For the first time this season, it’s a league-heavy Saturday night across the Elite Ice Hockey League, with three League fixtures and one Challenge Cup clash on the schedule.
It’s a familiar matchup in South Wales as the Devils host the Blaze for the second straight Saturday night, hoping for a better outcome after losing both of their home games last weekend. Coventry, meanwhile, come into this one off a four-point weekend and sitting in a strong position in the Cup. For both teams, however, this marks their first league fixture of the campaign.
The Flyers play their first home league game of the season, welcoming Guildford to Kirkcaldy. Both teams featured in league action last weekend with very different results – the Flames earned a 5-1 win over Glasgow, while the Flyers fell 6-1 in Manchester.
Manchester face Scottish opposition for the second straight game at the Storm Shelter, with Dundee visiting Altrincham. The Stars will be eager to bounce back after their heavy defeat in Sheffield last weekend, while the Storm will look to build on a 6-1 opening-night league victory over Fife which was followed by a shutout road win in Glasgow to put them top of the league.
The weekend’s only Cup fixture carries big implications in Group B. The Giants could go top of the group with a win – and it would be their third victory of the season over Glasgow in as many games. A loss, however, would leave them in a tricky position with only three games remaining thereafter. The Clan sit four points off a qualification spot but have two games in hand on the rest of the group; defeat here would mean needing to make up at least a five-point gap in their final five fixtures.
Photo: James Assinder
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