THE wonderful winning run is at an end, but Deeside Dragons will be aiming to embark on another one!

Following eight successive North Division One wins in a row, there was a rare loss for the Dragons with last week’s 9-3 outcome at Blackburn Hawks.

There’s a swift chance of revenge when Deeside play host to the Hawks on Sunday, but before then they’ll be fully focused on tomorrow’s trip to Sheffield Scimitars.

“It’s Sheffield first on the Saturday and they will be a good side,” said Dragons’ assistant head coach Matt Compton.

“We have got to get the win there.

“On Sunday, tickets are selling really fast already.

“Blackburn travel very well with their fans.

“We’re expecting a really big crowd.

“It’s great to look forward to.

“Sunday will be a great one with that crowd.”

Dragons were always playing catch-up last week after they fell behind early in the first period.

Ross Kennedy, Jakub Hajek and Andy McKinney (pictured above) grabbed their goals.

Despite this loss, the Dragons are still well in the mix in the upper reaches of the standings - and it remains so close in the battle for honours.

Just five points separate the top-six at this point of the season and Dragons find themselves in fifth position, just four points off the pace being set by front-runners Billingham Stars.

“It’s a very tight league at the moment,” added Compton.

“It’s good, I think, to have some adversity.

“Everyone seems to be taking points off each other at the moment.

“Generally, the games seem to be pretty tight.

“Sheffield and Nottingham are pushing all of the teams.

“There’s no easy games at the moment.”

Other fixtures: Saturday: Billingham Stars v Nottingham Lions; Blackburn Hawks v Whitley Warriors; Hull Jets v Solihull Barons. Sunday: Billingham Stars v Widnes Wild; Solihull Barons v Sheffield Scimitars; Whitley Warriors v Nottingham Lions.

Connah’s Quay Cobras play their first home match of the new recreational season this Sunday when they face the Riverside Raiders in a challenge match at Deeside Leisure Centre (8.30pm).

The two teams met back in April in what was Cobras’ first ever game and the Raiders notched up an 8-4 victory.

A lot has happened since then in both camps, with the Cobras winning their last three challenge games and finishing as runners-up at the Sheffield Recfest, while the Raiders won the Summer Classic Cup treble of conference, league and play offs.

Due to the relatively close proximity of the two venues and a regular interchange of players over the years, Deeside versus Widnes encounters are always very keenly contested, with local bragging rights at stake - and Sunday’s game is bound to be no exception.

Looking back over the year so far, Cobras’ coach Emma Dutton said: “Our first ever game was against the Raiders back in April and since then we have grown so much as a team. We welcomed new faces and travelled to our first tournament where we came second.”

Looking ahead to the game on Sunday, Dutton added: “We’re looking forward to playing the Raiders, it will prove to be a great benchmark as to how far we’ve come over the last 10 months.

“We’ve recently signed former Altrincham Aces and Bradford Bulldogs NIHL player Kieron Clarkson - a real asset up front - and Alex Fisher in defence, as well as new netminder Andy Teese from Scotland so we are in a great place to play some of our best hockey.

“We have just confirmed a space in the elite group of the Summer Classic Cup, along with the Raiders, so this will be a good preview of what to expect.”