English Premier Ice Hockey League
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country(ies) |  England |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Playoffs: Guildford Flames League: Manchester Phoenix Cup: Slough Jets |
| Official website | English Premier Ice Hockey League |
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. The league currently consists of 10 teams predominantly based in Southern England, and is generally considered to be the second tier league below the Elite Ice Hockey League although there is no promotion or relegation between the two.
The league was founded in 1997, where it initially served as the effective 3rd tier of the game, offering a level of play above the import free English leagues, but below the 8 import British National League (BNL). Since 2005, when the BNL disbanded, the EPIHL has functioned as the second tier; in fact, many previous BNL teams now play in the EPIHL.
Contents |
[edit] League structure
The league operates on a 54 game schedule. Each team plays the others in a 3 home, 3 away series. A number of these games also double up as the initial fixtures in the EPIHL Cup tournament. Each team will play 2 games per week during the season, with the exception of a break over the Christmas period. The majority of the games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, reflecting the semi-pro status of many of the leagues players.
The Season culminates with the play-offs. 8 teams qualify, and engage in a 2 leg home and away series to decide which 4 teams will attend the Play Off Finals weekend, held in the SkyDome Arena Coventry, a neutral venue. The team that finished 1st in the league plays the team the finished 8th, the second-ranked team plays the seventh, third plays sixth, and fourth plays fifth.
The league is administered and sanctioned by the EIHA.[1] The team owners meet regularly to discuss league matters under the auspices of the league chairman, and take a democratic vote on all decisions.
Only four of the ten EPIHL teams hail from beyond southern England, namely Manchester Phoenix, Sheffield Steeldogs, Telford Tigers and Peterborough Phantoms, with five other teams (aside from Swindon Wildcats) located within 50 miles of London. The capital itself is not represented.
[edit] Current teams
- Basingstoke Bison (2009– )
- Bracknell Bees (2005– )
- Guildford Flames (2005– )
- Manchester Phoenix (2009– )
- Milton Keynes Lightning (2002– )
- Peterborough Phantoms (2002– )
- Sheffield Steeldogs (2010– )
- Slough Jets (2005– )
- Swindon Wildcats (2005– )
- Telford Tigers (2005–2009, 2010-)
[edit] League restrictions
The league operates under a number of restrictions, allowing it to classify itself as a 'developmental league'.
The main restriction placed on the member clubs is a limit of 4 non EIHA trained, EU passport holding 'import' players dressed per game. Further to this, only 3 of these players may be on the ice simultaneously, with certain exceptions.[2] The EU passport requirement is not enforced by the EPIHL per se, rather it is a product of the fact that the UK Border Agency only grants work permits to non-EU players who wish to sign for teams in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Despite the 4 imports dressed rule, it is not uncommon for some teams to sign a 5th import as 'backup' in case of injuries to an 'active' import.
The league has no wage limitations, although it is generally accepted that due to the import restriction, wage bills are lower than teams in the EIHL. Despite the lower wages paid, the league still suffers from teams folding, or quitting the league due to financial problems.[3][4]
[edit] Comparison to other leagues
The EPIHL is played at a standard significantly below all of the major European leagues.
On a domestic level, the league is considered to be less physical than the Elite Ice Hockey League. Restrictions on imported players and the semi-professional background of many British players differentiates the style of play. When games have been played between EPIHL and EIHL sides, invariably the EPIHL side has been soundly defeated, although these games are a very rare occurrence, usually restricted to pre-season friendlies.[5]
A number of EPIHL sides act as official and unofficial 'feeder' clubs to EIHL sides, often through the usage of '2 way' contracts (whereby the player is contracted to one club, but is allowed to ice for another, unless the main contracted club requires them).
The EPIHL in turn is considered to be superior in standard to the English National League, as the teams generally ice more imports (4 as opposed to 1 or 2 at best), and sign up the better ENL British players.
[edit] League Future
During February 2010, it was announced that a supporters trust, called 'Tiger Tracks', had been formed with the intention of bringing the Telford Tigers back into EPIHL competition for the 2010-2011 season.[6][7] This is the first example of a supporters trust being used within the sport of ice hockey in the UK. The Tigers were confirmed as a member of the EPIHL for the 2010-2011 season in the April 2010.[8]
On the 3rd of March, 2010, a statement was released by the Romford Raiders, stating the intention of their owner to step down at the seasons end, leaving the future of the team in the EPIHL in some doubt.[9] It was widely speculated that the Romford organisation would attempt to secure a spot in the English National League for the 2010-2011 season. This was confirmed on 23 May 2010, when it was announced that the team had been accepted into Division 1 of the English National League Southern Section.[10]
Following this, it was announced during July 2010 that the Sheffield Scimitars would not be competing in the league, despite having made announcements of player signings, but due to financial problems,[11][12] and a change in ownership [13] they would be replaced by the newly formed Sheffield Steeldogs instead.[14]
[edit] Venue capacity
- Bracknell Bees: John Nike Leisuresport Complex, 2400
- Guildford Flames: Guildford Spectrum, 2200
- Milton Keynes Lightning: Planet Ice Milton Keynes, 2200
- Manchester Phoenix: Altrincham Ice Dome, 2150
- Basingstoke Bison: Planet Ice Silverdome Arena, 1800
- Sheffield Steeldogs: iceSheffield, 1500
- Telford Tigers: Telford Ice Rink, 1500
- Swindon Wildcats: Link Centre, 1250
- Peterborough Phantoms: Planet Ice Peterborough, 1250
- Slough Jets: Slough Ice Rink, 1000
[edit] Previous teams
- Billingham Eagles (1997–1998)
- Blackburn Hawks (1998–1999)
- Chelmsford Chieftains (1998–2001, and 2002–2008)
- England u20-u18 (2000–2003)
- Haringey Greyhounds (2000–2003)
- Hull Stingrays (2005–2006)
- Hull Thunder (1997–2003)
- Invicta Dynamos (1997–2003)
- Milton Keynes Kings (1998–1999)
- Nottingham Lions (2000–2003)
- Oxford City Stars (1998–1999)
- Romford Raiders (1998–2010)
- Solihull Barons (1997–1999, 2000–2002, and 2003–2007)
- Sunderland Chiefs (1997–1998)
- Whitley Bay Warriors (1997–1998)
- Wightlink Raiders (1997–2009)
[edit] League Champions
- 1997–98 Solihull Barons
- 1998–99 Solihull Barons
- 1999–00 Chelmsford Chieftains
- 2000–01 Swindon Wildcats
- 2001–02 Invicta Dynamos
- 2002–03 Peterborough Phantoms
- 2003–04 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2004–05 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2005–06 Guildford Flames
- 2006–07 Bracknell Bees
- 2007–08 Guildford Flames
- 2008–09 Peterborough Phantoms
- 2009–10 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2010–11 Manchester Phoenix
[edit] Playoff champions
- 1997–98 Solihull Barons
- 1998–99 Solihull Barons
- 1999–00 Chelmsford Chieftains
- 2000–01 Romford Raiders
- 2001–02 Invicta Dynamos
- 2002–03 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2003–04 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2004–05 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2005–06 Milton Keynes Lightning
- 2006–07 Bracknell Bees
- 2007–08 Slough Jets
- 2008–09 Peterborough Phantoms
- 2009–10 Slough Jets
- 2010–11 Guildford Flames
[edit] English Cup champions
- 1997–98 No Cup Competition
- 1998–99 Milton Keynes Kings
- 1999–00 No Cup Competition
- 2000–01 No Cup Competition
- 2001–02 Romford Raiders
- 2002–03 Wightlink Raiders
- 2003–04 Peterborough Phantoms
- 2004–05 Romford Raiders
- 2005–06 Bracknell Bees
- 2006–07 Guildford Flames
- 2007–08 Bracknell Bees
- 2008–09 Peterborough Phantoms
- 2009–10 Guildford Flames
- 2010–11 Slough Jets
[edit] Knock-Out Cup champions
- 2007–08 Peterborough Phantoms
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.eiha.co.uk/EIHA/WhosWho/tabid/164/Default.aspx
- ^ "EIHA Player Eligibility Rules". http://www.eiha.co.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=WKJSsNSIvow%3d&tabid=113.
- ^ http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/ice-hockey/raiders-future-still-in-the-balance-25947.aspx
- ^ http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/ice-hockey/raiders-exit-from-premier-league-26014.aspx
- ^ http://www.manchesterphoenix.co.uk/news/s/521_phoenix_off_to_a_flyer
- ^ http://www.shropshirestar.com/2010/02/02/tigers-trust-is-set-to-be-launched/
- ^ http://www.shropshirestar.com/2010/02/04/tigers-fans-in-trust-hope/
- ^ http://www.telfordtigers.co.uk/news/10-11-news/771-telford-set-for-premier-league-return.html
- ^ http://www.romfordraiders.co.uk/node/147
- ^ http://www.romfordraiders.co.uk/node/154
- ^ http://www.thestar.co.uk/icehockey/IceSheffield-rink-hit-by-two.6377909.jp
- ^ http://www.thestar.co.uk/icehockey/Now-Scims-face-worry-over.6355948.jp
- ^ http://www.sheffieldscimitars.co.uk/news/2010/07/a-new-era-for-sheffield
- ^ http://www.sheffieldscimitars.co.uk/news/2010/07/a-new-start
