NEXT HOME GAME: Tickets for our Elite League fixture on Saturday 3rd February 2024 are available online HERE, by calling 0161-926-8782 or in person at the Planet Ice Box Office! Doors open 6PM for a 7PM start.
There’s no denying the first half of the Elite League season was a ‘rocky’ one for Manchester, there was fantastic wins alongside solid team performances, but also some tough losses, but with Head Coach Matt Ginn and the team finding form and much needed goalscoring at the perfect time, business is certainly ‘picking up’ as we move towards the second half of the season.
The league table is tighter than ever this year and three wins in a row have put us within touching distance of Dundee Stars (6th) and Coventry Blaze (5th), which means the upcoming weekends fixtures against Fife Flyers are very important for the organisation.
Manchester now sit in 7th spot in the standings on 32 points, with Dundee Stars sitting ahead of us in 6th position on 35 points, but Storm have one game ‘in hand’ on Dundee, which would put them just a point behind if the fixture is won.
Head Coach Matt Ginn has always emphasised the aim here as an organisation is to improve each day, no matter what, which is echoed by the rest of the off-ice team, that being said, with Storm finishing in 6th place last season, it’s safe to assume Matt Ginn, Captain Cam Critchlow and the coaching staff will be looking to finish in 5th place or higher by the end of the season, with a focus on punching their ticket to the ‘Final 4’ weekend in April, in which silverware will be up for grabs.
To finish 5th in the Elite League standings and set up a quarter final match-up with whichever team finishes 4th, would be an incredible achievement for a franchise in it’s infancy after ‘re-formation’ in 2015 and no doubt a mouth watering opportunity for the fans who have turned out in incredible numbers over the past two seasons in particular.
We caught up with Head Coach Matt Ginn and this is what he had to say on the season so far; “Like most of the teams in the league, we have gone through our ups and downs this season so far. We struggled to score for the first couple months, but hopefully have turned the page in that regard. It’s nice to see that guys have been getting rewarded for doing the little things more consistently that you need to do to score goals.
The last couple weekends I feel like we are finding our stride again and playing to our identity. This past weekend I thought we played a very good road game in Glasgow. We defended hard and were able to create turnovers and I thought we transitioned very well. The power play getting another couple goals was big too.
I didn’t think we were at our best against Nottingham. We were sloppy with the puck and our puck decisions which put us on our heels for stretches of the game, especially the 2nd period. However, I thought once again we defended really well and Wenny was there for us like he always is. That’s probably a game we would have found a way to lose a couple weekends ago, so it was nice to see the guys dig down and find a way to win when we weren’t at our best. On both nights our 3rd periods were our best, which is a promising sign.
We know the next couple months are an important part in the season and we want to finish as high as we can in the standings. We’ve got a great group and the guys are excited for the challenge ahead of us. Thank you to the fans for the continued support. We really appreciate it and hope to provide you guys with many more moments to cheer about!”
TYLER HINAM FINDS FORM, SIGNS FOR TWO MORE YEARS
You’ll likely have seen the news that Tyler Hinam has signed with the club for a further two years, which caused mass excitement in the fan base as the news broke last week. Tyler has certainly had an outstanding season so far, but has really hit stride in recent times. In his last four games, the talented forward racked up a hefty four goals and five assists. This kind of form certainly shows why Head Coach Ginn and club management worked quick to secure the services of the fan favourite North American. #9 now has 28 points (14G, 14A) in 31 league games played and we’re sure his red hot form will continue towards April.
With the wins starting to rack up and the goalscoring flowing at the perfect time, there is a feel good factor within the fan base once again and we expect more bumper crowds in the coming weeks. This Saturdays fixture against Fife Flyers (
Saturday 3rd February 2024) has already seen a big increase in sales over the last 48 hours with
over 1,000 seats already secured!
Our Valentines Day fixture on
Wednesday 14th February is a huge test for the squad as they take on a resilient
Belfast Giants side who after a tough start are also trying to carve out an opportunity for silverware and to end the season on a positive note. We know Wednesday evenings are often tough for fans to attend in the middle of the working week, but we hope to see as many of you possible pack the Storm Shelter.
Following the fixture on Wednesday 14th February, this will mark just 9 remaining home games for the 2023/24 season!
Looking slightly further ahead, our fixture on Saturday 17th February against Dundee Stars is certainly shaping up to be a key fixture. Results dependent, this could end up being crucial in the battle for 5th/6th in the standings. Tickets are already selling fast for this fixture and tracking towards another sold out crowd. Please purchase your tickets in advance if you’d like to be inside the ‘Storm Shelter’ for this fixture. Doors open 6PM for a 7PM start.
The Manchester Storm organisation would like to thank all fans, old and new for their continued support as we see consistently large crowds inside the Storm Shelter in turn creating a fantastic atmosphere for the fans and players alike. We look forward to more adrenaline-fuelled excitement as we move through the second half of the Elite League season together!
NEXT HOME GAME: Tickets for our Elite League fixture on Saturday 3rd February 2024 are available online HERE, by calling 0161-926-8782 or in person at the Planet Ice Box Office! Doors open 6PM for a 7PM start.
