AIHL Season 62 Preview

by damo11

After a lacklustre season to compare to, most notbale teams are staying up with the exception of Kangaroo Crusaders who are replaced by kernal’s Ravensfield HC from div 1.3.

diesel-7’s Auckland Anvils survived their playoff relegation and will hopefully look to cement their position in the AIHL again with a relatively young squad.

Rounding out the newcomers are the division winners, Aussie Ice Tourist (div 1.1), Kalpowar (div1.2) and Tahmoor (div1.3)

There’s little doubt that The Jugular Vein will be at the top of the ladder again with sustained success still to come, so it’s really just a matter of filtering out the also-rans. I’m happy to be proven here wrong of course, but here’s my unguided predictions on the season and how it may play out.

1 The Jugular Vein
2 Finlandia HC
3 Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
4 Ice Aussies Pucks
5 Harry Cold
6 Polar Bear Club
7 Aussie Ice Tourist
8 Kalpowar
9 Caboonbah
10 Tahmoor
11 Auckland Anvils
12 Ravensfield HC

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AIHL Season 51 — End of season review

by damo11

We follow up on last report of the mid-season review and look at Rounds 18-22  of the AIHL.

In the end it mattered little as The Jugular Vein capped off their perfect season to remain undefeated and win yet another AIHL title. Averaging about a 6-.5 scoreline a match, there was little competition for the 5-time premier as their consecutive streak of league wins shows no signs of slowing down.

Adding to that, the Top Scorer award was capped off with the top three all boasting Browne Tresise, Arneil Busst and Cod Reisz at 21, and 20 points apiece.

The challenge now lays with clubs such as Finlandia HC, Harry Cold, Polar Bear Club, Ice Aussies Pucks, and Dunedin Thunderbirds HC to change up their squads and show some fight to challenge for the title in the near-future.

Round 18 – 10-03-2019 11:15

Auckland Anvils	6 – 3	Pollywaffle
Harry Cold	5 – 0	Telita
Caboonbah	5 – 0	Black Mamba HC
Finlandia HC	2 – 0	Ice Aussies Pucks
Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	2 – 0	Kangaroo Crusaders
The Jugular Vein	8 – 0	Polar Bear Club

Round 19 – 13-03-2019 12:30

Telita	0 – 5	Caboonbah
Black Mamba HC	0 – 3	Finlandia HC
Ice Aussies Pucks	0 – 4	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
Kangaroo Crusaders	1 – 12	The Jugular Vein
Polar Bear Club	1 – 0	Auckland Anvils
Pollywaffle	0 – 15	Harry Cold

Round 20 – 17-03-2019 18:30

Harry Cold	5 – 0	Polar Bear Club
Auckland Anvils	4 – 0	Kangaroo Crusaders
The Jugular Vein	9 – 0	Ice Aussies Pucks
Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	2 – 1	Black Mamba HC
Finlandia HC	5 – 0	Telita
Caboonbah	6 – 1	Pollywaffle

Round 21 – 20-03-2019 17:45

Polar Bear Club	3 – 1	Caboonbah
Pollywaffle	0 – 14	Finlandia HC
Telita	0 – 5	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
Black Mamba HC	1 – 6	The Jugular Vein
Ice Aussies Pucks	1 – 3	Auckland Anvils
Kangaroo Crusaders	5 – 0	Harry Cold

Round 22 – 24-03-2019 16:00

Caboonbah	5 – 0	Kangaroo Crusaders
Finlandia HC	5 – 0	Polar Bear Club
Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	8 – 0	Pollywaffle
The Jugular Vein	5 – 0	Telita
Auckland Anvils	4 – 1	Black Mamba HC
Harry Cold	5 – 0	Ice Aussies Pucks

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AIHL Season 51 — Round 14-17 review

by damo11

We follow up on last report of the mid-season review and look at Rounds 14-17 of the AIHL.

The Jugular Vein maintain their rich form staying undefeated with the foregone conclusion of one more win to seal another title.

Ice Aussie Pucks have ascended into 2nd place, overtaking Finlandia by a point thanks to Finlandia HC losing to Harry Cold 1-2 and drawing to Dunedin Thunderbirds HC 2-2.

Likewise in 4th place, Harry Cold overtakes Polar Bear Club after they dropped a game with a dismal 1-7 loss to Ice Aussies Pucks in Round 14.

At the other end of the table, the Kangaroo Crusaders have surged to 6th with a couple of wins in Rounds 14/15, but as per usual, it will be a race to the finish to avoid the relegation playoffs with Black Mamba HC, Caboonbah, and Auckland Anvils breathing down their neck.

Round 14 – 24-02-2019 17:30

Black Mamba HC	2 – 4	Kangaroo Crusaders
Telita	0 – 5	Pollywaffle
Polar Bear Club	1 – 7	Ice Aussies Pucks
Auckland Anvils	1 – 2	Caboonbah
The Jugular Vein	4 – 0	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
Finlandia HC	1 – 2	Harry Cold

Round 15 – 27-02-2019 10:45

Black Mamba HC	0 – 11	Polar Bear Club
Kangaroo Crusaders	5 – 0	Telita
Pollywaffle	0 – 8	Ice Aussies Pucks
Auckland Anvils	0 – 2	Finlandia HC
Caboonbah	0 – 5	The Jugular Vein
Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	0 – 7	Harry Cold

Round 16 – 03-03-2019 16:15

Polar Bear Club	10 – 0	Pollywaffle
Telita	0 – 0	Black Mamba HC
Ice Aussies Pucks	3 – 2	Kangaroo Crusaders
Finlandia HC	2 – 2	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
The Jugular Vein	6 – 0	Auckland Anvils
Harry Cold	4 – 1	Caboonbah

Round 17 – 06-03-2019 12:45

Kangaroo Crusaders	1 – 7	Finlandia HC
Polar Bear Club	2 – 1	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC
Pollywaffle	0 – 9	The Jugular Vein
Telita	0 – 5	Auckland Anvils
Black Mamba HC	0 – 5	Harry Cold
Ice Aussies Pucks	1 – 0	Caboonbah

 

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	The Jugular Vein	17	17	0	0	92	10	82	51
2	Ice Aussies Pucks	17	13	0	4	78	28	50	39
3	Finlandia HC	17	12	2	3	74	14	60	38
4	Harry Cold	17	12	0	5	80	32	48	36
5	Polar Bear Club	17	11	1	5	81	24	57	34
6	Kangaroo Crusaders	17	7	0	10	36	59	-23	21
7	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	17	6	2	9	33	50	-17	20
8	Black Mamba HC	17	6	1	10	39	74	-35	18
9	Caboonbah	17	5	2	10	30	54	-24	17
10	Auckland Anvils	17	5	1	11	26	46	-20	16
11	Pollywaffle	17	3	0	14	26	124	-98	9
12	Telita	17	0	1	16	0	80	-80	0

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AIHL Season 51 — Mid-season review

by damo11

After reaching veteran status of “Long time hockey coach, no-time winner”, I’ve learned to accept that there’s only ever going to be a handful of competitors each season that have a chance of winning the AIHL. Unfortunately, that number has now slimmed down to a sole representative in scruttino’s The Jugular Vein.

After already winning last season’s titles with the only blemish on the undefeated season being two draws, this team is on track to become the greatest we’ve seen in Australian hockey history. Currently ranked 109th in the world, they’re as good a chance as any to go undefeated again this season, and reach their 5th consecutive title, all above 62 points for the season. Added to that, the club hasn’t finished lower than 3rd in a decade of MZ years.

But anyway, enough about the admiration for that team, here’s a little snapshot of where things are at this season:

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	The Jugular Vein	13	13	0	0	68	10	58	39
2	Finlandia HC	13	10	1	2	62	9	53	31
3	Ice Aussies Pucks	13	9	0	4	59	25	34	27
4	Polar Bear Club	13	8	1	4	57	16	41	25
5	Harry Cold	13	8	0	5	62	30	32	24
6	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	13	6	1	6	30	35	-5	19
7	Black Mamba HC	13	6	0	7	37	54	-17	18
8	Kangaroo Crusaders	13	5	0	8	24	47	-23	15
9	Caboonbah	13	4	2	7	27	43	-16	14
10	Auckland Anvils	13	4	1	8	20	36	-16	13
11	Pollywaffle	13	2	0	11	21	97	-76	6
12	Telita	13	0	0	13	0	65	-65	0

Despite the season we’ve had, there’s Telita who are nowhere to be seen as the standard of the AIHL has always been quite poor in depth. Finlandia have proven again they’re up there with the best in the competition but agonisingly short each time of taking down The Jugular Vein at the turning point of the season losing 0-4 and 2-1.  Although it’s unlikely to create a landmark score in the season to define placings, Round 22 is set up for a great clash between Polar Bear Club and Finlandia HC.

Ice Aussies Pucks have come out from nowhere really in the past few seasons winning the inevitable div 2 and div 1 in successive seasons before 8th last year and already leapfrogging into 3rd place. They’ll also go on to face 5th placed Harry Cold in the final round and will look to avenge their opening round defeat which could end up costing them 2nd place.

Overall, we need more competitors in the AIHL, now more than ever. If you fancy your chances, why not start with a few youth and see how you go? It’s pretty simple and there’s guides around we’ll share over the coming issues of the Aussie Zone.

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AIHL Season 50 Review

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6	Status
1	Auckland Anvils	22	20	2	0	117	19	98	62
2	Finlandia HC	22	18	3	1	106	22	84	57
3	Relaxmore	22	16	1	5	80	36	44	49
4	Polar Bear Club	22	14	2	6	84	42	42	44
5	Warringah Wizards	22	11	1	10	57	82	-25	34
6	Slap Bang Wallop	22	9	5	8	66	39	27	32
7	Telita	22	10	2	10	64	63	1	32
8	The Jugular Vein	22	8	2	12	56	65	-9	26
9	Kangaroo Crusaders	22	6	5	11	44	55	-11	23
10	Caboonbah	22	5	1	16	47	95	-48	16
11	Leeton Devils HC	22	3	0	19	21	114	-93	9
12	Bobinawarrah	22	0	0	22	0	110	-110	0

It seems there will never be an AIHL season with no inactive teams, there are simply too few Australian and New Zealander managers with teams Ice Hockey teams. But onto the season that has just been, Finlandia forever the 2^nd or 3^rd place finisher, were finally looking good for a title. Sadly, they have finished 2^nd again as the Auckland Anvils went through the season undefeated to claim the AIHL title and keep the title in New Zealand for another season.

Below them Relaxmore and Polar Bear Club were in a league of their own, with Relaxmore claiming 3^rd place. Then came Warringah, Slap Bang Wallop, Telita, The Jugular Vein and Kangaroo Crusaders, who were step above the bottom 3 sides.

Stats

Most Points (Goals & Assists)

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Jones Porteus	FHC	22	8	12	20	31	2	97	43	33	133	305
2	Ren Goodbun	A A	22	9	10	19	25	0	74	51	38	114	277
3	Dan Fulton	FHC	22	12	6	18	24	0	75	60	45	133	313
4	Lorimer Mosley	PBC	22	8	10	18	16	4	157	94	33	230	576
5	Nichol Shipman	FHC	22	13	5	18	31	2	0	0	38	133	299
6	Norman Argoud	A A	22	11	7	18	18	2	82	64	42	133	325
7	Chu Fan Jian	A A	22	12	5	17	25	2	86	43	30	119	267
8	Aulis Harinen	A A	22	9	6	15	25	0	75	67	43	142	353
9	Lawrance Kinsey	SLAP	22	7	8	15	21	0	165	108	34	252	628
10	Wiktor Filipowski	SLAP	22	9	5	14	10	6	0	0	43	193	454

Most Goals

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Nichol Shipman	FHC	22	13	5	18	31	2	0	0	38	133	299
2	Dan Fulton	FHC	22	12	6	18	24	0	75	60	45	133	313
3	Chu Fan Jian	A A	22	12	5	17	25	2	86	43	30	119	267
4	Norman Argoud	A A	22	11	7	18	18	2	82	64	42	133	325
5	Fidel Montel	A A	22	10	3	13	25	2	0	0	32	128	320

Most Assists

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Jones Porteus	FHC	22	8	12	20	31	2	97	43	33	133	305
2	Ren Goodbun	A A	22	9	10	19	25	0	74	51	38	114	277
3	Lorimer Mosley	PBC	22	8	10	18	16	4	157	94	33	230	576
4	Lawrance Kinsey	SLAP	22	7	8	15	21	0	165	108	34	252	628
5	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	5	8	13	-5	0	135	112	22	219	535

Most Faceoffs Won

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Lawrance Kinsey	SLAP	22	7	8	15	21	0	165	108	34	252	628
2	Lorimer Mosley	PBC	22	8	10	18	16	4	157	94	33	230	576
3	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	5	8	13	-5	0	135	112	22	219	535
4	Edmund Kenack	RELX	22	5	7	12	13	4	102	68	26	163	369
5	Jones Porteus	FHC	22	8	12	20	31	2	97	43	33	133	305

Most Faceoffs Lost

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Cassidy Oconnell	LDHC	22	2	0	2	-34	0	78	136	12	200	449
2	Bert Turnor	LDHC	22	1	0	1	-76	2	68	135	13	366	858
3	Drake Mckay	LDHC	22	0	0	0	-28	2	21	119	9	130	329
4	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	5	8	13	-5	0	135	112	22	219	535
5	Lawrance Kinsey	SLAP	22	7	8	15	21	0	165	108	34	252	628

AIHL Season 51 Preview

The AIHL Playoffs

Groups 1.1

Team		M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
The Jugular Vein	Australian Ice Hockey League	3	3	0	0	18	2	16	9
Yaroona	div1.1	3	2	0	1	9	3	6	6
Karaweena	div1.2	3	1	0	2	8	15	-7	3
Birrego	div1.3	3	0	0	3	0	15	-15	0

Group 1.2

Team		M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
Kangaroo Crusaders	Australian Ice Hockey League	3	3	0	0	15	1	14	9
Tinamba	div1.2	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Brisbane Roar HC	div1.3	3	0	0	3	0	15	-15	0
Ice Cold Firebirds	div1.1	3	1	1	1	7	6	1	4

Both AIHL sides in the playoffs were returned to the AIHL without much challenge, highlighting the lack of depth in Ice Hockey teams across Australia and New Zealand.

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	Arawata	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Auckland Anvils	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Djurgarden Islanders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Finlandia HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Kangaroo Crusaders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Polar Bear Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Relaxmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Slap Bang Wallop	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Telita	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	The Jugular Vein	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Toogoong	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Warringah Wizards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Given how badly the 2^nd and 3^rd placed teams in Division 1 were beaten by the 8^th and 9^th placed AIHL teams it will be difficult to see the promoted teams Toogoong, Arawata and Djurgarden Islanders surviving.

It’ll be equally difficult for teams to challenge Auckland Anvils and Finlandia as they fight for the title. The four tiers of competition will likely continue as Relaxmore and Polar Bear Club represent the second tier with all the rest sitting in the 3^rd tier and the promotion teams in the 4^th tier. Unless those in the 3^rd tier buy a few players, they will stay there, but remain safe enough knowing that no sides are coming up from the lower divisions.

Written by Scruttino

 

 

AIHL Season 49 Review – Season 50 Preview

 

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Status
1	Auckland Anvils	22	20	0	2	117	17	100	60
2	Finlandia HC	22	18	1	3	100	20	80	55
3	Relaxmore	22	16	0	6	96	26	70	48
4	Slap Bang Wallop	22	15	3	4	78	32	46	48
5	Polar Bear Club	22	13	2	7	64	35	29	41
6	Warringah Wizards	22	9	2	11	58	68	-10	29
7	Leeton Devils HC	22	9	2	11	38	57	-19	29
8	Arawata	22	8	2	12	38	72	-34	26	div1.1
9	Brisbane Roar HC	22	7	2	13	41	69	-28	23	div1.3
10	Yaroona	22	6	2	14	29	69	-40	20	div1.1
11	Kariah	22	2	0	20	18	105	-87	6	div1.2
12	Kiras Krusaders HC	22	1	0	21	13	120	-107	3	div3.17

I don’t have the seasons stats as they had reset by the time of writing this article. I’d hoped Therk would do it but it’s Saturday night and I haven’t heard from him.

So here we go. The most surprising thing is that Warringah didn’t win, their selling up in football must have transferred across into Hockey. Thus we had a changing of the guard and the unknown prospect of not knowing who would win before the season began.

Up stepped Diesel 7 to claim the prize for the Kiwi’s once again. The Dunedin Thunderbirds may be no more, yet in their place the Auckland Anvils have taken up the challenge to condemn Finlandia to another 2^nd placed finish.

That none of the bottom 5 survived leads us into a new season of unknowns.

AIHL Season 50 Preview

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	Auckland Anvils	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Bobinawarrah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Caboonbah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Finlandia HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Kangaroo Crusaders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Leeton Devils HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Polar Bear Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Relaxmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Slap Bang Wallop	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Telita	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	The Jugular Vein	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Warringah Wizards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Team	Previous Division
Bobinawarrah	div1.3
Telita	div1.2
Caboonbah	div1.1
Kangaroo Crusaders	div1.3
The Jugular Vein	div1.3

 Ice Hockey in Australia and New Zealand is not a popular sport. There are a couple of managers that only compete in Hockey, but only a couple. Most people have a football team and their hockey side is an after-thought.

The standard of play is declining further as each team that establishes a dynasty sells up and leaves. This has opened up the AIHL trophy to be won by teams of moderate ability. But there are similarities with the A-League, as one side that is promoted does well while the rest struggle. Which team that will be is impossible to tell because the standard of play in Division 1 is deplorable, so even if you win even game it doesn’t mean much.

But in terms of predicting the who will challenge for the title in Season 50. I would have to go with the top 5 from last season, as they cleared out from everyone below to create a 3 tiered league of active users that are okay, those that maintain a side as a passing interest and the inactive or selling up.

Auckland Anvils and Finlandia will dual for the title with Relaxmore, Slap Bang Wallop and Polar Bear Club seeking to steal points off them. But it will be either Auckland or Finlandia for the season 50 AIHL title.

Written by Scruttino

 

 

AIHL Season 48 Review – Season 49 Preview

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6	Status
1	Warringah Wizards	22	21	1	0	108	16	92	64
2	Finlandia HC	22	18	2	2	83	26	57	56
3	Relaxmore	22	17	1	4	81	28	53	52
4	Auckland Anvils	22	15	2	5	80	31	49	47
5	Slap Bang Wallop	22	10	1	11	56	55	1	31
6	Yaroona	22	8	5	9	44	45	-1	29
7	Polar Bear Club	22	8	2	12	50	50	0	26
8	Caboonbah	22	6	2	14	44	88	-44	20
9	Arawata	22	4	4	14	30	81	-51	15
10	Telita	22	4	2	16	32	67	-35	13
11	The Jugular Vein	22	2	4	16	28	108	-80	10
12	GRATEFUL DEAD	22	5	2	15	33	74	-41	17

For another season the reign of Warringah continues. Finlandia were clearly the next best side but when it came to playing the Wizards they still come up short. Warringah have a stranglehold over the A-League since the Thunderbirds sold up, which is similar to what happened before the Iceholes sold up.

Relaxmore have been making steady progress each season and improved their final positioning to 3^rd. Along with the top 3 only the Auckland Anvils had any substantial positive goal difference.

A big drop in quality was then evident to Slap Bang Wallop, Yaroona and Polar Bear Club who had an individual battle between themselves without fear of falling into the playoffs as matches against side below were score fests.

The AIHL playoff winners were split between current AIHL team Arawata retaining their place and newcomers Kiras Krusaders HC knocking off Caboonbah to gain one. The Jugular Vein sold up, Telita remained active without much of a team, while the Grateful Dead were inactive.

Top scorer

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Nichol Shipman	FHC	22	14	5	19	21	0	0	0	41	149	359
2	Bart Tenser	WIZ	22	13	7	20	21	0	73	57	34	115	291
3	Dani Atkin	FHC	22	13	1	14	15	2	99	56	38	138	340
4	Porter Monson	WIZ	22	12	3	15	31	0	0	0	39	126	320
5	Humphry Mccormick	PBC	22	11	2	13	2	2	53	57	37	222	586
6	Alfred Egel	RELX	22	10	8	18	19	2	70	38	42	124	323
7	Davey Warren	YAA	22	10	8	18	11	2	124	139	38	242	598
8	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	10	8	18	2	6	194	107	55	275	690
9	Jones Porteus	FHC	22	10	8	18	20	2	87	54	32	150	357
10	Oséas Veloso	A A	22	10	5	15	21	4	0	0	35	152	359

As opposed to football top scorer charts, players don’t amass as many goals and the results are much closer. Finlandia had the most potent striker with Shipman and Atkin finishing 1^st and 3^rd respectively, split by Tenser and Monson in 2^nd and 4^th. This table show why they are the most dominant sides in the AIHL.

Assists

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Edmund Kenack	RELX	22	8	9	17	14	2	95	54	40	140	371
2	Randell Duggan	A A	22	8	9	17	23	4	130	106	43	226	585
3	Abe Park	SLAP	22	5	9	14	3	2	0	0	23	214	518
4	Nathaniel Bonham	PBC	13	3	9	12	9	0	107	45	17	136	351
5	Alfred Egel	RELX	22	10	8	18	19	2	70	38	42	124	323

Nathaniel Bonham is a notable exception and had he played more games would surely have won the assists table by some margins, as it is he shared the prize with Kenack, Duggan and Park.

Points (goals and assists)

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Bart Tenser	WIZ	22	13	7	20	21	0	73	57	34	115	291
2	Nichol Shipman	FHC	22	14	5	19	21	0	0	0	41	149	359
3	Alfred Egel	RELX	22	10	8	18	19	2	70	38	42	124	323
4	Davey Warren	YAA	22	10	8	18	11	2	124	139	38	242	598
5	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	10	8	18	2	6	194	107	55	275	690

Tenser and Shipman shared the title as the best overall attacking players of the season with 21 goals and assists each for the season.

Penalties (Most Ill dicisplined)

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Douglas Ward	CAH	22	3	1	4	-11	8	7	7	24	170	401
2	Ren Mewburn	DED	22	0	0	0	-11	8	1	7	17	255	564
3	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	10	8	18	2	6	194	107	55	275	690
4	Bray Erwin	PBC	22	4	7	11	-4	6	117	75	47	215	588
5	Milton Obree	YAA	22	5	5	10	14	6	0	0	31	278	699

Relegated teams Caboonbah and The Grateful Dead shared the ignomy of having the most ill-disciplined players for the season in Douglas Ward and Ren Mewburn. No wonder they aren’t around anymore.

Faceoff Wins

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	10	8	18	2	6	194	107	55	275	690
2	Gaizka Santander	YAA	22	4	6	10	-12	2	167	127	32	269	692
3	Lawrance Kinsey	SLAP	22	4	7	11	1	2	161	96	30	235	586
4	Randell Duggan	A A	22	8	9	17	23	4	130	106	43	226	585
5	Davey Warren	YAA	22	10	8	18	11	2	124	139	38	242	598

Alfred Sparrow was by far the most successful player in the face-off, he won almost 30 more face offs than his nearest competitor for only 6 more shifts on the ice over the season.

Faceoff Losses

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Byrne Seistrup	ARA	22	7	3	10	-18	2	33	198	25	209	511
2	Davey Warren	YAA	22	10	8	18	11	2	124	139	38	242	598
3	Bickford Zalunardo	ARA	22	2	1	3	-16	6	40	130	10	157	387
4	Gaizka Santander	YAA	22	4	6	10	-12	2	167	127	32	269	692
5	Alfred Sparrow	SLAP	22	10	8	18	2	6	194	107	55	275	690

Byrne Seistrup from Arawata had this one in the bag a long way out from the end of season, he almost lost 200 for the season while winning just 33. Perhaps the center is not his best position.

AIHL Season 49 Preview

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	Arawata	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Auckland Anvils	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Brisbane Roar HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Finlandia HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Kariah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Kiras Krusaders HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Leeton Devils HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Polar Bear Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Relaxmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Slap Bang Wallop	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Warringah Wizards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Yaroona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Will Finlandia be able to beat Warringah for the title, Relaxmore and Auckland Anvils will then battle it out for 3^rd and 4^th. Beyond that it’s mediocrity unless a promoted side can mount a challenge, but the ice is thin in Australia and Ice Hockey is a minority sport at best. Let’s hope the air conditioning keeps the Barns cool and the Zamboni’s keep the ice frozen, as they hypnotized us going around and around and around…

Written by Scruttino

 

 

Welcome to aussiezone 229

Welcome to another aussiezone, now our 229th. Another season is over and the journey begins again. Aussiezone 229 has been written by Rodrigoazul77, Pypedark, Therk and Myself.

There are no national team articles in this release, I’ll wait until the end of next season to bring you both the U/21 and Senior national team campaign reviews. Inside you’ll find football content on the A-League mid-season and end of season reviews. Competition winners for the Rowdon Medal, Bundy’s Boot, The Cuddly Sheet, The Waterland and internal A-League Club MVP awards.  A-League playoff reviews and Season 56 A-League preview. AIHL review and new season preview along with statistical analysis.

Then the biography special features on the Australian Legends, which will appear in the WFO of their final clubs. The legend games will take place next season once we have finalised the Australian tactics. Leave a comment in Australian Legends forum thread to vote on your preferred tactic options and line-up or suggest your own variation.

Our international collaborators are back with Rodrigoazul77 and Pypedark from the Chilean Zone contributing Elite Cup histories.

Enjoy the 229th edition of the aussiezone, cheers, Matt

AIHL Season 47 Review and Season 48 Preview

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Status
1	Warringah Wizards	22	19	3	0	105	31	74	60
2	Finlandia HC	22	18	1	3	112	31	81	55
3	Relaxmore	22	14	3	5	105	42	63	45
4	Auckland Anvils	22	14	3	5	84	37	47	45
5	The Jugular Vein	22	11	4	7	84	49	35	37
6	Caboonbah	22	10	2	10	64	64	0	32
7	Polar Bear Club	22	10	1	11	74	73	1	31
8	Brisbane Roar HC	22	8	2	12	68	53	15	26	div1.1
9	Monegeeta	22	8	2	12	57	47	10	26	div1.1
10	Kangaroo Crusaders	22	7	1	14	56	84	-28	22	div1.3
11	Wodonga Ice Vikings	22	2	0	20	17	205	-188	6	div1.1
12	Dunedin Thunderbirds HC	22	0	0	22	0	110	-110	0	div1.2

In Season 47 it was again Warringah Wizards that dominated the competition. Congratulations to N Av. However the competition is closing in. Another team, Dunedin Thunderbirds HC, have closed doors and dropped out of the league. Kangaroo Crusaders and Wodonga Ice Vikings didn’t make the cut and drop down a division.

Most impressive were new comers Auckland Anvils finishing a creditable 4^th behind Relaxmore who had a better season. The Jugular Vein, Caboonbah and Polar bear club played well to stay above the cut.

Brisbane Roar HC and Monegeeta failed in their playoff matches and head down a division. Which brings in 5 news teams to the Australian Ice Hockey League.  Arawata, Slap Bang Wallop and Telita. Welcome to the show guys and welcome back to GRATEFUL DEAD and Yaroona.

Some interesting facts

• 3 teams score more than 100 goals this season. Finlandia HC (112), Warringah Wizards (105) and Relaxmore (105)
• Two teams tied for least goals conceded Warringah Wizards (31) and Finlandia HC (31).
• Biggest stadium. Finlandia with 12,000 seats.
• Largest team value. Warringah Wizards with 32 184 174 AUD.
• Largest Salary Bill. Warringah Wizards with 526 586 AUD

Now for my favourite part Statistics.

Player Points

How do you rate a player just add his goals and asissts. Findlandia’s Skirmantas Ulčinas and Relaxmore’s  Edmund Kenack tie for first. Ulčinas get though on goals.

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	FOW	FOL	S	Sft	TOI
1	Skirmantas Ulčinas	FHC	22	15	4	19	24	2	0	0	52	153	330
2	Edmund Kenack	RELX	22	11	8	19	24	0	117	57	32	164	395
3	Jones Porteus	FHC	22	10	8	18	30	0	92	63	36	157	344
4	Steve Morris	WIZ	22	6	11	17	17	4	96	36	25	121	273
5	Brent Ross	WIZ	22	10	6	16	15	2	88	74	30	148	367

Goals scored

Skirmantas Ulčinas of FinLandia take the golden stick award this season with 15 goals and a 2 goal advantage over 2^nd placed Bray Erwin.

	Player	Team	G
1	Skirmantas Ulčinas	FHC	15
2	Bray Erwin	PBC	13
3	Nichol Shipman	FHC	12
4	Edmund Kenack	RELX	11
5	Randall Weeks	WIZ	11
6	Matthews Kiel	RELX	11

Assists

Every shooter needs someone to supply the puck and it’s no other than Andrew Bridson of Polar Bear Club that is the most helpful player in the Australian Ice Hockey League. 12 Assists for the season.

	Player	Team	A
1	Andrew Bridson	PBC	12
2	Steve Morris	WIZ	11
3	Boguslaw Rasiak	MOA	9
4	Emiliano Ursini	IMHC	9

The tough guys

Every team needs someone to stand up to the opposition to stamp their authority on the match. The Enforcer of the league is the tough Billy Murphy with 8 penalty minutes.

There were plenty on 6 mins so here is the top 5.

	Player	Team	PIM
1	Billy Murphy	PBC	8
2	Randell Duggan	A A	6
3	Chu Fan Jian	A A	6
4	Alfred Egel	RELX	6
5	Matthews Kiel	RELX	6

Face off Win Percentage

Winning the puck is one of keys to the game. The game stats don’t reflect how overall successful a player is as a percentage. Here they are for your viewing pleasure. The Wizards Steve Morris is key in the league with 72%. Well in front of Relaxmore’s Edmund Kenack on 67%. The fired Tekin Kaçan must feel a bit jaded as he placed third with 66%.

	Player	Team	FOW	FOL	FOW%
1	Steve Morris	WIZ	96	36	72.73%
2	Edmund Kenack	RELX	117	57	67.24%
3	Tekin Kaçan		129	66	66.15%
4	Kenneth Monson	RELX	88	55	61.54%
5	Emiliano Ursini	IMHC	93	59	61.18%

Shooting Percentage

Goals win matches so feed the puck to the player who has the best ability. Relaxmore’s Edmund Kenack and Polar Bear Club’s Bray Erwin are the picks of the league with an average of 1 goal for every 3 shots.

	Player	Team	G	S	Goal%
1	Edmund Kenack	RELX	11	32	34.38%
2	Bray Erwin	PBC	13	39	33.33%
3	Matthews Kiel	RELX	11	36	30.56%
4	Skirmantas Ulčinas	FHC	15	52	28.85%
5	Belton Missen	FHC	9	32	28.13%

Time on Ice

“Work hard, play hard” sounds like fun but not for these guys. The maximum ‘Time-On-Ice’ for the season is 1320 minutes. The off season couldn’t come soon enough for Boguslaw Rasiak of Monegeeta as he played 62% of all playable minutes.

	Player	Team	TOI
1	Boguslaw Rasiak	MOA	817
2	Andon Hadzhililov	MOA	780
3	Hubert Engbers	MOA	763
4	Nicodim Paulescu	MOA	664
5	Andrew Bridson	PBC	658

That brings us to the end of season 47. Next season will be quite interesting as 5 new team come into the league. Ones to watch out for are the respective division one winners. Congrats on your trophy guys.

1.1 GRATEFUL DEAD

1.2 Yaroona

1.3 Arawata

Of note the runners up from Div 1.2, Slap Bang Wallop and Telita also join the show.

New Season Table

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P	Last 6
1	Arawata	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Auckland Anvils	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Caboonbah	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Finlandia HC	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	GRATEFUL DEAD	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Polar Bear Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Relaxmore	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Slap Bang Wallop	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Telita	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	The Jugular Vein	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Warringah Wizards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Yaroona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Cheers and good luck to next season

Therk

 

 

 

U/18 National Cup Season 55

The Final

Crimson Eagles FC – BONDI ICEBERGS

2 – 1

Bondi were on the defensive for the majority of the game, they only had 43% of possession, but made it count when they had the ball. Crimson Eagles have consistently averaged better passing percentages than any other team, this allowed them to keep the ball away from their opponents and control games.

At 1-1 all with 30 minutes to play, it was the competitions top scorer Handley Howard who poached the winning goal. The games stats are interestingly split, Crimson Eagles had more interceptions, Bondi a better tackling percentage. Shots on goal were 8-7 in Crimson Eagles favour.

Overall Bondi’s defence worked well but they broke down in midfield giving the ball up with wayward passing which allowed Crimson Eagles to methodically work the ball around until they got a good shot. Crimson Eagles deserved to win the U/18 trophy.

3^rd Place Playoff

Skoolage United – Hop Skip Jump

3 – 2

Stanley Tencer gave Hop Skip Jump the early initiative with a double brace in the 9^th and 14^th minute. Yet from here Skoolage worked their way back into the contest with a goal each to Collins and Lorenz to level the scores before halftime.

The contest remained even in the second half, with both sides ending with 11 attempts on goal. Skoolage were 11 from 11 for shots on goal compared to Hop Skip Jump’s 7, so it was appropriate that Vaisey for Skoolage slotted the winning goal in the 85^th minute. If Hop Skip Jump had played a standard 6 man triangle defence, they may have won.

Semi Finals

Skoolage United – Crimson Eagles FC

3 – 4

The first playoff game to go to extra time, was sealed when Handley Howard equalised in the 90^th minute for Crimson Eagles and then scored the golden goal in the 107^th to give him a hat-trick and send Crimson Eagles into the final.

BONDI ICEBERGS – Hop Skip Jump

7 – 2

The shooting boots were on for Bondi, as they tore through the middle of Hop Skip Jump wing defence, then converted with 7 goals from 14 shots. Giving both Haslett and Clack a hat-trick in the process. Hop Skip Jump had 11 shots of their own, but playing with their wing defenders rendered useless made it hard for themselves once again.

Quarter Finals

Shrewsbury Biscuits FC – Skoolage United

0 – 1

Skoolage did the impossible to score after getting a red card and then prevent Shrewsbury from scoring at all. The stats of the match were quite even suggesting either Skoolage had the better team or they got lucky, perhaps a bit of both.

Crimson Eagles FC – Rangers – Real Madrid

1 – 0

The scoreline looks close, but the game itself wasn’t. Crimson Eagles passing percentage was much higher generating more shots which they failed to put in the net.

BONDI ICEBERGS – F.C.Ailsa

2 – 1

A 9^th minute red card to FC Alisa player Jasmine Barugh put them on the defensive from the outset. Bondi’s steady pressure built a 2 goal lead before a late concelation to FC Alisa, but by then the game was over.

Hop Skip Jump – City Water Motel

3 – 1

Despite Hop Skip Jump playing a formation that meant turning the game against them 9 on 11, they held strong in defence and took their chances to win an even contest.

Group Stages

Group 1

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
1	Hop Skip Jump	14	12	1	1	65	10	55	37
2	Rangers – Real Madrid	14	12	0	2	57	10	47	36
3	SYDclub	14	8	3	3	45	23	22	27
4	Joachim Wiking	14	6	2	6	30	39	-9	20
5	Ayreon	14	6	1	7	30	25	5	19
6	Ghinnighi	14	3	3	8	16	39	-23	9
7	Brisbane Roar FC	14	1	3	10	8	50	-42	4
8	Relaxmore FC	14	0	3	11	0	55	-55	0

 Two clearly superior teams as Hop Skip Jump and Rangers – Real Madrid had only each other to beat for top spot.

Group 2

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
1	Crimson Eagles FC	14	13	0	1	66	8	58	39
2	BONDI ICEBERGS	14	12	0	2	54	11	43	36
3	Arrested Developers	14	10	0	4	40	18	22	30
4	Grantow	14	9	0	5	40	17	23	27
5	Polar Express FC	14	4	1	9	23	40	-17	12
6	MXW Finance FC	14	3	1	10	15	42	-27	9
7	Sandhurst	14	2	1	11	12	59	-47	6
8	Tugun Jets FC	14	0	3	11	0	55	-55	0

Arrested Developers and Grantow gave Bondi and Crimson Eagles a challenged, but they fell short of qualifying for the playoffs.

Group 3

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
1	F.C.Ailsa	14	11	3	0	45	8	37	36
2	Shrewsbury Biscuits FC	14	9	1	4	29	10	19	28
3	Abbotsford FC	14	8	2	4	28	13	15	26
4	Amputees FC	14	8	1	5	42	17	25	25
5	Narraweena Azzurri	14	8	0	6	36	19	17	24
6	Dewrang Lions	14	6	1	7	29	32	-3	19
7	Mustard Tigers	14	2	0	12	11	51	-40	6
8	AMICI	14	0	0	14	0	70	-70	0

FC Alisa took all before them to go unbeaten through the group phase. Below them the battle for 2^nd was tough. Shrewsbury just pipped Abbotsford, Amputees and Narraweena in a really tight contest.

Group 4

	Team	M	W	D	L	+	–	=	P
1	City Water Motel	14	11	3	0	47	8	39	36
2	Skoolage United	14	8	3	3	33	14	19	27
3	Glasston	14	9	0	5	34	17	17	27
4	The Smoking Tree	14	9	0	5	30	21	9	27
5	Telita	14	5	1	8	24	29	-5	16
6	Red Devils United	14	5	1	8	21	29	-8	16
7	HASSELHOFF BABES	14	4	2	8	22	23	-1	14
8	Dead Dodos	14	0	0	14	0	70	-70	0

It was City Water and then a rare battle of goal difference. Skoolage edged Glasston and The Smoking Tree by 2 and 10 apiece.

Top Scorers

	Player	Team	GP	G	YC	RC
1	Handley Howard	EAGL	17	28	1	0
2	Stanley Tencer	QLD	15	22	5	0
3	Ian Bunworth	AFC	13	22	3	0
4	Edmonds Mcvicar		15	20	1	0
5	Roland Fitzsimmons	QLD	13	18	1	0
6	Evan Haslett	BIG	17	17	1	0
7	Mario Plumber	EAGL	16	17	2	0
8	Rex Huther	RM	15	15	0	0
9	Dwight Howard	YUM	14	14	2	0
10	Blake Norman		13	14	2	0
11	Eliot Weeks		9	14	0	0
12	Martyon Marcola	SKLD	16	13	2	0
13	Rudy Fenwick	SYD	7	13	0	0
14	Justin Day	RM	14	12	0	0
15	Curtis Crapp		14	10	1	0
16	Bryan Weatherby	BIG	16	9	3	0
17	Darell Barclay	TST	11	9	0	0
18	Bickford Schoenke	DLFC	14	8	0	0
19	Dane Clack	BIG	16	8	0	0
20	Logan Askew	TEA	14	8	1	0

Written by Scruttino