Nottingham Trent University have kicked off their 2025 Varsity Series with a 7-5 victory in a tense ice hockey match against rivals from the University of Nottingham.
The Motorpoint Arena was the stage for one of the most highly anticipated games of the varsity series – a sell-out full of green, gold and pink supporters piling in to cheer on their teams.
With an atmosphere building, the Nottingham display team, The Icicles, took to the ice to dazzle the crowd with a Tetris-inspired pre-game performance.
Trent quickly took an early league thanks to a Powerplay goal from number 75 Sam Peters, securing two goals in the first 6 minutes of the period.
To the delight of the fans of the Green and Gold, the scores were levelled just minutes after.
Securing two goals of their own in just two minutes, the University of Nottingham took advantage of two penalties for the Trent side to even the scores before the end of the first period.
Supporters from both sides let their attitudes known around the stadium as they cheered their teams on for the win.
But both universities were united in cheering their support for the players of Nottingham Lions Under 10s team as they took to the ice in a mini-game demonstration of their skills.
Fans were delighted with performances from both sides’ dance teams during the break as they took to the stage to entertain with high-octane numbers that kept the raucous energy in the arena up.
As the second period got underway, the Trent side’s aggressive playstyle secured them a further four goals, including two Powerplay goals from Harry Macgarvey and Matthew Bell.
University of Nottingham’s attempt to keep up saw them secure another two goals, including one just before the end of the second period. However, the team lost the momentum they had built as play was paused halfway through the period due to quality issues with the rink.
Tensions ran high throughout the period, with referees and captains holding players back from dropping gloves on more than one occasion.
These tensions only continued as Sports Executive Officers from both universities took to the ice for a puck-off in which UoN managed to claim the victory.
Nottingham Knights and Trent Tigers took to the stage to ready audiences for the final 20 minutes with explosive, stunt-filled performances.
Trent’s aggression threatened to get the better of them as the final period began, receiving two penalties in quick succession.
But with eight minutes on the clock, Trent seemed to have clinched victory as Matthew Bell managed to slip the puck past the goaltender and put them three goals ahead of the Green and Gold.
Their attempts to retake the lead that was quickly slipping from them saw University of Nottingham secure a final goal in the dying minutes of the game, but they were unable to get past netminder James Guest and the strong defence to do any more.
As the final buzzer sounded, it was the pink supporters who erupted into screams as Trent successfully defended their win from last year and secured the first win of 2025’s Varsity series.
Varsity continues in March, with the next events being Thai Boxing, Netball and Futsal.
Man of The Match (NTU): Harry Macgarvey
Man of the Match (UoN): Poon Harnchaipibulgul (54)
Image credit: Taylor Ind