Widnes Wild returned to winning ways as they claimed 3 points from hosts, Hull Jets in a tense 4-5 League/Cup battle, following a strong come-back performance in the final frame. A crucial win in their only game of the weekend sees the squad sit respectably in 5th place of the NIHL1 North Moralee league table.
Widnes travelled East with a team of 15+2 as 16 year-old, AJ Herring made his debut for Wild after the recent announcement of his 2-way signing agreement. However, both #85 Oli Howells and Mikey Gilbert were unavailable from the line-up. Netminder #35 Luca Tessadri retained his start between the pipes for Widnes, backed-up by #70 Owen Severn, whilst #41 Zack Brown was given the nod for Hull Jets after their 4-11 win over Nottingham Lions the previous weekend.
1st period – 0-1
Hull Jets began the game with more intensity as #27 Ethan Daintith fired multiple shots on Tessadri, yet he held strong for Widnes. Jets retained possession in the opening minutes but a series of breakaways for Wild created threats for #41 Zack Brown.
After winning the offensive zone face-off, a shot from #17 Andrew Hopkins was converted on the rebound attempt at 9:23 by #20 Bez Hughes to claim his first of the season, putting Widnes ahead in the Hangar.
Moments later, #44 Dani Haid fired a shot from point on Brown, but much to his disappointment, it hit the crossbar and bounced back out. Widnes dominated possession following their opener, but Brown was the answer to all of their efforts as he allowed the hosts to counter. Hull came close with a chance through #22 Kent in the final seconds, but a glove save from Tessadri was enough to ensure Widnes remained ahead after 20 minutes.
2nd period – 1-3
The Jets came out firing following the ice cut, allowing #22 Alex Kent to fire past Tessadri at 21:04 and claim the equaliser. Seconds later, #27 Ethan Daintith shot low to clench the advantage, assisted by #22 Alex Kent and #19 Rich Haggar. Relentless pressure from Hull saw #19 Rich Haggar convert a one-timer shot from the point at 23:54, posting the score at 3-1.
Wild defenceman, #20 Bez Hughes sent the puck into the crease from the slot but snapped his stick in the process, allowing Hull to counter once more. Moments later, #14 Scott Morris extended the hosts’ lead which set Widnes with a huge task ahead of them, approaching the second half of the game.
A brief pause in play allowed Widnes to re-discuss tactics, clearly working in their favour as #51 AJ Herring fired his first for the club, in his debut appearance, past Brown at 29:21 to reduce the deficit for Wild. Momentum switched as all 3 lines for the visitors created plays in the offensive zone, but they failed to capitalise.
Hull were handed the first penalty of the evening as #58 Reg Taylor sat for cross-checking at 34:48, sending Widnes on the powerplay. Wild were unable to convert on the first ask, but were soon awarded a 2nd chance as #76 Noah Betts was called for hooking. The visitors remained on the advantage for the final moments of the period, yet Hull hung on to their 4-2 lead heading into the 3rd period.
3rd period – 0-3
Both sides returned for the final frame with intent to contribute to the scoreboard, although both netminders stood tall for their teams. Widnes created a strong chance through #7 Alex Parry although his final strike was sent wide of the pipes after a deflection from #44 Kohen Taylor.
Tensions began to rise in a tightly-battled period, resulting in a powerplay for Widnes at 47:15 after both #77 Ben McLellan and #44 Kohen Taylor sat for roughing alongside Hull’s #2 Charlie Powell for slashing. Play returned to 5on5 action, still with a 2-4 scoreline, yet Hull were handed their first PP of the evening moments later.
Despite Widnes being a player short as #43 Will Daley sat for slashing, #17 Andrew Hopkins stepped up for his side and fired past #41 Zack Brown to halve the deficit for Wild on 51 minutes. The visitors returned to full strength 60 seconds later and continued to dominate play.
A low strike from the left wing of the blue line was perfectly aimed by #20 Bez Hughes to sneak wide of Brown’s right pad to level the score at 54:33, claiming his second strike of the evening. Just 7 seconds later, Wild won the opening draw allowing #14 Tristan Grimshaw to high past Brown, clenching the game-winning goal for Widnes, assisted by #17 Andrew Hopkins and #8 Flynn Massie.
The Jets were furious to lose their advantage and attempted to equalise through their first line, but Tessadri posted the stops for Widnes. As the clock ran down, Hull were still unable to work a play past the Wild netminder and were forced to call a 30-second timeout at with 90 seconds remaining.
Widnes turned over possession in the closing moments as #51 AJ Herring fired a backhand shot from the right wing, but Brown made the catcher save. A final shot from Daintith was covered by Luca Tessadri to secure Widnes a 4-5 road victory, following a gutsy performance in the last period.
MVPs were awarded to #43 Will Daley for Widnes after strong defensive work to break down plays from the Jets. Meanwhile, #22 Alex Kent claimed the title for Hull following multiple shots on target.
Widnes are faced with another road trip this weekend, travelling North to face Blackburn Hawks on Sunday evening for a 6:00pm face-off. However Wild return to the Jungle for a home double-header on 1st and 2nd November to face Billingham Stars and Leeds Knights 2 respectively. Tickets can now be purchased from the club’s official website.
Article written by Fleur Tobin