ICE HOCKEY:The National Hockey League and locked-out players reached a tentative agreement to end a bitter labour dispute yesterday and salvage a season that appeared to be slipping away.

NHL owners and the players must now ratify the new deal but no details were given on a start date to the new season or the number of games to be played.

With half of the 2012-13 regular season already lost to the dispute, the NHL had set a January 11th deadline for a new deal and is expected to stage a 48-to-50 game campaign.

The lockout began in mid-September when the previous collective bargaining agreement expired with both sides at odds over how to split the NHL’s $3.3 billion in revenue.