Melbourne Ice
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| Melbourne Ice | |
| League | AIHL |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Based in | Oakleigh South, Victoria |
| Home ice | Olympic Ice Skating Centre |
| Colors | Blue 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.
The Ice first entered the league for the 2003 season, during which 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 three seasons in the AIHL. Its first season was coloured with 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 have a strong rivalry with the Newcastle North Stars, who along with Melbourne also entered the AIHL in 2003. Fans have become accustomed to entertaining, high quality (and often high scoring) games when these two teams meet.
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.
[edit] Ice People
Among the 2006 Melbourne Ice People are the following:
- Roy Sargent: Head Coach
- Paul Watson: Assistant coach.
- Stuart Denman: Melbourne goaltender, and back-up national goaltender. The only AIHL goaltender whose back-up did not play a minute during 2005.
- Lliam Webster: 2006 Ice assistant captain, 2005 Ice top scorer ( 8th AIHL-wide) with 37 points; current Australia senior team member (3 years).
- Brad Vigon: 2006 Ice captain and Assistant Coach. 2005 Ice second highest scorer (eq 11th AIHL-wide) with 34 points.
- Vinny Hughes: 2006 Ice assistant captain
- Tom Powell: 2004 Ice top scorer.
- 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)
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 | |
