Melbourne Ice
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| Melbourne Ice | |
| League | AIHL |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Based in | Oakleigh South, Victoria |
| Home ice | Olympic Ice Skating Centre |
| Colors | Blue, red and white |
| Championships | None |
| Minor Premiers | 2006 |
| Head coach | Roy Sargent |
| General manager | Ian Webster |
The Melbourne Ice are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre (OISC) in Oakleigh South, a suburb of Monash which in turn is part of the Melbourne metropolitan area.
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[edit] History
The Ice first entered the league for the 2002 season, and during their first two seasons they split their home games between Oakleigh South and Bendigo. From 2004 onwards, all home games were played at the OISC, noted for being the smallest rink in the league, with its width about two-thirds that of a regulation Olympic-sized rink. Furthermore, loose netting replaces the high transparent boards associated with top-level hockey, and the puck is prone to leaving play with annoying frequency.
Melbourne did not reach the playoffs in its first four seasons in the AIHL. Its first two seasons were coloured by several crushing defeats; its second season combined a strong, low scoring home record with a poor away record, again containing many big losses. However, in 2005, the Ice were competitive almost every week, both home and away, finishing 5 points out of the playoffs, and left rueing several third period fade-outs.
Attendances for Ice games have increased markedly over the past seasons, with the small crowd area often packed to capacity towards the end of the 2005 season. Away teams from the north will almost always play Melbourne and the Adelaide Avalanche on consecutive days during a weekend-long road trip to the south; however, the Ice play more double-points games than most teams due to these travel hassles for others.
The Ice are one of many teams who have somewhat a strong rivalry with the Newcastle North Stars, who along with Melbourne also entered the AIHL in 2002, and who ultimately defeated the Ice in its first playoff game in 2006. Fans have become accustomed to entertaining, high quality (and often high scoring) games when these two teams meet.
[edit] 2006 Season
The season got off to a shaky start when the Ice lost its first three games, all at home, including both legs of its traditional double-header against the Adelaide Avalanche. Their form recovered, and they won the next six games, including three double-points games, to move to the top of the ladder, a position from which they continued to build. On August 5, 2006, the Ice mathematically clinched the franchise's first minor premiership and guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2006 playoffs with a 5-3 win over Central Coast.
On September 2, 2006, they played their first ever playoff game against the fourth-placed Newcastle North Stars in Adelaide. Despite having swept the North Stars during the regular season, the Ice were exposed on the larger Adelaide rink and lost the game 6-1. The following night, after the final, president Josh Puls and captain Brad Vigon were presented with the V.I.P. Cup, rewarding the Ice's minor premiership.
[edit] 2007 Season
The 2007 season will again begin with the traditional back-to-back home games against the Adelaide Avalanche on April 14-15.
[edit] Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2002 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | -- | 0 | 4 | 30 | 54 | 6th | -- |
| 2003 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -- | 0 | 4 | 20 | 32 | 5th | -- |
| 2004 | 26 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 53 | 71 | 5th | -- |
| 2005 | 26 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 33 | 100 | 96 | 6th | -- |
| 2006 | 26 | 21 | 5 | -- | 0 | 2 | 65 | 109 | 72 | 1st | 3rd |
[edit] Ice People
Among the 2006 Melbourne Ice People are the following:
- Joshua Puls: President.
- Ian Webster: Team Manager and Vice President.
- Roy Sargent: Head Coach.
- Paul Watson: Assistant coach.
- Stuart Denman: Melbourne goaltender, and back-up national goaltender. Denman has been the goaltender for almost every game in franchise history, and was unrested from the start of 2004 until, ironically, the game which mathematically clinched the 2006 minor premiership.
- Brad Vigon: 2006 Ice captain and Assistant Coach. Ice second highest scorer in 2005 and 2006 (34 points each year).
- Lliam Webster: 2006 Ice assistant captain, Ice top scorer in 2005 (37 points) and 2006 (35 points); current Australia senior team member (3 years).
- Vinny Hughes: 2006 Ice assistant captain
- Tommy Powell: 2004 Ice top scorer and key forward in 2006.
- Joey Hughes: Current Australian senior team member (3 years) who amassed fifteen points in his five games of 2005. A powerful presence in the 2006 line-up.
Import players for 2006 are: Risto Tuunanen (Finland), Scott Berish (Canada), Gabriel Andre (Canada), Dan Pitre (Canada), Doug (Bubba) Ferguson (Canada), Jeff Mildenberger (Canada). Only five are permitted to play in any one game.
Some other past and present players include: 2005 captain Mike Mazucca, Enrico Bergamin, Steve Laforet, Peter Matus, Daniel Gunn, Jon Pol, Shane Hardy.
[edit] External Ice Links
| Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) | |
| 2006 teams: Adelaide Avalanche | Brisbane Blue Tongues | Canberra Knights | Central Coast Rhinos | Melbourne Ice | Newcastle North Stars | Sydney Bears | Western Sydney Ice Dogs | |
| Trophies and Awards: Goodall Cup | V.I.P. Cup | |
| Related Articles: Australian National Ice Hockey Team | Ice Hockey Australia | International Ice Hockey Federation | |
