Penrith Ice Palace - Australian Ice Hockey League€¦ · Australian Ice Hockey League for 2016. energy. connected. Written by Will Brodie Will Brodie is the author of Reality Check:

SAT 11 & SUN 12 JUNE

Penrith Ice Palace7 PATTYS PLACE, JAMISONTOWN, NSW 2750

PUCK DROPS AT 5PM SATURDAY & 2PM SUNDAY

Dear Athletes, Fans and Partners,

On behalf of the Australian Ice Hockey League, I am pleased to welcome you to Penrith Ice Palace and the 2016 AIHL All-Star Weekend presented by APA Group.

This weekend we will showcase the most skilful ice hockey players ever assembled in Australia; rosters comprised of locals and imports. We’ll witness their talent and personalities in the AIHL All-Star Skills Competition and the AIHL All-Star Game.

Congratulations to all the players, coaches, and officials selected. You represent the best of the best- the fastest skaters, most gifted puck handlers, playmakers, best goalies, and demonstrate the best howitzers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The second annual AIHL All-Star Weekend presented by APA Group is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Enjoy the best opportunities to connect with our game, stars and community. Share dinner with Australia’s top ice hockey players Saturday, take a picture with the iconic Goodall Cup, get a legend’s autograph, and much more.

Good luck to all the participants!

ROBERT BANNERMANAIHL Commissioner

LETTER FROM THE COMMISSIONER

Use the hashtag #AIHLAllStarWeekend

For more information visit APA’s website, www.apa.com.au

APA Group is Australia’s leading natural gas infrastructure business delivering about half of the nation’s natural gas usage through the assets it owns and/or operates. APA is an ASX top 50 company. APA Group is proud to sponsor the Australian Ice Hockey League for 2016.

energy. connected.

Written by Will Brodie

Will Brodie is the author of Reality Check: Travels in the Australian Ice Hockey League (for sale at willbrodie.com). He covered the AIHL from 2011 – 2014 for Fairfax Media.

OF

HOCKEYA CELEBRATION


At every turn, there is a surprise. Supposedly bitter rivals sharing a laugh; supposed lesser lights out-pacing big names; guys your rink painted as villains proving most friendly off ice.

Hockey possesses a humble culture compared to sports such as basketball, with overt skiting often frowned upon. Even superstar talents learn that team strategies supersede individual theatrics. And the physical demands of hockey seem to ensure that showboating is minimsed.

But the skills required to play at an elite level are amazing, and All-Star skills challenges allow individuals to showcase

their virtuosity. Breakaways, accuracy and speed challenges, puck control. The challenges strip out some of the elements that make us gasp during games, and remind us of

their intrinsic delights.

The All-Star Game showcases talents from around the world who are plying their wares in Australia because they want to embrace this country and its people. It reminds us of just how well our best homegrown talent stacks up against stars from North America and Europe.

Both imports and locals play for the love of the game and enjoy chatting to the fans who enable this league to thrive, most clubs encouraging their players to mix with fans after home games.

But in a league subject to the tyranny of big Australian distances and the necessity to race

An hour after the end of a fiercely contested AIHL grand final, something unique occurs. Not only do members of the vanquished

team join the rejoicing champions they just battled, but fans, staff and players from all the Finals teams mingle, sharing a beer and talking hockey and life.

That precious hour is a celebration of hockey and the league, undertaken by people who get few chances for such catch-ups.

The AIHL All-Star Weekend offers another

NOT ONLY DO ARCH-RIVALS SUDDENLY PASS TO EACH OTHER AND CONGRATULATE EACH OTHER ON GOALS, THE SKILLS CHALLENGES EXPOSE THE PERSONALITIES LURKING BENEATH THE HELMETS...

opportunity for fans, players and officials from all the league’s clubs to compete and socialise together and celebrate the remarkable sporting anomaly they help create – a truly national, but wholly amateur competition which draws pros from all around the world.

This year’s mid-season schedule enhances the event, with every club still in contention and the season’s narrative yet to unfurl.

The novelty of the All-Star Weekend lies in discovery. Not only do arch-rivals suddenly pass to each other and congratulate each other on goals, [O’Kane from Powell and Armstrong, anyone?] the skills challenges expose the personalities lurking beneath the helmets [as a star suited up as a Minion proved last year in Newcastle]. Even better, in the finest tradition of this most approachable league, all the participants are available for a chinwag with fans at the Saturday night soirée.


to the airport for flights home, there are all too few occasions for the league’s players to get together.

Watch an AIHL face-off closely and you often see amiable banter between opponents who just slammed into each other, and are about to do so again. Often it’s two locals who only meet at annual national camps. Or two pros who played together in the SPHL, EIHL or in Europe.

All-Star Weekend enables such rivals to share insights into the particular challenges confronting each rink and team, and helps cross-fertilize ideas about training, sponsorship, recruitment and fan engagement.

Aside from all that worthy stuff, it is just plain fun. Which is why they play and we watch, after all.

2016 AIHL ALL-STARWEEKEND

PRESENTED BY


EVENTS AND TEAMSTEAM SCHLAMP (RED) TEAM ARMSTRONG (WHITE)RON KUPROWSKY (Coach) ANDREW PETRIE (Coach)

Michael Schlamp #11 Casey Kubara #9 Matt Armstrong #16 Stephen Blunden #9

Anthony Kimlin #1 Greg Oddy #10 Alexi Toivonen #1 Tommy Powell #10

Bert Malloy #2 Geordie Wudrick #12 Paddy Ward #43 Michael Dorr #11

Mathew Lindsay #3 Josh Harris #13 Robert Haselhurst #3 Pat O’Kane #89

Ryan Annesley #4 Brent Vandenberg #14 James Isaacs #4 Andrew Cox #24

Mark Higgins #8 Lliam Webster #15 John Kennedy #5 Tomas Landa #14

Nic Kawasaki #5 Benjamin Breault #17 Brian Funes #6 Strat Allen #8

Gabriel O’Connor #7 Dayne Davis #20 (G) Jan Safar #7 Troy Davenport #20 (G)

Anthony Kimlin #1 (G) Aleksi Toivonen #1 (G)

Date Event Start Time

Saturday, 11th June 2016 All-Star Skills Competition 5:00pm

Dinner with the Stars at TC's Panthers Penrith 8:30pm

Sunday, 12th June 2016 All-Star Game 2:00pm

AIR CANADA FASTEST SKATER COMPETITION

RIFLE MEDIASTICK HANDLING COMPETITION

APA GROUP BREAKAWAYCHALLENGE

SKATERS NETWORKHARDEST SHOT COMPETITION

HAIGH & HASTINGS SHOOTING ACCURACY COMPETITION

RYZERELIMINATIONSHOOTOUT

01

04

02

05

03

06

AIR CANADA FASTEST SKATER COMPETITION

01Team Schlamp Team Armstrong

Michael Schlamp Robert Haselhurst Mathew Lindsay Tommy PowellCasey Kubara Pat O’KaneGeordie Wudrick Andrew CoxJosh Harris Strat Allen

PARTICIPANTS• Five players from each team compete.

POINTS• Six points available. • Winner of each heat scores one point.• One point awarded to overall winner.

PROCEDURE / RULES• The contest consists of five races, (two players skating at one time) plus one final match

race featuring the fastest skater from each team.• One skater from each team is positioned side by side on the start line, both skaters race

towards the same end zone, both turn outward, skate to the opposite end zone, turn back and skate past centre ice to the finish line.

• The winner of each match is the skater with the fastest time as recorded by the timing devices.

• In case of a clock malfunction, the official time will be recorded by the referee’s stop watch.• The player from each team with the fastest time will meet in the final match to determine

the AIHL’s Fastest Skater.

TIE SITUATION• If a preliminary race ends in a tie, each of the teams will be awarded one point.

If the final is tied, skaters race again.


APA GROUP BREAKAWAY CHALLENGE


Bert Malloy Matt Armstrong Geordie Wudrick Brian FunesBrandon Greenside Michael DorrAnthony Kimlin Troy Davenport

PARTICIPANTS• Three shooters and one goalie from each team.

POINTS• One point available.• Shooter with highest fan votes scores one point.

PROCEDURE / RULES• Shooters can start their routine from anywhere in the offensive zone

and have full access to the offensive zone, including behind the net. (AIHL penalty shot rules do not apply)

• Each skater will attempt 3 shots.• Players alternate after each skater attempts 1 shot.• The in-arena audiences will vote via applause and Twitter for their choice of winner.

HAIGH & HASTINGSSHOOTING ACCURACY COMPETITION


Ryan Annesley Tomas Landa Nic Kawasaki Stephen Blunden Mark Higgins Pat O'Kane Lliam Webster Andrew Cox

(Players can select their own passers)

PARTICIPANTS• Four players from each team compete.• 4 passers from each team.

POINTS• Five points available.• Winner of each match up scores one point.

PROCEDURE / RULES• Four destructible targets 38cm in diameter are attached to the goal posts of both goals,

one target in each corner.• Two players, one on each side of each goal, alternately pass pucks to a shooter

positioned 25 feet out from the goal line.• Shooters compete at one end, alternating attempts.• The shooter who hits each of the four targets in the least amount of time wins the match.• Any contact of a target by a puck that is shot is scored as a hit.• The player with the fastest time from each team will go head-to-head for the title of the

AIHL’s Most Accurate Shooter.

TIE SITUATION• If any match up ends in a tie, both players shoot again.


RIFLE MEDIASTICKHANDLING COMPETITION


Casey Kubara Tomas Landa Brent Vandenberg Michael Dorr Benjamin Breault Jan SafarBert Malloy Paddy Ward

PARTICIPANTS• Four players from each team compete.• 4 players from each team.

POINTS• Five points available.• Winner of each match up scores one point.

PROCEDURE / RULES• Cubes (32) are placed over the, Skills Test 6 dots, on the ice.• The goal line at one end of the ice marks the start line.• The goal line at the opposite end of the ice is the finish line.• Players will start at the start line.• This test is timed.• Both players begin with their feet behind the start line.• The test begins on the horn.• The player skates straight forward with the puck towards the line of 4 cubes.• The player skates through the 4 cubes in a slalom pattern.• In the Neutral Zone the player goes to the one cube of the first pair.• The player weaves through the 3 pairs of cubes.• After the last pair of pylons, the player skates forward to the

5 stickhandling obstacles.• While straddling the stickhandling obstacles the player stickhandles the puck

through all.• The players then skate across the finish line to complete the test.• The player from each team with the fastest time will meet in the final match to

determine the AIHL’s Best Stickhandler. TIE SITUATION• If any match up ends in a tie, both players go again.


SKATERS NETWORKHARDEST SHOT COMPETITION


Michael Schlamp James Isaacs Mathew Lindsay John Kennedy Brandon Greenside Paddy WardBenjamin Breault Jan Safar

PARTICIPANTS• Four players from each team.

POINTS• Five points available. • Winner of each match up scores one point.

PROCEDURE / RULES• Four head-to-head matches featuring one shooter from each team.• Players alternate shots. Two attempts for each player.• A single puck is positioned on the ice 9.144m from the left of the goal. A player,

starting no further than the nearest blue line, may skate towards the puck and shoot it from its positioned spot into the goal. The highest recorded shot (in kph) of two attempts will be scored.

• Shots must be on goal to be calculated and all shots are recorded by radar in km/hr.• If a puck enters the goal uncalculated due to a malfunction of the radar equipment, the

shooter will be allowed an additional attempt.• If a player breaks his stick he will be given another attempt.• At the conclusion of the individual matches, the player from each team who recorded the

hardest single shot will meet in a final match to determine the AIHL’s Hardest Shooter.

TIE SITUATION• If any match up ends in a tie, both players shoot again. The highest recorded speed of

the tie breaking shot is the winner of that match up.

PROUD SPONSOR OF:

RYZERELIMINATION SHOOTOUT


Michael Schlamp Matt ArmstrongBert Malloy Michael Dorr Ryan Annesley Pat O’Kane Mark Higgins Brian FunesCasey Kubara Jan Safar Geordie Wudrick Strat AllenBrent Vandenberg Tommy PowellLliam Webster John Kennedy Mathew Lindsay James Isaacs Josh Harris Stephen Blunden Benjamin Breault Tomas LandaNic Kawasaki Robert Haselhurst Anthony Kimlin Troy DavenportDayne Davis Aleksi Toivonen

PARTICIPANTS• 12 All-Stars and two goalies from each team.• Order of shooters and goalies -- determined by random draw prior to the competition.

POINTS• Every goal scored counts as one point.

PROCEDURE / RULES• Shooters that score move on to the next round.• Each scoring attempt is officiated in accordance with AIHL shootout rules.• The winner of the contest will be the player who scores in the final round and all the

other player(s) miss or• The event is over if all shooters in any round do not score.

FIRST ROUND• One shot per player.• Each goalie faces four attempts.

SUBSEQUENT ROUNDS• Shooters who score will continue to move on to the next round in the shootout.• Goalies rotate after every fourth shooter.• If one team has one shooter left and the other team has two or more, the one shooter

team must wait for all other shooters to go before he goes again.• Rounds continue until only one player scores and the other(s) don’t or if all shooters

in any round do not score.• The last scoring shooter wins.• If last scoring shooter’s team is behind in the competition, the shooter continues to

shoot until he does not score. Each goal scored will earn his team a point.



THE 2016 AIHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND IS HERE! IN THE LEAD UP, THEAIHL.COM SAT DOWN WITH FAN FAVOURITE ROBERT MALLOY, DEFENCEMAN WITH THE NEWCASTLE NORTH STARS, TO TALK ABOUT PLAYING IN THE EVENT.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT GUYS HAVE IN THEIR BAG OF TRICKS THIS YEAR. SOMETHING IS SURE TO GO VIRAL.

Looking at the rosters, I think the game itself is going to be pretty sick. If I were a fan of the league or even ice hockey in general, I wouldn’t want to miss this. It’s an opportunity for guys to pull some moves and dangles they wouldn’t normally try throughout the season.

Q: Which skills contests do you think will be most fun for players? Is there a skills contest you would like to avoid?

I think the breakaway challenge is always fun for the players and goalies. We saw some creativity last year.

I can only imagine what guys have in their bag of tricks this year. Something is sure to go viral.

I’m going to try to avoid anything that will highlight my stone hands. Hopefully I can get some redemption in the shooting accuracy and hardest shot competitions.

Q: At dinner Saturday night, which AIHL player would you most like to meet?

It’s crazy that I know the majority players selected for the All-Star Weekend. I always like to meet the new imports. The hockey world is so small. We will most likely have buddies in common.

Q: Matt Armstrong fired a 96mph rocket to win last year’s contest. What will it take to win Hardest Shot in 2016? Can you do it?

Army with 96mph? I don’t recall. I’m pretty sure the radar gun was in kilometres per hour. I think Schlampy will agree something a bit fishy was going on there.

Q: This is your second AIHL All-Star Weekend experience. What is your fondest memory from last year’s event?

Being involved in the first All-Star Weekend last year was pretty special - especially because it was at home in Newcastle. We won the Goodall Cup two weeks prior and everyone was still buzzing. The skills competition was a blast. I think all the boys enjoyed kicking back a bit and enjoying it all. It was pretty much a chirp-fest.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about the 2016 event?

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many players across the league, especially playing for the national team. We don’t get much time throughout the season to really catch up and have a bit of fun, so this will be a rare experience. I’m also looking forward to seeing past teammates and fans from my Sydney Ice Dogs days.

Q&AROBERT

MALLOY

Why rent with anyone else?

That’s a good question Katherine.

“Why rent with anyone else? Excellent service, great car and a super deal. Paying one price without getting hit with extra costs at every turn for insurance, extra insurance, liability waiver, kilometres etc. is awesome. Thank you Redspot, I will rent with you every time.”

Call 1800 668 810 or go to redspot.com.au

Driven by you.* Redspot customer review provided by Trustpilot.

Maybe the secret to success is the old school Al Iafrate wood twig and mullet. Hopefully I can make a good showing.

Q: What advice would you give to young Aussies wanting to play in the AIHL?

Growing up, I gained so much just by watching hockey. I would tell young Aussie hopefuls to watch as much hockey as possible. Learn as much as you can from the older guys and imports, then apply their knowledge into your own game. Young guns around our club have learned so much from NSA Hockey and imports that come across the pond. Juniors probably don’t realise how much we enjoy coaching as well. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions - we are here to help!

Whether you’re looking to have some fun, a cultural experience, an adrenaline rush, are keen to learn something new or just want to enjoy being outdoors with friends and family; Penrith has it all and it’s only an hour from Sydney’s CBD.

visitpenrith.com.au

THE ADVENTURE CAPITAL OF NSW

Your next adventure is here!

Share your adventure #visitpenrith

Defqon.1Ironman 70.3King of the NepeanMonaro NationalsIllumi Run Australian Transplant Games

UPCOMING EVENTS

Turn Travel Time Into Time Travel

An Innovation in Intercity Travel

$280 one-way $600 per day

The Magic of Model S in SydneyCruise between Canberra and Sydney in futuristic style, with a Model S rentalthat will transform your commute. In fact, 95% of your journey can be driven on autopilot!

For a day trip you’ll never forget, hire our Tesla Model S in Sydney. Experience the exhilarating performance as you sit back and relax in unsurpassed luxury.

With Eveeh, you can hire the revolutionary Tesla Model S for intercity travel between Sydney and Canberra, and day hire in Sydney.

To book your Model S rental, visit www.eveeh.com.au

#SOCIALMEDIA

#AIHLALLSTARWEEKEND ON FOX SPORTSFOX SPORTS 4 (CH 505)

THURS 16TH JUNE AT 4.00PM

@THEAIHL @AIHL @THEAIHL aihl.net/AIHLYouTube

ALL-STAR WEEKEND COMPETITION RULES & REGULATIONSDECISION PROCESS• The referee shall make all necessary rulings regarding the skills competition events.• Prior to the competition the team coaches will determine which players are participating in which event and

order of participation.• Tie situation - Captains participate in a shootout if the competition ends in a tie. Captains choose their goalie.

DON’T MISS OUT!LIMITED AIHL

MERCHANDISE ON SALE NOW

TSHIRTS$22

BOTTLE OPENERS

$12SOUVENIR PUCKS $12


Documents

Penrith Ice Palace - Australian Ice Hockey League€¦ · Australian Ice Hockey League for 2016. energy. connected. Written by Will Brodie Will Brodie is the author of Reality Check: