2018–19 EIHL season

The 2018–19 EIHL season was the 16th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 8 September 2018 and ended on 31 March 2019, with the playoffs following in April 2019. The two-time reigning league champions were the Cardiff Devils, who won both the regular season and playoff titles in 2017–18.[10][11]

2018–19 EIHL season
LeagueElite Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration
  • Regular season:
  • 8 September 2018 – 31 March 2019
  • Playoffs:
  • 6–14 April 2019
Number of matches330
Total attendance949,539
Regular season
LeagueBelfast Giants[1]
Season MVPTyler Beskorowany (Belfast Giants)[2]
Top scorer
  • Darcy Murphy (Belfast Giants)
  • (79 points)[3]
Challenge Cup
WinnersBelfast Giants[4]
Conference
Erhardt championsBelfast Giants[5]
  Erhardt runners-upCardiff Devils
Gardiner championsGlasgow Clan[6]
  Gardiner runners-upDundee Stars
Patton championsGuildford Flames[7]
  Patton runners-upCoventry Blaze
Playoffs
ChampionsCardiff Devils[8]
  Runners-upBelfast Giants[8]
Finals MVPBen Bowns (Cardiff Devils)[9]

The Devils were unable to make it three regular season titles in succession, after a season-long battle for the top position with the Belfast Giants. The league title came down to the final day of the regular season; the Coventry Blaze's 3–1 victory over the Devils at the Coventry Skydome handed the league title to the non-playing Giants,[1] on a regulation wins (by 39 to 38) tie-break. It was the Giants' fourth regular season title, and first since 2013–14. The playoff final resulted in a matchup between the Devils and the Giants in Nottingham; the Devils achieved their second consecutive playoff title with a 2–1 victory on Gleason Fournier's game-winning goal,[8] with 7:33 remaining.

Teams

After having twelve teams for the 2017–18 season, the league reduced to eleven for the 2018–19 season.[12] This was due to the Edinburgh Capitals – who had finished bottom of the league with just five wins[13] – losing the rights to use the Murrayfield Ice Rink to a consortium that was led by David Hand, the brother of former Capital Tony Hand.[14] Hand's consortium revived the Murrayfield Racers name, with a similarly-named franchise having been active between 1952 and 1996, and attempted to join the league in place of the Edinburgh Capitals, but this request was denied.[15] As a result, the Murrayfield Racers joined the Scottish National League. The Hull Pirates, from the National Ice Hockey League, also considered an application to the Elite League, but ultimately did not take up this option.[12]

The league featured three conferences, just as it did in 2017–18. The Gardiner Conference remained fully Scottish but became a three-team division,[16] with the demise of the Edinburgh Capitals; the Dundee Stars, the Fife Flyers and the renamed Glasgow Clan (formerly Braehead) making up the trio. The two other conferences remained unchanged, with four teams in each. These were the Patton Conference, consisting of the Coventry Blaze, the Guildford Flames, the Manchester Storm and the Milton Keynes Lightning; and the Erhardt Conference, consisting of the four "Arena" teams: the Belfast Giants, the Cardiff Devils, the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers.

Team City/Town Conference Arena Capacity
Belfast Giants BelfastErhardtSSE Arena Belfast7,200
Cardiff Devils CardiffErhardtIce Arena Wales3,088
Coventry Blaze CoventryPattonCoventry Skydome3,000
Dundee Stars DundeeGardinerDundee Ice Arena2,400
Fife Flyers KirkcaldyGardinerFife Ice Arena3,525
Glasgow Clan GlasgowGardinerBraehead Arena4,000
Guildford Flames GuildfordPattonGuildford Spectrum2,001
Manchester Storm AltrinchamPattonAltrincham Ice Dome2,000
Milton Keynes Lightning Milton KeynesPattonPlanet Ice Arena Milton Keynes2,800
Nottingham Panthers NottinghamErhardtNational Ice Centre7,500
Sheffield Steelers SheffieldErhardtSheffield Arena8,500

Standings

Overall

Each team played 60 games, playing each of the other ten teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home.[16] Points were awarded for each game, where two points are awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or shootout. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or shootout, 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.

The league title came down to the final day of the regular season; the Coventry Blaze's 3–1 victory over the Cardiff Devils at the Coventry Skydome handed the league title to the non-playing Belfast Giants,[1] on a regulation wins tie-break. It was the Giants' fourth regular season title, and first since 2013–14.

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Belfast Giants (C) 60 39 6 2 13 238 147 +91 92 Regular season champions
Qualification to playoffs
2 Cardiff Devils (Q) 60 38 5 6 11 235 146 +89 92 Qualification to playoffs
3 Nottingham Panthers (Q) 60 23 6 12 19 183 181 +2 70
4 Glasgow Clan (Q) 60 28 3 5 24 202 186 +16 67
5 Guildford Flames (Q) 60 22 8 7 23 189 180 +9 67
6 Fife Flyers (Q) 60 21 9 6 24 188 204 −16 66
7 Sheffield Steelers (Q) 60 23 7 4 26 183 203 −20 64
8 Coventry Blaze (Q) 60 19 8 8 25 209 221 −12 62
9 Manchester Storm (E) 60 21 6 5 28 179 208 −29 59
10 Dundee Stars (E) 60 16 7 12 25 169 201 −32 58
11 Milton Keynes Lightning (E) 60 9 6 4 41 148 246 −98 34
Source: Elite League
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; (E) Eliminated; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated.

Erhardt Conference

Only intra-conference games counted towards the Erhardt Conference standings. Each team played the other three teams in the Conference six times, for a total of 18 matches. The Belfast Giants won the Conference for the third time, after the Cardiff Devils lost 5–4 against the Sheffield Steelers at Sheffield Arena on 16 March 2019.[5]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Belfast Giants (C) 18 8 4 1 5 68 50 +18 25 Conference champions
2 Cardiff Devils 18 8 2 2 6 65 51 +14 22
3 Sheffield Steelers 18 6 2 1 9 51 68 −17 17
4 Nottingham Panthers 18 5 1 5 7 48 63 −15 17
Source: Elite League
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.

Gardiner Conference

Only intra-conference games count towards the Gardiner Conference standings. Each team plays the other two teams in the Conference six times, for a total of 12 matches. The Glasgow Clan won the Conference for the fifth time, after a 5–1 win over the Dundee Stars at Braehead Arena on 12 February 2019.[6]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Glasgow Clan (C) 12 7 2 1 2 44 27 +17 19 Conference champions
2 Dundee Stars 12 4 1 2 5 33 41 −8 12
3 Fife Flyers 12 3 1 1 7 28 37 −9 9
Source: Elite League
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.

Patton Conference

Only intra-conference games counted towards the Patton Conference standings. Each team played the other three teams in the Conference six times, for a total of 18 matches. The Guildford Flames won the Conference for the first time, after a 1–0 win over the Manchester Storm at the Guildford Spectrum on 17 February 2019.[7]

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Guildford Flames (C) 18 9 5 1 3 77 48 +29 29 Conference champions
2 Coventry Blaze 18 6 3 4 5 75 73 +2 22
3 Manchester Storm 18 8 0 2 8 55 65 −10 18
4 Milton Keynes Lightning 18 4 1 2 11 50 71 −21 12
Source: Elite League
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.

Playoffs

Bracket
  Quarter-finals
(6–7 April)		 Semi-finals
(13 April)		 Grand Final
(14 April)
                               
  1 Belfast Giants 5 7 12 1 Belfast Giants 2  
8 Coventry Blaze 0 2 2 5 Guildford Flames 1  
  4 Glasgow Clan 3 0 3
5 Guildford Flames 2 5 7     1 Belfast Giants 1
  2 Cardiff Devils 2
  3 Nottingham Panthers 3 3 6
6 Fife Flyers 3 0 3
Third place game
(14 April)
  2 Cardiff Devils 4 7 11 2 Cardiff Devils 9
7 Sheffield Steelers 5 3 8 3 Nottingham Panthers 4   3 Nottingham Panthers 9
5 Guildford Flames 5

Quarter-finals

The quarter-final schedule was announced after the conclusion of the final-day regular season matches.[17]

(1) Belfast Giants vs. (8) Coventry Blaze
Belfast Giants win 12–2 on aggregate.

(2) Cardiff Devils vs. (7) Sheffield Steelers
Cardiff Devils win 11–8 on aggregate.

(3) Nottingham Panthers vs. (6) Fife Flyers
Nottingham Panthers win 6–3 on aggregate.

(4) Glasgow Clan vs. (5) Guildford Flames
Guildford Flames win 7–3 on aggregate.

Semi-finals

The schedule for the Playoff Finals weekend was announced after the conclusion of the quarter-final matches.[18]

13 April 2019
13:00		Belfast Giants2–1
(0–0, 0–1, 2–0)		Guildford FlamesNational Ice Centre, Nottingham
13 April 2019
17:00		Cardiff Devils9–4
(4–0, 4–3, 1–1)		Nottingham PanthersNational Ice Centre, Nottingham

Third-place match
14 April 2019
12:00		Nottingham Panthers9–5
(4–0, 3–2, 2–3)		Guildford FlamesNational Ice Centre, Nottingham

Grand Final
14 April 2019
16:00		Belfast Giants1–2
(0–1, 0–0, 1–1)		Cardiff DevilsNational Ice Centre, Nottingham

Regular season statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.[3]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Darcy Murphy Belfast Giants 58 39 40 79 20
Ben Lake Coventry Blaze 60 34 43 77 103
Charles Linglet Cardiff Devils 59 21 54 75 26
Mike Hammond Manchester Storm 53 18 57 75 16
Kyle Baun Belfast Giants 60 28 43 71 30
Gleason Fournier Cardiff Devils 60 24 47 71 28
Blair Riley Belfast Giants 60 33 36 69 68
Matt Beca Glasgow Clan 60 26 43 69 18
Joey Martin Cardiff Devils 60 30 38 68 38
Tim Crowder Coventry Blaze 60 27 41 68 32

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the conclusion of the regular season, while playing at least 1140 minutes.[19]

Player Team GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
Tyler Beskorowany Belfast Giants 54 3221:51 42 11 121 3 .921 2.25
Ben Bowns Cardiff Devils 60 3572:00 43 14 138 8 .916 2.32
Chris Carrozzi Guildford Flames 34 2035:07 15 16 93 2 .906 2.74
Michael Garnett Nottingham Panthers 47 2784:29 22 22 135 2 .908 2.91
Travis Fullerton Guildford Flames 26 1541:13 15 11 76 4 .910 2.96

Playoff statistics

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the playoffs.[20]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Charles Linglet Cardiff Devils 4 4 4 8 2
Joey Martin Cardiff Devils 4 4 3 7 0
Mark Hurtubise Nottingham Panthers 4 4 3 7 4
Jordan Smotherman Belfast Giants 4 4 2 6 2
Sean Bentivoglio Cardiff Devils 4 3 3 6 8
Bryce Reddick Cardiff Devils 4 2 3 5 0
Kevin Raine Belfast Giants 4 1 4 5 0
Chris Stewart Nottingham Panthers 4 1 4 5 0
Alex Guptill Nottingham Panthers 4 3 1 4 0
John Armstrong Sheffield Steelers 2 2 2 4 0

Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the conclusion of the playoffs, provided they played 60 minutes.[21]

Player Team GP TOI W L GA SO SV% GAA
Travis Fullerton Guildford Flames 2 119:18 1 1 2 1 .965 1.01
Tyler Beskorowany Belfast Giants 4 238:12 3 1 5 1 .942 1.26
Shane Owen Fife Flyers 2 119:25 0 1 4 0 .935 2.01
Joel Rumpel Glasgow Clan 2 117:13 1 1 6 0 .910 3.07
Ben Bowns Cardiff Devils 4 240:00 3 1 13 0 .897 3.25

References
  1. "Elite League: Cardiff Devils lose at Coventry Blaze to miss out on title". BBC Sport. BBC. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  2. "End of season award winners". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  3. "All Players". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  4. "Giants Go Back-To-Back With Challenge Cup Final Victory". Belfast Giants. OML Belfast Ltd. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  5. "Giants Move Into First As Dwyer Double Downs Blaze". Belfast Giants. OML Belfast Ltd. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019. With the Cardiff Devils losing in Sheffield, the Giants claim a third Erhardt Conference title and a first since 2013/14.
  6. "Clan leapfrog Panthers with win over Stars". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019. A good night for Glasgow saw them move up to third in the table and win the Gardiner Conference title thanks to a 5–1 win over local rivals Dundee in Braehead.
  7. "Flames win Patton Conference!". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  8. Marsh, Philip (14 April 2019). "Elite League play-off final: Cardiff Devils beat Belfast Giants 2-1". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  9. "Belfast Giants vs Cardiff Devils: 1-2". EliteLeague.co.uk. Pointstreak, Elite Ice Hockey League. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  10. Marsh, Philip (16 March 2018). "Elite League Ice Hockey: Belfast Giants 2-3 Cardiff Devils". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. "Elite League Play-off Final: Cardiff Devils 3-1 Sheffield Steelers". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. "Elite League to drop to 11 teams after Edinburgh Capitals' departure". BBC Sport. BBC. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. Egelstaff, Susan (5 May 2018). "No place in the EIHL for Edinburgh Capitals next season". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  14. Dewar, Ross (16 April 2018). "Murrayfield Racers set to make return as Hand group wins ice rink contract". Edinburgh Evening News. JPIMedia. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  15. "Elite League: Murrayfield Racers' bid to take Edinburgh franchise rejected". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  16. "EIHL Confirm League Structure For 2018-19 Season". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  17. "Playoff matchups confirmed". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  18. "PredictorBet Playoffs Semi-Final schedule". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  19. "Goalies". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  20. "All Players". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  21. "Goalies". EliteLeague.co.uk. Elite Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
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