Widnes Wild upped their winning streak to 4, after a 7-3 performance over Leeds Knights 2 in their annual ‘Air the Bear’ game, following a strong 4-0 opening period at Planet Ice Widnes. The hosts also sported their new Mazda Warrington Christmas Jerseys for the first time, much to the delight of the crowd.
1st Period – (4-0)
Wild got off to the best start imaginable as #12 Luke Alston slotted the puck past Booth after a scramble in the slot, sending bears flying onto the ice from all angles of the rink. All donations will be delivered to Alder Hey Children’s hospital in the coming weeks by our players, helping spread festive cheer to those facing difficult times over Christmas.
Widnes continued to dominate on home ice, resulting in #16 Mikey Gilbert to picking up a rebound to convert over Booth at 3:40, assisted by #43 Will Daley and #77 Ben McLellan. The Knights defence soon found their footing and allowed their team a brief chance to answer back, yet Tessadri made the stop for the hosts.
Wild continued to control the puck in the Leeds zone, seeing a feed from #20 Bez Hughes be fired past Booth from the blue line after Widnes set a screen in the crease, extending the lead at 13:30. The hosts were keen to punish the young Knights defence further, doing so through #16 Mikey Gilbert who grabbed his second of the game after a lovely link up by #51 Callum Griffin and #17 Andrew Hopkins.
Despite numerous efforts from the Wild forwards, Knights’ netminder booth matched their efforts to deny further contributions to the scoreline in the first period as Widnes carried a 4-goal lead after 20 minutes.
2nd Period – (1-2)
Following an ice cut and sneak peek performance of Show and Skate’s Dick Whittington, the Knights returned for the middle frame with a fresh energy and game plan, forcing Tessadri to make some standout saves early. The Knights finally found a breakthrough via #22 Tom Dermott from the blue line after a successful screen in the crease, posting the score at 4-1 in the 25th minute.
Momentum shifted in the visitors’ favour following the strike, but the Wild defence performed well to deter the Knights forwards. Wild’s #77 Ben McLellan fired a shot from the face-off circle after Widnes won the draw, but Booth reacted quickly to make the stop for his side with a catcher save.
Moments later, Leeds’ import duo reduced the deficit as the initial strike from #71 Kurts Baumanis was slotted past the line by #28 Helgi Bjarnason at 30:21. Knights were hungry to strike again in quick succession, but a poke check from Guy sent Wagg wide with his attempt.
A strong connection from Widnes’ top line allowed #8 Flynn Massie to fire from a short distance past Booth, assisted by #14 Tristan Grimshaw and #7 Alex Parry. The hosts came close late in the frame after a low shot from Bennett was redirected by Tarpey, yet Booth made the catcher save to conclude the period with a 5-2 advantage to Widnes.
3rd period – (2-1)
The Knights came out firing in the final third, but #35 Luca Tessadri stood tall yet again for his side, allowing them to counter. Leeds were then awarded their first powerplay of the game at 44:47 as Ormes called the first infraction of the evening on #12 Luke Alston for delaying the game. Just 10 seconds later, #4 Lawrence Dean fired the puck bar-down from the blue line to put the Knights within touching distance.
However, Widnes quickly answered back through Captain, #17 Andrew Hopkins as he fired the puck backhand past Booth, assisted by line-mate #16 Mikey Gilbert for Wild’s 6th of the evening. Although #12 Luke Alston was called again, this time for hooking, handing Knights a huge opportunity.
Widnes let their discipline slip once again as #85 Oli Howells sat for slashing, yet the defence denied the Knights to retain a 3 goal lead for Widnes. Leeds’ Icelandic import, #28 Helgi Bjarnason fired multiple chances for his side late in the frame, but #35 Luca Tessadri matched his efforts on each occasion.
The visitors gave Widnes their first powerplay opportunity of the evening at 58:14 as #71 Kurts Baumanis sat for elbows. However he quickly returned to play as #8 Flynn Massie claimed his 2nd of the night just 6 seconds into the man advantage. Tensions between the 2 sides spilled over in the final 30 seconds as Captain, #17 Andrew Hopkins dropped the gloves with #51 Connor Lewis, much to the crowd’s amusement, closing out a convincing 7-3 win for Widnes.
Scouse African Sweetery MVPs were awarded to Wild’s debutant #51 Callum Griffin and Knights’ defenceman #46 Alex Mitchell.
Widnes Wild are next set to face local rivals and current league leaders, Blackburn Hawks in the Jungle this Sunday for a 5:30pm face-off. With Wild currently in fine form, it’s a fixture fans won’t want to miss. Tickets are available to buy now through the official Widnes Wild website.
STATS
Widnes Wild: Mikey Gilbert 2+1, Flynn Massie 2+0, Andrew Hopkins 1+2, Luke Alston 1+0, Josh Guy 1+0, Ben McLellan 0+2, Alex Parry 0+2, Ollie Gotts 0+1, Will Daley 0+1, Bez Hughes 0+1, Callum Griffin 0+1, Tristan Grimshaw 0+1
Luca Tessadri: (4/10/14) 28 shots
Leeds Knights 2: Tom Dermott 1+0, Helgi Bjarnason 1+0, Lawrence Dean 1+0, Kurts Baumanis 0+3
Ollie Booth: (17/14/10) 41 shots
Article written by Fleur Tobin
Images by Sandra Koetter