Widnes Wild continued their impressive start to the 25/26 season campaign, clenching a 3-4 win over the Sheffield Scimitars in their opening league game at ice Sheffield on Sunday evening. 

Wild travelled with a squad of 17+2 as #4 Nathan Bennett and #70 Owen Severn made their debuts for Widnes, whilst #19 Jared Knowles and #85 Oli Howells were unavailable from the previous lineup. The visitors opted to start with #35 Luca Tessadri between the pipes, following on from his 5-3 victory over former side Leeds Knights 2, matched up against #90 Nick Winters for Sheffield. 

From the initial puck drop, both sides were eager to claim an early advantage but the netminders responded quickly to prevent an early goal. However, moments later the Scimitars defence were put under pressure as #16 Brandon Chard sat for tripping at 1:45. The Wild forwards created multiple chances yet failed to capitalise on the powerplay opportunity. 

Sheffield began the counter attack after returning to full strength and capitalised through their Captain, #47 Jack Dransfield at 5:22 to send the hosts into the lead. Wild looked to answer back quickly but a sliding block by #55 Bailey Challans denied #62 Damarni James a chance to equalise. 

The hat-trick heroes from the prior weekend, #14 Tristan Grimshaw and #44 Dani Haid fired shots for Widnes in the offensive zone, although Winters stood tall once again for the Scimitars. A series of shots were then fired on #35 Luca Tessadri by #71 Jacob Brammer, but he made the glove save on each occasion. A final chance was fed into the zone by #43 Will Daley however the Sheffield D-men recovered quickly to secure a narrow lead after 20 minutes.

Widnes were the hungrier side in the opening minutes of the middle frame and proved their intent through an equaliser by #17 Andrew Hopkins on a rebound at 21:46, following the initial strike from #44 Dani Haid. However, Sheffield quickly restored their lead thanks to #11 Sam Keeling unassisted at 23:34 on a breakaway. 

Play remained end-to-end which allowed #8 Flynn Massie to slot the puck past #90 Nick Winters just 30 seconds later to level the score to 2-2 at 24:02. Widnes continued their attacking prowess, but Winters made the difference for Sheffield and matched their efforts on numerous occasions. 

The visitors were relentless in the attacking zone and capitalised at 33:16 as a strike from #43 Will Daley was tipped by #16 Mikey Gilbert in the crease, putting Widnes ahead for the first time. The Wild were keen to double their lead although the defence were tested as Sheffield seeked an equalising strike. 

The hosts landed themselves in danger late in the second period as #15 Lewis Otley was called for tripping at 39:17, but Widnes were unable to convert before the buzzer sounded, ending the frame 2-3 in favour to the visitors. 

Despite Widnes having a man advantage, Sheffield levelled the scoreline at 41:10 after #98 Aiden Dancer led a breakaway for his side, tapped in by #4 Jacob Scott. However, Widnes answered back moments later thanks to a strike from #77 Ben McLellan landing top-corner as Winters was screened in the crease. 

Both sides created strong chances approaching the final 10 minutes of play yet failed to add to the scoreline. Widnes then put their lead at risk as #43 Will Daley was called for roughing at 48:24 to put Sheffield on the powerplay. Moments later, the visitors jeopardised themselves further as #62 Damarni James sat for elbows at 50:47 yet the Widnes defence denied the hosts from capitalising on both occasions. 

Sheffield fired multiple shots on Tessadri in the closing moments in hopes of sending the game into 3-on-3 overtime, but Widnes clenched onto their goal advantage and picked up 3 points from their opening league fixture of the 25/26 season. 

MVPs were awarded to #59 Jordan Jolly for Widnes following a strong performance across either end of the ice. Meanwhile, #71 Jacob Brammer picked up the title for Sheffield after multiple offensive attempts. 

Widnes are set to face their first double-header this weekend, travelling to Telford on Saturday for a 6pm face-off against the Tigers, followed by a trip to Hobbs Moat to face Solihull Barons at 5:30pm on Sunday evening. The Wild will finally return home to Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday 21st September, ready for battle against local rivals, Blackburn Hawks at a 5:30pm face-off time.

Article written by Fleur Tobin 

Images by RDG Digital