Teenager Deakan Fielder has made has made an outstanding start to life with Cardiff Fire.
Telford-born Fielder, who played alongside NHL draft pick Liam Kirk for Great Britain’s under-20 team, joined National Ice Hockey League South team Fire this season and has been in excellent form.
The 19-year-old former Fresno Monsters player, who has skated with Cardiff Devils in training, is an offensive D-man who made his home debut for Cardiff Fire at the Viola Arena on Sunday.
He has been voted man of the match three times in three matches for Fire’s South One team this season.
“We were unlucky not to take the points against Solent,” tweeted Fielder after a 2-1 Fire home defeat against Solent Devils. “The guys played with grit and heart for the full 60 minutes, but it just wasn’t our night.
“Great to get man of the match. Now onto the next game.”
Fire have one NIHL fixture next weekend when Slough Jets will visit the Viola Arena on Sunday (6pm face-off).
Martyn Gray, Reed Sayers and Jason Warren were the other Fire players making their debut.
Welshman Gray, aged 26, started playing in Cardiff before moving on to Swindon where he spent the next five seasons playing under-16, under-18 and NIHL hockey.
The Great Britain Universities international moved north to play for Sheffield Senators before joining Bracknell Hornets, Oxford City Stars and now Cardiff Fire.
Sayers and Warren are forwards who have joined Fire on two-way deals with the Swindon organisation.
Cardiff Fire had two NIHL fixtures last weekend, losing 6-1 against South One leaders Slough Jets away and 2-1 against Solent Devils.
The club’s second team, who play in NIHL South West Two, have played two matches so far. They defeated Bristol Pitbulls 5-4 and lost 6-3 against Basingstoke.
Daudz laimes dzimšanas dienā to our new #⃣2⃣6⃣ Kris Kasjanovs 🇱🇻🥳 #HappyBirthday pic.twitter.com/vgomuIQ77H
— Cardiff Fire (@CardiffFireIHC) September 23, 2019
Netminder Ben Scanlon played his first full senior match for Cardiff Fire seconds ands was named man of the match with an 87 per cent save percentage.
National Ice Hockey League South One
Cardiff Fire 1, Solent Devils 2
Scorers, Fire: Ben Smith 1+0, Lews Stevens 0+1
Devils: Mark Pitts 1+0, James Hounsome 1+0, Richard Facey 0+1, Ralfs Circenis 0+1, Alex Murray 0+1
Period scores (Fire first): 0-1; 1-1 (1-2); 0-0 (1-2)
Shots on goal: Fire (on Matthew Colclough) 30, Devils (on Lewis Davies) 44
Penalties in minutes: Fire 2+4+2=8; Devils 0+4+4=8
Slough Jets 6, Cardiff Fire 1
Scorers, Slough: Lewis English 2+0, Sean Norris 2+0, Bradley Hildreth 1+0, Ryan Handisides 1+2, Daniel Rose 0+4, Stewart Tait 0+2, Juha Lindgren 0+1
Fire: Iwan Davies 1+0, Josh Haslam 0+1
Period scores (Jets first): 2-1; 1-0 (3-1); 3-0 (6-1)
Shots on goal: Slough (on Lewis Davies) 58, Cardiff Fire (on Matthew Smital) 19
Penalties in minutes: Slough 0+2+2=4, Cardiff Fire 0+6+2=8
Scores, NIHL South One:
Sunday: Invicta Dynamos 4, Slough Jets 5; Cardiff Fire 1, Solent Devils 2; Oxford City Stars 1, Streatham 8; Chelmsford Chieftains 7, Romford Raiders Juniors w; Milton Keynes Thunder 0, Bracknell Hornets 3.
Saturday: Solent Devils 4, Chelmsford Chieftains 3; Romford Raiders Juniors 4, Invicta Dynamos 5; Slough Jets 6, Cardiff Fire 1.
National Ice Hockey League South West Two
Cardiff Fire 2nds 5, Bristol Pitbulls 4
Scorers, Fire: Jordan Powell 2+2, Elliott Murdoch 1+2, Lewis Stevens 1+0, Elis Sheppard 1+0, Carter-Jaice Lloyd 0+1, Ross Wilkinson 0+1
Pitbulls: Jamie Newton 1+0, Daniel Williams 1+0, Grant Richardson 1+0, Joshua Dolphin 1+0, Adam Coakley 0+1, Nathan Darmanin 0~+1, Liam O’Connell 0+1, Michael Hargreaves 0+1.
Shots on goal: Fire (on Graeme Bird) 47, Pitbulls (on James Whiting) 27
Penalties in minutes: Fire 0+8+4=12; Pitbulls 4+6+2=12
Period scores (Fire first): 1-1; 1-2 (2-3); 3-1 (5-4)
Basingstoke Buffalo 6, Cardiff Fire 2nds 3
Scorers, Buffalo: Jake Peacock 3+0, Cameron Buckley 2+1, Neil Leary 1+0, Travis Penny 0+2, Samuel Brooks 0+2, Warren Jones 0+1, Thomas Banner 0+1
Fire: Jordan Powell 1+0, Lewis Stevens 1+0, Elis Sheppard 1+1, Ross Wilkinson 0+1, Iwan Davies 0+1, Craig Adams 0+1
Period scores (Buffalo first): 1-2; 2-1 (3-3); 3-0 (6-3)
Shots on goal: Buffalo (on Ben Scanlon) 47, Fire (on Ethan Frain) 41
Penalties in minutes: Buffalo 30, Fire 14
Penalties in minutes: Buffalo 16+0+14=30; Fire 2+0+10=12
Cardiff Fire fixtures 2019-20
NIHL South One
September
Saturday 14 Romford Raiders 9, Cardiff Fire 6
Saturday 21 Slough Jets 6, Cardiff Fire 1
Sunday 22 Cardiff Fire 1, Solent Devils 2
Sunday 29 v Slough Jets (home)
October
Saturday 5 v Bracknell Hornets (away)
Saturday 12 v Streatham (away)
Saturday 19 v Solent Devils (away)
Sunday 20 v Bracknell Hornets (home)
Saturday 26 v Chelmsford Chieftains (home)
November
Sunday 3 v Milton Keynes Thunder (home)
Saturday 9 v Chelmsford Chieftains (away)
Sunday 10 v Bracknell Hornets (home)
Saturday 16 v Invicta Dynamos (home)
Sunday 24 v Milton Keynes Thunder (away)
Saturday 30 v Romford Raiders (home)
December
Saturday 7 v Streatham (home)
Sunday 8 v Oxford City Stars (away)
Saturday 14 v Invicta Dynamos (away)
Sunday 15 v Solent Devils (home)
January
Saturday 4 v Romford Raiders (away)
Saturday 11 v Romford Raiders (home)
Sunday 12 v Milton Keynes Thunder (away)
Saturday 18 v Streatham (away)
Sunday 19 v Oxford City Stars (home)
Saturday 25 v Invicta Dynamos (home)
Sunday 26 v Bracknell Hornets (away)
February
Saturday 1 v Slough Jets (away)
Saturday 8 v Chelmsford Chieftains (home)
Sunday 9 v Invicta Dynamos (away)
Saturday 15 v Chelmsford Chieftains (away)
Sunday 16 v Oxford City Stars (home)
Saturday 22 v Solent Devils (away)
March
Saturday 7 v Milton Keynes Thunder (home)
Sunday 8 v Oxford City Stars (away)
Saturday 21 v Streatham (home)
Sunday 29 v Slough Jets (home)