Manchester Storm have sold out a seventh game this season, after a tense shootout win against Glasgow Clan to cut a three-game losing streak.

With Storm flying high this season, 14 home wins have kept bringing fans back to the Storm Shelter, reaching a full capacity crowd of 2,350 in the last three home fixtures.

Manchester Storm’s hottest fixtures each season often involve their biggest rivals, Sheffield Steelers, almost always seeing a sell-out.

One of the most recent occurrences of the contest certainly lived up to expectations, as Storm found two goals in the first period, and despite a stern Steelers fightback including an equaliser with less than five minutes to play, the hosts came out on top, scoring the only goal in a defensively-minded shootout.

Director of Operations Mark Noakes said that he expected Manchester Storm to exceed 12 games sold out by the end of the season, a 200% increase from last season’s four.

With attendances continuing to grow, the question arises: How big can ice hockey in the UK go?

Mark said

“I genuinely think it could go as far as it wants to. The sport itself is a family-oriented sport, there’s loads of families, loads of entertainment, loads of noise.”

“The challenge is… [Ice] Hockey is now the fifth most watched sport in this country from a spectator point of view,and that is without a national TV deal.”

“If we get a TV deal that would make a big difference. That’s not about the money, that is about the coverage. We lack a sufficient number of facilities and we lack quality facilities. That’s the biggest problem we have in this country.”

It’s not just the positive results that are bringing fans through the doors. For supporters Ed, Molly and Eleanor, the sport has turned into a family affair.

“It’s fast and it’s physical. After you’ve watched ice hockey, watching football is really slow and boring,”

they said.

The physicality is a draw for fans Jess and Sophie, who have been coming to watch for 10 years. They said that the fighting between the players hooked them in, and from that moment on, they haven’t stopped attending.

Mark and Sue attended their first game three years ago, because it was something to do.

“It was fantastic, really fast, really exciting. It’s better than sitting inside watching the television,”

they said. Since then, they’ve brought their grandchildren along to enjoy the game too.

Manchester Storm have eight home games left to play in the regular season, starting on Saturday 21st February when they face Nottingham Panthers, who only sit eight points above them in fourth place. With a possible 32 points left to play for this season, Storm will be looking to fill the Storm Shelter on many more occasions in their goal to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2024.

By: George Allen