TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm welcome arch-rivals, the Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup on Saturday 9th September, here at SilverBlades Ice Rink Altrincham! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.

Your Go Goodwins sponsored Manchester Storm are back in Challenge Cup action this Saturday 9th September as their nearest rivals, the Sheffield Steelers, take the short trip over the Pennines for a 7 pm faceoff.

Challenge Cup Group A: With 4 of the 12 teams missing out on the quarter finals, it means that every game and every point is key if teams want to qualify. Storm started their Cup campaign last weekend with a home-and-home series against the Braehead Clan. It was a high-scoring affair in Braehead, with the Clan taking both points with a 7-5 victory. Mike Hammond, Matt Beca, Matt Bissonnette, and two goals from Dane Byers were not enough for the Storm, while Mike Clemente made 20 saves in net. Storm got revenge the following night in Altrincham, with a 4-1 victory. Hammond and Beca picked up more goals, in addition to Paul Swindlehurst and Jay Rosehill, with Mike Clemente turning away 25 saves. These results put both the Storm and the Clan on 2 points from 2 games, and both sides face Nottingham and Sheffield twice in their remaining games. Neither Steelers or Panthers have played a cup game yet.

Busy pre-season for the Steelers: The Steelers have faced a busy pre-season, playing 4 different teams over 8 games. Unfortunately for Sheffield, these games have taken their toll and the Steelers have picked up a number of pre-season injuries. Marquardt, Fretter, Roy, Nelson, and Fitzgerald all picked up knocks, with Levi Nelson spending a short time undergoing checks in hospital after Sunday’s match against Coventry. It’s not yet been confirmed which, if any, of these players will miss Saturday’s game, however Sheffield have moved quickly to bring in injury cover, signing Juha Koivisto to a 4-week contract. The pre-season games for the Steelers have seen them faceoff against Sodertalje, of the Swedish Allsvenskan, Nurnberg Ice Tigers, of the German DEL, Manchester, splitting the series 5-4 and 4-2, and finally Coventry Blaze in two bruising encounters. Sheffield took victory over the Blaze on Saturday night 2-1 before going down 8-2 in the SkyDome. Having such a long pre-season will have given Head Coach Paul Thompson plenty of time to tweak his lineup and prepare the team for the competitive fixtures.

One to watch: Sheffield moved quickly to re-sign netminder Ervins Mustukovs for his 3rd season in the Steelers nets. The former Latvian international broke the EIHL shutout record in his first stint at the club, and gives his side the opportunity to win every night.

MATCH DETAILS:

• Doors open from 6 pm
• Face-Off at 7 pm
• SOTB this evening is a #23 Paul Swindlehursts Challenge Cup jersey
• 50/50 & “Chuck A Puck” will also be running! Buy your tickets from the OSC!
• Tickets for the game can be bought from HERE
• The Station Hotel, official pub of the Storm, will be open pre & post game!
• There IS free ice skating post game

TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm welcome arch-rivals, the Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup on Saturday 9th September, here at SilverBlades Ice Rink Altrincham! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.