The EIHA have announced a restructured Challenge Cup competition for season 2014/15. English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) & National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) teams will face off in a new regionally structured competition, which has one eye of development of home-grown players in a competitive tournament. Any matches between EPIHL and NIHL teams will be played to NIHL rules meaning just two non-EIHA trained players can be named in any team with only one permitted on the ice at any time. Meanwhile fixtures played between teams in the same league will be played under the rules of the league they compete in. EIHA Chairman Ken Taggart said: This is a very exciting competition and to have clubs from different leagues play each other is fantastic. For the supporters it means they’ll have the chance to see teams they wouldnt normally see. I expect the NIHL teams will want to take a scalp when they come up against the EPL sides. Of course, the EPL players wont want to lose face, so the matches will be very well-fought. Ive wanted the Challenge Cup to be a major part of the season for some time and now we have a format that will do that. Games between sides from different leagues will be played under NIHL rules, with EPL teams having to name just two imports in their line-ups. The matches played by teams in the same league will come under normal rules. Clubs can also nominate to play dual-purpose games, with points also counting towards league positions. A number of sponsors have committed their support to the competition, including Telford Tigers owners Red Touch Media.Wayne Scholes, CEO of Red Touch Media, said: Its one of the ambitions of the league owners to improve links between the two leagues and see great collaboration between all involved in ice hockey in the UK. This competition will foster those links, while also giving British players the chance to show what theyre capable of. This is ultimately about growing British talent and the competition is a great chance to showcase that talent. When we first looked at doing this, we immediately saw the potential of a quality challenge cup competition. The EIHA have been supportive in developing the competition and I believe it will become a major part of the ice hockey calendar. Since we came into Telford, Red Touch Media have sought to do things in a different way, so were happy to support the competition. This is part of that process and the fans will enjoy a really great competition. The regional splits have been confirmed as below: Northern region: Manchester Phoenix, Peterborough Phantoms. Sheffield Steeldogs, Telford Tigers, Billingham Stars, Blackburn Hawks & Solway Sharks. Southern Region: Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Guildford Flames, MK Lightning, Swindon Wildcats, Chelmsford Chieftains, Invicta Dynamos & Wightlink Raiders.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:57:42 +0000
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