Everything You Need To Know On Gameday
We know how confusing it can be when attending your very first Solent Devils or Ice Hockey game. This page is dedicated to guide you as a one stop shop to find your way around!
For returning fans, lots has changed so this will act as a great refresher.
The Solent Devils would like to welcome all of our fans, whether you’ve seen 100 games or this is your first, welcome to Planet Ice Gosport!
We would also like to welcome in the players, staff and fans from our visiting team tonight, we hope you enjoy the game.
Times to remember
Here at the Solent Devils, we like to start our games earlier than other clubs to ensure you and your family can come along and watch the entirety of our game!
Face-off is 5pm (17:00)
Face-off is when our games begin! This is similar to a kick-off in football.
Doors open at 4.15pm (16:15)
On arrival you will get a wristband to permit re-entry to the game and the band can be checked by Security prior to face-off and during the game so do not lose it.
Once doors open it’s an opportunity for you to find your seat, purchase any food or drink or partake in our gameday competitions and prepare for the game.
While you are getting ready for the game, so are our players. Players do a 20 minute warm-up while we welcome fans in. Please be vigilant as some pucks may fly out of bounds during this time.
Ice hockey consists of 3, 20 minute periods with 2, 15 minute breaks in between them.
Tickets
Tickets to see Solent Devils games live in-person are available online ahead of time. We recommend that you do take the time to pre-book online as soon as you can to avoid missing out if the seats and standing areas are filled!
Online tickets are available via the link below,
https://iceaccount.co.uk/solent-devils
Doors open 45 minutes before face-off, tickets can be purchased on the door if you didn’t get them online in time, but be aware you may be turned away if no tickets are available.
Season ticket holders have their seats reserved. Please do not relocate these signs if they are in the seat you wanted to sit in.
Live Streaming
Solent Devils home games are not live streamed anywhere. Please do not interact with any links posted in relation to a stream of our games found online.
Travelling to our rink
The Solent Devils play out of Planet Ice Gosport. If you are travelling to us via car, use this postcode to help your SatNav find us. PO13 0ZX
Parking
Free parking is available at our games with our carpark located outside of our rink. Limited disabled parking is available. Parking does not have a time restriction so you can focus on enjoying the game.
Rules of the rink
If you have a seat, please stay seated as much as you can during game play. All fans attending must stay vigilant during game play. Try your best to keep your attention on the circular black puck during play as some pucks may fly out of bounds.
Try to keep all aisles and fire exits clear incase of any emergency.
Flash photography is strictly prohibited to avoid dazzling or distracting our players.
Any abusive, discriminatory or excessive violent behaviour will not be tolerated at our games. We like to welcome families to our games and we like to make sure everyone feels safe.
All children must be supervised when the game is in progress.
Please do not throw any objects onto the ice at any time.
Please do not bring any of your own food or drink into the rink. External food and drink is strictly prohibited.
Anyone found breaking these rules may be asked to leave the rink.
If you require any help, please seek out one of our off-ice gameday volunteers wearing a red or black Solent Devils, Bauer, coat.
Our rink
Please familiarise yourself with the diagram below to ensure you know your way around our rink.
Please note no unauthorised persons are permitted on the player benches, changing rooms, the penalty box, in the No Standing Area or in the DJ Box.
Area marked by a Push-chair / Buggy symbol is where these items can be left.
Gameday competitions
Why not take part in one of our gameday competitions? We offer 3 different gameday competitions for you to participate in. All competitions can be entered at our supporters club table located at the rink entrance. (Marked Competition Table in the image above)
Shirt Off The Back
This competition is a raffle in which you have the opportunity to take home one of our players game worn jerseys. This competition’s raffle tickets are £2 each or 3 for £5. The winning ticket will be announced during a stoppage in play during the third period with a warning to have your tickets ready in the stoppage before the announcement. If you win this competition, please make your way down to the DJ box. Once confirmed, after the game please make your way to the penalty box to collect your jersey from the player. You will also receive a photograph with the player.
50/50 Raffle
This competition is a raffle in which you have the opportunity to take home half of the total amount of money raised by the competition. The other half of the money raised goes to helping the team. This competition’s raffle tickets are £1 each or 3 for £2. The winning ticket will be announced during a stoppage in play during the third period with a warning to have your tickets ready in the stoppage before the announcement. If you win this competition, please make your way down to the DJ box. Once confirmed, they will hand you your total earnings in cash.
Chuck a puck
This competition is a test of skill. You select your pucks and in the second period break head down to the away teams bench where you can try your best to throw or slide your puck to be the closest to one of our prizes. Being the closest to one of our sweet offering will reward you with the sweets! Being the closest to our Penguin or Polarbear will reward you with a signed puck from a player of your choice! Silver pucks reward a signed puck with a player of your choice, with a Gold puck rewarding a signed puck and photo with a player of your choice.
Silver pucks are 2 for £1 with Gold pucks being £1 each.
you will be rewarded your winnings at the end of the competition if you win.
Please note all competition purchases are limited to cash only.
Solent Devils Merchandise
We offer a wide range of different Solent Devils merchandise for you to represent and support the team in and out of the rink! Merchandise can be purchased at our merchandise table located at the rink entrance. (Marked Merchandise Table in the image above)
Bar and Cafe
The rink offers 2 places to purchase food and beverages throughout the game. Visit them and see what they have to offer! (These locations are marked on the map with the bar being located under the scoreboard)
Learn about Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey features 2 teams of around 20-24 players.
There are only ever a maximum of 6 players per team on the ice at one time. Goalies stay in the net with skaters often swapping out after every 30 seconds in shifts to make sure they don’t get too tired or injured playing this fast sport. This is called a “line change” with teams often having 4 lines of 5 players.
Skaters are split with 3 forwards and 2 Defenceman on the ice. All Skaters can play in any area of the ice and all can score.
To win, a team must score more goals then the other team.
If the score is tied by the end of the third period, the game will go onto Overtime. This is a 5 minute period where the first team to score wins (Sudden Death).
If the score remains tied after Overtime then the game may go to a shootout. In a shootout, each team takes turns sending out a player to go 1 on 1 against the opposing goalie. This is a best of 5 before heading to Sudden Death. To win a round you must both score your shot and save theirs.
Penalties
If a player is fouled then the Referee will signal for a penalty. A penalty in Ice Hockey sees the offender sit in the Penalty Box for 2 minutes. For this time his team will be a man down giving the other team what is known as a “Power Play”. In a power play the team has an extra man to see if they can score.
Penalties can be given out if a player is tripped up, hit while not carrying the puck or hit in the hand or face by a stick.
Ice Hockey is a physical sport and the players are well padded, hits into the boards are allowed unless a player hits anothers head or hits a player who does not have the puck. These are penalties.
Sometimes the referee will signal for a face-off without a penalty. This can be for a few reasons.
One is called an Icing. Icing is when a player launches the puck from their own end to the other end of the ice with the puck crossing 2 red lines.
Another is Offside. The offside rule in Ice Hockey is a rule to stop a player from waiting next to the opposing goalie for a pass to then be able to attack to score without any other players near them. The offside rule means that the puck has to enter a zone (marked by blue lines) before the attacking players can enter that zone. The attacking zone is the one opposite to where their goalie is located.
Learn the Stats ahead of the game
Our Match Day Programme is available online ahead of our games!
The Programme features messages from Solent Devils Head Coach Alex Murray and Captain Calumn Perella-Fox as well as information about the statistics of both teams playing so you can find out where they sit in the table as well as who to keep an eye on.
The Programme can be found here:
https://www.solentdevils.co.uk/programme/
We cannot wait to see you, enjoy the game!
Feel free to tag us on Social Media with a snap of you at your first game! @solentdevils
