2021–22_EIHL_season
2021–22 EIHL season
Sports 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 | |
|---|---|
| League | Elite Ice Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration |
|
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Regular season winners | Belfast Giants |
| Playoffs | |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Cardiff Devils |
| Runners-up | Belfast Giants |
| EIHL seasons | |
← 2019–20 2022–23 → | |
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]
The same ten teams that competed in the last regular season in 2019–20 are competing in the 2021–22 season.[1]
League standings
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 |
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
| 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[lower-alpha 1] | 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 | — |
- A medical emergency within the Altrincham Ice Dome resulted in this match being ended with 11:54 remaining.[8]
Statistics
Scoring leaders
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
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 |
Bracket
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
The quarter-final schedule was announced after the conclusion of the final-day regular season matches.[11]
(1) Belfast Giants vs. (8) Coventry Blaze
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
The schedule for the Playoff Finals weekend was announced after the conclusion of the quarter-final matches.[12]
| 30 April 2022 15:00 | Belfast Giants | 6–0 (1–0, 3–0, 2–0) | Dundee Stars | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Beskorowany | Goalies | Adam Morrison | Referees: Matt Rose Dean Smith Linesmen: Nathan Carmichael Ilia Kisil | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 min | Penalties | 8 min | ||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | Shots | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 30 April 2022 19:00 | Cardiff Devils | 3–2 (1–0, 1–0, 1–2) | Guildford Flames | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Carruth | Goalies | Kevin Lindskoug | Referees: Matt Thompson Stefan Hogarth Linesmen: Lee Young Scott Rodger | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| 6 min | Penalties | 4 min | |||||||||||||||
| 20 | Shots | 32 | |||||||||||||||
Third-place match
| 1 May 2022 13:00 | Guildford Flames | 7–5 (2–1, 2–1, 3–3) | Dundee Stars | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
| Game reference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Lindskoug | Goalies | Brython Preece | Referees: Matt Rose Stefan Hogarth Linesmen: Nathan Carmichael Scott Rodger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 min | Penalties | 4 min | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 | Shots | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Final
| 1 May 2022 17:00 | Belfast Giants | 3–6 (1–2, 1–1, 1–3) | Cardiff Devils | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
| Game reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Beskorowany | Goalies | Mac Carruth | Referees: Liam Sewell Andy Dalton Linesmen: Danny Beresford Ryan Fraley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 min | Penalties | 33 min | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37 | Shots | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Fisher, Luke (5 August 2021). "Fixtures for 2021/22 revealed!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- "Season extended by one week to allow for complete schedule". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- "EIHL Board Suspend 2020–21 Season". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- "2021 Elite Series confirmed for April–May!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- Parry, Haydn (10 April 2022). "Elite League: Belfast Giants win title with two games to spare". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- 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.
- "Devils defeat Giants in playoff final". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- "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.
- "Statistics 2021/22: Players". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- "Statistics 2021/22: Goalies". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- "Playoff Quarter-Finals confirmed". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- "All set for Playoff Finals Weekend!". Elite Ice Hockey League. Pendulum Management. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.