The 2016 AIHL season was the 17th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 23 April 2016 until 21 August 2016, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 27 and 28 August. The
Melbourne Ice
The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey Lea ...
won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing the regular season with the most points. The
Newcastle North Stars
The Newcastle Northstars (formally ''Newcastle North Stars'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Northstars are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), joining as an expansion tea ...
won the Goodall Cup for the second year in a row after defeating the
CBR Brave
The CBR Brave is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Canberra, ACT. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2014 to replace the defunct Canberra Knights in the AIHL. Their home venue is ...
in the final.
Teams
In 2016 the AIHL had 8 teams competing in the league.
League business
In September 2015 it was announced that the Medibank Icehouse had been renamed the
O'Brien Group Arena
The Icehouse (also currently known as O'Brien Icehouse due to naming rights) is an Australian ice sports and entertainment centre, located in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. The league announced that the Sydney Bears will host two games against the Melbourne Ice in Queensland during the 2016 season. The games, promoted under the title of the Brisbane Battle, will be held at Iceworld Boondall and Iceworld Acacia Ridge on 14 and 15 May respectively. The AIHL have not held a game in Queensland since the suspension of the
Gold Coast Blue Tongues
The Gold Coast Blue Tongues (formerly the Brisbane Blue Tongues) was a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Bundall, Queensland, Australia. The team was a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The Blue Tongues were founded i ...
in 2012. In February 2016 the Sydney Ice Dogs announced that Reach Crane Trucks had renewed their sponsorship for 2016, extending the original three-year deal that was signed in 2013. The Ice Dogs later signed TAFE SWSi Aboriginal Learning Circle as a new sponsor for the season. Also in February Hards Transport renewed their naming rights sponsorship of the Adelaide Adrenaline. The Adrenaline also signed new sponsors Reading Cinemas, Paxton Wines and Mortgage Choice Malvern and extended their deal with the Hilton Hotel's MyBar as their official post-game venue. In March 2016 the CBR Brave signed
Casino Canberra
Casino Canberra (or Canberra Casino) is a casino located in the Central Business District of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It was the first legal casino to open in the Australian Capital Territory, built on land excised from Glebe P ...
and McDonald's ACT as major sponsors and Canberra Toyota as their vehicle sponsor. The CBR Brave also extended their deal with
Anytime Fitness
Anytime Fitness is a franchise of 24-hour health and fitness clubs that is headquartered in Woodbury, Minnesota, United States. The company operates over 5,000 franchised locations in 50 countries. The gym facilities are open 24 hours a day, 36 ...
as the club's official gym partner and the Hellenic Club of Canberra as their post-game partner and renewed their sponsorship deal with Jordo's Chop Shop. On 21 March 2016 the Bears announced that they had formed a partnership with the Australian Defence Force Ice Hockey Association's Army Knights for 2016. This was followed by the CBR Brave forming a partnership with the Navy Tigersharks. Both partnerships aim to help promote ice hockey within the Defence Force and develop emerging talent. The Bears partnership deal also includes discounted tickets for Defence Force members during the season. The Sydney Bears have reached a deal with
Hawkesbury Radio
Hawkesbury Radio 89.9 (call sign: 2VTR) community radio stations in the Hawkesbury.
Hawkesbury Radio's primary purpose is to serve the residents of the Australian City of Hawkesbury, Hawkesbury Radio broadcasts on the frequency 89.9 FM. The ...
to broadcast at least two of their home games for the 2016 season while also continuing to broadcast via their normal Mixlr stream. The Perth Thunder will also start live broadcasting their home games via Mixlr for the 2016 season. In April the Brave announced a partnership with the
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra Cavalry (nicknamed Cavs) is a professional baseball team from Canberra, ACT, Australia. Established in 2010, the team is a founding member of the Australian Baseball League (ABL). The Cavs home ground is Narrabundah Ballpark, kno ...
of the
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it ...
to help increase promotion between the two teams. On 22 April the Perth Thunder announced that they had signed Smooth Financial Services as a platinum sponsor for the 2016 season. In May 2016 Hi-Tec Oils renewed their major sponsorship with the Sydney Bears for the season. Also in May The James Hotel signed a deal with the Melbourne Mustangs to become a major sponsor and host the club's pre and post-game functions.
Exhibition games
On 31 March 2016 the
Melbourne Ice
The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey Lea ...
and
Melbourne Mustangs
The Melbourne Mustangs (formally ''Mustangs IHC'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria. Formed in 2010, the Mustangs have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2011. The Mustangs ...
competed in an exhibition game at the O’Brien Group Arena with the Ice winning 5–1. The 2016 edition of the Wilson Cup was held in March and April 2016. The tournament featured the three New South Wales based clubs competing in a double round-robin before a final between the two top ranked teams. The Sydney Bears finished first in the round robin stage, winning three of their four games, and were drawn against the Sydney Ice Dogs in the final. The Bears won the final 3–1, claiming their third Wilson Cup title.
Personnel changes
In October 2015 it was announced that Vladimir Rubes had stepped down as head coach of the Sydney Bears due to family commitments. Rubes was replaced by assistant Ron Kuprowsky to the position of head coach. Kuprowsky was previously coach of the Sydney Ice Dogs before joining the Bears in 2015. Also in October the Sydney Ice Dogs announced their 2016 committee with Tim Flynn moving from the head coach position to the role of general manager, taking over the position from Anthony Wilson. Flynn's role as general manager for the Sydney Ice Dogs lasted until March 2016 with the club replacing him with former player Jason Juba. In November 2015 the Melbourne Mustangs announced that Brad Vigon had resigned from the position of head coach due to family commitments. Vigon was replaced by assistant coach Michael Flaherty with the Mustangs also adding former Australian national team players Damian Holland and Jon Moses as Flaherty's new assistant coaches. The Mustangs also announced that Andrew McDowell had stepped down from the position of Vice President in order to focus on his role of Director of Hockey Operations. He was replaced by Myles Harris.
In December 2015 the Adelaide Adrenaline announced that head coach Ryan O'Handley had stepped down from the position of head coach due to family commitments. O'Handley however moved into the positions of Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations at the club. A couple of weeks later the Adrenaline signed former AIHL and Australian national team player Trevor Walsh as O'Handley's replacement. Following the appointment of Walsh as head coach the Adrenaline also announced that Gordon Cochrane and Sami Mantere had been signed as assistant coaches for 2016. In March 2016 the Sydney Ice Dogs announced that they had signed former Sydney Bears head coach Vladimir Rubes to the position of head coach. Rubes stepped down from his position of head coach of the Sydney Bears in October 2015 citing family commitments. Also in March the CBR Brave re-signed head coach Josh Unice along with assistant coaches David Rogina and Stuart Philps for the 2016 season.
In June 2016 the Adrenaline relieved Trevor Walsh of his duties as head coach. He was replaced by former Australian national team assistant coach Eric Lien. On 17 August, three days before the final round of the regular season, the Brave announced that Josh Unice had resigned from his position of head coach due to a number of personal issues outside of hockey. He was replaced by the club's assistant coaches for the remainder of the season.
Player transfers
Interclub transfers
Retirements
New signings
Players lost
Regular season
The regular season is set to start on 23 April 2016 and run through to 21 August 2016 before the top four teams advance to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series. A weeks break will be held in June to accommodate the All-Star Weekend which is scheduled for 11 and 12 June 2016 in
Penrith, New South Wales
Penrith is a city in New South Wales, Australia, located in Greater Western Sydney, 55 kilometres (31 mi) west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Nepean River, on the outskirts of the Cumberland Plain. Its elev ...
. The AIHL will hold their first games in Queensland since 2012 after they announced that the Sydney Bears and Melbourne Ice will compete in a double header in Brisbane. The games, promoted under the title of the Brisbane Battle, will be held at Iceworld Boondall and Iceworld Acacia Ridge on 14 and 15 May respectively.
In March 2016 it was reported that the Adelaide Ice Arena had to close their large ice surface for repairs following failed pressure tests. The repairs resulted in the league pushing back the start Adrenaline's home season from 23 April to 15 May and rescheduling of four games. Game 1 between the North Stars and Adrenaline at the Adelaide Ice Arena was pushed back to 17 July from its original date of 23 April. Game 81 between the Thunder and the North Stars at the Perth Ice Arena was moved forward into the vacant 23 April slot after originally being scheduled for 17 July. The double header between the Adrenaline and the Thunder at the Adelaide Ice Arena was also pushed back from its original date of 30 April and 1 May to 21 and 22 May. On 5 June Game 48 between the Sydney Ice Dogs and Melbourne Mustangs was postponed due to flooding at the Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink. The match was later rescheduled for 7 August at the same venue.
25 June game between the Melbourne Ice and Sydney Bears served as the third annual Canada Day Classic match. The Bears won the game 4–3 following a shootout to claim the title for the third straight year. On 6 August the Sydney Ice Dogs hosted the Adelaide Adrenaline in the Matt Clark Memorial Game, part of the clubs Leukaemia fundraising night. The Ice Dogs wore the old Warringah Bombers jersey, dedicated to former Bombers player Matt Clark who died from leukaemia in 1995. The Ice Dogs won the game 9–8. 13 August match between the Adelaide Adrenaline and CBR Brave served as the second annual
beyondblue
Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses.
The organisation works in par ...
Cup, setup to help raise awareness for the charity. The Brave won the Cup for the second year in a row, defeating the Adrenaline 5–4 following a shootout.
The Melbourne Ice won the H Newman Reid Trophy after finishing first in the regular season with 66 points. Following the end of the season the AIHL announced the winners of the 2016 awards. Adelaide Adrenaline's Wehebe Darge won the Most Valuable Player and Anthony Kimlin of the Sydney Bears won the Goaltender of the Year. The CBR Brave's Jan Safar won the Defenceman of the Year and Casey Kubara was awarded both the Rookie of the Year and Local Player of the Year. The Melbourne Ice's Brent Laver was named Coach of the Year.
List shows the ten top skaters sorted by points, then goals.
Leading goaltenders
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage with a minimum 40% of the team's ice time.
Season awards
Below lists the 2016 AIHL regular season award winners.
Source /small>
Goodall Cup playoffs
The 2016 playoffs started on 27 August 2016 with the
Goodall Cup
The Goodall Cup is a perpetual trophy that is, currently, annually awarded to the playoff champions of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The trophy is named after Australian born player John Edwin Goodall who originally donated the cup ...
final being held on 28 August. Following the end of the regular season the top four teams advanced to the playoff series. All three games were held at the
O'Brien Group Arena
The Icehouse (also currently known as O'Brien Icehouse due to naming rights) is an Australian ice sports and entertainment centre, located in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia.Docklands, Victoria
Docklands, also known as Melbourne Docklands, is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Docklands recorded a populat ...
, the home of the Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs. The series was a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final. The finals were again sponsored by
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
, their fourth year in a row. The Goodall Cup was won by the
Newcastle North Stars
The Newcastle Northstars (formally ''Newcastle North Stars'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Northstars are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), joining as an expansion tea ...
(6th title) who defeated the
CBR Brave
The CBR Brave is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Canberra, ACT. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2014 to replace the defunct Canberra Knights in the AIHL. Their home venue is ...
2–1 in regular time. North Stars' goaltender Dayne Davis was named the finals Most Valuable Player.
Penrith Ice Palace
The Penrith Ice Palace (also known as Penrith Ice Rink.) was an ice sports and public skate centre, located west of Sydney in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. It permanently closed on Wednesday 29 June 2022 It served as the home ice rink of ...
on 11 and 12 June 2016. The format of the weekend remained unchanged from 2015 with a skills competition on 11 June and an all-stars game on 12 June. Sydney Bears'
Michael Schlamp
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
was announced as captain of one of the two teams for the second year in a row. Matt Armstrong of the Melbourne Ice was announced as the second team's captain, replacing Brian Bales from 2015.APA Group re-signed as sponsor of the weekend after sponsoring the 2015 inaugural event.
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
also broadcast a 90-minute special from the weekend.
The Skills competition saw
CBR Brave
The CBR Brave is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Canberra, ACT. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2014 to replace the defunct Canberra Knights in the AIHL. Their home venue is ...
players take out three of the seven events, while both the
Melbourne Mustangs
The Melbourne Mustangs (formally ''Mustangs IHC'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria. Formed in 2010, the Mustangs have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2011. The Mustangs ...
and
Sydney Bears
The Sydney Bears (formally ''Macquarie Bears'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1982, the Bears are the only remaining founding member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) st ...
picked up two each. On 12 June Team Schlamp defeated Team Armstrong 10–9 at the Penrith Ice Palace to win the 2016 All-Star Game. Michael Dorr of the
Perth Thunder
The Perth Thunder is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 2010, the Thunder have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2012. The Thunder are based at the Perth Ice Are ...
was named the most valuable player of the match and the best forward. The Sydney Bears' Ryan Annesley and Anthony Kimlin were named best defenceman and best goaltender respectively, and the Perth Thunder's Rob Haselhurst was named the best Australian player.
Skills competition
*Fastest Skater: Patrick O’Kane (
Melbourne Mustangs
The Melbourne Mustangs (formally ''Mustangs IHC'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria. Formed in 2010, the Mustangs have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2011. The Mustangs ...
)
*Breakaway Challenge: Geordie Wudrick (
CBR Brave
The CBR Brave is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Canberra, ACT. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2014 to replace the defunct Canberra Knights in the AIHL. Their home venue is ...
)
*Shooting Accuracy: Stephen Blunden (CBR Brave)
*Stickhandling:
Casey Kubara
Casey may refer to:
Places Antarctica
*Casey Station
*Casey Range
Australia
* Casey, Australian Capital Territory
* City of Casey, Melbourne
* Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives
Canada
* Casey, Ontario
* ...
(CBR Brave)
*Hardest Shot: James Isaacs (Melbourne Mustangs)
*Elimination Shootout:
Brian Funes
Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world.
It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word m ...
(
Sydney Bears
The Sydney Bears (formally ''Macquarie Bears'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1982, the Bears are the only remaining founding member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) st ...