breeze)

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards were presented by Charlotte McAdam and went to Mark Gibson for Whitley and Martin Stolicny for Connah’s Quay.

The Cobras are back in Summer Classic Cup action this Sunday 25th May when they take on Leeds Lightning at Deeside Leisure Centre, face off is at 8.30pm and admission is free for all spectators.

Ducks Become Dragons

James Parsons
(Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

The Deeside Ducks Laidler Division team has been re-branded as Deeside Dragons NIHL2 for the forthcoming 2025/26 league season.  The reasoning behind the change is to tie the team closer to the Deeside Dragons pathway from Junior Dragons right through to the Senior Dragons.

Last year’s Head Coach Gary Shaw – who was named Laidler Division Coach of the Year for his achievements with the Ducks – is back for another season, joined again by Simon Hughes as Assistant Coach. Last year’s Team Manager Angela Wilkes returns and Ian Foster is installed as General Manager.

An interesting addition to the coaching team is James Parsons, who has just retired from playing after an impressive 20-year career in the NIHL, spent almost exclusively with Flintshire Freeze and Deeside Dragons.

Talking about his new role, Parsons said: “Seeing how this team started to play after Christmas was exciting, and I’m really looking forward to what we can achieve. We’ll be working closely with the D1 Dragons side. We have some talented young players in our junior system, and we’re looking forward to supporting their development into senior hockey.”

Match Report: Leeds Roses 3 - Widnes Wild Women 3 (Match Abandoned on 46m)

Jemma Brown scored the first Wild
goal at Leeds and was named MVP
(Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 10th May 2025 – WNIHL Div2N: Leeds Roses 3 – Widnes Wild Women 3 (Match Abandoned 46m)

The Widnes Wild women’s team saw their league title winning season come to a rather subdued end after their final game away to Leeds was abandoned midway through the third period due to a player injury.

The score stood at 3-3 at the time and, subject to official confirmation, that is likely to be recorded as the final result.

While it is always nice to win, the result of this game didn’t really matter too much to the Wild Women as they had already accrued enough points to secure the league championship.  

Leeds, however, really needed to win to have a chance of finishing in second position in the league and clinching the remaining play off place. 

Player injuries and match abandonments aside, it was a fascinating end to the season as three teams went into the final weekend level on 14 points – Leeds, Telford and Sheffield - any of whom could have finished in the runners up spot.

The game at Leeds – as the result suggests - was very close.  It took until the 15th minute for the deadlock to be broken and a Jemma Brown goal fired the Wild Women into the lead.

40 seconds later it was 0-2 to Widnes after a strike from Lise Gillen and the score remained 0-2 at the first break.

Lisa Gillen scored twice for
the Wild Women
(Photo by Flyfifer Photography)

Gillen found the back of the net again 4 minutes into the second period to put Widnes 0-3 up but then Leeds began to fight back.

They pulled a goal back just 70 seconds later and then further narrowed the deficit at the midway point of the game.  The score stood at a tantalisingly close 2-3 at the second interval and Leeds went on to draw level on 44 minutes.

Unfortunately, we will never know what might have happened next as the game was called to a halt shortly after that.  

Draws are fairly rare in ice hockey – especially in recent seasons since many leagues have adopted overtime and penalties shots to decide tied matches.

However, assuming that Saturday’s game remains a draw, it will mean that the Wild Women have had an incredible FIVE draws from their 16 games this season.

They drew 2-2 away at Telford in the league, drew 4-4 both home and away against Kingston Diamonds and then saw their home cup game against Telford also end in a 5-5 draw, another game that was stopped early due to a player injury.

The draw away at Leeds means that Widnes finish top of the Division 2 North table with 18 points from their 12 league games.

With Leeds only drawing on Saturday, this meant they finished the league campaign on 15 points. Sheffield beat Whitley Bay Beacons 7-2, also on Saturday, and thus finished their season on 16 points putting them above Leeds and in the driving seat for the runners up spot – at least overnight. 

The matter was eventually settled on Sunday when Telford Wrekin Raiders hammered Kingston Diamonds 17-0 to match the Shadows on points but secure second place with a superior goal difference of +41 to +26.

As things turned out, the point that Leeds dropped in the abandoned drawn game wouldn’t have been enough to send them to the playoffs anyway as Telford would still have come out on top of the chasing pack due to the way that the league separate teams that have finished level in the table.  

The Wild Women are next in action at the WNIHL play offs, which take place in Sheffield over the Bank Holiday weekend of 24th to 26th May, where they will be joined in the north v south semi finals by Telford, Cambridge and Streatham.

Sledge Hockey 2025 - Round Up #1

Saturday 3rd May 2025 – BPIHL: Cardiff Huskies 4 – Peterborough Phantoms 5

The 2025 British Para Ice Hockey league season opened with a closely-fought game between last season’s top two teams, with the Peterborough Phantoms coming away from the Welsh capital with a 4-5 win over defending champions Cardiff Huskies.

(Awaiting gamesheet / match information)

There are no games this weekend but action recommences the weekend after when the Steelkings entertain the Steelstings in an all-Sheffield derby on Saturday 16^th May (6.30pm face off) and Cardiff play host to the Mayhem on Sunday 17th May (8.30pm start).

Wild Women Are League Champions!

The Widnes Wild women's team in celebratory mood (Photo by Wil Evans)

The Widnes Wild Women’s team secured the Division 2 North league title after a fascinating weekend of ice hockey saw their rivals for the crown knock each other out of contention.

Widnes actually lost their own game 13-3 away to Telford on Saturday - but that was a cup game and had no bearing on the outcome of the league, which as it turned out, was decided by results elsewhere.

The Wild Women went into the weekend leading the D2N table with 17 points from their 11 league games – and one match still to play, away to Leeds Roses on 10th May.

Sheffield Shadows were in second with 14 points from 10 games and could still snatch the title if they won their remaining games and Widnes lost away at Leeds. Leeds themselves were also still in the running with 11 points from 9 games, knowing that 3 wins in their last 3 games could possibly see them overtake Widnes on the last day of the season 

Somewhat fortuitously for the Wild Women, the fixture list pitched Leeds and Sheffield up against each other in Leeds on Saturday night, with the Roses winning 5-2.  That result meant that Sheffield could no longer overtake the Wild Women at the top of the league table, even if they won their last remaining game.  

Leeds, however, could still snatch the title if they won their two remaining matches and could beat Widnes in the last game of the season on 10th May.

Telford – who are perennial title challengers themselves but have dropped off the pace a little this year - did the Wild Women a huge favour by holding the Roses to a 2-2 draw in Shropshire on Sunday night meaning that Leeds are now also unable to deny Widnes top spot.

The weekend results mean that the Wild Women take the league title irrespective of what happens in the remaining games of the regular season. They have also qualified for the end of season play offs, which take place over the Bank Holiday weekend of 24th to 26th May in Sheffield, where the top 2 teams in Division 2 North will compete with the top teams from Division 2 South for promotion to Division 1 for next season.

Karyn Cooper was MVP away at Telford (Photo by Paul Breeze)

Saturday 3rd May 2025 – WNIHL North Cup: Telford Wrekin Raiders 13 – Widnes Wild Women 3

The Widnes Wild Women lost their final game in the WNIHL North Cup 13-3 away to Telford Wrekin Raiders on Saturday.

In competitive terms, this game was a bit of a dead rubber as neither team could win the cup, having both already lost twice to Sheffield Shadows, who are the other team in this three-way tournament, but pride was still very much on the line.

The earlier cup game between these two teams had ended in a 5-5 draw in Widnes after being abandoned early in the third period due to a player injury and with the two league meetings both going the way of Widnes - with a narrow 5-4 win at home and a 2-2 draw away in Shropshire - Telford probably felt they had a point to prove.

Telford took the lead in the 7th minute but Widnes equalised just 60 seconds later with a goal from Catherine Fell.

Telford edged back in front on 13 minutes but a strike from Karyn Cooper – her first ever goal for the Wild women - on 16 minutes levelled the scores once again.  However, the Wild Women were unable to build on this and two more goals late in the period gave Telford a 4-2 lead at the first break.

The damage was all done in the second period when Telford fired in 7 goals before Widnes were able to summon up a reply.  A second goal of the game from Cooper with just 3 seconds left in the period gave the travelling contingent something to cheer about but, with the score standing at 11-3 at the second interval, the game was already well and truly over as a contest.

Telford eased off the gas in the third period - quite possibly saving some energy for their league encounter with title challengers Leeds Roses the following night - and the game finished as a 13-3 win for the Raiders.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, Charlotte Jackson put in a good performance in the Widnes goal, turning away an impressive 46 of the 59 shots that she faced over the 60 minutes.

Karyn Cooper was named MVP for the Wild Women after her two goal haul, having played up front instead of in her usual defensive role in a make-shift playing line-up.

The Wild Women play their last league game of the season away to Leeds Roses this Saturday 10th May, face off 4pm. The game is being played at Bradford Ice Rink due to a lack of available ice time at Leeds.