After 8 rounds of knockout cup action we are now down to our final two teams who are both familiar names on the FHL UK hall of fame. GM Jon Newbould was our league winner in 2021/22 and 2022/23, whilst also picking up the FHL UK Shield in his double season in 2022/23. This season he is going for more of the same with Jere the Berry having a huge 300 point lead in the league already. The Kessel Run, managed by GM Paul Edwards, has form in this competition being our cup winner two seasons ago in 2023/24. They are also having a good season in the league having moved up to 8th over the last week. Here is how both semi-finals went –
Semi-Final Recap
- Jere the Berry 246.3 – 159.1 Lambys Loons
- The Kessel Run 291.3 – 182.2 For Crying Out Dowd
Team Spotlight: Jere the Berry
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goaltender | Kevin Carr | Nottingham Panthers |
| Goaltender | Lucas Brine | Glasgow Clan |
| Defenceman | Dominic Cormier | Sheffield Steelers |
| Defenceman | Mike Lee | Belfast Giants |
| Defenceman | Nicholas Welsh | Manchester Storm |
| Defenceman | Brandon Estes | Cardiff Devils |
| Defenceman | Zsombor Garát | Nottingham Panthers |
| Defenceman | Connor Russell | Coventry Blaze |
| Forward | Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers |
| Forward | Mitchell Fossier (C) | Nottingham Panthers |
| Forward | Jordan Kawaguchi | Belfast Giants |
| Forward | Cole Sanford | Cardiff Devils |
| Forward | Brett Neumann | Glasgow Clan |
| Forward | Brady Gilmour | Manchester Storm |
| Forward | Mathieu Gosselin | Guilford Flames |
| Forward | Kaleb Ergang | Manchester Storm |
| Forward | Matthew Gleason | Coventry Blaze |
Team Spotlight: The Kessel Run
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goaltender | Ben Bowns | Cardiff Devils |
| Goaltender | Jackson Whistle | Belfast Giants |
| Defenceman | Zsombor Garát | Nottingham Panthers |
| Defenceman | Colton Saucerman | Coventry Blaze |
| Defenceman | Joseph Hazeldine | Glasgow Clan |
| Defenceman | Mike Lee | Belfast Giants |
| Defenceman | Brandon Estes | Cardiff Devils |
| Defenceman | Zach Sullivan | Manchester Storm |
| Forward | Brady Gilmour | Manchester Storm |
| Forward | Tristin Langan | Glasgow Clan |
| Forward | Kaleb Ergang | Manchester Storm |
| Forward | Jordan Kawaguchi | Belfast Giants |
| Forward | Matt Berry | Dundee Stars |
| Forward | Ryan Barrow | Cardiff Devils |
| Forward | Mathieu Gosselin | Guilford Flames |
| Forward | Mitchell Balmas | Sheffield Steelers |
| Forward | Mitchell Fossier (C) | Nottingham Panthers |
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Category | Jere the Berry | The Kessel Run |
|---|---|---|
| Goaltending | Carr (Panthers), Brine (Clan) | Bowns (Devils), Whistle (Giants) |
| Defensive Core | Cormier, Welsh, Estes, Garát, Russell, Lee | Garát, Saucerman, Hazeldine, Lee, Estes, Sullivan |
| Forward Leaders | Fossier (C), Sanford, Kawaguchi, Balmas | Fossier (C), Kawaguchi, Langan, Balmas |
| Semi-Final Score | 246.3 | 291.3 |
- Jere the Berry will rely on their depth and steady scoring across all positions.
- The Kessel Run will look to overwhelm with offensive bursts and rely on their elite goaltending to shut the door
We will have to see if both GM’s make any significant trades for the final with the fixture list throwing a curveball with Belfast having three games and Sheffield only have one.
