Trafford Metros

Trafford Metros
League	English National Ice Hockey League North, Division 1
Founded	2007
History	Manchester Phoenix ENL 2007-2009 Trafford Metros 2009–present
Arena	Altrincham Ice Dome
Capacity	2,150
City	Altrincham, England
Team Colours	White, Red, Black & Purple
Head Coach	Paul "Nipper" Bayliss
Owner	Unknown
Manager	Ian Rogerson
Team Captain	Robyn Crebbin

The Trafford Metros are an ice hockey team playing in the English National Ice Hockey League North, Division 1. The team falls under the auspices of the Manchester Phoenix Junior Ice Hockey Club, and it is hoped they will provide a bridge between the junior teams and the senior EPL Phoenix squad.

History

The Beginning

When the construction of the Altrincham Ice Dome was first announced, a small, but vocal number of fans expressed a desire to see the Altrincham Aces team be restarted at the rink. Manchester Phoenix were initially unable (or unwilling) to do so, as they wished to focus their energies on starting the senior EIHL side, and the hastily announced juniors. They did, however express the idea that if a third party wished to come forward and run an English National Ice Hockey League (ENL) side from the rink, then they would be only too happy to assist in any way they could (citation to follow). Rumours of an ENL team increased upon the conclusion of the 2006/2007 season when the English Ice Hockey Association made moves to the junior age boundaries at the top level from under 19 to under 18; leaving a number of promising players without a team to play for.

The dream became reality in the summer of 2007 when it was announced by the Phoenix that they had formed an ENL affiliate to begin play in time for the 2007/2008 season under the name "Manchester Phoenix ENL". The creation of the ENL team was seen as being the final step for an integrated development system, taking players from under 10 level right through the junior system, onwards to the ENL and finally to the professional side.

2007-2008

Manchester Phoenix ENL began their first season of play in the ENL North in September 2007. Several members on the roster had signed from nearby Flintshire Freeze, with the squad consisting of many former Altrincham Aces players who could now resume playing for a team more local to the Manchester area. The season concluded with the team going 6-15-1, claiming 9th place in the 12 team league.

2008-2009

Due to several new teams being formed, the league was split into 2 divisions for the beginning of the 2008/09 season. With Phoenix ENL failing to finish their inaugural season in the top half of the table, they joined the likes of Grimsby, Telford & Bradford in the newly formed ENL North Division 2. The team had great success in their second season of existence, finishing the season with a 20-4-0 record, missing out on the league title by just three points. However, after finishing the regular season in 2nd place, success was to come in the post-season with victory in the promotion playoffs, granting the team promotion to the ENL's top tier for the 2009/10 season.

Return of the Metros

On 12 August 2009, the team was renamed the Trafford Metros, to help differentiate between the EPL Phoenix, and their ENL affiliate.[1] This has mean't that the club now have their own jerseys, as opposed to sharing a design with the parent team which has been the case since their conception.

Single game tickets are priced at £5 Adults, £4 Concessions & £3 Under 16's with season tickets also now sold by the club. Fixtures for the 2009-2010 Traffford Metros season can be found on their website. [2]

2010-2011 Metros Roster

Head Coach

• Paul 'Nipper' Bayliss

Goaltenders

• Tom McDonald
• Paul Maudsley

Defencemen

• Robyn Crebbin
• Marc Etherington
• Simon Mills
• Max Drakeley
• Dan Etherington
• Dan Berry

Forwards

• John Murray
• Jake Nurse
• Ollie Bayne
• Ben Brown
• Jamie Rogerson
• Alex Pugh
• Joe Greaves
• Tom Revesz
• Shaun Dipnall
• Nick Alley
• Richard Dunn
• Jordan Owen
• Tom Gilbert

References