Widnes Wild completed their first 6 point weekend of the 25/26 season with a dramatic 5-7 victory over Nottingham Lions in a battle of the big cats at the National Ice Centre on Sunday evening.
1st Period – (1-2)
Wild carried their momentum from the previous evening, putting Lions under pressure from the initial face-off. However, the visitors gave Nottingham an early advantage as #7 Alex Parry sat a minor infraction for hooking. Despite numerous attempts, Widnes read the hosts’ plays successfully to maintain a goal-less scoreline.
The Wild quickly regrouped and set up in the Nottingham offenzive zone, firing through #4 Nathan Bennett, but his shot from the point fell wide of Coles’ net. Persistent pressure from the visitors forced Lions’ #58 Liam Peters to concede a hooking call at 09:46. Moments later, Widnes’ top-scoring D-man added another to his tally after collecting the rebound from #16 Gilbert’s initial strike.
However Wild soon put their advantage in jeopardy as #8 Flynn Massie sat for interference, a chance which Nottingham converted just 7 seconds later at 13:06 as #27 Alex Rushby tipped the strike from #46 Matty Bell past Tessadri to equalise. Despite the setback, Wild quickly recovered as #16 Mikey Gilbert tucked the puck past Coles on the near side at 15:05, following the feed from Hopkins.
The Lions looked to answer back as #11 Jack Crowston fired a series of shots on Tessadri, yet he made the stop on each occasion. Nottingham continued to test the Wild defence late in the frame, but they held strong to retain a 1-2 lead after 20 minutes of play.
2nd Period – (2-3)
Wild began the middle frame with a man advantage as #54 James Cox sat for tripping but failed to convert. Although Lions returned to full strength, #44 Dani Haid claimed his second of the weekend with a top-corner strike at 24:42, doubling the lead for Wild. The visitors were relentless on the attack and looked to contribute further through all 3 lines, but the Lions defence held their own.
Nottingham gained possession for a sustained period of time, allowing #27 Alex Rushby to fire his second past Tessadri at 32:13 reducing the deficit back to a single goal. Widnes regrouped and piled on the pressure, forcing Lions to ice the puck several times through the mid-point of the game.
However, momentum swung in the hosts’ favour as Wild skipper, #17 Andrew Hopkins sat for tripping late in the second period but they failed to find an equaliser before the buzzer.
3rd period – (5-6)
The Lions returned for the final frame with a clear game plan and executed through #74 Luke Birchnall with a one-timer from the slot, after the set-up by Rushby at 41:33, to level the score. Both teams were eager to claim the advantage, yet neither netminder came up short with their efforts between the pipes.
A lovely link-up play from Wild’s 2nd line saw #16 Mikey Gilbert claim another from inside the crease at 45:21, propelling Widnes into the lead once again. However, Lions received an opportunity to score their third as #51 Ollie Gotts was called for tripping.
Despite being a player short, #8 Flynn Massie intercepted a pass from the neutral zone and fired over Coles to extend Wild’s lead short-handed, approaching the final 10 minutes. Widnes let their discipline slip once more, seeing #14 Tristan Grimshaw sit for delaying play at 51:12.
A pass out of the Widnes zone from #4 Nathan Bennett gave #8 Flynn Massie the perfect moment to add another SH goal to his tally at 52:26, posting the score at 3-6. Tensions began to rise between the sides, which resulted in coincidental penalties on Wild’s #84 Tom Jackson and Lions’ #50 Joe Humphries.
Nottingham were awarded a huge opportunity to claw their way back into the game at 54:28 as a double-minor was called on #8 Flynn Massie. The Lions’ top-points scorer, #27 Alex Rushby stepped up for his side and secured his hat-trick goal past #35 Luca Tessadri at 55:37 on the powerplay.
Momentum shifted in favour to the hosts and Rushby’s continued offensive threat proved too much to cope with yet again for Wild on 57 minutes, as he fired his fourth of the evening, posting Lions just a shot behind Widnes with a 5-6 scoreline. The hosts opted to pull #30 Evan Coles in favour for an extra forward, but #14 Tristan Grimshaw secured the win against his former side with an empty-netter at 59:27.
Rushby fired one last attempt at the Widnes goal, but Tessadri made the catcher save to ensure Wild’s first maximum point weekend of the 25/26 season, much to the delight of the travelling fans.
Widnes Wild are set to return home after 20 days, taking on Nottingham Lions in a battle of the Big Cats on Saturday evening for a 7pm face-off. Tickets are available to buy now through the official Widnes Wild website.
STATS
Widnes Wild: Mikey Gilbert 2+1, Flynn Massie 2+0, Dani Haid 1+1, Ben McLellan 1+0, Tristan Grimshaw 1+0, Johnathan Williamson 0+3, Andrew Hopkins 0+1, Nathan Bennett 0+1
Luca Tessadri: (9/4/21) 34 shots
Nottingham Lions: Alex Rushby 4+1, Luke Birchnall 1+2, Matthew Bell 0+2, Joe Humphries 0+2
Evan Coles: (14/10/8) 32 shots
Article written by Fleur Tobin
Images by Sandra Koetter