Friday 31 March 2017

NIHL North Play Off Weekend Videos - Pre Order Now

You can now pre-order your very own DVD or digital highlights of this year’s NIHL North Playoffs being held at iceSheffield on the 8th & 9th April.

This year you can also buy a copy of any full game on DVD or via digital version.

- Highlights: DVD £10 (+£1 P&P) or digital version £7.99

- Full game: DVD £5 (+£1 P&P) or digital version £3.49

All of these include match commentary, previews, analysis and interviews as well as replays, slow motion and goal cameras! Better still, you will be supporting British hockey with your order as the teams will receive part of every purchase!

Orders will also be able to be placed at the Playoffs weekend, though we advise purchasing online which you will be able to from until a month after the Playoffs have been held

For more information or to place your order – go to www.pyromedia.co/NIHL

Saturday 11 March 2017

Bandy "Try It" Session at Planet Ice Peterborough, Sunday 19th March

There’s a great opportunity to be involved in a little bit of ice sport history next Sunday 19th March as the first bandy event to be staged in this country for 100 years will take place at Peterborough Planet Ice arena – with an opportunity for ice skaters to go along and give the game a try.

It is a fitting venue for the renaissance as the game was originally played on the frozen fens back in the 1890s but lost its popularity in this country after the First World War, although it has continued to be a highly popular sport in many other countries to this day.

A new English Bandy Federation was set up earlier this year and members are now spreading the word and encouraging new people to become interested in the sport.

The driving force behind this project is new EBF President Lyn Gibb-de Swarte, a long term speed skater and coach who was also a founder member of the Streatham Strikers women’s ice hockey in the early 1980s.  She has announced plans for a purpose built 100m x 60m indoor bandy ice field – the only one in the country – at a new proposed “Littleport Ice Stadium” - to be constructed at Littleport near Ely in Cambridgeshire, which is in the very heart of fen skating country.

The facility will also have the only 400 meter speed skating track in the country, which will help introduce new people to that sport and also save British competitors having to travel to Holland for training and competitions – as that is where the nearest  full size oval track is situated.

The game of bandy has been described as both “soccer on ice, and ice hockey with a ball” and Lyn sums it up as” Bandy is a fast, skillful, non-contact sport that any skater can play - and the kit doesn’t cost a fortune either. It’s great fun to watch too, with similar rules to soccer.”

You don’t need have to have played any sort of ice sport before to be able to join in the session, although a basic level of skating ability is necessary.

The bandy try-it event at Peterborough runs from 8pm to 9.30pm on Sunday 19th March and includes a half hour introduction to the game followed by an hour on the ice.  The cost is £5 per person and FREE for under-16s.  Balls and sticks will be provided  

The event will be overseen by top bandy coaches from Sweden and also the Czech Head Coach Michael Bratt who has over 20 years’ experience coaching in Sweden, Holland & Russia and now back in his native land.

To find out more about the game of bandy and forthcoming events, check out the English Bandy Federation’s website HERE

 

Thursday 2 March 2017

Riverside Raiders (Widnes) Announce Summer Classic Dates

The Widnes based Riverside Raiders recreational team have announced they they will be taking part in the 2017 Summer Classic competition, sponsored by www.puckstock.com . 

The competition consists of 5 teams who will play each other home and away on a league basis. The other teams are the Sheffield Ice Tigers B team – who play their home games at iceSheffield, Blackburn Buccaneers and Wyre Seagulls who both play at Blackburn Arena and Grimsby Stormers whose rink has now been granted a six month reprieve and will now - happily - be able to host home games.
 
The Riverside Raiders fixtures are as follows (home dates in bold):

Saturday 8th April 2017: away @ Sheffield Ice Tigers “B” – 10.30pm  
Sunday 16th April 2017: home v Wyre Seagulls - 4.30pm
Saturday 13th May 2017:  away @ Grimsby Stormers (new date added...)
Sunday 21st May 2017: home v Grimsby Stormers - 4.30pm
Sunday 28th May 2017: home v Sheffield Ice Tigers “B” Home - 4.30pm
Saturday 3rd June 2017: away @ Wyre Seagulls (Blackburn) - 6pm
Sunday 2nd July 2017 - home v Telford .4.30pm (NOTE - Challenge match)  
Saturday 8th July 2017: away @ Blackburn Buccaneers - 6pm  
Sunday 23rd July 2017: home v Blackburn Buccaneers - 4.30pm

The Raiders home games are all at Silver Blades Widnes with 4.30pm face off times and free admission. You can follow the Riverside Raiders via their Facebook page HERE