The A team’s Silver Tier win caps off the end to a turbulent season for the Wildcats. The season commenced with a promising start after they routed Glasgow 22-2 in November, however after a double varsity loss against the Northumbria Kings, mixed mid-season results saw Newcastle finishing just above the relegation zone with a strong push at the tail end of the campaign.
Whilst their league position was improved after another team’s points deduction, expectations for the BUIHA’s prestigious end of season tournament were scuppered by some high-profile absences. Not only would the A team miss their starting keeper, but the league’s top scorer Ethan Willett would also be unavailable for the biggest weekend of the team’s year.
Even without their talismanic goal-scorer, the Wildcats went into the weekend optimistic. A faltering start against the University of East Anglia and Manchester saw the team needing a huge result against the Sheffield Bears. The resulting 3-0 victory inspired the team to a late group stage revival which saw both Oxford and Birmingham fall in their wake. The Willett-sized hole in the team was filled by centre James Milne, who not only bagged himself a hattrick in the Birmingham game but would end the tournament as top scorer.
The Wildcats finished 4th in their group, qualifying them for the Silver Tier knock-outs. Whilst this dashed any chances of a North East grudge match (with Northumbria’s team qualifying for the Gold Tier), it meant Newcastle would face the on-form Southampton Spitfires in the Semi-Finals. A hard-fought contest could not be decided in regulation and a shoot-out was required. In the Wildcats’ direst hour, up-stepped rookie goalie Hugo Taylor (who only began playing ice hockey less than a year ago). His penalty heroics booked a place for Newcastle in the Silver Tier final against Cambridge University.
After that nerve-wracking shoot-out showdown, the Wildcats showed a dominant display in the final. Goals from James McDonald and Rosie Dawes were added to by the team’s captain Sebastian Broman, who danced around the Cambridge Huskies to score and seal the victory for the team.
The A team’s victory cements this year as an historic one for Newcastle University ice hockey. As previously mentioned, a Bronze Tier win for the Wildcats B Team during the Non-Checking Tier 2 National Championships was secured by impressive performances from Charlie Tang and George Stewart in particular. However, whilst the victory celebrations continue, many of the Wildcats players who earned these wins are leaving at the end of the season. One such stalwart is A Team Centre Haydn Richards, who reflects ‘this was my last Nationals with the team, and it was one of the best weekends of my life. I’ve made friends for life playing ice hockey at Newcastle University and it was amazing to end it on such a high’.
