English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL , or simpy EPL , is a senior ice hockey league in England , and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association . The league currently consists of 10 teams predominantly based in Southern England , and is generally considered to be the second tier league below the Elite Ice Hockey League although there is no promotion or relegation between the two . The league was founded in 1997 , where it initially served as the effective 3rd tier of the game , offering a level of play above the import free English leagues , but below the 8 import British National League . Since the 2005 – 06 season it has functioned as the second tier , as previously the now disbanded British National League filled this position ; and , in fact , many previous BNL teams now play in the EPIHL . League Structure . The league operates on a 54 game schedule . Each team plays the others in a 3 home , 3 away series . A number of these games also double up as the initial fixtures in the EPIHL Cup tournament . Each team will play 2 games per week during the season , with the exception of a break over the christmas period . The majority of the games are played on Saturdays and Sundays , reflecting the semi - pro status of many of the leagues players . The Season culminates with the play - offs . 8 teams qualify , and engage in a 2 leg home and away series to decide which 4 teams will attend the Play Off Finals weekend , held in the SkyDome Arena Coventry , a neutral venue . The league is administered and sanctioned by the EIHA . The team owners meet regularly to discuss league matters under the auspices of the league chairman , and take a democratic vote on all decisions . League Restrictions . The league operates under a number of restrictions , allowing it to classify itself as a ' developmental league ' . The main restriction placed on the member clubs is a limit of 4 non EIHA trained , EU passport holding ' import ' players dressed per game . Further to this , only 3 of these players may be on the ice simultaneously , with certain exceptions . Full details are available at the following link : . Despite the 4 imports dressed rule , it is not uncommon for some teams to sign a 5th import as ' backup ' in case of injuries to an ' active ' import . The league has no wage limitations , although it is generally accepted that due to the import restriction , wage bills are lower than teams in the EIHL . Despite the lower wages paid , the league still suffers from teams folding , or quitting the league due to financial problems . Comparison to other leagues . The EPIHL is played at a standard significantly below all of the major European leagues . On a domestic level , the league is considered to be much less skillful that the Elite Ice Hockey League , mostly due to the restrictions in place on imported players . When games have been played between EPIHL and EIHL sides , invariably the EPIHL side has been soundly defeated , although these games are a very rare occurence , usually retricted to pre season friendlies . Opposite to this is the fact that the EPIHL is considered to be a superior league to the English National Ice Hockey League . Indeed , a number of ENIHL sides act as offical and unoffical ' feeder ' clubs to EPIHL sides ( such as the Trafford Metros relationship with the Manchester Phoenix ) .