# 2017–18 EIHL season

The 2017–18 EIHL season was the 15th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 9 September 2017 and ended on 25 March 2018. The reigning league champions were the Cardiff Devils, who won the championship for the first time in 2016–17. The Devils retained their regular season title, with a 3–2 victory away at the Belfast Giants on 16 March 2018. The Devils also won the playoff title, beating the Sheffield Steelers – who had defeated the Devils 12 months prior in a 6–5 double overtime game – 3–1 in the final, winning a first playoff title since 1998–99.

## Teams

The league expanded from ten teams to twelve teams for the 2017–18 season, with the introduction of two former English Premier Ice Hockey League teams; the Guildford Flames and the Milton Keynes Lightning.
Starting from the 2017–18 season, the league featured three conferences of four teams compared to the previous season's two conferences of five teams. The Gardiner Conference became an all-Scottish division, with the Braehead Clan, the Dundee Stars, the Edinburgh Capitals and the Fife Flyers. The Manchester Storm, who were part of the Gardiner Conference in 2016–17, moved to a new Southern conference: the Patton Conference. Also part of the division were the Coventry Blaze (moving from the Erhardt Conference), the Guildford Flames and the Milton Keynes Lightning. The final conference was the Erhardt Conference, consisting of the four "Arena" teams: the Belfast Giants, the Cardiff Devils, the Nottingham Panthers and the Sheffield Steelers.
| Team | City/Town | Conference | Arena | Capacity |
| Belfast Giants | Belfast | Erhardt | SSE Arena Belfast | 7,200 |
| Braehead Clan | Glasgow | Gardiner | Braehead Arena | 4,000 |
| Cardiff Devils | Cardiff | Erhardt | Ice Arena Wales | 3,088 |
| Coventry Blaze | Coventry | Patton | SkyDome Arena | 3,000 |
| Dundee Stars | Dundee | Gardiner | Dundee Ice Arena | 2,400 |
| Edinburgh Capitals | Edinburgh | Gardiner | Murrayfield Ice Rink | 3,700 |
| Fife Flyers | Kirkcaldy | Gardiner | Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 |
| Guildford Flames | Guildford | Patton | Guildford Spectrum | 2,001 |
| Manchester Storm | Altrincham | Patton | Altrincham Ice Dome | 2,000 |
| Milton Keynes Lightning | Milton Keynes | Patton | Planet Ice Milton Keynes | 2,800 |
| Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham | Erhardt | National Ice Centre | 7,500 |
| Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield | Erhardt | Motorpoint Arena | 9,000 |

## Standings
### Overall

All games counted towards the overall Elite League standings. Each team played 56 matches; 24 matches against their three Conference rivals, and 32 against the eight teams from the other Conferences. The Cardiff Devils became regular season champions for the second successive season, with a 3–2 win over the Belfast Giants on 16 March 2018 at SSE Arena Belfast.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cardiff Devils (Q) | 56 | 41 | 12 | 3 | 37 | 234 | 149 | +85 | 85 | Regular season champions Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Manchester Storm (Q) | 56 | 35 | 16 | 5 | 28 | 216 | 169 | +47 | 75 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Sheffield Steelers (Q) | 56 | 34 | 19 | 3 | 32 | 217 | 140 | +77 | 71 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | Nottingham Panthers (Q) | 56 | 33 | 18 | 5 | 25 | 203 | 177 | +26 | 71 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Belfast Giants (Q) | 56 | 34 | 20 | 2 | 30 | 227 | 200 | +27 | 70 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Guildford Flames (Q) | 56 | 30 | 17 | 9 | 27 | 215 | 173 | +42 | 69 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 7 | Fife Flyers (Q) | 56 | 33 | 21 | 2 | 27 | 218 | 172 | +46 | 68 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze (Q) | 56 | 25 | 26 | 5 | 22 | 189 | 186 | +3 | 55 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 9 | Braehead Clan | 56 | 24 | 26 | 6 | 24 | 161 | 186 | −25 | 54 | |
| 10 | Dundee Stars | 56 | 22 | 30 | 4 | 16 | 167 | 233 | −66 | 48 | |
| 11 | Milton Keynes Lightning | 56 | 20 | 34 | 2 | 16 | 180 | 229 | −49 | 42 | |
| 12 | Edinburgh Capitals | 56 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 5 | 118 | 331 | −213 | 11 | |

### Erhardt Conference

Only intra-conference games counted towards the Erhardt Conference standings. Each team played the other three teams in the Conference eight times, for a total of 24 matches. The Cardiff Devils won the Conference for the third season in a row, with a 3–2 win over the Belfast Giants on 16 March 2018 at SSE Arena Belfast.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cardiff Devils | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 91 | 71 | +20 | 32 | Conference champions |
| 2 | Belfast Giants | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 77 | 83 | −6 | 28 | |
| 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 24 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 22 | |
| 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 78 | 97 | −19 | 20 | |

### Gardiner Conference

Only intra-conference games counted towards the Gardiner Conference standings. Each team played the other three teams in the Conference eight times, for a total of 24 matches. The Fife Flyers won the Conference for the first time, with a 7–6 overtime win over the Dundee Stars on 18 February 2018 at the Dundee Ice Arena.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Fife Flyers | 24 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 123 | 57 | +66 | 40 | Conference champions |
| 2 | Braehead Clan | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 85 | 72 | +13 | 30 | |
| 3 | Dundee Stars | 24 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 86 | 96 | −10 | 27 | |
| 4 | Edinburgh Capitals | 24 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 128 | −69 | 5 | |

### Patton Conference

Only intra-conference games counted towards the Patton Conference standings. Each team played the other three teams in the Conference eight times, for a total of 24 matches. The Manchester Storm won the inaugural Conference, after the Coventry Blaze defeated the Storm's closest challengers, the Guildford Flames, 3–1 on 18 March 2018 at the Guildford Spectrum.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Manchester Storm | 24 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 91 | 71 | +20 | 31 | Conference champions |
| 2 | Guildford Flames | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 91 | 75 | +16 | 31 | |
| 3 | Coventry Blaze | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 87 | 91 | −4 | 25 | |
| 4 | Milton Keynes Lightning | 24 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 70 | 102 | −32 | 17 | |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

| Quarter-finals (30 March – 1 April) | Quarter-finals (30 March – 1 April) | Quarter-finals (30 March – 1 April) | Quarter-finals (30 March – 1 April) | Quarter-finals (30 March – 1 April) | | | Semi-finals (7 April) | Semi-finals (7 April) | Semi-finals (7 April) | Grand Final (8 April) | Grand Final (8 April) | Grand Final (8 April) |
| 1 | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 4 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 3 | 5 | | | 1 | Cardiff Devils | 4 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 7 | Fife Flyers | 0 | | | |
| 2 | Manchester Storm | 4 | 1 | 5 | | | 7 | Fife Flyers | 0 | | | |
| 7 | Fife Flyers | 1 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Fife Flyers | 1 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | 1 | Cardiff Devils | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 1 | Cardiff Devils | 3 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 1 |
| 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 5 | 4 | 9 | | | | | | | | | 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 1 |
| 6 | Guildford Flames | 2 | 5 | 7 | | | | | |
| 6 | Guildford Flames | 2 | 5 | 7 | | | 3 | Sheffield Steelers | 5 | Third place game (8 April) | Third place game (8 April) | Third place game (8 April) |
| | | | | | | | 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 4 |
| 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 3 | 5 | 8 | | | 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 8 |
| 5 | Belfast Giants | 4 | 3 | 7 | | | | | | 7 | Fife Flyers | 2 |

### Quarter-finals
#### (1) Cardiff Devils vs. (8) Coventry Blaze

* Cardiff Devils win 8–5 on aggregate.

#### (2) Manchester Storm vs. (7) Fife Flyers

* Fife Flyers win 6–5 on aggregate.

#### (3) Sheffield Steelers vs. (6) Guildford Flames

* Sheffield Steelers win 9–7 on aggregate.

#### (4) Nottingham Panthers vs. (5) Belfast Giants

* Nottingham Panthers win 8–7 on aggregate.

### Grand Final
## Regular season statistics
### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the regular season.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Mike Hammond | Manchester Storm | 56 | 32 | 51 | 83 | 10 |
| John Dunbar | Guildford Flames | 55 | 22 | 59 | 81 | 34 |
| Matt Beca | Manchester Storm | 56 | 24 | 51 | 75 | 14 |
| Brendan Connolly | Belfast Giants | 53 | 27 | 46 | 73 | 154 |
| Joey Martin | Cardiff Devils | 55 | 27 | 46 | 73 | 26 |
| Sébastien Sylvestre | Belfast Giants | 54 | 32 | 40 | 72 | 152 |
| Dane Byers | Manchester Storm | 55 | 24 | 46 | 70 | 107 |
| Luke Moffatt | Manchester Storm | 56 | 34 | 32 | 66 | 73 |
| Kruise Reddick | Guildford Flames | 54 | 27 | 39 | 66 | 36 |
| Marc-Olivier Vallerand | Coventry Blaze | 48 | 34 | 31 | 65 | 145 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, while playing at least 1200 minutes, at the conclusion of the regular season.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Ervīns Muštukovs | Sheffield Steelers | 53 | 3097:39 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 122 | 9 | .918 | 2.36 |
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 51 | 2937:01 | 38 | 10 | 3 | 119 | 6 | .912 | 2.43 |
| Patrick Galbraith | Nottingham Panthers | 27 | 1445:25 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 62 | 2 | .924 | 2.57 |
| Andy Iles | Fife Flyers | 42 | 2369:49 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 106 | 2 | .913 | 2.68 |
| Chris Carrozzi | Guildford Flames | 43 | 2589:09 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 119 | 3 | .904 | 2.76 |

## Playoff statistics
### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the playoffs.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| John Armstrong | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Matt Pope | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Luke Pither | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| David Clarke | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Mark Matheson | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Mike Hammond | Manchester Storm | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Joey Martin | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Jake Morissette | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Colton Fretter | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Mark Derlago | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Justin Faryna | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Carlo Finucci | Fife Flyers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |

### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, while playing at least 60 minutes, at the conclusion of the playoffs.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils | 4 | 240:00 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | .939 | 1.50 |
| Mike Clemente | Manchester Storm | 2 | 120:47 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .895 | 2.98 |
| Andy Iles | Fife Flyers | 3 | 180:47 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .899 | 2.99 |
| Ervīns Muštukovs | Sheffield Steelers | 4 | 243:25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .909 | 3.20 |
| Kevin Nastiuk | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 117:20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .891 | 3.58 |