2008 AIHL season
Encyclopedia
The 2008 AIHL season is the 9th season of the Australian Ice Hockey League
, the 7th in which the Goodall Cup
will be awarded to the league champions.
The season opened 19 April 2008 with games in Newcastle, Adelaide and Penrith.
The one significant change in regards to the teams for 2008 is that the Brisbane Blue Tongues have relocated and are now the Gold Coast Blue Tongues, based in the Surfers Paradise city area, about 1 hours drive South of Brisbane.
. The rink was significantly upgraded for the 2008 IIHF World Championship Division II
in April 2008, featuring glass barriers all around the boards, along with new lighting, scoreboards and expanded seating. The other influential factor was the success both administrative and financial of the previous Finals Series in 2005 at the same rink.
In the first semi-final, the Newcastle North Stars
defeated the Bears 7-5. The second semi-final was won by the Western Sydney Ice Dogs
, who scored 30sec into overtime to beat the Melbourne Ice
2-1, after a thrilling game exhibiting excellent goaltending from both teams.
proved too strong for the Ice Dogs
in the championship game, winning the game 4-1. AIHL leading scorer and finals MVP Mickey Gilchrist capitalising on several turnovers to score a natural hat-trick, and the Newcastle defense was strong enough to limit the Ice Dogs' scoring chances.
alternate captain Lliam Webster was awarded the AIHL MVP award for 2008. Webster was the third-highest scoring Australian player for the season, and seventh overall, scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 21 games. This marked the second time in the award's two-year history that a Melbourne Ice player won the MVP award, but the first time for Webster.
Australian Ice Hockey League
The Australian Ice Hockey League is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. It is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia and is run by its own Board of Directors....
, the 7th in which the Goodall Cup
Goodall Cup
The Goodall Cup is the championship trophy of the Australian Ice Hockey League ice hockey in Australia. The Goodall Cup has been contested as the national senior men's ice hockey trophy in Australia since 1909, making it the fifth oldest known ice hockey trophy still being awarded, after the...
will be awarded to the league champions.
The season opened 19 April 2008 with games in Newcastle, Adelaide and Penrith.
The one significant change in regards to the teams for 2008 is that the Brisbane Blue Tongues have relocated and are now the Gold Coast Blue Tongues, based in the Surfers Paradise city area, about 1 hours drive South of Brisbane.
Standings
| Position | Team | GP | W | L | SOW | SOL | PTS | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bears | 28 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 134 | 118 |
| 2 | Western Sydney Ice Dogs Western Sydney Ice Dogs The Sydney Ice Dogs are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League... |
28 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 54 | 126 | 91 |
| 3 | Melbourne Ice Melbourne Ice The Melbourne Ice are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the National Ice Sports Centre in Melbourne, which was completed in 2010. It formerly played at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre in Oakleigh South, a suburb of Monash... |
28 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 54 | 124 | 91 |
| 4 | Newcastle North Stars Newcastle North Stars The Newcastle North Stars are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie located about 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle, New South Wales.The North Stars... |
28 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 53 | 150 | 97 |
| 5 | Canberra Knights Canberra Knights The Canberra Knights are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Centre in Phillip, a suburb of Australia's capital city, Canberra.... |
28 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 91 | 107 |
| 6 | Adelaide A's | 28 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 90 | 107 |
| 7 | Gold Coast Blue Tongues | 28 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 104 | 154 |
| 8 | Central Coast Rhinos Central Coast Rhinos The Central Coast Rhinos are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Erina, New South Wales, Australia that play in the Australian International Ice Hockey Cup. They are a former member Australian Ice Hockey League, playing in the league from 2005 to 2008... |
28 | 6 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 73 | 129 |
Playoffs
The 2008 AIHL finals were played at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in NewcastleWarners Bay, New South Wales
Warners Bay is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, and is located from Newcastle's central business district on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie. It was named after Jonathan Warner, who settled the area....
. The rink was significantly upgraded for the 2008 IIHF World Championship Division II
2008 IIHF World Championship Division II
The 2008 IIHF World Championship Division II was an international Ice hockey tournament run by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The tournament was contested from April 7–13, 2008. Participants in this tournament were separated into two separate tournament groups. The Group A...
in April 2008, featuring glass barriers all around the boards, along with new lighting, scoreboards and expanded seating. The other influential factor was the success both administrative and financial of the previous Finals Series in 2005 at the same rink.
In the first semi-final, the Newcastle North Stars
Newcastle North Stars
The Newcastle North Stars are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie located about 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle, New South Wales.The North Stars...
defeated the Bears 7-5. The second semi-final was won by the Western Sydney Ice Dogs
Western Sydney Ice Dogs
The Sydney Ice Dogs are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League...
, who scored 30sec into overtime to beat the Melbourne Ice
Melbourne Ice
The Melbourne Ice are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the National Ice Sports Centre in Melbourne, which was completed in 2010. It formerly played at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre in Oakleigh South, a suburb of Monash...
2-1, after a thrilling game exhibiting excellent goaltending from both teams.
Championship Game
NewcastleNewcastle North Stars
The Newcastle North Stars are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie located about 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle, New South Wales.The North Stars...
proved too strong for the Ice Dogs
Western Sydney Ice Dogs
The Sydney Ice Dogs are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League...
in the championship game, winning the game 4-1. AIHL leading scorer and finals MVP Mickey Gilchrist capitalising on several turnovers to score a natural hat-trick, and the Newcastle defense was strong enough to limit the Ice Dogs' scoring chances.
AIHL MVP
Melbourne IceMelbourne Ice
The Melbourne Ice are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the National Ice Sports Centre in Melbourne, which was completed in 2010. It formerly played at the Olympic Ice Skating Centre in Oakleigh South, a suburb of Monash...
alternate captain Lliam Webster was awarded the AIHL MVP award for 2008. Webster was the third-highest scoring Australian player for the season, and seventh overall, scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 21 games. This marked the second time in the award's two-year history that a Melbourne Ice player won the MVP award, but the first time for Webster.
Leading Scorers
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | P |
| Mickey Gilchrist | Newcastle | 15 | 30 | 37 | 67 |
| BJ Pelkey | Newcastle | 21 | 35 | 30 | 65 |
| Vladan Stransky | Bears | 26 | 22 | 41 | 63 |
| Ryan Tremblay | Melbourne | 25 | 23 | 29 | 52 |
| Vlady Rubes | Bears | 26 | 16 | 34 | 50 |
Leading Goaltenders
| Player | Team | Min | GA | GAA | SO | Sv% |
| Matt Ezzy | Newcastle | 884 | 53 | 2.70 | 2 | 0.900 |
| Stu Denman | Melbourne | 943 | 67 | 3.20 | 3 | 0.850 |
| James Herbert | Western Sydney | 669 | 48 | 3.23 | 0 | 0.862 |