Australian Ice Hockey League week one: the missing links

By Will Brodie
Updated April 9 2014 - 2:18pm, first published 1:08pm
Australian goalie Anthony Kimlin, the 2013 play-off MVP for the Ice Dogs, is studying in Canada and will not return for the 2014 season. Photo: Jack Geraghty
Australian goalie Anthony Kimlin, the 2013 play-off MVP for the Ice Dogs, is studying in Canada and will not return for the 2014 season. Photo: Jack Geraghty

The first week of a new season is always the subject of intense anticipation and speculation. But if fans want to get a read on which teams will dominate the 2014 AIHL season, they might have to wait.

The season kicks off on Saturday, but most teams will look a lot different by the end of the month. Melbourne Ice takes on the Sydney Ice Dogs minus seven national team representatives. Other teams are affected by the Division Two World Championships, which run until Tuesday, but none as rudely as the 2010-2012 champion.

Ice Dogs coach Ron Kuprowsky showed no sympathy for his Melbourne rival. ''We’ve been stung by [missing players] over the years and that was always our disadvantage over that opening weekend,'' Kuprowsky told the AIHL website. ''Someone commented on us losing our first game of the season every season, but half of our guys weren’t there. Melbourne can feel that pain this year.''

Beyond national team absences, not all clubs will have their full complement of imports for week one. Many of the international stars, who will score or stop most of the season’s AIHL goals, will not arrive until their college or play-off duties are completed in North America and Europe.

Then there’s the impact of former ex-pat players who have been granted permanent resident status in Australia, which enables their club to hire another import. Last year's Ice Dogs captain, Robert Malloy, for instance, is no longer classified as an import.

However misleading form lines may be in the first week, the fascination with one of the contests is almost unmatched, thanks to an extraordinary off-season resurrection. Canberra Knights folded six weeks ago, but within a week, CBR Brave arose in their place, with the fan and player-led campaign galvanising goodwill, public donations of over $27,000 from around the world and admiration and relief from across the league. The brilliant effort in putting together management, player sponsors, a rink deal, even a new name, logo and jersey, in time for round one has been remarkable. But all the goodwill in the world will mean nothing if the Brave is not competitive on the ice.

The Knights often packed out the Phillips Ice Skating Arena, regardless of their results. Brave faces off for the first time at home against the Newcastle North Stars on Saturday, and a packed house will undoubtedly take its support to a new emotional level. But has it established a competitive squad in such a short time?

It appears Sweden is the flavour of the month for recruiters, with Ice and the Ice Dogs opting for Swedish import goalies, and several other blue and gold types filtering into AIHL ranks as defencemen and forwards.

The Melbourne teams tuned up for round one with hit-outs against the national team, and the New South Wales teams contested the Wilson Cup mini-tournament. Ice lost 4-1 to Australia and the Mustangs 9-3, while the Ice Dogs won the Wilson Cup final 4-2 over the North Stars.

Even less can be read into such results than first-round scores.

Newcastle North Stars coach Gary Dore described the tournament as a ''bit of fun'' and Kuprowsky said the North Stars were obviously short staffed.

The Mustangs have unveiled the most talked-about recruits – former Ice championship captain and defender Vinnie Hughes and his gifted forward borther Joey. So far, the former Ice favourites have proceeded smoothly and quietly with their new club. Expect that to change in week two when they suit up against Ice for the first time in an AIHL fixture.

Pat O'Kane, newly named Mustangs assistant captain, expects such signings to help improve his team. ''I think all eight teams in the league have their eyes on a championship but realistically the Mustangs have a really good shot at making finals and then from there it’s anyone’s game; it's two games, anything could happen. On paper we look much better than we did last year.''

Outwardly, both Melbourne clubs are focused on culture as much as results. New Ice coach Brent Laver has vowed to play a third ''youth'' line all season, already the policy at the Mustangs. ''The ultimate goal in an amateur sport, apart from winning, is that your people end up being really good human beings,'' Laver says. ''Still chase your dream but be very much aware of what is going on around you.''

Mustangs coach Brad Vigon, an American-born, former Australian representative, has opted not to go with an import in net. Fraser Carson, the 20-year-old national back-up goalie, will start 2014 as his team's primary net-minder.

Nearly every other team is favouring an import in the net. (Ice said it would have gone local, but its young prospect Dahlen Phillips took a year off to travel). The lack of opportunities and development for local goalies is a major talking point in the hockey community.

In 2014, the two teams with the best goalies fought out the grand final, but the winning Ice Dogs had the services of brilliant local Anthony Kimlin, the national team incumbent. This year Kimlin is unavailable for AIHL duties because of his studies overseas.

If Vigon's dream comes true, his team will be affected more than any other in the future by the absence of national players.

His dream?

To produce an all-Australian AIHL Mustangs team. No imports.

AIHL week one

Saturday April 12

Melbourne Ice v Sydney Ice Dogs, Icehouse, Docklands, 5pm

Canberra CBR Brave v Newcastle North Stars, Canberra, 5.30pm

Sunday April 13

MOAT Melbourne Mustangs v Sydney Ice Dogs, Icehouse, Docklands, 4pm

Newcastle North Stars v Sydney Bears, Newcastle, 5pm

AIHL website. Click here

Icehouse Docklands: Click here

International Exhibition Series, July: Click here

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