1996–97 ISL season
The 1996–97 Ice Hockey Superleague season was the inaugural season of the Ice Hockey Superleague (ISL).
The league was formed by the owners of the Ayr Scottish Eagles, Basingstoke Bison, Bracknell Bees, Cardiff Devils, Manchester Storm, Newcastle Cobras, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Ayr was the only new team with the rest of the teams having left the British Hockey League.
League
Each team played three home games and three away games against each of their opponents. All eight teams were entered into the playoffs.
| Superleague | GP | W | T | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Devils | 42 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 208 | 130 | 64 |
| Sheffield Steelers | 42 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 168 | 127 | 60 |
| Ayr Scottish Eagles | 42 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 171 | 157 | 48 |
| Nottingham Panthers | 42 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 160 | 147 | 45 |
| Newcastle Cobras | 42 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 158 | 172 | 41 |
| Bracknell Bees | 42 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 169 | 202 | 33 |
| Manchester Storm | 42 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 142 | 191 | 32 |
| Basingstoke Bison | 42 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 152 | 202 | 28 |
Playoffs
All eight teams in the league took part in the playoffs. Group A consisted of Ayr, Cardiff, Manchester and Newcastle while Group B consisted of Basingstoke, Bracknell, Nottingham and Sheffield. The top two teams from each playoff group qualified for the playoff weekend at Nynex Arena.
Group A
| Group A | GP | W | T | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Devils | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 14 | 12 |
| Ayr Scottish Eagles | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 22 | 6 |
| Newcastle Cobras | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 4 |
| Manchester Storm | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 2 |
Group B
| Group B | GP | W | T | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Panthers | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 16 | 11 |
| Sheffield Steelers | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 15 | 10 |
| Basingstoke Bison | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 26 | 4 |
| Bracknell Bees | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 23 | 2 |
Semi Finals
The finals weekend took place at Nynex Arena in Manchester.
Winner A vs Runner-Up B
- Cardiff Devils 2-5 Sheffield Steelers
Winner B vs Runner-Up A
- Nottingham Panthers 6-5 Ayr Scottish Eagles (after overtime)
Final
Winner A vs Winner B
- Sheffield Steelers 3-1 Nottingham Panthers
References
- Ice Hockey Journalists UK
- The Internet Hockey Database
- Malcolm Preen's Ice Hockey Results and Tables
| Preceded by 1996–97 BHL season |
ISL seasons | Succeeded by 1997–98 ISL season |
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