Deeside Dragons handed out their biggest drubbing of the season with a 12-1 win over Bradford Bulldogs at Chester Road on Saturday night.

Victory over the Yorkshire outfit lifted Deeside into joint-first place in the Moralee Conference, although Nottingham Lions remain top due to their better head-to-head record.

But the night was marred by a facial injury to high-scoring forward James Parsons, who was taken to hospital after colliding with Bradford’s netminder.

The 28-year-old forward suffered a fractured cheekbone in the first period incident, and is likely to be out of action until the new year.

Deeside head coach Lol Paul said: “James was hit in the face by the netminder’s stick as he was rushing the goal. He passed out when he got off the ice, so we took him to hospital straight away.

“I spoke to his father and he said James needs an operation, but he’ll be back soon. I told him the whole club will be waiting for him, when he’s better.

“James has been doing so well this season. He’s one of our top scorers, and had a goal and assist before he was injured last night. He’ll be a big loss, but his health is more important.”

Action from Deeside Dragons v Bradford Bulldogs
Action from Deeside Dragons v Bradford Bulldogs

The first period set the tone for Saturday night’s game, with goals from Filip Supa, Parsons, Adrian Palak (2), Paul Davies and Matthew Wainwright, giving the hosts a 6-0 lead.

Bradford snatched some consolation with a goal on 26 minutes, before further second period strikes from Palak, Simon Furnival and Marc Lovell.

The final session was equally damaging for the visitors, with Palak (2) and Supa putting the result beyond doubt.

Paul added: “I knew the lads were up for it and I could see that in training all week. They had a blip in the last game against Bradford, so it was only a matter of time.

"12-1 is a big score, but I think it could have been more. Their goalie played well, but Bradford just got in our way on Saturday night.

“The lads couldn’t wait to get them in our rink and they’re flying now. They’ve got their confidence back and they’re looking forward to playing Nottingham next month.”

The Dragons are back in action on November 28, when they make the trip to face Hull Jets.