Manchester Storm ready for 'emotional' homecoming

Manchester Storm said the team is preparing for an "emotional" return as the city prepares to welcome them home for the first time in 24 years.

The team will face Sheffield Steelers in a pre-season game at 16:00 BST on Sunday at Manchester's AO Arena.

It comes after they left Planet Ice in Altrincham.

The club said it was looking like it was going to be a bumper crowd and could even set a new record attendance by any Elite Ice Hockey League team.

Goalie Drew DeRidder said on the club's official podcast Stormcast that playing at the AO Arena was a "game-changer".

"It's going to be incredible," he said.

"It's going to make all the difference in the world, getting more fans in the building with nicer facilities. It's also going to bring better players to the team in the future and will attract more fans, too."

Ice hockey referee and coach Paul Shuttleworth told BBC Radio Manchester there would be a real "sense of occasion coming back to the arena".

He said it was the most watched indoor sport in the UK and there would be "a great family atmosphere", with all ages "from little kids right through to grandparents" enjoying watching.

Founded back in 1995, the team played in the then newly opened Manchester Arena as a tenant and became inaugural champions of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 1996.

They also set a British ice hockey attendance record when 17,245 fans watched their game against Sheffield Steelers the following season, which still stands.

The club left the arena in 2002 but said it was returning to take advantage of a growth in ice hockey's popularity to get more fans to the 23,000-capacity venue.

Manchester Storm are opening a fanzone from 14:30 ahead of the Steelers clash.

It will feature live entertainment, player and coach interviews as well as special guests until face-off and when the game is over, it will reopen for another hour so fans can hear from the players and coaches.

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