Wikipedia

2021–22 EIHL season

The 2021–22 EIHL season was the 18th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 25 September 2021, and finished on 17 April 2022,[1][2] with the playoffs taking place over the following two weekends. The previous campaign in 2020–21 was suspended indefinitely in September 2020,[3] due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; a reduced Elite Series was held in April and May 2021, involving the Sheffield Steelers, the Nottingham Panthers, the Coventry Blaze and the Manchester Storm, to provide competitive ice time for players ahead of the 2021 IIHF World Championship.[4]

2021–22 EIHL season
LeagueElite Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration
  • 25 September 2021 – 17 April 2022
  • (regular season)
  • 23 April – 1 May 2022
  • (playoffs)
Number of teams10
Regular season
Regular season winnersBelfast Giants
Playoffs
Finals
ChampionsCardiff Devils
  Runners-upBelfast Giants
EIHL seasons

The Belfast Giants won the regular season title for a record-equalling fifth time with two games to spare, following their 2–1 overtime win at their closest challengers, the Sheffield Steelers, on 10 April 2022.[5] Having also won the Challenge Cup, the Belfast Giants as national league and cup champions had an opportunity to seal a Grand Slam in the playoff final by becoming British national champions for the third time,[6] however they lost 6–3 to the Cardiff Devils – who thereby won their third consecutive playoff title and national championship, denying the table-topping Giants the Grand Slam for the second consecutive season.[7]

Teams

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The same ten teams that competed in the last regular season in 2019–20 are competing in the 2021–22 season.[1]

Team City/Town Arena Capacity
Belfast Giants Belfast SSE Arena Belfast 8,700
Cardiff Devils   Cardiff Ice Arena Wales 3,088
Coventry Blaze   Coventry Coventry Skydome 3,000
Dundee Stars   Dundee Dundee Ice Arena 2,400
Fife Flyers   Kirkcaldy Fife Ice Arena 3,525
Glasgow Clan   Glasgow Braehead Arena 4,000
Guildford Flames   Guildford Guildford Spectrum 2,001
Manchester Storm   Altrincham Altrincham Ice Dome 2,351
Nottingham Panthers   Nottingham Motorpoint Arena Nottingham 7,500
Sheffield Steelers   Sheffield Utilita Arena Sheffield 9,300

Regular season

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League standings

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Each team played 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home.[1] Points were awarded for each game, where two points were awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finished with the most points was crowned the league champion, and qualified for the 2022–23 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams qualified for the playoffs.[1]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Belfast Giants (C) 54 37 6 2 9 224 108 +116 88 Regular season champions
Qualification to playoffs
2 Sheffield Steelers 54 31 6 7 10 202 138 +64 81 Qualification to playoffs
3 Cardiff Devils 54 30 5 4 15 188 131 +57 74
4 Nottingham Panthers 54 22 3 5 24 163 191 −28 55
5 Guildford Flames 54 19 6 4 25 165 169 −4 54
6 Glasgow Clan 54 21 2 7 24 150 182 −32 53
7 Dundee Stars 54 19 6 3 26 160 185 −25 53
8 Coventry Blaze 54 19 4 5 26 154 173 −19 51
9 Manchester Storm 54 14 4 4 32 150 210 −60 40
10 Fife Flyers 54 12 4 5 33 122 191 −69 37
Source: Elite League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Games won in regulation time; 3) Number of games won; 4) Head-to-head results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 5) Fewest regulation losses; 6) Away game results, ranked by criteria 1 to 3; 7) Goals scored; 8) Goal difference; 9) Fewest penalty minutes; 10) Drawing of lots.
(C) Champion

Results

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Home \ Away BEL CAR COV DUN FIF GLA GUI MAN NOT SHE BEL CAR COV DUN FIF GLA GUI MAN NOT SHE BEL CAR COV DUN FIF GLA GUI MAN NOT SHE
Belfast — 1–0 6–1 2–3 3–1 3–2 6–2 7–2 7–2 5–1 — 5–3 3–0 7–1 4–1 5–1 5–1 6–2 2–4 2–5 — 1–2
(SO) 		7–6 4–1 7–1 5–1 5–0 6–3 4–1 5–4
(OT)
Cardiff 3–2 — 3–4 1–2 5–1 4–2 2–0 3–0 0–3 3–5 4–2 — 6–2 7–1 3–2 3–1 6–2 5–3 5–1 5–4
(OT) 		4–1 — 3–0 4–1 4–0 4–2 1–2
(OT) 		7–1 5–2 2–6
Coventry 3–5 0–2 — 5–1 2–0 2–5 4–3
(SO) 		8–3 0–1 1–2
(SO) 		1–7 3–4
(SO) 		— 7–2 6–2 8–1 1–5 3–2
(SO) 		5–0 1–5 2–3 3–0 — 3–4
(OT) 		2–1 2–0 1–5 1–2
(SO) 		4–6 1–2
Dundee 1–4 4–6 3–0 — 3–6 5–2 7–0 3–2 4–1 1–2 4–3
(OT) 		3–2 2–1 — 2–4 3–5 3–4
(SO) 		4–1 5–4
(OT) 		3–2 0–7 5–3 4–1 — 6–0 6–3 0–5 3–4
(SO) 		8–3 2–1
(OT)
Fife 0–3 3–1 6–2 1–4 — 4–5
(OT) 		3–0 8–0 2–4 2–6 2–3
(OT) 		2–4 2–3 4–3 — 3–2
(OT) 		1–4 1–5 2–4 5–3 2–3
(SO) 		2–1
(SO) 		3–2
(OT) 		1–5 — 3–4 4–2 4–5
(OT) 		3–4
(OT) 		2–5
Glasgow 0–6 2–5 2–3
(SO) 		5–2 4–1 — 4–3 3–1 1–4 3–6 3–1 2–3 4–6 4–3 5–2 — 1–2
(OT) 		4–3 2–5 5–3 1–7 6–3 2–4 1–2
(OT) 		7–2 — 3–0 7–4 3–4
(OT) 		2–0
Guildford 1–3 2–1 3–4
(OT) 		3–0 6–1 4–2 — 3–0 3–4 3–6 1–4 2–6 1–2 7–1 1–5 8–2 — 6–5
(OT) 		1–3 0–1
(OT) 		3–4 6–5
(OT) 		4–3 7–3 4–2 1–3 — 4–2 5–4
(OT) 		1–3
Manchester 3–0 2–3
(OT) 		5–2 6–2 5–0 1–5 2–6 — 4–0 2–7[a] 1–6 5–6 1–4 4–3 0–3 4–2 4–3 — 4–2 0–3 5–6
(OT) 		1–4 4–1 3–6 4–1 6–1 1–2 — 7–4 4–3
(SO)
Nottingham 0–5 5–2 2–5 2–1 2–4 2–3 4–3 5–3 — 1–4 2–7 4–1 4–10 4–3
(OT) 		4–2 1–2 5–2 4–2 — 3–7 2–3
(SO) 		3–7 9–1 5–2 1–2
(OT) 		1–2
(OT) 		3–5 5–2 — 3–0
Sheffield 7–1 5–4
(OT) 		3–4 3–1 5–2 3–2
(OT) 		4–6 5–2 5–3 — 1–3 0–5 3–1 5–4 6–0 3–2
(OT) 		4–3
(OT) 		2–1 4–2 — 1–2
(SO) 		2–3
(SO) 		5–3 4–5
(SO) 		3–1 3–2 6–5 8–2 6–2 —
Source: Elite League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. ^ A medical emergency within the Altrincham Ice Dome resulted in this match being ended with 11:54 remaining.[8]

Statistics

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Scoring leaders

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The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the regular season.[9]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
  J. J. Piccinich Belfast Giants 52 35 45 80 +48 22
  Scott Conway Belfast Giants 53 33 45 78 +37 56
  Charlie Combs Dundee Stars 52 30 35 65 +4 44
  Mark Cooper Belfast Giants 53 28 33 61 +27 25
  Sebastian Bengtsson Dundee Stars 51 28 32 60 +8 6
  Adam Brady Manchester Storm 54 25 35 60 −28 24
  Mathieu Roy Glasgow Clan 53 33 26 59 +8 46
  Brodie Reid Cardiff Devils 52 31 28 59 +7 10
  Marc-Olivier Vallerand Sheffield Steelers 45 26 33 59 +24 44
  David Goodwin Belfast Giants 48 18 40 58 +33 14

Leading goaltenders

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The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of the regular season.[10]

Player Team GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
  Tyler Beskorowany Belfast Giants 41 2384:47 32 9 67 6 93.17% 1.69
  Mac Carruth Cardiff Devils 41 2355:05 24 16 84 5 93.67% 2.14
  Rok Stojanovič Sheffield Steelers 35 2107:06 24 11 79 2 92.53% 2.25
  Kevin Lindskoug Guildford Flames 49 2910:39 23 26 140 3 90.95% 2.89
  C. J. Motte Coventry Blaze 51 2950:29 21 29 147 4 91.12% 2.99

Playoffs

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Bracket

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In the two-legged quarter-finals, the highest-ranked team met the lowest-ranked team, the second-highest-ranked team met the second-lowest-ranked team and so forth. The winners of each tie was determined by aggregate scoring over the two games. In the semi-finals, the highest remaining seed was matched against the lowest remaining seed, with the other two teams facing off. The winners of the semi-finals progressed to the Final, with the losers playing in the third-place match.

Quarter-finals
(23–24 April) 		Semi-finals
(30 April) 		Final
(1 May)
           
1 Belfast Giants 2 2 4
8 Coventry Blaze 2 1 3
1 Belfast Giants 6
7 Dundee Stars 0
2 Sheffield Steelers 0 3 3
7 Dundee Stars 1 4 5
1 Belfast Giants 3
(Pairings are reseeded after the first round)
3 Cardiff Devils 6
3 Cardiff Devils 3 2 5
6 Glasgow Clan 4 0 4
3 Cardiff Devils 3 Third place
5 Guildford Flames 2
4 Nottingham Panthers 4 2 6 5 Guildford Flames 7
5 Guildford Flames 4 3 7 7 Dundee Stars 5

Quarter-finals

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The quarter-final schedule was announced after the conclusion of the final-day regular season matches.[11]

(1) Belfast Giants vs. (8) Coventry Blaze

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23 April 2022 Coventry Blaze 2–2 Belfast Giants Coventry Skydome Recap  
No scoring First period 5:50 – Darcy Murphy (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Third period 15:04 – Slater Doggett (1)
C. J. Motte (25 shots / 23 saves) Goalie stats Tyler Beskorowany (33 shots / 31 saves)
24 April 2022 Belfast Giants 2–1 SO Coventry Blaze SSE Arena Belfast Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Tyler Soy (1) – 5:52 Second period 7:55 – Conner Chaulk (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Shootout
Tyler Beskorowany (25 shots / 24 saves) Goalie stats C. J. Motte (39 shots / 38 saves)
Belfast Giants win 4–3 on aggregate.


(2) Sheffield Steelers vs. (7) Dundee Stars

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23 April 2022 Sheffield Steelers 0–1 Dundee Stars Sheffield Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 17:21 – Sebastian Bengtsson (1)
Barry Brust (23 shots / 22 saves) Goalie stats Adam Morrison (32 shots / 32 saves)
24 April 2022 Dundee Stars 4–3 Sheffield Steelers Dundee Ice Arena Recap  
No scoring First period
Kalvis Ozols (1; PPG) – 17:51 Second period 0:59 – Martin Látal (1)
Third period No scoring
Adam Morrison (19 shots / 16 saves) Goalie stats Rok Stojanovič (17 shots / 14 saves)
Dundee Stars win 5–3 on aggregate.


(3) Cardiff Devils vs. (6) Glasgow Clan

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23 April 2022 Cardiff Devils 3–4 Glasgow Clan Ice Arena Wales Recap  
Matthew Register (1; PPG) – 8:53 First period 18:29 – Colin Campbell (1)
Trevor Cox (1) – 14:25 Second period
Cole Sanford (1) – 17:45 Third period 6:49 – Nolan LaPorte (2)
Mac Carruth (26 shots / 22 saves) Goalie stats Shane Starrett (39 shots / 36 saves)
24 April 2022 Glasgow Clan 0–2 Cardiff Devils Braehead Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period
Shane Starrett (25 shots / 23 saves) Goalie stats Mac Carruth (26 shots / 26 saves)
Cardiff Devils win 5–4 on aggregate.


(4) Nottingham Panthers vs. (5) Guildford Flames

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23 April 2022 Guildford Flames 4–4 Nottingham Panthers Guildford Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period 6:24 – Sean Richards (1)
Second period
Third period 13:29 – Matthew Myers (1)
Kevin Lindskoug (36 shots / 32 saves) Goalie stats Kevin Carr (34 shots / 30 saves)
24 April 2022 Nottingham Panthers 2–3 Guildford Flames Motorpoint Arena Nottingham Recap  
Christophe Boivin (2) – 5:01 First period 7:58 – Levi Cable (1)
Jeremy Welsh (1) – 8:20 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period
Kevin Carr (25 shots / 22 saves) Goalie stats Kevin Lindskoug (37 shots / 35 saves)
Guildford Flames win 7–6 on aggregate.


Semi-finals

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The schedule for the Playoff Finals weekend was announced after the conclusion of the quarter-final matches.[12]

30 April 2022
15:00		Belfast Giants6–0
(1–0, 3–0, 2–0)		Dundee StarsMotorpoint Arena Nottingham
Game reference
Tyler BeskorowanyGoaliesAdam MorrisonReferees:
Matt Rose
Dean Smith
Linesmen:
Nathan Carmichael
Ilia Kisil
Mark Cooper (1) – 14:221–0
Mark Cooper (2) – 21:032–0
Mark Cooper (3) – 28:473–0
Jordan Boucher (1) – 37:334–0
Lewis Hook (1; PPG) – 50:085–0
David Goodwin (1; PPG) – 58:026–0
4 minPenalties8 min
19Shots24
30 April 2022
19:00		Cardiff Devils3–2
(1–0, 1–0, 1–2)		Guildford FlamesMotorpoint Arena Nottingham
Game reference
Mac CarruthGoaliesKevin LindskougReferees:
Matt Thompson
Stefan Hogarth
Linesmen:
Lee Young
Scott Rodger
Jake Coughler (2) – 12:451–0
Cole Sanford (2) – 39:302–0
2–141:43 – Turner Ripplinger (3)
2–255:28 – Turner Ripplinger (4)
Justin Crandall (1; PPG) – 57:423–2
6 minPenalties4 min
20Shots32

Third-place match

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1 May 2022
13:00		Guildford Flames7–5
(2–1, 2–1, 3–3)		Dundee StarsMotorpoint Arena Nottingham
Game reference
Kevin LindskougGoaliesBrython PreeceReferees:
Matt Rose
Stefan Hogarth
Linesmen:
Nathan Carmichael
Scott Rodger
Jordan Cownie (1) – 6:101–0
1–18:42 – Philippe Sanche (1)
Kyle Locke (1) – 10:302–1
2–221:44 – Sebastian Bengtsson (4)
Jordan Cownie (2) – 32:493–2
Ian McNulty (1) – 33:114–2
4–342:58 – Charlie Combs (1)
4–448:35 – Connor Sills (1)
4–553:40 – Michael Poirier (1)
Levi Cable (3) – 54:415–5
Brett Ferguson (1; PPG) – 58:076–5
Owen Griffiths (2; ENG) – 59:157–5
2 minPenalties4 min
29Shots33

Final

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1 May 2022
17:00		Belfast Giants3–6
(1–2, 1–1, 1–3)		Cardiff DevilsMotorpoint Arena Nottingham
Game reference
Tyler BeskorowanyGoaliesMac CarruthReferees:
Liam Sewell
Andy Dalton
Linesmen:
Danny Beresford
Ryan Fraley
0–11:44 – Cole Sanford (3)
0–26:01 – Jake Coughler (3; PPG)
Scott Conway (1; PPG) – 8:321–2
Ben Lake (1; PPG) – 25:572–2
2–339:39 – Stephen Dixon (1)
2–442:13 – Brodie Reid (1; PPG)
Tyler Soy (2) – 49:033–4
3–558:09 – Trevor Cox (3; ENG)
3–659:19 – Josh Lammon (1; ENG)
31 minPenalties33 min
37Shots23

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Fisher, Luke (5 August 2021). "Fixtures for 2021/22 revealed!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Season extended by one week to allow for complete schedule". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. ^ "EIHL Board Suspend 2020–21 Season". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  4. ^ "2021 Elite Series confirmed for April–May!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  5. ^ Parry, Haydn (10 April 2022). "Elite League: Belfast Giants win title with two games to spare". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  6. ^ McKendry, Adam (1 May 2022). "Belfast Giants miss out on historic Grand Slam as Cardiff Devils claim Play-Off title". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Devils defeat Giants in playoff final". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Storm vs. Steelers ended in perod [sic] three". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022. The result of 2–7 will stand.
  9. ^ "Statistics 2021/22: Players". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Statistics 2021/22: Goalies". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Playoff Quarter-Finals confirmed". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  12. ^ "All set for Playoff Finals Weekend!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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