Players from Great Britain’s bronze medal winning Women’s team will be in action this weekend in Sheffield, as the domestic season reaches its conclusion with EIHA Trophy Weekend – in essence the women’s play-off finals weekend.
This is the first Trophy Weekend under the new three division format adopted last summer with finals for Elite, Premier and Division One, in addition to the traditional U16 girls’ final.
The Bauer Arena at iceSheffield is the venue for the event, with ten games across two days – admission across the weekend is free.
The EIHA Women’s Committee are continuing the fundraising for RNLI which began at Conference weekend and has raised over £2,000 so far.
Programmes, raffle and 50/50 will all be on sale to add to this fantastic total.
In the Elite League semi-finals, champions Bracknell Queen Bees face Kingston Diamonds, while Sheffield Shadows take on Solihull Vixens.
The Premier League action sees Swindon Topcats and MK Falcons clash, while Widnes Wild and Streatham Storm make up the second semi-final.
Whichever team wins the Division One title this weekend has the added bonus of promotion to the Premier League, so the North v South semi-finals have added spice.
D1 North champions Billingham Wildcats take on Cardiff Comets in the first game, with D1 South winners Invicta Dynamics playing Kingston Diamonds completing the final four line-up.
All semi-finals take place on Saturday starting at 9.45am. Sunday is finals day with the three senior division finals plus the U16 girls final, which this year has a new team taking part.
Since the U16 was introduced all previous finals were Kingston v Bracknell. While the Ice Bees have once again won the south section, Sheffield Shadows now rule the north so will take their place in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Women’s section Chairman Geoff Hemmerman said: “It is hoped that the format of the Championships will, once again, make the season’s finale a pleasant and memorable occasion for players and spectators alike.
“This may well be the highlight of some players’ careers and we’ll try and make it as enjoyable as we possibly can.
“On behalf of the EIHA Women’s LMC, we all look forward to welcoming all players, officials and as many supporters as possible to the Trophy Weekend.”
The full Trophy Weekend schedule is:
Saturday 28th May
G1 09.45 WD1 SF – Billingham Wildcats v Cardiff Comets
G2 11.30 WPL SF – Swindon Topcats v MK Falcons
G3 13.15 WEL SF – Bracknell Queen Bees v Kingston Diamonds
G4 15.30 WD1 SF – Invicta Dynamics v Kingston Diamonds
G5 17.15 WPL SF – Widnes Wild v Streatham Storm
G6 18.45 WEL SF – Sheffield Shadows v Solihull Vixens
Sunday 29th May
G7 10.35 WD1 Final – winners G1 V G4
G8 12.50 WPL Final – winners G2 v G5
G9 15.05 U16 Final – Bracknell Ice Bees v Sheffield Shadows
G10 16.50 WEL Final – winners G3 v G6
(Image permission: Rob Hutchinson)
