On Sunday night, the Deeside Dragons booked their place in the Moralee Cup Final after overcoming Blackburn Hawks in a semi final that will live long in the memory. Winning by six goals to five on aggregate, the Dragons showed everything this club now stands for: resilience, belief and togetherness.
This achievement is significant not just because it sends us to a cup final, but because of the journey it represents.
In March 2020, the Dragons played their last game before the world stopped. Soon after, the ice rink was decommissioned and repurposed as a Covid hospital and vaccination centre. Overnight, the club lost its home, its routine and its junior pathway. With no ice available, young players could not train, could not develop and, in many cases, could not stay in the game at all. For a club built on community and progression, that was devastating.
The wait to return was long and uncertain. The rink finally reopened on 10 December 2022, one thousand days after the Dragons’ last home game in 2020. Even then, the challenge did not ease. That first season back, the club had to play the opening seven games on the road. Seven away games in a row. No gate income. No home crowd. Just belief and commitment holding everything together.
From the moment the ice returned, the focus was clear. Rebuild the club properly. Do things the right way. Put the right philosophy in place and find the right balance on and off the ice. As a not for profit club run entirely by volunteers, nothing comes easy. Every step forward has been built on time, effort and sacrifice from people who simply care about this club and this community.
Attendance has grown season on season, week by week, and that is down to the fans getting behind this club again. The atmosphere has returned because you brought it back. Families are back in the rink because you chose to make the Dragons part of your weekends again. Young players are once again seeing a pathway in the sport locally because they can now look up and see what this club stands for. Your support has mattered. It has driven standards. It has given belief. It has helped the club stay disciplined to its plan. Targets for youth progression. Targets for play offs. Targets for cup finals.
This is what a community club looks like when it is given a chance to grow. It is built on family values. It is powered by volunteers. It is supported by people who believe in doing things the right way, not the easy way.
This weekend, one of those targets was met.
Reaching the Moralee Cup Final is not a fluke or a lucky run. It is the result of years of hard work following an incredibly difficult period in the club’s history. It is proof that the plan is working and that the Dragons are exactly where they expected to be at this stage.
There is still more to do. The next step is winning league trophies. This club is not just here to make up the numbers or enjoy a good run. It is here to compete properly and to keep moving forward. But whatever happens next, this moment matters. It shows how far the club has come from losing everything to standing on the brink of silverware once again.
None of this happens without support off the ice. We want to say a huge thank you to our growing list of sponsors, both long standing partners and new businesses who have joined the club on its values, vision and drive. Your belief in what we are building here makes a real difference. You are not just sponsoring a team, you are investing in a community club with a future.
This is the road we have travelled. This is why this final means so much.
This is what happens when a family club backed by its community, its volunteers and its sponsors is given time, belief and support.
