Stephen Fone (born 1 July 1987 in

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. He is currently taking time out from ice hockey.

Career

Fone began his career in Sheffield, only a short distance from his Rotherham home. Initially playing at the Under-16 level for the Sheffield Rapiers, he featured in 13 games in his first season, managing a respectable goals against average of 3.87 and save percentage of .888% Fone would remain with the Rapiers the season after, dramatically improving his game to a GAA of 1.37 and a save percentage of .922% It was this season that he also made his debut for the U-19 team of the Sheffield organisation, the Sheffield Steelhawks. It was his only appearance that season. Fone remained within the Sheffield organisation until the end of the 2004/05 season, featuring for the Steelhawks, the Sheffield Scimitars and also joining up with the senior

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (tit ...

for a period, although Fone failed to make a league appearance for the Steelers. Fone moved for the 2005/06 season and split the season between four appearances again for the Scimitars, but it was at the

Solihull Barons The Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. ...

that he established himself as first choice goaltender. He played at EPL level on 46 occasions for his new team. It was in the 2006/07 season that Fone again moved up a level, signing for the Coventry Blaze, a move prompted by his attendance at University in the Midlands. Fone is mainly used as a back-up goaltender by the Blaze, but has played on six occasions in the 2007/08 season, proving himself to be a solid stand-in. In 2007, Fone also made his debut for his country, playing at the World Junior Championships for Team GB. Fone made a loan move to the Blaze's EIHL rivals the

Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix were a semi professional ice hockey team from Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group ''Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey'' to bring top-level ice hockey back to M ...

in January 2008 due to an injury to the Phoenix's first choice goaltender,

Scott Fankhouser Scott A. Fankhouser (born July 1, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 23 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Atlanta Thrashers between 1999 and 2001. The rest of his career, which lasted from ...

. Fone started well for the Phoenix, winning the Man of the Match award for his heroics in a 5–2 victory against the

Cardiff Devils The Cardiff Devils () are a Welsh professional ice hockey team who play in the UK-based Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). The team plays at Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff Bay, currently known as ''Vindico Arena'' for sponsorship reasons. Cardiff' ...

. Fone started two more games for the Phoenix before returning to again play for the Blaze. Fone received a boost in April 2008 after he was chosen as the third choice goaltender and travelling reserve for the Team G.B. squad playing at the World Championships in Austria. After concluding the 2008/09 season as a Coventry Blaze player, he would agree to re-sign for the

following their decision to play in the EPL. The 2012/13 season saw Steve win the Play-offs with

following a serious injury earlier in the season.

References

External links

*
Stephen Fone Personal Profile
Manchester Phoenix Official Website.
"Fankhouser Injury Forces Phoenix Move for Fone"
Manchester Phoenix Official Website, 20 January 2008
"Fone: Good Reception"
Manchester Phoenix Official Website, 27 January 2008.
Coventry Blaze Senior Roster
Coventry Blaze Official Website
"Great Britain Team For World Championships Announced"
EIHL Official Website, 31 March 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fone, Stephen 1987 births Coventry Blaze players English ice hockey goaltenders Living people Manchester Phoenix players Sheffield Steelers players