Cardiff Fire On Course For National League Trophy Treble

Cardiff Fire are aiming to extend their 100 per cent for 2016-17 during the National League ice hockey finals weekend in Cardiff Bay.

Head coach Mark Cuddihy and his Fire team have won 18 successive matches, winning the Division Two title for a second successive season and qualifying for the cup finals at Ice Arena Wales.

They take on Swindon Wildcats in the second semi-final and that looks certain to be a tough test, while Wightlink Buccaneers and Peterborough Islanders clash in the first game.

Fire will ice a full team of 22 players and that could include Jordan Powell, who will skate in the warm-up and decide at that stage whether he is ready to play after injury.

Captain Tim Burrows will lead the team and Fire include former Devils forward Sam Smith plus experienced Slovakian forward Robert Sedlak.

“It’s been a successful season so far and we’ll be fully prepared, but we’ll have to be at our best,” says Cuddihy, whose Fire players would love to add the cup and play-offs to their League title success.

The format of the NIHL finals weekend will see two semi-finals on Saturday with the final played on Sunday.

Peterborough face Wightlink at 2.30pm with the Fire v Wildcats match starting at 6.30pm.

Richard Carpenter, from the NIHL management committee, said: “We are delighted to play the cup finals weekend at Ice Arena Wales for this superbly enjoyable weekend of hockey.

“It is one of the newest ice rinks in the country, a magnificent facility and will make a superb location for the finals.”

Ticket prices for fans attending: Weekend ticket (covering all three games) adult £12; Concessions (including 12-16 year olds) £6; kids under 12 £1 for any ticket.

Single games will be priced at adults £6 each, £3 concessions and £1 kids.

Tickets available from the IAW, Cardiff Bay.

Fire will follow the finals weekend in Cardiff Bay by focusing on the NIHL play-offs.

The top two sides from each of Division Two South East and South West will play crossover semi-finals over the weekend of Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16.

From the South East division, champions Peterborough Islanders are joined by Chelmsford Warriors. Cardiff Fire, winners in the South West, qualify alongside runners-up Bristol Pitbulls.

The semi-final draw pits Cardiff against Chelmsford, while Peterborough will take on Bristol.

Tickets for Fire v Chelmsford are priced at: £6 adults, £3 concessions (including under 18’s), £1 for all children under 12 years old

Due to issues with ice availability, the Cardiff-Chelmsford tie will be a single-leg game in Cardiff on Sunday, April 16.

Islanders and Pitbulls will play home and away as normal, with Bristol at home (in Oxford) on the Saturday and the second in Peterborough is on the Sunday.