# 2021–22 EIHL season

The 2021–22 EIHL season was the 18th season of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The regular season commenced on 25 September 2021, and finished on 17 April 2022, with the playoffs taking place over the following two weekends. The previous campaign in 2020–21 was suspended indefinitely in September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom; a reduced Elite Series was held in April and May 2021, involving the Sheffield Steelers, the Nottingham Panthers, the Coventry Blaze and the Manchester Storm, to provide competitive ice time for players ahead of the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
The Belfast Giants won the regular season title for a record-equalling fifth time with two games to spare, following their 2–1 overtime win at their closest challengers, the Sheffield Steelers, on 10 April 2022. Having also won the Challenge Cup, the Belfast Giants as national league and cup champions had an opportunity to seal a Grand Slam in the playoff final by becoming British national champions for the third time, however they lost 6–3 to the Cardiff Devils – who thereby won their third consecutive playoff title and national championship, denying the table-topping Giants the Grand Slam for the second consecutive season.

## Teams

The same ten teams that competed in the last regular season in 2019–20 competed in the 2021–22 season.
| Team | City/Town | Arena | Capacity |
| Belfast Giants | Belfast | SSE Arena Belfast | 8,700 |
| Cardiff Devils | Cardiff | Ice Arena Wales | 3,088 |
| Coventry Blaze | Coventry | Coventry Skydome | 3,000 |
| Dundee Stars | Dundee | Dundee Ice Arena | 2,400 |
| Fife Flyers | Kirkcaldy | Fife Ice Arena | 3,525 |
| Glasgow Clan | Glasgow | Braehead Arena | 4,000 |
| Guildford Flames | Guildford | Guildford Spectrum | 2,001 |
| Manchester Storm | Altrincham | Altrincham Ice Dome | 2,351 |
| Nottingham Panthers | Nottingham | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham | 7,500 |
| Sheffield Steelers | Sheffield | Utilita Arena Sheffield | 9,300 |

## Regular season
### League standings

Each team played 54 games, playing each of the other nine teams six times: three times on home ice, and three times away from home. Points were awarded for each game, where two points were awarded for all victories, regardless of whether it was in regulation time or after overtime or game-winning shots. One point was awarded for losing in overtime or game-winning shots, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that finished with the most points was crowned the league champion, and qualified for the 2022–23 Champions Hockey League. The top eight teams qualified for the playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Belfast Giants (C) | 54 | 37 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 224 | 108 | +116 | 88 | Regular season champions Qualification to playoffs |
| 2 | Sheffield Steelers | 54 | 31 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 202 | 138 | +64 | 81 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 3 | Cardiff Devils | 54 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 188 | 131 | +57 | 74 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 54 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 163 | 191 | −28 | 55 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 54 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 165 | 169 | −4 | 54 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 54 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 150 | 182 | −32 | 53 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 54 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 160 | 185 | −25 | 53 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze | 54 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 154 | 173 | −19 | 51 | Qualification to playoffs |
| 9 | Manchester Storm | 54 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 150 | 210 | −60 | 40 | |
| 10 | Fife Flyers | 54 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 122 | 191 | −69 | 37 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BEL | CAR | COV | DUN | FIF | GLA | GUI | MAN | NOT | SHE | BEL | CAR | COV | DUN | FIF | GLA | GUI | MAN | NOT | SHE | BEL | CAR | COV | DUN | FIF | GLA | GUI | MAN | NOT | SHE |
| Belfast | — | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 6–2 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 5–1 | — | 5–3 | 3–0 | 7–1 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 6–2 | 2–4 | 2–5 | — | 1–2 (SO) | 7–6 | 4–1 | 7–1 | 5–1 | 5–0 | 6–3 | 4–1 | 5–4 (OT) |
| Cardiff | 3–2 | — | 3–4 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 3–5 | 4–2 | — | 6–2 | 7–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 5–3 | 5–1 | 5–4 (OT) | 4–1 | — | 3–0 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 (OT) | 7–1 | 5–2 | 2–6 |
| Coventry | 3–5 | 0–2 | — | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–5 | 4–3 (SO) | 8–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 (SO) | 1–7 | 3–4 (SO) | — | 7–2 | 6–2 | 8–1 | 1–5 | 3–2 (SO) | 5–0 | 1–5 | 2–3 | 3–0 | — | 3–4 (OT) | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 1–2 (SO) | 4–6 | 1–2 |
| Dundee | 1–4 | 4–6 | 3–0 | — | 3–6 | 5–2 | 7–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 4–3 (OT) | 3–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–4 | 3–5 | 3–4 (SO) | 4–1 | 5–4 (OT) | 3–2 | 0–7 | 5–3 | 4–1 | — | 6–0 | 6–3 | 0–5 | 3–4 (SO) | 8–3 | 2–1 (OT) |
| Fife | 0–3 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 1–4 | — | 4–5 (OT) | 3–0 | 8–0 | 2–4 | 2–6 | 2–3 (OT) | 2–4 | 2–3 | 4–3 | — | 3–2 (OT) | 1–4 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 5–3 | 2–3 (SO) | 2–1 (SO) | 3–2 (OT) | 1–5 | — | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–5 (OT) | 3–4 (OT) | 2–5 |
| Glasgow | 0–6 | 2–5 | 2–3 (SO) | 5–2 | 4–1 | — | 4–3 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 3–6 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 4–6 | 4–3 | 5–2 | — | 1–2 (OT) | 4–3 | 2–5 | 5–3 | 1–7 | 6–3 | 2–4 | 1–2 (OT) | 7–2 | — | 3–0 | 7–4 | 3–4 (OT) | 2–0 |
| Guildford | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–4 (OT) | 3–0 | 6–1 | 4–2 | — | 3–0 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 1–4 | 2–6 | 1–2 | 7–1 | 1–5 | 8–2 | — | 6–5 (OT) | 1–3 | 0–1 (OT) | 3–4 | 6–5 (OT) | 4–3 | 7–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 | — | 4–2 | 5–4 (OT) | 1–3 |
| Manchester | 3–0 | 2–3 (OT) | 5–2 | 6–2 | 5–0 | 1–5 | 2–6 | — | 4–0 | 2–7 | 1–6 | 5–6 | 1–4 | 4–3 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 4–3 | — | 4–2 | 0–3 | 5–6 (OT) | 1–4 | 4–1 | 3–6 | 4–1 | 6–1 | 1–2 | — | 7–4 | 4–3 (SO) |
| Nottingham | 0–5 | 5–2 | 2–5 | 2–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 4–3 | 5–3 | — | 1–4 | 2–7 | 4–1 | 4–10 | 4–3 (OT) | 4–2 | 1–2 | 5–2 | 4–2 | — | 3–7 | 2–3 (SO) | 3–7 | 9–1 | 5–2 | 1–2 (OT) | 1–2 (OT) | 3–5 | 5–2 | — | 3–0 |
| Sheffield | 7–1 | 5–4 (OT) | 3–4 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 3–2 (OT) | 4–6 | 5–2 | 5–3 | — | 1–3 | 0–5 | 3–1 | 5–4 | 6–0 | 3–2 (OT) | 4–3 (OT) | 2–1 | 4–2 | — | 1–2 (SO) | 2–3 (SO) | 5–3 | 4–5 (SO) | 3–1 | 3–2 | 6–5 | 8–2 | 6–2 | — |
* ↑ A medical emergency within the Altrincham Ice Dome resulted in this match being ended with 11:54 remaining.

### 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 |
| J. J. Piccinich | Belfast Giants | 52 | 35 | 45 | 80 | +48 | 22 |
| Scott Conway | Belfast Giants | 53 | 33 | 45 | 78 | +37 | 56 |
| Charlie Combs | Dundee Stars | 52 | 30 | 35 | 65 | +4 | 44 |
| Mark Cooper | Belfast Giants | 53 | 28 | 33 | 61 | +27 | 25 |
| Sebastian Bengtsson | Dundee Stars | 51 | 28 | 32 | 60 | +8 | 6 |
| Adam Brady | Manchester Storm | 54 | 25 | 35 | 60 | −28 | 24 |
| Mathieu Roy | Glasgow Clan | 53 | 33 | 26 | 59 | +8 | 46 |
| Brodie Reid | Cardiff Devils | 52 | 31 | 28 | 59 | +7 | 10 |
| Marc-Olivier Vallerand | Sheffield Steelers | 45 | 26 | 33 | 59 | +24 | 44 |
| David Goodwin | Belfast Giants | 48 | 18 | 40 | 58 | +33 | 14 |

#### Leading goaltenders

The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of the regular season.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Tyler Beskorowany | Belfast Giants | 41 | 2384:47 | 32 | 9 | 67 | 6 | 93.17% | 1.69 |
| Mac Carruth | Cardiff Devils | 41 | 2355:05 | 24 | 16 | 84 | 5 | 93.67% | 2.14 |
| Rok Stojanovič | Sheffield Steelers | 35 | 2107:06 | 24 | 11 | 79 | 2 | 92.53% | 2.25 |
| Kevin Lindskoug | Guildford Flames | 49 | 2910:39 | 23 | 26 | 140 | 3 | 90.95% | 2.89 |
| C. J. Motte | Coventry Blaze | 51 | 2950:29 | 21 | 29 | 147 | 4 | 91.12% | 2.99 |

## Playoffs
### Bracket

In the two-legged quarter-finals, the highest-ranked team met the lowest-ranked team, the second-highest-ranked team met the second-lowest-ranked team and so forth. The winners of each tie was determined by aggregate scoring over the two games. In the semi-finals, the highest remaining seed was matched against the lowest remaining seed, with the other two teams facing off. The winners of the semi-finals progressed to the Final, with the losers playing in the third-place match.
| Quarter-finals (23–24 April) | Quarter-finals (23–24 April) | Quarter-finals (23–24 April) | Quarter-finals (23–24 April) | Quarter-finals (23–24 April) | | | Semi-finals (30 April) | Semi-finals (30 April) | Semi-finals (30 April) | Final (1 May) | Final (1 May) | Final (1 May) |
| 1 | Belfast Giants | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Coventry Blaze | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | 1 | Belfast Giants | 6 | | | |
| | | | | | | | 7 | Dundee Stars | 0 | | | |
| 2 | Sheffield Steelers | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | 7 | Dundee Stars | 0 | | | |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Dundee Stars | 1 | 4 | 5 | | | | | | 1 | Belfast Giants | 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 | Belfast Giants | 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 | Cardiff Devils | 6 |
| 3 | Cardiff Devils | 3 | 2 | 5 | | | | | | | | | 3 | Cardiff Devils | 6 |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | | | |
| 6 | Glasgow Clan | 4 | 0 | 4 | | | 3 | Cardiff Devils | 3 | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| | | | | | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 2 |
| 4 | Nottingham Panthers | 4 | 2 | 6 | | | 5 | Guildford Flames | 2 | 5 | Guildford Flames | 7 |
| 5 | Guildford Flames | 4 | 3 | 7 | | | | | | 7 | Dundee Stars | 5 |

### Quarter-finals

The quarter-final schedule was announced after the conclusion of the final-day regular season matches.

#### (1) Belfast Giants vs. (8) Coventry Blaze

* Belfast Giants win 4–3 on aggregate.

#### (2) Sheffield Steelers vs. (7) Dundee Stars

* Dundee Stars win 5–3 on aggregate.

#### (3) Cardiff Devils vs. (6) Glasgow Clan

* Cardiff Devils win 5–4 on aggregate.

#### (4) Nottingham Panthers vs. (5) Guildford Flames

* Guildford Flames win 7–6 on aggregate.

### Semi-finals

The schedule for the Playoff Finals weekend was announced after the conclusion of the quarter-final matches.