After my initial reaction to the forfeit news a few days back, I told myself to take a few days time out to clear my head and try and see the situation from a more unbiased view.
It’s hard doing that. Having been following the Blue Tongues since 2004, our hearts are heavily tied to this team and anything that happens deeply affects us at the most emotional levels. As one of the players told me last season, my wife and I have followed this team longer than anybody in the stands, on the ice or in the management, it’s only natural we react so strong to thing that happen with the team.
People are unhappy with the league for calling last Sunday’s game a forfeit, I myself was one of them. But then I stopped and thought about the situation, did some research and came to the conclusion that we should be angry, but not at the AIHL, because at the end of the day, they made the right call for the situation.
As Oscar Wilde once said, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”, and in the absence of truth, speculation and rumours will go crazy. Over the last few days there has been a LOT of speculation on this issue. The “truth” in this case lies closer to home.
You should be angry. You should be upset. In fact, you should probably be seeing red, but make sure that anger is directed at the right people. Be angry at the rink for not telling the team about the problem or trying to fix it. Be angry at the team for choosing to play from a rink that is clearly below standard. But don’t be angry at the AIHL for doing their job. You don’t need to agree with them, but if you’re a fan of any sport you should know that leagues the world over make calls we don’t agree with.
The fact is, each team in the league should have a responsibility to ensure their home ice is playable, and part of that is to ensure a healthy relationship between the team and rink owners for those teams who don’t have control of their rink. It’s the same in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and many other leagues around the world (from what I can tell). In our own league we have had teams forfeit in the past because of unplayable Ice. I have been told by a few different people over the last day or so that Melbourne forfeited a game a few years back for similar reasons. If so, a precedent was set.
Clearly the owners of the G.C. Rink don’t care about their ice or the Blue Tongues. That much is evident by the way they didn’t bother to either tell the team of the issue or try to fix it. As we’ve been told by people at the rink earlier that day, the ice was that way all day long during public skate sessions. I would have thought that’s a major public liability issue. Simply put, a national level team should not be playing in a facility that is that unprofessional and mismanaged.
The Acacia Ridge Ice Rink in Brisbane
But the team choose to play there, even though there are 2 other rinks within an hour or so drive of the Gold Coast. The problem (at least for some) is they are both in Brisbane. Boondall, where the team played prior to 2008 and Acacia Ridge are both much better locations with better ice, stands and facilities.
So be angry and upset. Feel hurt at the decision, but please make sure your anger is not misdirected.
Just something to think about before posting (like I did) about how the AIHL made a mistake with the call.
It’s a known fact that teams win championships from the net out, and that goalies are the most important person on a hockey team. Unlike forwards or defenders where one players mistakes can be corrected by a team mate, the goalie is out there one their own as the last line of defense. A bad play by a goalie can cost goals and in the worse case, lose games.
The Blue Tongues have had their fair history of goalie issues over the seasons, and have never truly found a #1 starter. So, in absense of a true starter the team tends to rotate through 2 or 3 and share the load, a move that sounds great in theory but means the team never truly gels with their netminder.
This season the team started with CJ Anderson and Kane Easterbrook in net and until recently the 2 shared the workload. 2 weeks back Luke Fiveash returned to the lineup so now the team have 3 options in net. The only question now is, who do you choose?
CJ Anderson gets ready to make a save on a North Stars player
CJ Anderson has been involved with the club since as far back as 2006. CJ is consistent in net and has improved every year he’s been with the club. His stats this season of 4.33GAA and 0.87 SV% are in no way indicitive of how good he has been in net. CJ has at times looked shaky but has managed to bounce back after each play. CJ has played the role of backup for 3 seasons now with the Blue Tongues and looks ready to make a push to be the go-to guy between the pipes.
Kane Easterbrook is in his first year with the Blue Tongues / AIHL. He played the past 4 seasons with the Botany Swarm in New Zealand where he posted good Sv% and GAA figures in a backup role. Kane is one of our best goalies technically however has been let down by bad decision making at times which has shown in his stats. With a 4.87 GAA and 0.84 Sv% in 6 games this season, Kane has looked shaky and the team in front of him have looked like they lack confidence in his ability to make the big saves.
Luke Fiveash is back for his third season with the Blue Tongues. The quietly spoken team guy, Luke is never the one to say a bad word about others or argue his position on the team. Luke in past years has looked like he struggled after being scored on however that appears to have gone from his game this season. Luke’s has played just 2 games so far but his stats of 3.00GAA and 0.90 Sv% are right on par for his career average with the Blue Tongues, showing he’s in good form moving forward. Of the 3 goalies, Luke currently has the best stats, however only playing 2 games it is impossible to get an accurate judge of the data.
3 goalies who all bring a different type of game to the ice. All can be stars on the given day. The problem is, only 2 goalies can dress for a game and you always want to pick the 2 best goalies to be playing. So the question then is who? Based on Stats, composure in-game and previous seasons data I would pick CJ Anderson and Luke Fiveash as the 2 dressed goalies.
Links:
Blue Tongues Player Stats | AIHL Standings
The AIHL, governing body of the Australian Ice Hockey League has ruled that the Gold Coast Blue Tongues will FORFEIT their cancelled game last sunday, giving the Ice Dogs the full 3 points.
Epic Fail AIHL!
I can understand that the home team failed to provide a playable ice surface, and as such, they could not keep to their end of the agreed game schedule. The issue however (cracked ice) happened overnight and was something that was out of everybody’s control.
Note: I have removed the previous content as have looked deeper into the situations i had mentioned and felt the content was no longer valid.
Blue Tongues fans should be very upset at this result, but not because the AIHL came to this particular decision.
The more important issue that Blue Tongues fans should be upset about is that the rink they play in is so below standard that something like this should happen in the first place. The team need a new rink, plain and simple, and the best way to go about that is simply by relocating the team back to Brisbane, if that could be done.
With the Blue Tongues / Ice Dogs game canceled on Sunday, we now all await the ruling by the AIHL as to what the outcome of the match could be. The decision by the AIHL could keep the Tongues in a fight for the playoffs, or essentially put them in a deep hole.
Potential outcomes could be:
- The match is ruled a draw and both teams get 1 point. (the fairest result for both teams)
- The match is rescheduled and played at a later time (unlikely)
- The match is called a forfeit for the Blue Tongues and the Dogs get the full 3 points (possible)
A forfeit is usually only ruled when one team can’t fulfil their side of the game. While the ice is out of the BT control, the argument could be made that the rink was not up to standard, and therefore a forfeit is permissible.
A rescheduled match is the best result, but as this is not a professional league teams don’t always have the funds to travel again for new games.
A draw is the best option for both teams as it means the game is essentially split.
Of course, there could also be other options. The only question now then is what will the league do?
The Blue Tongues pulled off one of the best displays of teamwork we’ve seen this season today, and the result was a spectacular 7-1 win over the Ice Dogs. The third period was a bit slower than the first 2, but in all, the passing, positioning, defense and teamwork all worked when it mattered.
Here are a few random thoughts on the win:
- Luke Fiveash was almost perfect in net. His positioning was sound and he pulled off huge saves when it mattered. The 2 times he did have “iffy” moments his D was there to clear the puck and keep the game momentum going.
- Tobias Falk has quickly become the Blue Tongues go-to player. He’s got a wicked shot and some slick moves that just seem to confuse the opposition. Noted as a playmaker, in recent games he has become an incredible sniper.
- Cam Trew continues to improve his game. For a small guy, he uses his body well and has made some great offensive plays also.
- Marco Bertossa seems to be consistently bad on D. The fact is, from where we sit Marco should be up front, and no in D.
- The Ice Dogs coach, like many others we’ve had up here this season was really entertaining. His language at the refs was creative and his frustration really made the game much more fun.
Tomorrow the teams play again. Kane Easterbrook is rumoured to be starting in net, which is a terrible call, especially after Luke played so well today and CJ has been consistent this season. We also get Alex Boyd back, which will help the physical game a bit.
All going well, the boys will come away with another win, which will give the boys a 4 point lead over the Ice Dogs, their main rival for the playoff spot.
