Dumfries Ice Bowl ready for NIHL playoff weekend

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) and Dumfries Ice Bowl are pleased to announce the details for the inaugural NIHL Moralee Conference Playoff Weekend.

Dumfries Ice Bowl will be the setting over the weekend of April 12-13, 2014 where the top four sides from the Moralee Conference table will battle for playoff supremacy.

The weekend will also include the NIHL Moralee Conference Awards in association with ProHockeyNews.com.

Saturday 12 April will see the first semi final, featuring the League Champions, Solway Sharks, versus the fourth placed team at 1pm.  The teams finishing second and third in the standings will meet in the second semi final at 4.30pm.

The Awards ceremony will take place in the rink bar from approximately 8.00pm.

The two semi final winners will then meet in the Moralee Conference Playoff Final on Sunday afternoon at 2.00pm.

EIHA Director and NIHL North manager Charles Dacres said: “We are looking forward to the playoff weekend and are grateful to Dumfries Ice Bowl for hosting this event.

“The playoffs in the NIHL North have been hotly contested over the past two seasons, and now in a weekend format I’m sure the intensity will be heightened even further.

“Fans of all teams in the conference are invited to join us in Dumfries for the weekend, which we hope will become a fixture in the NIHL North calendar for future seasons.”

Stuart Biggar, Facilities Manager at Dumfries Ice Bowl, added: “Dumfries and Galloway Council are committed to bringing the best sporting events to the area, and the we are delighted to be hosting the NIHL Moralee Conference Playoff weekend in April.

“The Ice Bowl will have hosted its third IIHF World Championship by the time the playoffs come around and the staff are committed to giving the World Championship service to the NIHL Playoffs.

“Dumfries Ice Bowl has established itself over the past two years as one of the homes of hockey in the UK with our NIHL team, Solway Sharks, the IHUK Prospects camps, SIHA conference training and of course the u18 women, u20 and u18 mens IIHF World Championships.

“We look forward to welcoming the four teams and supporters from all over the League in April, to enjoy the hockey at the Ice Bowl but also to see what Dumfries & Galloway has to offer our visitors.  You’ll arrive as our guest and leave as our friend.”