Sheffield Shadows 1 – Widnes Wild Women 2, ​WNIHL Div 2N

The Widnes Wild women’s team continued their unbeaten start to the new season with a 1-2 win away to Sheffield Shadows on Saturday.

As the score suggests, this was a very close game and the result could have gone either way until the very last seconds.

Sheffield took the lead in the 5th minute but Widnes drew level on 10 minutes with a goal from former Belgium international player Leen de Decker. The Wild Women went ahead on 15 minutes with another de Decker strike, this time a powerplay goal punishing a Sheffield stick-holding penalty.

The score remained 1-2 at the first period break and, despite numerous chances for both sides, it also ended up as the final score.

Sheffield upped the pressure as the game progressed, looking for an equaliser forcing Widnes into taking a few defensive penalties as they battled to keep them at bay. Wild netminder Stephanie Drinkwater put in a superb performance in front of goal keeping out 32 of the 33 shots that she faced - and was named MVP for the Wild women.

The Wild Women have another away fixture - at Whitley Bay on 27th October - before their first home game of the season against Whitley Bay Beacons on Sunday 24th November at Planet Ice Widnes, 4.25pm face off.

Widnes Wild 3 – Solihull Barons 8, NIHL Laidler Division

The Widnes Wild NIHL team put in a spirited performance against the Solihull Barons but it wasn’t enough to prevent them slumping to a 3-8 defeat at Planet Ice Widnes on Sunday.

The Wild started the game well and actually took the lead with a goal from Jonathan Williamson after 5 minutes but were pegged back and trailed 1-2 at the first period break.

A third goal for Solihull just 31 seconds into the second period saw the visitors edge further ahead but Widnes struck back and a goal from Damarni James narrowed the deficit back to just one. A successfully converted penalty shot on 33 minutes saw the Barons re-establish their two-goal lead and the score stood at 2-4 at the second interval.

Two more goals for Solihull early in the third period effectively put paid to any hopes of a late Widnes fightback and a seventh goal on 50 minutes simply confirmed their superiority.

Team Captain Andrew Hopkins fired in a third goal for Widnes just 25 seconds after that - but that was the last thing that the home fans got to cheer about and the Barons piled on the misery with an eighth goal of their own with just over a minute left to play.

The result extends the Wild’s losing streak to 7 defeats in a row for this Moralee Division season and you have to go right back to February for their last competitive win – when they beat Sheffield Scimitars in over time.

A surprise win at the weekend for the struggling Scimitars away at early season league leaders Hull Jets saw them leapfrog the Wild off the bottom of the league table, leaving Widnes as the only team without a point so far this season.

Widnes will be hoping to bounce straight back from this latest setback when they take on fierce rivals Blackburn Hawks in their next game – a tantalising north west derby - this Sunday 20th October at Planet Ice Widnes, 5.30pm face off.