Widnes Wild vs Deeside Dragons 02.12.23
The YKK Widnes Wild faced the Deeside Dragons for the 1st time this season and claimed a dominant 10-8 victory over their derby rivals. Saturday night’s M56 cup game featured the Wild icing in their special edition 10yr anniversary jerseys. Both Matty Barlow and Rhys Edwards made their return to the team following injuries, to give Widnes a squad of 16+2 to face the dragons.
Widnes claimed possession from the 1st face-off and immediately fired the puck towards Jace Gledhill in the Deeside goal. The Wild were off to a flying start, gaining an early lead at 1:49 after #96 Innes Gallacher fired the puck bar-down over Gledhill’s shoulder. Tensions quickly began to rise, causing co-incidental penalties at 3:39 on #77 Kyle Carruth and #85 Ollie Howells for roughing. Deeside then levelled the score at 6:32 after #5 James Parsons tapped the puck through Walker’s 5-hole.
Widnes regained their lead at 11:01 after #77 Kyle Carruth scored his 1st of the game, firing the puck from the blue line over Gledhill’s glove, assisted by #84 Tom Jackson and #16 Mikey Gilbert. A penalty on Wild Captain Tom Jackson for hooking at 14:01 put Deeside on their 1st PP of the game. They capitalised just 19seconds later with #29 Andy McKinney from #55 Ross Kennedy. The game seemed to calm heading towards the end of the 1st period with the score standing at 2-2. However, former Widnes player #12 Jakub Hajek scored a late goal at 19:31, assisted by #13 Matt Wainwright and #7 Alex Parry to give Deeside the lead.
Deeside were found on the PK early in the 2nd after #18 Ryan Jones was handed an interference penalty. Despite a constant flurry of shots on goal, Widnes failed to score with the man advantage. Wild turned the tide half-way through the game, scoring 2 quick goals to regain their lead. Carruth slotted the puck into the net on the breakaway at 27:50 and Innes Gallacher followed suit at 29:30, assisted by Torran Anderson and Conner McNulty to put the score at 4-3. Another penalty for Jackson for slashing, gave Deeside an opportunity at 32:31.
Alex Parry found a way past Walker at 33:22, assisted by Greaves and Wainwright on the PP. Damarni James came close to scoring after he lifted the puck through Gledhill’s 5-hole but deflected at the post to deny a goal. Andy McKinney added his name to the scoresheet at 36:25 to give Deeside a 4-5 lead but Ross Kennedy also picked up a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct at the same time. Widnes failed to equalise before the end of the 2nd, to trail by 1 goal going into the final period.
Both teams were handed penalties on the buzzer at 40:00; Torran Anderson for roughing and Alex Parry for cross checking to leave the play 5on5. Tensions then spilled over quickly at 40:46 after Tom Jackson received a cross-check penalty, Brodie Jesson was handed a slashing penalty and Kyle Carruth sat for abuse, leaving Widnes on the PK once more. However, Conner McNulty fired another past Gledhill, shorthanded at 42:16, assisted by Owen Rae and Joey Coulter to level the score.
Matty Barlow bagged his 1st goal since his injury on the breakaway in the same minute, to give Widnes the lead again. Just a minute later at 43:55, Innes Gallacher grabbed his hat-trick to double the Wild’s lead, assisted by Captain Tom Jackson. A flurry of penalties soon followed at 46:28, leaving the dragons with a 5on3 powerplay. Parsons reduced Deeside’s deficit to 7-6 at 47:06, assisted by Jesson and Valusiak on the PP. Alex Parry capitalised twice for the dragons at 48:59 and 50:15, to claim a hat-trick and give his side the advantage once more, heading into the final 10 minutes of a very tense game.
Widnes applied the pressure once more and were soon rewarded with a goal from #16 Mikey Gilbert to claw back the score. Wild’s Damarni James was called for high-sticks at 57:05, leaving Widnes on the PK late in the game. McNulty tapped the puck into the Dragon’s net after a pass from Anderson across the crease shorthanded, to put the score at 9-8 in favour to Widnes. With a minute left in the game, Deeside pulled Booth in favour of an extra man. However, Matty Barlow punished their gamble at 59:25 with an empty-netter, putting Widnes into double figures, assisted by James and Carruth to ensure Widnes a 10-8 derby win.
MVPs were awarded to both hat-trick heroes of the game – #96 Innes Gallacher for Widnes and #7 Alex Parry for Deeside.
Officials: Wheeler, Fielden, Ryder
STATS –
Widnes Wild: Innes Gallacher 3+0, Kyle Carruth 2+2, Matty Barlow 2+0, Conner McNulty 2+1, Mikey Gilbert 1+1, Tom Jackson 0+3, Torran Anderson 0+2, Owen Rae 0+1, Joey Coulter 0+1, Bez Hughes 0+1, Rhys Edwards 0+1, Damarni James 0+1
Deeside Dragons: Alex Parry 3+1, James Parsons 2+0, Andy McKinney 2+0, Jakub Hajek 1+1, Ross Kennedy 0+2, Matt Wainwright 0+2, Joe Greaves 0+2, Ryan Jones 0+1, Brodie Jesson 0+1, Petr Valusiak 0+1, MJ Clancy 0+1
Widnes Wild vs Deeside Dragons 03.12.23
The YKK Widnes Wild returned to Planet Ice Widnes for the 2nd night in a row, to face the Deeside Dragons once more, this time in league action on Sunday night. The game ended in a narrow 2-4 victory to the Dragons despite their loss the previous evening. Both teams saw a change of player in-between the pipes – Luca Tessadri and Matt Croyle were the selected netminders in the lineup. Meanwhile, Widnes saw the return of defenders Johnathon Williamson and Will Harper, plus Bailey Thomson and Flynn Massie. However, Kilmarnock Thunder 2-ways Innes Gallacher, Torran Anderson and Conner McNulty were missing due to a clash of fixtures.
Widnes won the initial face-off and went straight towards goal hoping to catch Croyle out early. The local derby tensions carried over from the previous night’s game and saw #39 Matty Barlow and #85 Ollie Howells head to the box for embellishment and tripping at 4:23 after a battle on the boards. Both sides were determined to grab an early goal, but neither side could capitalise on their chances. Deeside were the first to strike gold at 10:15 after #79 Petr Valusiak tapped the rebound home to give the dragons the lead, assisted by #5 James Parsons and #78 Brodie Jesson.
However, Widnes were quick to react and levelled the score to 1-1 after Johnathon Williamson fired the puck bar-down from point at 11:08, assisted by #5 Rhys Edwards and #63 Joey Coulter. Deeside returned to the offence and crashed the net numerous times, eventually leading to co-incidental roughing penalties for #21 Damarni James and #5 James Parsons at 15:43. More penalties were given at 17:59 after Rhys Edwards was handed a 5min major for fighting and Joey Coulter + Karl Bacon sat 2min each leaving Widnes on the PK. Luca stood tall for the Wild in the final minutes, ending the 1st at 1-1.
Deeside remained on the PP for the start of the 2nd period, but failed to capitalise with the advantage. The Dragons were then handed another opportunity after both Tom Jackson and Joey Coulter headed to the box for slashing at 22:31, leaving Widnes with a 5on3 PK. Wild prevented Deeside from claiming the lead, despite being 2 men down and were soon rewarded with a PP of their own, following a high sticks penalty on Dragons captain #13 Matt Wainwright at 25:10. However, Croyle kept the Wild at bay and his team soon returned to full strength. Both teams failed to add to the score in the 2nd, following the string of constant penalties in the first half of the game. Referee Steve Ryder then called the period early at 38:36 after #55 Ross Kennedy was called for a slashing penalty just 19 seconds prior at 38:17.
Players returned after the ice cut and completed the remaining 1:24 of the 2nd period before changing ends. Deeside then regained their lead at 41:16 with Alex Parry, assisted by Brodie Jesson and Ollie Howells after 30 minutes of the score being level. Widnes created chances in an effort to equalise once more, but Croyle got the better of them to ensure the Dragons maintained their lead. A strike from #61 Jared Dickinson just minutes later at 44:39, assisted by Parsons and Jesson, doubled Deeside’s advantage to 1-3. MJ Clancy gave away a holding penalty at 48:48, which left Wild with a powerplay.
Nathan Britton reduced the deficit for Widnes seconds later at 49:16, assisted by Mikey Gilbert and Joey Coulter on the PP. Tensions began to spill once more, resulting in co-incidental penalties for Jackson and Kennedy at 52:48. Another double penalty call on Wild’s Joey Coulter for abuse and Will Harper for slashing handed Deeside a huge chance at 54:14. The Dragons’ James Parsons found a way past Tessadri at 55:10 assisted by Valusiak and Jesson to set the score at 2-4 in the final 5 minutes of a very tense game. Widnes fired the puck at Croyle, determined to find a quick goal in the dying minutes, but the buzzer sounded ending the score at 2-4 to the Dragons.
MVPs were awarded to goal-scorer #10 Nathan Britton for Widnes, and defenceman #91 Marc Lovell for Deeside.
STATS –
Widnes Wild: Johnathon Williamson 1+0, Nathan Britton 1+0, Joey Coulter 0+2, Rhys Edwards 0+1, Mikey Gilbert 0+1
Deeside Dragons: James Parsons 1+2, Petr Valusiak 1+1, Alex Parry 1+0, Jared Dickinson 1+0, Brodie Jesson 0+4, Ollie Howells 0+1
Article written by Fleur Tobin