Dragon Theo On GB Duty

Deeside Dragons' Theo Malone (Photo by Angel Devlin Sports Photography)

Deeside D1 Dragons’ recent signing Theo Malone was on international duty at the weekend with the Great Britain Under 18 team in Hungary, taking part in the Winter Challenge series that saw the GB team playing the Hungarian national Under 19 team in three matches over three days.

The 16-year old forward - who is on a 2-way contract with Elite League Manchester Storm and previously played with the Hull Seahawks in the NIHL National Division – played his first game for the Dragons two weeks ago, when he bagged two assists against Sheffield Steelers.

He picked up another assist away at Solihull and then scored his first Deeside goal in the dramatic over time win against Telford and was named MVP for the match.

Malone had previously played for Team GB at Under 16 level in two international tournaments and also spent last season playing for Energie Karlovy Vary in the Czech Under 17 league.

The GB youngsters lost the first game against Hungary 9-3 on Friday then 7-1 on Saturday – with Malone scoring the sole GB goal - and then 7-2 on Sunday.

Bailey Thomas – who played for the Dragons for much of this season before being snapped up by National Division Milton Keynes Lightning - was also part of the GB Under 18 squad in Hungary.

Team GB are using the Winter Challenge as part of their preparation for the IIHF U18 World Championships in Romania this April.

Deeside D1 Dragons Weekend Report - 7th & 8th February

Ethan Mayoh scored away at Nottingham and was MVP at home to Blackburn (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

Saturday 7^th February 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Nottingham Lions 0 - Deeside D1 Dragons 5

Sunday 8^th February 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 3 – Blackburn Hawks 5

The Deeside D1 Dragons had a mixed weekend in the NIHL Moralee Division, winning 0-5 away at Nottingham Lions on Saturday and narrowly losing to league leaders Blackburn Hawks 3-5 at Deeside Leisure Centre on Sunday.

The Dragons had scored double figures in both their home wins over the Lions this season but had yet to visit the imposing National Ice Centre with its impressive 7.500 capacity arena.

They weren’t overly daunted, however, and goals from Colin Cromie and Ross Kennedy saw them leading 0-2 at the first period break.

A second goal from Cromie, one from Ethan Mayoh and one from top scorer Jake Witkowsi gave the Dragons a 0-5 lead at the end of the second period and they shut up shop in the third, obviously saving their energy for the big game against Blackburn Hawks the next day.

Tyler de la Bertouche and Jace Gledhill played half the game each in the Deeside goal, sharing a 24-shot shut-out, and Dan Fadejevs was named MVP for the Dragons.

The home game between the league’s top two on Sunday was a different matter all together and a short-benched Deeside team – missing a number of regular players – knew they were in a contest right from the start.

The Hawks opened the scoring on 11 minutes and, despite numerous chances for the Dragons, the score remained 0-1 at the first period break.

Blackburn doubled their lead 56 seconds into the second period but Deeside pulled a goal back through captain Jared Dickinson two minutes later.

A powerplay goal saw Blackburn restore their 2-goal cushion on 28 minutes but Matty Barlow narrowed the deficit once again 69 seconds after that.  However, the Hawks struck again on 34 minutes and the score stood at 2-4 to the visitors at the second interval.

A Jake Witkowski goal just 33 seconds into the third period gave Deeside hope but they were unable to build on this any further. 

With less than 2 minutes to play and the score still at a tantalisingly close 3-4, Deeside called a timeout and withdrew their netminder in favour of an extra attacker. 

Unfortunately, they got caught out while pressing forward for a late equaliser and Blackburn fired in an empty net goal with 5 seconds left on the clock to seal the 3-5 victory.

Following the weekend results across the league, Deeside remain in second place in the Moralee Division table with 64 points from 29 games – now seven points ahead of Telford in third following the Tigers’ 5-2 defeat in Hull.

Blackburn Hawks still lead the table with 84 points from 30 games, having also beaten Widnes Wild on Saturday, and are now 20 points ahead of the Dragons. They could secure the Moralee Division title as early as next weekend if they win one of their two games.

The D1 Dragons, however, could have a hand in those proceedings as they travel away to face Blackburn in East Lancashire on Sunday, 6pm face off.

They are next at home the following weekend, when they take on Telford Tigers in the two legged Moralee Cup final, away on the Saturday and at home on the Sunday.  Both games are already sold out.

Match Report: Nottingham Lions 4 - Deeside D2 Dragons 6 (NIHL Laidler Division)

James Parsons scored a hat-trick away at Nottingham (Photo by Adam Bassett)

Sunday 8^th February 2026 – NIHL Laidler Division: Nottingham Lions 4 - Deeside D2 Dragons 6 

The D2 Dragons returned to Laidler Division action after a four week break with a 4-6 win away to Nottingham Lions on Sunday.

In keeping with the club’s policy of encouraging young talent, the game saw a senior NIHL debut for former Widnes junior Thomas Warburton, who has been playing for the Dragons’ Under 19 team this season.

This game was very competitive and littered with niggly penalties throughout for both sides.

It could have gone either way for much of the game until Deeside pulled away in the third period.  Goals from Cody Ogden, Charlie Spridgeon, Rhys Howells and a third period hat–trick from James Parsons secured the points for the Dragons.

The D2 Dragons are back at home for the first time since mid-December this Saturday 14th February when they host the Coventry Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.  They are then away to Sutton Sting on Sunday.

Dickinson Is Dragons Player Of The Month For January

Jared Dickinson receives the Player of the Month award for January (Photo by Emilia Roberts Photography)

The Deeside Dragons Player of the Month for January has been announced as team captain Jared Dickinson.

The popular skipper played in all 7 Dragons games during the month of January scoring 2 goals and contributing 4 assists, while sitting out just 6 minutes in penalties.

Experienced campaigner Dickinson is in his fourth season at Deeside and was appointed captain at the start of this season.

Dragons’ Head Coach Mike Clancy said of Dickinson: “He has been a really good leader through January and was pivotal in leading the fight back against the Hawks in the Cup semi final. A great contribution throughout January with the team at the forefront of everything he has done”.

The Player of the Month award is organised by Dragons D1 and D2 press reporter Paul Breeze and the trophies are sponsored by the Ice Hockey Review grassroots news website.

Deeside Dragons' Lindop Toyota Deal

Dragons’ captain Jared Dickinson and Jake Witkowski with Lindop Toyota cars (Photo by Dragons IHC)

The Deeside Dragons have agreed a new two-year sponsorship deal with returning sponsors Lindop Toyota Queensferry.

As part of the sponsorship, supporters will see Lindop Toyota vehicles on display outside the rink on selected home game nights, adding to the matchnight atmosphere and strengthening the visible link between the Dragons and local businesses that actively invest in grassroots sport.

Lindop Toyota will also serve as the official sponsor of the Deeside Dragons’ social media highlights, supporting the club’s digital coverage and helping bring Dragons action, goals, and key moments to an ever-growing online audience.

The deal was put together by Dragons’ Director of Marketing Jake Witkowski who said:

“A big thank you to Toyota Lindop for joining the Dragons this season. Having the support of a trusted local brand means everything to us. Partnerships like this help us grow the club, inspire the next generation, and keep pushing forward on and off the ice. We are proud to have them on board.”

Dragons Go Clear In Second After 5-Point Weekend

Colin Cromie scred two goals away in Solihull (Photo by Keith & Jenny Davies)

Saturday 31^st January 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Solihull Barons 2 - Deeside D1 Dragons 4

Sunday 1^st February 2026 – NIHL Moralee Division: Deeside D1 Dragons 5 – Telford Tigers 4 (OT)

The Deeside D1 Dragons went clear in second place in the Moralee Division league table after winning 2-4 away at Solihull Barons on Saturday and then beating Telford Tigers 5-4 in overtime at home on Sunday.

The Barons had actually looked like potential title challengers earlier in the season but a recent run of defeats has seen them fall out of contention. But away trips to Solihull are always tricky and Saturday’s game proved to be no exception.

The Dragons got off to a dream start with a goal from Ross Kennedy after just 59 seconds. Solihull eventually equalised on 16 minutes and the score remained 1-1 at the first period break.

Colin Cromie fired Deeside back into the lead with a goal on 25 minutes and then doubled the advantage on 32 minutes with a powerplay goal punishing a Solihull charging penalty.

The score stood at 1-3 to the Dragons at the second interval but a goal for Solihull just 48 seconds into the third period narrowed the deficit to just one, signalling that the contest clearly wasn’t over yet.

There were chances for both sides in the final 20 minutes and Matty Barlow finally re-established daylight between the two teams with a goal on 54 minutes, which proved to be the last of the game.

The game on Sunday against the Tigers was always going to be close, with the two teams going into the weekend level on points in the league table and with an identical playing record.

Deeside opened the scoring just 90 seconds into the game with a powerplay goal from Ross Kennedy and, despite chances for both sides, the score remained at a very close 1-0 at the first period break.

Deeside went 2-0 up with a Colin Cromie goal after just 50 seconds of the second period but Telford pulled two goals back to level matters by the halfway stage and the score stood finely balanced at 2-2 at the second interval.

Two goals within 40 seconds of each other early in the third period – a first goal from youngster Theo Malone following his recent move to the club, and then one from MJ Clancy - looked to have put Deeside back in the driving seat – but there was more drama to come.

The Tigers narrowed the deficit to 4-3 on 47 minutes and put the Deeside net under enormous pressure. 

Heading into the last 2 minutes, the score remained 4-3 and the tension around the rink was almost unbearable.

Telford withdrew their netminder in favour of an extra attacker in an attempt to force a late equaliser and the pressure paid off with an equalising goal with just 49 seconds left on the clock.

20 seconds later, the Tigers incurred a tripping penalty but they still pressed forward and, with 8 seconds left, almost snatched the game with a two man breakaway but were called offside.

The score was still level at 4-4 at the end of regulation time and this meant that the game would have to be decided by an extra 5 minute period of sudden death overtime.

As Telford had a player in the box, this meant that Deeside had a powerplay opportunity for the first 1.31 of overtime and they made the extra man count when Jake Witkowski fired in the overtime winner just 3 seconds shy of the expiration of the penalty.

Deeside get 2 league points for the overtime win and Telford get one for having been level at the end of normal time. They also have a slight psychological edge over the Tigers, who they are due to meet again in the two-legged Moralee Cup final later this month.

The Dragons’ five point haul from their two weekend games means that they have pulled clear in second place in the table with 61 points from 27 games – four points ahead of Telford in third and 10 points ahead of Solihull in fourth, although they have played one game more than both of those teams.

Blackburn Hawks still lead the table with 78 points from 28 games, having beaten Hull Jets on Sunday, and have a 17 point lead over the Dragons.

The Dragons are in action again this Saturday 7^th February when they travel away to face Nottingham Lions in an early 1pm face off.

They are back at home the next day – Sunday 8th February - when they take on league leaders Blackburn Hawks at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off.

The D2 Dragons return to Laidler Division action after a four week break with a trip to Nottingham on Sunday 8th February when they play the Lions D2 team, 5pm face off.  They are next at home on Saturday 14th February when they host the Coventry Blaze at Deeside Leisure Centre, 5.15pm face off. 

Match Report: Solway Sharks 7 – Widnes Wild Women 4 (WNIHL Div1 North)

Leen de Decker (#5) attacks the Solway goal (Photo by MadMac Photography)

Saturday 31^st January 2026 – WNIHL Div1 North: Solway Sharks 7 – Widnes Wild Women 4

The Widnes Wild Women put in an impressive performance on their latest trip to Scotland but came out just short, losing 7-4 away to Solway Sharks Ladies on Saturday.

The game saw a Wild Women debut for Lydia Lutwyche, a Great Britain Under 18 women’s international player who is also playing for the Wild Academy U19 (mixed) team this season.

Despite the final score, this game was actually quite close and it took until the 14^th minute for Solway to open the scoring.  They scored again 2 minutes later and took a 2-0 lead into the first break, but Widnes weren’t outclassed by any means.

The Wild Women’s pressure on goal eventually paid off with a goal from Leen de Decker on 23 minutes and this sparked a frantic 2 ½ minutes that saw 4 more goals fly in.

Solway restored their 2 goal lead with a strike 37 seconds later but Tayla Huxley–Richards pulled a goal back for Widnes straight from the restart.

Another De Decker goal 45 seconds after that saw Widnes draw level but they weren’t able to build any further on this – despite outshooting their hosts during the middle period - and Solway edged back into the lead with their fourth goal of the game on 25 minutes.

The score remained at a tantalisingly close 4-3 at the second interval but, after a nail biting 10 minutes of back and forth early in the third period, Solway pulled away with 3 straight goals to lead 7-3.

Leen de Decker scored her hat-trick goal on 55 minutes with a delayed penalty strike punishing a Solway holding call but that was the last goal of the game.

Following on from their first win of the season at home to Nottingham Vipers last weekend, the Wild Women can take a number of positives from this away defeat.

Their four-goal haul is their highest of the season so far and they pretty much matched the opposition in terms of shots on goal over the 60 minutes of play.

Lydia Lutwyche contributed an assist in her first game for the club and Elizabeth Bird was named Player of the Game for Widnes.

The Wild Women are next in action on Sunday when they go to Hull and back to take on league leaders Kingston Diamonds on Humberside – 12.30 (noon...) face off.  They are next at home on Sunday 8^th March when they host Solway Sharks at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25 pm face off.