Cardiff Fire Open Toughest Season Against Invicta At Home

Cardiff Fire face their toughest challenge during 2017-18.

They are now playing in the second tier of British ice hockey and their opening National League fixture is against Invicta Dynamos on Saturday.

The Kent club visit Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay (6.30pm), while Fire, whose main sponsors are Premier Taxis, travel to play Streatham on Sunday.

Welsh forward Nicky Chinn, a former Devils player is among Fire’s signings along with netminders Joe Myers and Luke Takel, Tamas Elias, Sam Bryant, Alex Symonds, Sam Smith, Callum Buglass and Great Britain under-20 international Michael Stratford.

Cage fighter Brad Watchorn, a professional full contact mixed martial arts competitor, is also on the Fire roster, while Welshman Josh Haslam and Swindon native Jackson Price are two of the latest additions to the team.

Both were in the Fire team who won the Division Two South title last season.

Haslam has spent all of his hockey career in Cardiff emerging through the junior ranks right through to NIHL. He made his senior debut with Cardiff at 16-years-old and has been ever present since. He is now aged 22 and has played 197 matches, scoring 63 goals with 46 assists.

Price joined Cardiff Fire last season from Swindon Wildcats and is known for his high energy and work rate.

Last season was the first time Jackson had played outside of Swindon. He played right through the Swindon junior programme and made his senior debut in 2014.

Jackson had his best season to date for Fire, scoring a point a game and helping to win the league for a second season in a row.

“It’s great to have Josh and Jackson in our team,” says head coach Mark Cuddihy, who will be assisted by former Devils player Mark Smith this season.

“It’s going to be a big jump in standard and both players are young enough and hungry enough to learn and take everything on board.

“They offer high energy and speed and we need that in the NIHL. Both can also play as either a centre or wing and have good hockey brains.

“I’ve coached Josh for 10 years now and I know there is more to come from him, a lot more. This league will bring that out of him. He’s played many seasons in the old NIHL One and that will stand him in good stead for this season.

“Jackson joined us last season and was an instant success. The guys love him because he works hard for the team. He doesn’t stop skating and was great on our penalty kill last season.”

There are nine teams in the NIHL First Division and they are Fire, Invicta, Streatham, Peterborough Phantoms, Swindon Wildcats, Milton Keynes Thunder, London Raiders, Bracknell Bees and Basingstoke Bison.

This Saturday’s visitors, Invicta, include Czech forward Adam Rehab, 24, and Slovakian defenceman Andrej Zosiak, who has previously played in America, France and Poland plus his home country.

Kevin Parrish, who has been with the Medway Towns-based Invicta for 20 years as player and now coach says: “This season, in the second tier, is the biggest battle we’ve ever been involved in.

“We have to beat teams like Cardiff, who have a strong team, Streatham and London. Then we must stay positive against the teams who competed at English Premier League level last season.

Tickets are on sale at Ice Arena Wales before face-off on Saturday. Cardiff Devils season ticket holders can buy adult tickets for £7, which is a £2 reduction on the full price.

The full cost of tickets is adults £9, children £1, families (2 adults plus children) £20.