PHOENIX owner Neil Morris is predicting the most exciting season in Manchester's ice hockey history when the new campaign faces off next week.

Rather predictable, you might think, from a man who has spent the last six years trying to make a success of the sport which burst into life in the last decade as Manchester Storm, but has struggled to capture the imagination in quite the same way since becoming Manchester Phoenix.

But this season Morris just might have a point.

The teething problems which blighted the move into the new rink in Altrincham have now been soothed away.

The fan base which dwindled from several thousands per game to just a few hundred is starting to come back.

And the team put together by player-coach Tony Hand has all the makings of a box office success. It has been a tough few years for Morris, whose day job is running marketing and communications company Comtec Presentations, but on the eve of the new season he was happy to open his heart to MEN Sport.

"It may sound corny," he said, "but the shining light for me over the last few years has been Tony Hand.

"In his first season we had to play most of our games in North Wales and Yorkshire which was a difficult proposition for a professional sports team but Tony handled it superbly.

"The inconvenience and pressure was enormous but Tony managed the team magnificently.

"Despite those problems we tried to play entertaining hockey. It would have been a lot easier to have just camped behind our blue line and wait for breakaways but we played a blend of exciting hockey and tried to give our supporters a good night out.

Rink

"It was the same again last season once we had settled into the new rink at Altrincham. We played the same game tactically but managed to finish a couple of places higher up the table and made the play-offs.

"You have to be sensible and I was happy with that.

"We had a small bench and, to be honest, towards the end I think we did run out of gas.

"But in the play-off quarter- final Sheffield beat us by one small goal and then went on to beat everyone else by two goals to win it.

"They were a bigger team than us but pound for pound they were not a better team."

Phoenix just don't have the finances of some clubs in the bmibaby Elite League but that has never stopped them from being competitive and that's largely down to the coach's recruiting policy.

Hard

Only a couple of last season's senior players are back but, remarkably, the line-up looks stronger than ever.

"We work to the wage cap and that makes it hard for the coach," said Morris.

"Guys who have been here a year or two want more money but if we give it to them we then become a weaker team and Tony wasn't prepared to do that.

"The wage cap is a bit higher this season. It was £5,500 a week net last year and this season it's £6,000. The richer teams, Nottingham, Belfast, Sheffield and Coventry, can go to £7,000 but they can only have 10 imports while we can have 11.

"We are still a young team and this is the right way for us to go.

"I'm excited about this season's line-up. I think the team is more structured with plenty of firepower and depth.

"Dwight Parrish is a very stable and experienced defencman and David Beauregard is a 40 goals a season man. Brett Clouthier is back and he's a great player to have in your side. The fans love him and he's great with the kids.

"I think we might have the most exciting team in Manchester ice hockey history yet nobody talks about us being a major threat. We are the dark horses and that could be good."

Now what Morris wants is more bums on seats.

"We took our average attendance from 750 to 1,300 last season and I want to get it to 1,800 this season," he added.

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