MANCHESTER Storm head coach Ryan Finnerty hopes to steer his team to even more success this season after last term's second-placed finish in the Elite League and Conference triumph.

Finnerty and his team have completed pre-season and head to Nottingham on Saturday for their season-opener before hosting them 24 hours later.

And he hopes success can attract even more fans to home games at the Storm Shelter in Altrincham.

The final eight games last season were sell-outs and the fans have bought into the club yet again with a 30-per-cent increase in season ticket sales.

And there has been a lot of work done behind the scenes in order to enhance the supporters' game-day experience.

Finnerty said: "Once people watch a game they are hooked.

"It’s a great night out with friendly people who are very welcoming.

"The on-ice action is fast and very competitive and played full-on.

“We have one of the smallest rinks in the league but the crowd are very close to the action and they create an incredible atmosphere for the team who love the backing they get.

"Our long-standing ‘voice of the puck’ Jon Hammond has retired and been replaced by Aden Millen who has already brought in some new ideas to engage the fans.”

On the ice, Finnerty has welcomed new players to the ranks and is optimistic those home fans will see more exciting hockey this season.

He added: "At the end of last season we lost a few players, but we have been patient and diligent in our recruitment and brought in some great new talent.

"We have had pre-season exhibition games where we have tried out several permutations and we are not finished yet.

"We may make more tweaks in the coming weeks.”