Warriors in shoot-out drama with Ice Wolves
On Saturday 10th January 2026, our development team travelled to Bradford to take on the Ice Wolves in the BOTB Cup.
Our Warriors 3 side had already played two games in the Bottom of the Barrel (BOTB) Cup prior to this one. Both were in November 2025 and both ended in plucky defeat.
Next up were the Bradford Ice Wolves. This gave the team another opportunity to bounce back and cause an upset in an away barn.
Dressed players:
Rory Butcher (NM), Adam Szabo, Ash Davies, Brendan Hullah, Connor Brocklebank, Craig Baker, Dean Cadman, Freddy Monk, Gary Clough, Heather McCarten, Jonjo Marshall, Josh Moss, Paul Eaglestone, Philip Bradley, Phil Pearce and Joe Quinn.
1st period:
At the start of this contest, the Ice Wolves came out fired up, and after some persistent pressure they took the lead, with 5 minutes 13 seconds on the clock.
Despite the early blow, the Warriors kept on fighting, but were hit with a second Ice Wolves goal at 12:59 - just as they were starting to get a foothold in the game.
At 2-0 things were not looking promising for our development team. The next goal was crucial.
Could the Warriors halve the deficit or would the game slip away from them? One thing was for sure, the team would continue to battle in trademark fashion.
At 15:48 the hosts took a 2 minute tripping penalty, but unfortunately the Warriors couldn’t capitalise.
Thankfully, only a minute later, at 18:49, Jonjo Marshall converted to get the Warriors on the board at 2-1. The assist coming from Phil Pearce.
Psychologically, this was a big goal as it turned the game back into a close contest after the risk of it becoming an uphill battle.
Ice Wolves 2-1 Warriors
2nd period:
With only one goal between the teams, the game was finely poised.
The Warriors came out fighting, picking up where they had left off.
Early in the period, at 24:11, they scored the equalising goal - that man Marshall picked up his second of the game, with the assist coming from Adam Szabo. Game on.
What followed was a stalemate for a large portion of the period, as both teams battled hard to create chances and get the go-ahead goal.
It took until 37:23 for the breakthrough - and that went to the Warriors. Freddy Monk scored the unassisted goal to put the team ahead for the first time in the game. 2-3 Warriors.
A real blow for the hosting Ice Wolves who looked like a team that wanted to get to the second interval in order to regroup.
There were no further goals in the remaining 2 and a half minutes of the period as it closed at 2-3 to the Warriors.
Ice Wolves 2-3 Warriors
3rd period:
The team had put a lot of energy into those first two periods and did brilliantly well to find themselves ahead. But at what cost? - did they have enough left in the tank to stave off a determined Ice Wolves?
Once again - the next goal was crucial. In a low scoring game like this, a 4th Warriors goal could be enough to seal the win, but an equalising Ice Wolves goal could shift the momentum in their favour.
Unfortunately, the latter happened soon after the puck drop. At 42:43 Ice Wolves bagged their third of the night to tie the game at 3-3.
Now it was all down to the final 17 minutes of the final period. One goal could seal the win and both teams went for it.
At 43:51 - the hosts took another tripping penalty but the Warriors could not convert this into a goal.
With both teams fighting hard to get the winning goal they cancelled each other out as the game ended in a stalemate.
After 60 minutes of regulation time, the game would now go straight to a penalty shoot-out.
Final score:
Ice Wolves 3-3 Warriors
Penalty shoot-out
After 14 rounds of penalty shots, where both goalies were outstanding, the hosts managed to slot home 2 goals, whereas the Warriors could only convert once (through Adam Szabo) meaning the Ice Wolves took the win and the extra point.
Points scorers:
Jonjo Marshall 2+0
Freddy Monk 1+0
Phil Pearce 0+1
Adam Szabo 0+1
Rory Butcher
Player of the game
Rory Butcher
Captain’s player of the game
Player of the Game, as selected by the Ice Wolves, went to netminder Rory Butcher.
The Captain’s Helmet also went to Rory Butcher for a fantastic performance in goal. Well played Rory.
What a game! What a comeback to get to 2-3. A real shame that it ultimately ended in defeat but the team pick up a point on the road and can be heartened by the fantastic performance. Well done everyone.
Our development team’s next game is a few weeks away. See details below:
Bottom of the Barrel Cup:
Saturday 21st February 2026
Versus Cleveland Comets
Face-off @ 10pm
@ Planet Ice, Leeds
For all Warriors development fixtures, please check this page : fixtures and results.
