1997–98 ISL season

The Benson & Hedges Cup consisted of the teams from the ISL and the top teams from the British National League. In the 1997–98 season, twelve teams in total were split into two regional groups playing each team in their group once at home and once away. The top four teams of each group then progressed to the quarter-finals where the teams were paired off and the winning team on aggregate (after playing home and away) progressed to the semi-finals. Again the winning team on aggregate progressed to the one-off final game held at Sheffield Arena. Group A Group B Quarter-finals Quarter-final A: Winner A (Manchester) vs 4th place B (Bracknell) • Bracknell Bees 2–2 Manchester Storm • Manchester Storm 5–4 Bracknell Bees (Manchester win 7–6 on aggregate) Quarter-final B: 3rd place A (Ayr) vs 2nd place B (Nottingham) • Ayr Scottish Eagles 4–2 Nottingham Panthers • Nottingham Panthers 3–4 Ayr Scottish Eagles (Ayr win 8–6 on aggregate) Quarter-final C: 2nd place A (Newcastle) vs 3rd place B (Basingstoke) • Newcastle Cobras 1–1 Basingstoke Bison • Basingstoke Bison 1–5 Newcastle Cobras (Newcastle win 6–2 on aggregate) Quarter-final D: 4th place A (Sheffield) vs Winner B (Cardiff) • Sheffield Steelers 2–3 Cardiff Devils • Cardiff Devils 5–2 Sheffield Steelers (Cardiff win 8–4 on aggregate) Semi-finals Winner QF A (Manchester) vs Winner QF B (Ayr) • Manchester Storm 4–4 Ayr Scottish Eagles • Ayr Scottish Eagles 4–2 Manchester Storm (Ayr win 8–6 on aggregate) Winner QF C (Newcastle) vs Winner QF D (Cardiff) • Cardiff Devils 6–2 Newcastle Cobras • Newcastle Cobras 3–2 Cardiff Devils (Cardiff win 8–5 on aggregate) Final The final took place at Sheffield Arena between Ayr Scottish Eagles and Cardiff Devils. • Ayr Scottish Eagles 2–1 Cardiff Devils ==Express Cup==

All eight teams in the league competed in the new competition for the Express Cup. The first round was a round-robin league with each team playing their opponents once at home and once away. The top four teams progressed to the semi-finals. The semi finals were home and away games with the winner on aggregate progressing to the one off final game. First round Semi-finals 1st place (Ayr) vs 4th place (Nottingham) • Nottingham Panthers 4–4 Ayr Scottish Eagles • Ayr Scottish Eagles 12–4 Nottingham Panthers (Ayr win 16–8 on aggregate) 2nd place (Sheffield) vs 3rd place (Bracknell) • Bracknell Bees 3–1 Sheffield Steelers • Sheffield Steelers 4–4 Bracknell Bees (Bracknell win 7–4 on aggregate) Final Winner A vs Winner B • Ayr Scottish Eagles 3–2 Bracknell Bees ==League==

Each team played two home games and two away games against each of their opponents. All eight teams were entered into the playoffs. ==Playoffs==

All eight teams in the league took part in the playoffs. Group A consisted of Ayr, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield while Group B consisted of Basingstoke, Bracknell, Cardiff and Manchester. The top two teams from each playoff group qualified for the semi-finals, which was a home and away series with the winners on games progressing to the final and the losers progressing to the third place playoff. Group A Group B Semi-finals Winner B vs Runner-Up A • Cardiff Devils 5-4 Sheffield Steelers • Sheffield Steelers 2–6 Cardiff Devils (Cardiff win series 2–0) Winner A vs Runner-Up B • Ayr Scottish Eagles 5–3 Manchester Storm • Manchester Storm 2-7 Ayr Scottish Eagles (Ayr win series 2–0) Third place playoff Loser A vs Loser B • Sheffield Steelers 5–2 Manchester Storm Final Winner A vs Winner B • Cardiff Devils 2-3 Ayr Scottish Eagles (after overtime) ==Awards==

• Coach of the Year Trophy – Jim Lynch, Ayr Scottish Eagles • Player of the Year Trophy – Rob Dopson, Ayr Scottish Eagles • Alan Weeks Trophy – Stephen Cooper, Manchester Storm All Star teams ==Scoring leaders==

The scoring leaders are taken from all league and Express Cup games. • Most points: 58 Tony Hand (Sheffield Steelers) and Mark Montanari (Ayr Scottish Eagles) • Most goals: 29 Jamie Steer (Ayr Scottish Eagles) • Most assists: 44 Tony Hand (Sheffield Steelers) • Most PIMs: 224 Rob Trumbley (Newcastle Cobras) ==Footnotes==