The wait for the new Planet Ice National Ice Hockey League season is nearly over, with the 2026/27 fixture schedule now confirmed.
The new campaign gets underway on Friday 18th September, with the opening game of the season seeing the Leeds Knights host the Hull Seahawks in a Yorkshire derby. The two sides will open the league campaign with local bragging rights and the first points of the season up for grabs.
The rest of the league joins the action over the weekend, with a full programme of fixtures on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September. One of Saturday’s standout fixtures sees the Milton Keynes Lightning welcome the Leeds Knights, who face a quick turnaround following their opening night clash with Hull.
The Swindon Wildcats begin the defence of their league title on home ice against the Peterborough Phantoms. As the reigning champions, the Wildcats will be aiming to make a positive start, while the Phantoms will be looking to spoil the occasion. Elsewhere, the Basingstoke Bison host the Telford Tigers in what promises to be a competitive contest between two sides looking to start the season strongly.
The Bristol Pitbulls welcome the Romford Raiders, with both teams eager to pick up their first points of the new campaign.
There is also a significant occasion in Dumfries, as Solway IHC plays its first NIHL fixture as the league’s newest franchise. They begin life in the competition at home against the Sheffield Steeldogs, marking an important milestone for the club and its supporters.
The opening weekend concludes on Sunday with another full slate of fixtures. The Romford Raiders begin their home campaign against the Bristol Pitbulls, completing a home-and-away double-header across the opening weekend.
Telford Tigers welcome the Milton Keynes Lightning in a fixture that has produced some memorable contests over the years, while the Sheffield Steeldogs play their first home game of the season against the reigning champions, the Swindon
Wildcats, at Ice Sheffield.
The Peterborough Phantoms also return to home ice for the first time as they host the Basingstoke Bison, while the Hull Seahawks open their home schedule at Hull Ice Arena against the league’s newest side, Solway IHC.
With the fixture schedule now confirmed, clubs and supporters can begin the countdown to another exciting NIHL season.
The opening weekend offers a mix of established rivalries, the start of a title defence, home openers across the league and the introduction of a new team to the competition, setting the stage for what promises to be another competitive campaign.
The season culminates with our Play Off campaigns commencing over the weekend of 27 th & 28 th March culminating with our Final 4 weekend at the Coventry Skydome on the weekend of 17th & 18th April 2027.
You can download our fixtures here.
