The fantastic five year affiliation between Matt Ginn and Manchester Storm has today come to an end, as our Head Coach has accepted an exciting opportunity in North America.

Ginn first signed with the Storm in 2018 and had a solid rookie EIHL campaign posting a .909 SV% and 3.27 GAA. The following season, Ginn improved significantly turning away shots at .921% and reducing his GAA to 2.84.

However, the pandemic curtailed things and Ginn wouldn’t return to the UK until 2021. The 2021-22 season would prove to be his last between the pipes, as an unfortunate injury preeminently saw Ginn transition into the coaching side of things. The natural successor to Ryan Finnerty, Ginn was handed full reign in 2022.

In his debut season behind the bench, the former goaltender faired well as the Storm finished a very respectable 6th place (22-28-4). However, it would be 2023-24 which caught the attention of North America suitors. A budget defying 4th place finish (27-20-7) saw Ginn rightly awarded EIHL Coach of the Year and draw interest from around the hockey world.

Former #1 goaltender, fan favourite and Head Coach Matt Ginn had this to say ahead of his departure: “I am truly grateful for my time in Manchester and the opportunity that I was given from Ryan and Emma.

It was an incredibly difficult decision to move on, but one that we felt was best for our family right now. I’d like to thank the fans for their support, Mike Morin and the staff for all of their hard work behind the scenes and of course the players. I loved going to the rink each day and that was because of the people and players that we were surrounded by.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Ryan and Emma for their trust and support. They welcomed us into their family and made Manchester feel like a second home. Since day one, my wife and I were treated like first class and the relationships and friendships that we created will be greatly missed.

The organization is in a great place both on and off the ice and I am excited to watch the Storm continue to grow.

Thank you for everything and Go Storm!

Ginner

On behalf of everyone at the Storm, we wish Matt all the best!

The club are now actively pursuing a Head Coach ahead of the 2024/25 Elite League season.