Warriors¹ in bronze medal battle with Predators
On Sunday 23nd August, Warriors¹ returned to Ice Sheffield to take on Newcastle Predators in the 3rd-4th place play-off game in the IHSC Cup Intermediate Division.
The Warriors entered Sunday’s game with an even shorter bench than they had iced in the previous day’s semi-final.
Defence-man Adam Gibbons and his brother, forward Will Gibbons, were both unavailable, leaving the team with just four defence-men and requiring several forwards to double-shift to fill the gap elsewhere in the line-up.
The Warriors had watched the Predators semi-final game the previous day and their performance gave the Warriors confidence in winning today’s game.
However, it quickly became apparent during the warm-up that the Predators had arrived with a larger and significantly stronger line-up for this game, with additional quality undoubtedly bolstering their ranks.
Although neither team had arrived at play-off weekend hoping to contest the third-place game, the message before face-off was clear: the shield remained a prize worth fighting for.
Dressed players
Andrew Hughes (NM), Chris Giles (C), Tom Mallon, Ellen Gallimore, Tyler Heming, Jake Warner, Dylan Noonan, Andy Giles (A), Mitch White, Simon Morrow, Chris Scampton, Harvey Galloway, Jordan Batty.
1st period
Unfortunately, it was the Predators who made by far the stronger start.
The Predators scored three times within the opening 9 minutes and 36 seconds as the Warriors struggled to find their rhythm. Goals timed at 04:04, 08:50 and 09:36.
The Warriors had simply not got going and desperately needed something to ignite their performance.
The Predators picked up a hooking minor at 10:53 which gave the Warriors a power-play opportunity, but they couldn’t capitalise and were left feeling frustrated.
The spark arrived at 13:02 when - who else, but Mitch White - took matters into his own hands - after taking the pass from Dylan Noonan, he showed excellent individual skill to dangle the Predators D, cut inside and fire the Warriors onto the board - restoring some belief at 3–1.
At 18:15, Tyler Heming received a minor penalty for body checking, sending the Warriors onto the penalty kill.
Less than a minute later - and during the final minute of the opening period - the Predators restored their three-goal advantage in highly controversial circumstances.
With several bodies crowded around the crease, the puck was forced across the line for a Predators power-play goal. However, the Warriors players closest to the incident saw that the Predators player had deliberately scooped the puck forward with his right skate.
With the referee positioned alongside the goal line and concentrating on whether the puck had crossed it, the kicking motion went unseen.
Here’s the exact point at which the puck was kicked into the net by the right skate of the Predators player.
Despite strong protests from the Warriors, the goal stood, leaving them facing a daunting 4–1 deficit at the first intermission.
Predators 4-1 Warriors
2nd period
The Predators extended their lead 7 minutes and 33 seconds into the second period - and at 5–1 down and with the game approaching its half-way point, the Warriors appeared to be heading towards a heavy defeat.
Remarkably, however, that would prove to be the Predators’ final goal of the contest.
With the Predators assessed a tripping minor at 33:10, the fight-back could begin - the Warriors were now on the power-play and had a face-off in the Predators zone to the left of their goal.
Centre-man Noonan won the draw and directed the puck to the right hash mark where winger Andy Giles could push the puck back into the path of Mitch White who hit a hard wrister through bodies which caught out the Predators goalie for his second goal of the game.
The deficit had now been reduced to 5–2. Game on.
During the course of this period, the Predators took 6 minor penalties and it was this lack of discipline that now handed the Warriors a five-on-three advantage. Minor penalties being called for holding (36:46) and too many men (38:24).
With the face-off in the Predators zone, to the right of the goal, Chris Scampton won the draw - and directed the puck back to Tyler Heming. Heming got the puck under control, approached the goal and hit a hard wrist shot which was blocked, but he reacted quickly to collect his own rebound before lifting a composed back-hand finish above the netminder’s pads. Great goal! 5-3 (38:47).
This was the Warriors second power-play goal of the period and the Predators were still down to 4 skaters, meaning the Warriors had further time on the power-play.
With the clock running down in the period, the Warriors had cut the deficit to two and would enter the final period trailing 5–3.
Predators 5-3 Warriors
3rd period
The Warriors started the final period on the power-play which lasted for approximately 30 seconds but unfortunately they couldn’t make it count.
But they were continuing to build momentum - and 6 minutes and 23 seconds into the period, Andy Giles bumped the puck down the boards for Noonan to latch onto - he burst down the right wing, cut inside, faked the pass and slotted it past the netminder to make it 5-4. What a huge goal!
Having looked out of the contest earlier, and with the clock at 46:47 - the Warriors now had plenty of time to find an equaliser.
The Predators were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Their attacking ventures became less frequent and less intense, but their experienced players defended resolutely and made it extremely difficult for the Warriors to turn pressure into clear opportunities.
The Predators also remained a threat on the counter-attack, meaning the Warriors could not afford to abandon their defensive responsibilities entirely.
The remainder of the period became increasingly frustrating. The Warriors created chances and spent long spells searching for the equalising goal, but the Predators defended well and their netminder produced an assured performance to preserve the lead.
With the clock appearing to run down far too quickly, the Warriors called a time-out at around the 57-minute mark. The decision was made to withdraw netminder Andrew Hughes for an extra skater once the Warriors had secured possession in the Predators half after 58 minutes.
That opportunity soon arrived, and the closing stages became a prolonged attack-versus-defence exercise. The Predators repeatedly cleared the puck down the ice, but each time the Warriors were able to re-group, return to the offensive zone and try again.
But, despite throwing everything they had at the Predators, the Warriors could not force the puck across the line. The Predators’ experienced and stoic defending saw them through to the final buzzer, securing a 5–4 victory along with the third-place shield and medals.
Final score:
Predators 5-4 Warriors
Points scorers :
Mitch White 2+0
Dylan Noonan 1+2
Andy Giles 0+2
Tyler Heming 1+0
Chris Scampton 0+1
Dylan Noonan
Player of the game
Tyler Heming
Captain’s POTG
For the post-game awards, Player of the Game went to Dylan Noonan and the Captain’s helmet went to Tyler Heming.
Tyler had stepped into the forward position for the play-off games and grabbed the Warriors third goal which was crucial to the teams’ fight-back attempt. Dylan, unsurprisingly, was crucial to the team’s overall chances this weekend and it was fitting that he would get this award.
Well done both.
It was a painful result for the Warriors, particularly after battling back from 5–1 down and preventing the Predators from scoring throughout the final 32 minutes of the game. Nevertheless, the determination shown by a depleted squad provided a fitting demonstration of the character that had underpinned the team’s season.
That season received the recognition it deserved during the post-game presentation. Warriors captain Chris Giles was presented with two trophies on behalf of the team: the first for finishing as Group B winners and the second—and larger—trophy for being crowned the overall Intermediate Division winners.
Although play-off weekend did not end with the result the Warriors had wanted, the trophies represented the achievements of an excellent campaign and ensured the team left Ice Sheffield with plenty to celebrate.
Thanks to Lisa Speed for being with us on the Saturday for the semi-final and to our injured netminder Lewis Pickering for being with us all weekend. It’s much appreciated.
Well done to everyone involved—a great season overall.
Action shots:
That’s a wrap for the 2025-26 season but please keep an eye out for future Warriors¹ fixtures. The team will be competing in the IHSC Cup again next season.
But first, we have our Awards Night on Saturday 19th September 2026 at Mad Frans!
