The EIHL has today announced the fixture list for the 2023/24 British ice hockey season which starts on 23 September 2023 with the Sheffield Steelers hosting Coventry Blaze at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield. The regular season will end with Manchester Storm hosting the Belfast Giants at Altrincham Ice Dome on 8 April 2024.
Each of the 10 teams plays around 54 games in a regular season and should play each opponent in the league the same number of times. The team with the most points at the end of the regular season is the champion. After the end of the regular season, we head into the playoffs. The top 8 teams from the regular season will play in 2-legged quarterfinals. Then both the semifinals and the final take place over a single weekend in April at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham.
The EIHL has also confirmed the fixtures for the Challenge Cup, the cup competition running alongside the league. As has been the case in recent seasons, the 10 EIHL teams will begin by playing in a group stage with 3 groups; one containing 4 teams and the others containing 3. In groups of 3, each team will play the other 2 teams in their group twice at home and twice away. In the group of 4, each team will play the other 3 teams in their group once at home and once away. The groups for 2023/24 are:
- Group A: Belfast Giants, Dundee Stars, Fife Flyers, Glasgow Clan
- Group B: Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Guildford Flames
- Group C: Manchester Storm, Nottingham Panthers, Sheffield Steelers
Group winners – and those ranked 4th to 8th of the remaining 6 teams – will progress to the quarterfinals which are contested over 2 legs. The winners then progress to the 2-legged semifinals where the 2 victors will progress to a single-match final held in March 2024. Last season, the Belfast Giants claimed the Challenge Cup as well as the regular season title and the playoff title! Who will compete with them this season?
For fans who can’t wait until the end of September to get their hockey fix, there is also a number of preseason games taking place up and down the country starting on 25 August!
Koobit features the full schedule featuring all the EIHL and EIHL Challenge Cup fixtures for the 2023/24 season!