EIHL Playoff Finals 2024

This is it. The big finale. The final four teams are locked in, the fans have started to arrive and begin the festivities.

It is the biggest weekend on the EIHL calendar. The biggest investment to the league as a whole and the biggest social gathering most hockey leagues world wide would likely encounter.

The expectations are rife, from being wrapped around a porcelain water funnel in the foetal position, to celebrating beautiful goals and ultimately, lifting that playoff trophy and then a big party in the bar next door afterwards.

Previous Battles

For three of these teams, they have all made a final in this competition. They have tasted both defeat and felt the euphoria of winning the easiest, yet one of the hardest trophies in this sport.

For the team that has yet to make it beyond the semi final, they have a chance to correct this as well as to exact revenge from a previous cup final earlier in the season.

Fans of their opponents may feel bullish, even so arrogant to believe they are already in the final (which would be true to form) and the eventual winners, to claim a grand slam.

For the other tie, this features not only last seasons finalists, but the finalists of the last 3 finals. For the clear favourites, the 2nd place Cardiff Devils, this would make their 8th straight finals weekend and hoping for a 6th straight final to boot.

Aiming For History

Devils have made the final 9 times in their history within the EIHL era, losing 6 before becoming the back to back to back Playoff Champions until Giants ended that streak last season. Devils, were the only club in the EIHL era to go consecutive for any title three seasons in a row in the playoffs since Panthers (2011, 12, 13).

Their previous playoffs streak was 10 consecutive until that fateful season in 2013/14 when things went off the rails for the club and since then, it has been a continuous build once again.

Previous Grand Final entrants that had a record of more than two consecutive were Panthers (3) and once again Devils (3). Devils lead the league with a total of 9, aiming to go for number 10. Their closest rivals to these numbers are Panthers and Steelers, both 8 respectively.

The Other Side to Success

This season will mark the 19th official EIHL POFW, due to the recent pandemic curtailing two finals. Being in the finals doesn’t guarantee success. If anything, Devils know POFW heartache all too well. The have lost 6, Giants 4, Panthers and Steelers 3 each and Blaze just two.

Panthers and Steelers to their credit made 5 wins each. Devils are next with 3 grand final wins, Giants have two (Both vs Devils), Blaze have two and Newcastle Vipers have one.

The last time Steelers won was vs Devils in 2017. Since then, the final day belonged to bracket two rivals, Giants and Devils.

The Road to the Playoffs

It would be inconceivable to think of a final two teams without Devils right now, however, anything can happen. Flames are rampant, putting up massive numbers in their quarter final legs vs Storm, blowing them out of the park, causing a huge upset in the process.

Steelers breezed past the Flyers who had no answers for the relentless intensity of the Steelers systems, making full use of their squad to cover injuries. Flyers, bare bones in the roster department eventually met their match in an all out tie.

These were the highest scoring quarter finals.

Giants just about edged their way to this weekend vs Blaze, who was another under performing team this season that could have caused an upset. Ultimately, they left it too little, too late to push back and book their place in the finals this weekend.

This was the lowest scoring match up of this stage.

Their opponents rode a wave of physical, heavy forechecking to comfortably finish 7:4 overall vs Stars, that ended the season in total as an unbeaten series vs their Scottish rivals as a whole. This wasn’t easy street or plain sailing for the Devils, who welcomed back two important pieces to their squad, each putting up points to make it to the POFW.

Expectations

Defensively, Giants and Flames look to be stronger at the back, however Giants do not offer much hope offensively, with the other finalist scoring 7, 9 and 13 respectively to make it this far. Giants notched just 3 goals. So, despite a low scoring series vs Blaze, against more dominant teams offensively, could they cope?

The results certainly didn’t match league performances, of course, in the playoffs, league form rarely accounts for much. The teams buzzing to get going are already there, however others would be more focused, some expecting, there might be one wracked with nerves due to such an underwhelming campaign overall.

There is one team that has a core that has become very used to being there at this stage of the season, with rivals featuring more newcomers and the heavy favourites aiming for one more addition to their cabinet from this season.

On the EIHL Face-Off podcast, insights were given with some predictions of the finals, which can be found here; https://x.com/EIHLFaceOff/status/1780549561104167192.

Ultimately, there is a keen sense of real hockey rivalry in these semi-final match ups, with nearly every team fighting for something to prove but to also end this campaign on a really high note. The total focus for most of these teams is to stop the regular season champions having a domestic clean sweep.

This will be one for the ages.