The Weekly Faceoff is a regular column talking about all things Tongues, in and around the AIHL.
Another Blue Tongue went down this week to injury. No Perth team visiting the coast? Canada makes the cup final and we ask, is old-school music needed in modern day AIHL.
Period 1: Injuries Showing Team Depth
Last weekend in Sydney the Blue Tongues lost another player to injury. Marco Bertossa took a puck to the face and suffered an injury that could potentially put an end to his 2011 season. Bertossa is the third player the Blue Tongues have lost to injury in recent weeks, joining Adam Geric and Matt Johnson on the sidelines. The injuries have not put a stop to the Blue Tongues though, and the Tongues depth players have stepped up their game willingly accepting the challenge. Brad Young and Bob Sannemo have continued to put up points as have Mike McRae and Matt Amado. As the Blue Tongues face the Mustangs in a few weeks on the Gold Coast, it will be interesting to see which local players fill the gaps left by these latest injuries.
Period 2: No Thunder On The Coast
As reported on the Blue Tongues website last week, the Perth Thunder games have been cancelled on the Gold Coast. This is a disappointment for Blue Tongue fans who were keen to get a look at the new team potentially joining the league next season. The Thunder traveled to Adelaide last weekend, resulting in a 3-2 shootout win to the Adrenaline on Saturday and a 3-0 shutout win to the Thunder on Sunday. If the exhibition games are anything to go by, the Thunder could be a good team if they do in fact join the league.
Period 3: Canucks Visit Stanley’s Final
The last time the Vancouver Canucks made the Stanley Cup Finals was 1994, where they eventually lost to the NY Rangers in a game 7 showdown. Now, 17 years later the Canucks are back in the finals, and will play either the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning (who play game 7 of the East finals in a few days). According to many pundits around the world, this is the best chance a Canadian team has had of winning Lord Stanley’s cup in years. This years NHL playoffs have had some epic series’, so the finals look to be no different.
Overtime: Old School Organ Music
Recently I posted a poll on the Hockeypulse Forum about the old school Organ Music played at Blue Tongues home games. There have been groans from the crowd when the organ music is played and last home games I took the crowds temperature regarding this old school tradition. The result was clear, very few people liked, or wanted the organ music at games. Is it time to move on and leave the old school traditions to another rink? You can vote on the poll here: http://www.hockeypulse.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4216
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?
Those of us up here in Brisbane and the Gold Coast have been treated by the reverred Goodall Cup over the last few weeks. Fans have been able to ogle, touch and drool at this trophy. It’s the Stanley Cup of Australian Ice Hockey, and almost as old as Lord Stanley also.
So no doubt there was a bit of “what the?” going on when word came down recently that the AIHL will not be playing for the Goodall Cup this year, and the cup will return to it’s old purpose, as a State tournament trophy. Not a bad idea, afterall that’s where it’s roots lie.
But one must ask the question… why?
Ice Hockey in this country is shaky at the best of times. We have a loyal fan-base across the nation and it is growing each year. When it comes to hockey in Australia, people are going to think of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) long before they think of the State tournament. Does the State tourny have a name? 10 points if you can think of it.
The fact is, the AIHL is the best hockey in this country, and realistically the best thing that has happened to hockey in Australia. Young local players are getting to skate alongside proven import players such as AIHL record holder Brad Smulders and former NHL players, such as Rob Zamuner and Steve McKenna.
So why does it feel like the IHA and AIHL have some kind of internal battle going on, and why, after parading the Goodall Cup around in front of AIHL fans recently are they now saying “no, your team can’t win this”. It just all seems a little strange to me.
That said, a new cup designed just for the AIHL is a great move, and will allow the AIHL to build a legacy of its own.
A solid 3 goal first period by Hershey took the wind out of the Manitoba Moose, and set up was to become the Calder Cup winning game, the 10th in Hersey Bears history, and a new AHL record. Goals by Andrew Gordon, Alexandre Giroux, Chris Bourque and Keith Aucoin helped the Bears secure the victory, with the Moose only scoring once in the game by Mario Bliznack.
The win came the same day Dan Bylsma’s Pittsburgh Penguins won the NHL’s Stanley Cup. Bylsma started the 2008/2009 season in the AHL.
DETROIT (AP)—Sidney Crosby(notes) lifted the Stanley Cup, injured knee and all, with a smile of satisfaction as wide as a goal crease. A few handoffs later, the silver trophy was passed to Mario Lemieux, and how fitting.
Two stars, two generations, two captains joined together by one Stanley Cup that took some bad teams and the good drafts that followed them, a tremendous comeback and one unlikely Game 7 goal scorer to accomplish.
