Saturday: Rivalry games headline five-game evening
Photo: William Cherry
Saturday night in Week 5 of the 2024/25 Elite Ice Hockey season has some tasty rivalry clashes as things start to settle in for the new season.
For several years, Belfast Giants and Cardiff Devils were the two teams competing for trophies on all fronts, but they could only watch as Sheffield Steelers swept the board last time around. Both sides have started the new campaign well, and meet for the first time in competitive action this season on Saturday night. The Giants have 11 points from their six games so far this season, with a shootout loss in Sheffield the only dropped point to date. The Devils have exactly the same start, but an OT loss to Manchester was their only dropped point.
Click here to watch Giants vs. Devils!
In Glasgow, Scottish rivals Dundee Stars are the Clan's visitors on Saturday night, six days after picking up a win by the odd goal in nine in Dundee. That, and a midweek win over Nottingham, leaves Clan with three wins from eight games under new head coach Corey Neilson. The Stars' opening record to date is two wins from eight played so far - but four straight defeats since 15 September.
Click here to watch Clan vs. Stars!
Sheffield Steelers host Nottingham Panthers at Utilita Arena for the first time this season, a week after the teams met in Nottingham. A one-goal win for the Steelers that night ended the Panthers' unbeaten start to the season, while the Steelers then went on to beat Belfast in a shootout and remain the only EIHL team not to have dropped a point yet in 2024/25. The Panthers continue to top Challenge Cup Group A and have got themselves into a good position to finish in the top three places already, although Sheffield and Cardiff below them have played fewer fixtures.
Click here to watch Steelers vs. Panthers!
Both Coventry Blaze and Guildford Flames can afford nothing less than a win if they want to keep their hopes of making the next round of the Cup alive. The sides sit sixth and fifth respectively in Group A, and are running out of games to make a charge for the top three places - the Flames especially, who will only have two remaining after tonight. Last weekend's meting between the teams saw the Flames take a six-goal, shutout win.
Click here to watch Blaze vs. Flames!
The day's later start, at 7.15pm, sees Fife Flyers take on Manchester Storm in Kirkcaldy. The Storm are back in Fife a few weeks after a crazy game saw them leave with a 6-5 win, although they head to Scotland this time missing Loren Ulett and Dallas Ehrhardt - both of whom are serving suspensions. Storm were beaten in a shootout by Coventry on Friday night, while the Flyers have just one win in their last seven games.
