Academy youngsters’ effort is faultless in first home game of season
Widnes Wild Academy U13 2
Blackburn Hawks U13 14 WIDNES Wild U13s’ highlyanticipated first home fixture took place last Saturday evening.
The teams observed a minute’s silence to honour The Fallen ahead of Remembrance Sunday the following day.
The Wild made a strong start, winning the first face-off and quickly applying pressure on the Hawks’ net.
With 1:09 played, Aidan Lamb, delivered the puck to the stick of Jared Knowles in front of goal. He lifted the puck over the Hawks’ netminder’s right shoulder to open the scoring.
The rest of the first period was hard-fought by both teams, with all the scoring coming from the visitors despite many great saves from ● Wild goaltender Robert Ziraks.
At the end of the period the Hawks led 6-1.
The second period saw the Hawks come out strong, scoring five unanswered goals including one on a powerplay whilst Adam Vigh-Yecsey sat a minor penalty for tripping.
The Wild kept battling and at 24:29 Knowles returned the favour to Lamb serving the puck in front of goal his teammate to finish.
The Hawks were able to score one more before the end of the second period, finishing the stanza with a 12-2 lead.
The third period was always going to be tough for the Wild, who iced with a short bench for the fixture.
The Hawks scored two goals in the first minute of the puck drop, invoking the newlyintroduced ‘mercy rule’ meaning no more goals were recorded.
Throughout the remaining time the Wild showed their grit and determination, skating hard and competing until the final buzzer.
The team again showing that they will not give up on a game and will work hard to create offensive opportunities, regardless of the scoreline.
The Wild Academy U13 team are in action again this Sunday when they entertain the Deeside Dragons U13 team at Planet Ice Widnes. Face-off is at 4.20pm and admission is free of charge.
The day before sees the Wild U15 team in action when they also play their Deeside counterpart at home at Planet Ice Widnes. That game faces-off at 6.50pm and admission is also free. ● Planet Ice Widnes has a very well-organised and structured ‘learn to play ice hockey’ scheme in place and are always keen to attract new players of all age groups – boys and girls. Anybody interested in joining the Wild Academy should contact the rink on 0151-420 7930 and speak to the junior development officer and academy manager Mikey Gilbert.