Manchester Phoenix Update: Regular Season Ends, Bracknell Awaits

Since our last update on the Manchester hockey club, the Phoenix split their final 4 games of the season. They had book end losses, home and away, to the Telford Tigers, while beating the Sheffield Steeldogs, also home and away, in between. The results in the final two games this past weekend were a bit hard to judge given how coach Tony Hand sat himself for this past Saturday's game, and several other players were ill or were out with injury. Plus, the team's playoff position was pretty well set. The Phoenix finished the regular season with 69 points in 54 games which was good enough for third place in the EPL.

The EPL playoffs begin this coming weekend. Manchester is set to face the sixth place Bracknell Bees in the first round. The first game will take place on Saturday in Bracknell, with the second match to take place the following day (Sunday) in Manchester. The winner on aggregate moves on to the semi-finals. The Phoenix were 5-1 against the Bees during the 2012-13 regular season.