The Weekly Faceoff is a regular column talking about all things Tongues, in and around the AIHL.
Another week is done and dusted. Another weekend of AIHL games in the books and another team or 2 in the NHL sent to play golf.
Period 1: Blue Tongues Drop 2 In Adelaide
Image Courtesy Of http://www.adelaideadrenaline.com.au
It took a few games, but the Blue Tongues are finally on the points board… barely. The team traveled to Adelaide this last weekend to face off against the Adelaide Adrenaline; a team we historically struggle against on the road. The boys forced a shootout in the Saturday game but could not capitalise in the shootout and ended up dropping the game 5-4. The positive is they managed to pick up a point and get on the points board. Sunday was a bit different with the Adrenaline allegedly dominating most of the game, resulting in the Blue Tongues losing 5-3. For the Blue Tongues, this puts some early season strain on the team, who are 2nd last in the league with just 1 point after 4 games. Only the Sydney Bears have a worse record (1 win from 5 games). In a league where teams like the Melbourne Ice, Newcastle North Stars and Melbourne Mustangs have blasted out of the gates, it is going to take some seriously big (consistent) wins to get the Tongues up into a finals contending position.
Period 2: AIHL Awards
I know it’s very early in the season to raise this, but watching the NHL playoffs got me thinking; why doesn’t the AIHL have annual awards? We may not be a professional league like the NHL, but we do still have rookies, MVP players and killer netminding. It would be great if the AIHL were to create annual awards, and name them after great Australian Hockey Players from the past. I would propose an AIHL equivalent to the Calder, Vezina, Conn Smyth, Lady Byng and Rocket Richard. Of course, there would have to be a way to maybe limit certain awards to local players only, or the majority of awards will always go to imports. Just a thought anyway.
Period 3: AIHL Update
The North Stars finally dropped a game this last weekend, falling 6-4 to the Ice Dogs. The Mustangs gave the Ice their first loss of the season also, beating them 5-4 in a shootout. Interestingly, it is the Ice Dogs who have the leagues best GAA, who after 5 games have let in on average, 3.40 goals per game. They back that up with 5.00 GFA. The North Stars, who have a league leading 6.00 GFA are third in GAA with 3.75 goals against per game.
The AIHL Standings as of today are:
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTW | OTL | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle North Stars | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 48 | 30 |
| Melbourne Ice | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 27 | 18 |
| Mustangs Ice Hockey Club | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 34 | 32 |
| Sydney Ice Dogs | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 17 |
| Adelaide Adrenaline | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 26 |
| Canberra Knights | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 25 |
| Gold Coast Blue Tongues | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 23 |
| Sydney Bears | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 24 |
Overtime: NHL Playoffs
No doubt you’ve been following the NHL playoffs so are aware of the spanking that the Tampa Bay Lightning put on the Washington Capitals, sending them packing in 4 straight games. Just when people were getting over the shock of that, the Boston Bruins did the same, sweeping the (Stanley Cup favorites) Philadelphia Flyers out of the post season. In the West things are a still going. The Canucks look good, but have struggled a little against the Predators defense. They hold a 3-2 lead in their series. Just today the Red Wings pulled off a 4-3 win against the Sharks to keep their chances alive. The Sharks lead that series 3-2. The big question is, regardless of who wins in the West, are they good enough to stop the Bolts or Bruins?
The Weekly Faceoff is a regular weekly blog talking about all things Tongues, in and around the AIHL.
The Bartercard Gold Coast Blue Tongues have had a busy few weeks preparing for the start of the 2011 AIHL Season.
Signed Imports
The Blue Tongues made 2 new announcements in the last week or so. The first was the return off Alex Boyd to the lineup for 2011. Alex is currently playing Rugby in Canada but will return for the start of the season. Also named to the season were 6 key local players; Dave Upton, Cam Trew, Ben Spillane, Marco Bertossa, Ross Howell and Brad Young.
Bartercard Naming Rights
Just today the Blue Tongues announced the return of Bartercard as the primary / naming rights sponsor for the team.
Intersquad Games
Get a glimpse of the 2011 Blue Tongues before the season starts at the 6 pre-season intersquad games which have been scheduled. These 6 games will see the Blue Tongues battle it out against each other as part of their training / team selection process. Last seasons games were exciting and gave a good view of what the team could bring down the road. Dates are listed on the Blue Tongues official website.
The long dark now approaches. That painfully long period between the end of one season and the start of another. Sure, we have local hockey to keep us entertained and the NHL season kicks off in just a few weeks, but for the hardcore AIHL fan, this period is rather hard to take most years.
The 2010 season was one of ups and downs for the Blue Tongues. We saw some huge improvements from many of the local players, most notably Cam Trew who was standout most games and the return of favorites Dave Upton and Mark “smitty” Smith.
Luke Fiveash saw some great time in net up until Kalleitner was signed and regular locals Ross “Rosco” Howell and Ben “Tick Tock” Spillane were as solid as always, although fans would rather see the coach play Ben as a solid player rather than the grinder/enforcer role he appears to have been lumped with.
The 2011 season is a long way off but many of us, we’re already looking forward wondering what to expect. What imports will the Tongues bring in, what will local players bring to the game next season.
Will see see a change in game style maybe? New changes on or off the ice? These are all questions that go through a fans mind during the “long dark” of the off-season.
One thing is certain though.. we can’t wait for 2011 to get here!
As fans of the AIHL we are used to seeing import players come and go each season. It’s not so often however that we find ourselves saying farewell to long-term local players, a position Blue Tongues fans find themselves in now with the departure of #96, Dave Upton, who is pursuing a Rugby Union career.
Dave Upton
Dave Upton is one of those guys who can only be described as a freak. Naturally talented at most sports, Dave smashed his way into the AIHL with the Brisbane Blue Tongues at the age of 15, the youngest player ever to play in the league to date. Since then fans have watched Dave grow, not just as an extremely talented hockey player, but as a person.
There are many highlight reel moments over the years including amazing goals, blazing speed and some of the best checking and hittin the Blue Tongues have seen. Fans may remember the massive open ice hit Dave put on a Central Coast Rhino a few years ago in brisbane, or the countless times Dave’s passion and determination shone through as he worked hard to carry the team back into games.
It is fitting and pleasing then to know that Dave’s last game as a Blue Tongue was also a historical one; the Blue Tongues first ever AIHL finals game, a game that was the culmination of 5 years hard work, determination and pure grit by players such as Dave Upton.
Dave Upton’s hit on a Rhino’s player. We apologise for the video quality.
Dave’s departure from the Blue Tongues leaves more than just an empty roster spot, it leaves a “Davie shaped hole” in the very heart of the team, as one fan was recently quoted as saying. A lineup without Dave Upton wont feel like a proper Blue Tongues lineup.
We would like to thank Dave for the time and effort he has put into this team over the last 5 years, and want to express how deeply we appreciate the memories he have given us. Whereever the future takes Dave, we know he will excel and do well.
So to #96, Dave Upton; farewell and thank you for the memories.
In less than 2 days time, old friends, trans-tasmin brothers, and fellow ANZACs will go into battle to defend their countries honor. No, i’m not talking about the Bledisloe Cup, i’m referring to the Australian representative team heading over to face off against the Kiwis in a 2-game Ice Hockey matchup!
Unlike the Bledisloe, where the All Blacks are by far the better team (go on, admit it, you know it’s true), the Ice Blacks are not so fortunate. Over the years, they have never beaten Australia, something that as a fellow kiwi, i can’t say i’m all too pleased about.
So how is this year different to any other year? Well, the Aussie team is not actually THE Aussie team, instead it’s a rep team put together from the Newcastle North Stars and Sydney Bears AIHL teams. This rep team isn’t just some mix-match either, they have some solid import players such as John Halverson and great Australian local players in Rubes, Stransky and Matt Ezzy.
That said, the Kiwis are ready. They know they’re the underdog, and they’re ok with that. One thing is certain, this coming weekend things will heat up on the Ice in Dunedin, NZ!
