Manchester Storm made an emotional return to the AO Arena on Sunday (September 6) for a pre-season match against Sheffield Steelers, falling short in a penalty shootout after a tense 5-5 draw. The game, which had it all—fights, penalties, goals, and drama—was played in front of a near-capacity crowd, with the club on track to record the highest attendance for a game between two Motorpoint Elite League teams in history.
A Triumphant Return to the Arena
The club, which disbanded in 2002 after seven years at the venue, was revived in 2015 at Planet Ice Altrincham. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength, reaching the play-off finals in April for the first time since relocating. Earlier this year, it was announced that Storm would be heading back to where it all began, and Sunday marked their big homecoming.
Adam Maidment, What's On and LGBTQ+ Writer, attended the match with his nephew, recalling his first time seeing Storm play at the arena as a kid. "Seeing them in the arena again today instantly transformed me back to that time period - and it made me quite emotional, actually," he wrote.
Thrilling Start and a Rocky Middle
The first period was absolute scenes, with fights and the first goal coming from Storm's Anton Karlsson. Goals from Tim McGauley and JD Dudek quickly followed for a triumphant start, as the crowd chanted 'Let's Go Storm' in the face of playful boos from Steelers supporters. The second period got a little rocky for Storm, but it included a goal from Brady Gilmour. Steelers closed the gap to 4-3 at the end of period two, which was cut slightly short due to issues with the ice.
Period three saw another goal for Storm from Connor Lee, as well as penalties for boarding and fighting. With the Steelers picking up momentum, the match ended 5-5 and went into a penalty shootout.
Sudden Death Drama
The penalty shootout proved to add no further goals, and the intensity carried on into sudden death before Mitchell Balmas won it for the Steelers. While it wasn't the homecoming result Storm fans had wanted, the team threw everything at it.
Maidment noted the electric atmosphere: "The chants, the rallies, the near misses and the scores were all just infectious and it was so delightful to see Storm back where I had initially seen them and in their element again." He added that while it's essential to remember everything Altrincham has done for them, it feels good to see them back at a major arena level where tens of thousands of people can root behind them.
Storm have games at the AO Arena through to March 2027, with full fixtures and ticket information available via their website.
