England Ice Hockey and the National Ice Hockey League are delighted to announce that the joint play-off weekend for Division 1 & 2 North & South will be called the Steel City Showdown, and will take place at the Bauer Arena at iceSheffield on 12-13 April 2025.

League officials had already confirmed that the four regional divisions would come together for a single finals weekend. Now the venue is confirmed and fans can start looking forward to a true festival of NIHL hockey.

The weekend will have four regional finals on the Saturday – the Division 1 North & South and Division 2 North & South. Then for the first time, EIH/the NIHL will crown national play-off champions as the respective winners go head-to-head on the Sunday afternoon.

Divisional play-off quarter finals and semi-finals are now played over two legs, until each division has its final two teams remaining. Those teams will head to the Steel City Showdown.

Ticket details will be released very shortly.

NIHL general manager Haydn Hunter said: “We’ll have the top two sides from each of our four divisions, plus fans from all over the country. Every game has a trophy up for grabs, and we’ll have our first ever national play-off champions for Division 1 and Division 2.”

EIH director for the NIHL Martin Peters said: “The clubs supported the idea of a joint finals at the respective summer meetings and have really bought into the idea.

“For me, it’s exciting to have teams and fans from all over the country coming to a central location and enjoy a true showpiece event for the NIHL divisions.”

The league can also confirm that the national play-off trophies will be named after former EIHA/EIH chairman Ken Taggart, who passed away earlier this year.

Division 1 teams will play for the Ken Taggart Memorial Trophy, while Division 2 teams will contest the Taggart Bowl.

Stay updated with the EIH Events Team via the website and social media channels for news on ticket prices and release dates as we count down to the inaugural Steel City Showdown.

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