Two British teams were given the chance to compete in next year's Champions Hockey League, and they were both decided on the final weekend of the season. When the dust had settled, the two spots belonged to the champion Sheffield Steelers and the Braehead Clan. 

by Jon Rowson

The final weekend of the 2014–15 British EIHL promised much and delivered on all fronts. Going into the final two games, three teams were separated by a solitary point, meaning that all three were in with a chance of being crowned champions. Ultimately, it was the Sheffield Steelers who won their fourth EIHL title in 11 years, defeating the Cardiff Devils on Saturday to sew up the crown. With a second 2015–16 CHL place up for grabs, the Braehead Clan won both of their weekend games to qualify, finishing one point ahead of the Devils.

In what was the closest title race in EIHL history, the Steelers knew that as long as they won their two games on the final weekend, they would be crowned champions. Two games against two of their biggest rivals in the Nottingham Panthers and Cardiff awaited. They say that championship winning teams know how to grind out results, and the Steelers truly did that at the weekend. On Friday in Nottingham, despite having nothing but pride to play for, the Panthers pushed the Steelers all the way. The Panthers scored the go-ahead goal three times put were pegged each at every occasion by the Steelers. EIHL top scorer Mathieu Roy would be the hero, scoring the game-tying goal with 2:28 left in the third period, before rifling home the overtime winner on the powerplay with thirteen seconds left to play in the extra frame. 

A raucous home crowd awaited on Saturday at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, where the Cardiff Devils stood in the way of the Steelers and their joint-record fourth EIHL championship. Despite falling behind once again, the Steelers scored through British national team forward Robert Dowd before club legend Jeff Legue netted the championship winning goal in the third period.

For club captain Jonathan Phillips, in his ninth season with the Steelers, winning the EIHL title is nothing new, however, this season will see the Steelers play in the Champions Hockey League for the first time. Phillips said after Saturday’s game, “As a player you want to play at the highest possible level against the best clubs and players. Winning the league is what we always set out to do, this year we had the extra incentive that was the CHL and all the guys are looking forward to the challenge.”

The Steelers are no strangers to the European game, as they reached the Continental Cup Super-Final in 2010. However, the CHL will be a step up from their former European exploits, which Phillips acknowledges, “As captain of the Steelers and the national side we are aware of the standard of the European game. We appreciate the depth of talent so many top teams have there. We will embrace that challenge and take it head on, I can't wait,” added the Welsh-born forward.

It capped off an emotional week for the Yorkshire club, as they lost of one their own in supporter Amy Usher, who passed away on Thursday from a rare form of throat cancer. In the lead up to the game, a group of Steelers staff and volunteers walked 84 miles from Birmingham to Sheffield to raise nearly £22,000 for Usher and the Weston Park cancer hospital. The team posed for their championship photo with a banner commemorating Amy Usher in the foreground, testament to the rallying spirit one individual could give to the club.

Despite their league title campaigns being over, the Braehead Clan and the Cardiff Devils still had it all to play for on Sunday. The Clan had the upper hand, knowing that victory away at the Fife Flyers would give them second place in the table following Cardiff’s loss in Sheffield. The Devils put the pressure on the Clan though, as they thrashed the Nottingham Panthers 7–2 at the Cardiff Bay Arena.

The Clan looked back to their imperious best on Saturday, as they mauled the Hull Stingrays by a 9–4 scoreline, but their attacking prowess dried up against the Flyers the day after. Twice the Flyers pegged back the Clan to leave the scores level going into the third period. It would take a goal from Stefan Meyer, a former member of the Calgary Flames, to give the Clan an unassailable 3–2 lead.

The rise to the top has been rapid for Braehead. Whilst the Steelers have been in operation for nearly a quarter of a century, the Clan were established in 2010 in Glasgow, Scotland and quickly hit the ground running. After a string of mid-table finishes in the EIHL, this season the Clan turned into bona fide title contenders. 

The General Manager of the Clan, Gareth Chalmers, acknowledged the success of the team, saying, “The Braehead Clan only came into existence five years ago, so to achieve second place in the EIHL, Gardiner Conference Champions and [qualification to the] Champions League Hockey is a remarkable achievement. 

“We’re very much looking forward to competing in such a prestigious competition such as the CHL, which will give us the opportunity to welcome some of Europe’s top hockey clubs to Glasgow,” said Chalmers, before adding, “It’s an exciting adventure for everyone connected with the club, more so the fans who have been the major reason we’ve gone from strength to strength over the past five seasons.”

Both the Steelers and the Clan are now looking ahead first to the EIHL playoffs, which begin in earnest this coming weekend. However, after that both teams and both sets of fans will set to work making plans and arrangements for their upcoming European adventures. The Panthers demonstrated just what a British hockey team can achieve, when they took a remarkable 2–1 home victory over the Hamburg Freezers in the CHL last season. 

About this, Sheffield’s Phillips added, “We watched with interest this year how Nottingham got on. They were in the toughest of groups, the most challenging teams to play against. They did well though and battled hard.”

“The CHL has given Britain two teams this next season and both Sheffield and Braehead will do all that we can to ensure we do ourselves, our clubs and the Elite League proud,” concluded the Steelers’ captain.