DEESIDE DRAGONS could not be in better form heading into the most crucial point of the season.

Dragons brought the curtain down on the regular season with a 6-1 victory at home to Widnes Wild, which makes it a run of seven consecutive triumphs heading into what promise to be thrilling NIHL Division One North play-offs.

There were more than 800 fans in attendance for the Widnes clash and reflecting on the large turnout, assistant head coach Matt Compton said: “They were so loud and so good. The junior club were there too.

“It shows how much the club has moved on over the last few years since Covid.

“It’s 18 months back and a lot of hard work goes on on the ice, but it also shows the hard work that goes on off the ice. (General manager) Shaun Bebbington and the team put a lot of work in to get these crowds.”

Fast starts have been a feature for Deeside over recent weeks and the Widnes match-up was no different.

The hosts were 2-0 up by the end of the first period. James Shaw set up captain James Parsons for the opener and this was followed by Ross Kennedy’s goal.

Dragons extended their advantage to 5-0 by the end of the second period.

Kennedy was the creator as Brodie Jesson bagged the third goal and he added the final goal of the period, after Shaw had etched his name on the scoresheet.

Widnes did manage to pull one back in the closing period, but the final word belonged to Deeside, with good work from Jesson and Cade King setting up Jakub Hajek for the concluding goal.

“It was another good performance and we scored some good goals,” added Compton.

“It was quite hard, as it was a bit of a nothing game, but it was a local rivalry.

“We made sure the team were up for it, which they were.

“We had some good performances and a decent team performance.”

All of the focus now switches to the play-offs, which get underway with a big double-header this weekend. Deeside have been paired with the Whitley Warriors, with the home leg taking place on Saturday, prior to the Dragons’ trip to the North East 24 hours later.

Whitley, who defeated the Dragons in last season’s play-offs, stunned champions Billingham Stars with a 5-2 triumph on Sunday, which followed a 6-3 success away to Nottingham Lions the day before.

Billingham will face Nottingham in the last-eight of the play-offs, with Blackburn Hawks facing Hull Jets and Solihull Barons up against Widnes Wild.