Sheffield Steeldogs, Swindon Wildcats and Milton Keynes are awaiting government clarification to see if the NIHL Streaming Series can go ahead.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a month-long lockdown in England until 2nd December on Saturday due to rising numbers in the coronavirus pandemic.
Now the games between the three National League sides are in doubt because of the change in situation and EIHA are seeking clarification from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to see if they can get the green light.
A short statement on the EIHA social media channels read: During the announcement by the Prime Minister, it was mentioned that leisure centres and gyms would close, there were no specifics around ice rinks or grassroots and amateur sport.
“We will seek clarity and advise as quickly as possible about the impacts of the new restrictions on our sport.”
The three-team competition was due to begin on November 14 and run as a test event to see if a season would be viable afterwards, if these games ran without any major health issues.
While NIHL National League ice hockey is considered under the “elite sport” category of sports and leagues that can go ahead despite the restrictions on organised events, the possibility of closing the venues under the new guidelines would be the main concern in whether the games can happen.
When this clarification will come is unknown at this time, but fans will be hoping for an answer soon to see if ice hockey can return later this month as hoped.
