Warriors tame the Cobras
On Saturday 6th December our Warriors 1 team welcomed a mixed ability Kingston Cobras team to Leeds for a pre-season challenge game.
This match-up was a long time coming. It marked the first occasion the Cobras had faced our Warriors’ first team on home ice. The sides had last met on 16th November 2024 at Hull Ice Arena, where a mixed-ability Cobras line-up edged an 8–7 victory. Aside from that encounter, any previous clashes had taken place during Cobras-hosted tournaments.
Dressed players
Lewis Pickering (NM), Joe Quinn (NM), Chris Giles (C), Andy Giles (A), Sam Cromack (A), Adam Gibbons, Ellen Gallimore, Mitch White, Will Gibbons, Niks Kamaldins, Tyler Heming, Matthew Gatenby, Dylan Noonan, Chris Scampton, Harvey Galloway and Andrew Hughes.
1st period
The Warriors came out flying, striking twice within seconds midway through the opening frame.
At 5:42, Dylan Noonan opened the scoring, finishing off a tidy set-up from Mitch White and Andy Giles.
Just seven seconds later, White doubled the lead with a quick, clinical finish that stunned the Cobras’ bench.
Another marker from Noonan at 9:03 made it 3–0, with the assist again from Andy Giles - and the Warriors’ relentless pressure continued.
At 10:54, Niks Kamaldins buried another, assisted by White, and when Andrew Hughes added a fifth at 15:09, the Warriors carried a commanding 5–0 advantage into the first break.
Warriors 5-0 Cobras
2nd period
The onslaught continued early in the second, even as penalties briefly interrupted the Warriors rhythm.
Despite the team being short-handed from a tripping call, Noonan completed his hat trick at 27:47, pushing the lead to 6–0 — with the assist coming from Andy Giles.
Just 38 seconds later, White struck again to make it 7–0. That was his second of the night.
At the half-way point in the game, starting netminder Lewis Pickering vacated his position between the pipes and was replaced by Joe Quinn.
At 30:38, the Warriors took another tripping call, but they held firm defensively, even adding to their tally — with a shorty coming from Hughes at 32:00 as he lashed the puck into the top right corner.
At 35:58, Hughes fed the puck to Chris Giles in the offensive zone, whose shot rebounded off the goalie’s pads and straight into the path of Kamaldins — who made no mistake, burying it to stretch the lead to an almost unthinkable 9–0 after forty minutes.
Warriors 9-0 Cobras
3rd period
But hockey rarely stays predictable.
The Cobras came out in the third with urgency, energy — and absolutely nothing to lose.
They iced their A teamers and decided to go for it. This was a rude awakening for the Warriors.
They began to chip away — one goal, then another, then another — as the Warriors momentarily lost the composure and structure that had defined the first two periods.
Penalties added pressure, and the Cobras seized momentum.
Before long, they had fired five unanswered goals, slicing the lead to 9–5 and forcing the Warriors to weather a suddenly intense final stretch.
While the comeback never fully threatened the result, the shift in momentum was dramatic.
What looked like a runaway victory turned into a reminder that no lead is truly safe.
Final score:
Warriors 9-5 Cobras
Points scorers :
Mitch White 2+2
Dylan Noonan 3+0
Niks Kamaldins 2+1
Andrew Hughes 2+1
Andy Giles 0+3
Chris Giles 0+1
Chris Scampton
Player of the game
Niks Kamalsins
Captain’s POTG
The Player of the Game for the Warriors, as selected by the Cobras, went to Chris Scampton and the Captain’s helmet went to Niks Kamaldins. Well played boys!
The Warriors ultimately secured the win with their explosive scoring through the first forty minutes, but the third period was a wake-up call and provides a valuable lesson.
Still, a 9–5 victory moves the team forward with plenty of positives. It was a useful pre-season game for both sets of players as they prepare to enter the 2025-26 season.
Thanks to Mike Forbes and the Cobras for a good game of hockey! We appreciate you making the trip west - and if we don’t see you beforehand, see you at the tournament next June.
Our Warriors 1 team have one more challenge game before they start their season campaign in the IHSC Cup (Ice Hockey Summer Classic). See the details below:
Friday 12th December 2025
Warriors v Nottingham North Stars
@ Planet Ice, Leeds
Face-off : 10pm
All Warriors 1 fixtures can be found here : Fixtures and Results
