For our first edition we check in on Canadian Imports Cam Kuzyk and Lanny Ramage.

Back in 2006 the Ice Dogs acquired an AIHL teams dream (in regards to imports) when they picked up Cam Kuzyk who not only had an impressive resume playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears and in the CHL but had already lined himself up a job in his profession as a physiotherapist.

Kuuz (pronounced Kooze) “was a character guy on and off the ice” recalls Todd Stephenson. “It was pretty funny as he was struggling to score at the start of the season and the first goal he did score was in a shootout and didn’t count, he turned it all around pretty quick though” adds Stephenson. Kuzyk did turn things around finishing in the top ten scoring with 9 goals and 27 assists for 36 points in 26 games.

Take points out of the equation and his work ethic and change room presence alone was an incredible attribute to the team.

After the Ice Dogs Cam and his lovely wife Danielle returned back home to Edmonton, Canada and have recently had a beautiful baby boy named Caden Kuzyk. Who knows maybe a future international future recruit in the making?

Lanny Ramage was another import who came to Australia the following year in 2007 with a stunning resume. Setting records in the Western Hockey League for the Portland Winterhawks in his junior career he then went onto Acadia University under scholarship. It was at Acadia that Lanny met Jimmy Gagnon and T.J. Eason which resulted in all three travelling to Australia to play for the Dogs.

“Lanny was really quick in the net and could make that second and third save on a play that most goalies struggle with” remembers current goaltender Jim Herbert. Unfortunately Ramage left the Dogs with three weeks remaining in the season to finish off his last semester in Acadia.

In the 2008-2009 season Ramage played for the Rapid City Rush in the CHL recording a save percentage of 0.898 and GAA of 3.50 in 25 games.

The Ice Dogs would like to thank both Cam Kuzyk and Lanny Ramage for making an impact in the organisation and wish them all the best for the future!

IceDogs.com.au isn’t taking the summer off. Every week there should be something new for Doggies supporters to read about. Here is a sneak peak of feature articles and things to check the website for over the offseason…

1. Where are they now? A new addition to the Ice Dogs website reflecting back on past imports and seeing what they are up to these days. In our first edition of ‘Where are they now’ we catch up with Cam Kuzyk from 2006 and Lanny Ramage from 2007.
2. Top 10 Ways to improve your hockey off the Ice this summer! Each week Ice Dogs such as Anthony Wilson and Andrew White will reveal a new exercise you can start doing right away this off-season.
3. 2 minutes in the box continues. Due to the lack of time in season with the launching of the new website we still have plenty of player profiles to go through.
4. As the New Year begins there will be news about Aussie team selections and new import signings so be sure to hear it first at icedogs.com.au.

The Ice Dogs web team will be working hard this offseason to improve the efficiency of the site in terms of up to date info on games and potentially looking at live blogging and maybe even video highlights. Please don’t hold us to it but we will try our best to improve your ice dog’s experience.

Game Reviews

Last weekend the Ice Dogs took to the road defeating the Adelaide Adrenaline 3-1 on the Saturday night before flying to Melbourne to lose to the Ice 4-1. Both games were in front of packed out crowds as it was the final home game for both teams before they playoff against each other next weekend in the Finals series in Newcastle.

The Dogs played smart and kept out of the penatly box against a high flying Adrenaline outfit capitalising on their opportunities to take a 2-1 lead after the first two periods. Both goals came from the combination of Todd Stephenson and Imports Jamie Galbraith and Matt Monaghan. Monaghan put the final nail in the coffin giving their line one goal each in the match.

A fight between Ice Dogs Defenceman and ex-Australian team defenceman Adelaide’s Luke Thilthorpe gave the home town something to cheer on as the two players duked it out blow for blow before the Dogs walked away with victory.

Sydney were unable to take the same approach against Melbourne. Despite shutting the Ice out 0-0 after the first period, it didn’t take long for Melbourne to start picking up steam and taking advantage of some inexcusable Ice Dogs errors.

Unfortunately for the Ice Dogs they were unable to make the playoffs this year but they won’t be taking off to the golf course in a hurry “We are definitely dissappointed with the outcome of this season. We have to come back next year better prepared and ready to play” admits goaltender Jimmy Herbert. The Ice Dogs will be in the gym furiously as some players wait for Australian team invites and others are preparing to settle the score come next April when it all starts over again.

Game Review

Close But No Cigar

The Sydney Ice Dogs clawed back from a five goal deficit in the first period to score five unanswered goals and tie the game, forcing a shootout where the visiting Adelaide Adrenaline escaped with the shootout win 6-5. With the playoffs out of reach for the Ice Dogs there was nothing left but pride on the line which was put to the test when Adelaide went on a scoring spree putting Sydney deep in the doghouse five goals down.

“It wasn’t the best start to a game and we were far from playing our best hockey which we addressed in the change room after the first period” explains Todd Stephenson who scored the first goal in the Ice Dogs comeback. Not far behind Stephenson was team mate Scottie Herbert who notched the second goal from a set-up by veteran Chris Sekura.

Of course no comeback would be complete with out a bit of good old fashioned mongrel. “When we started finishing our body checks and getting under their skin, it opened up the ice and allowed us more room to attack the net” explains Jamie Galbraith who sniped the third goal to leave the second period at 5-3 in favour of Adelaide.

By the third period the LCC Sports Complex was on the edge of their feet cheering their Dogs on as Stephenson and Galbraith both put up their second goals of the night. The Dogs could have won the game in regulation time when Import Matt Monaghan hit the puck out of mid air into the net, but the goal was disallowed due to a high stick on the play leaving the game to end in a shootout.

One of Australia’s best forwards Greg Oddy scored on the first shot of the shootout for Adelaide and despite Jimmy Herbert’s two big saves afterwards the pups failed to score on their end allowing Adelaide to salvage the win.
Next week the Ice Dogs are on the road to Adelaide and Melbourne to complete the season.

Position: Forward

Age: 20

Height: 5’11

Weight: 88kg

When did you start playing hockey? 6 years old

How did you even get into Ice Hockey? My older brother was a hockey player and I followed in his foot steps

What was your favourite cartoon as a kid? Teenage mutant ninja turtles

First pair of hockey skates you owned? A really old pair of cooper skates

What do you do in your spare time? I have a job for premier parking

What is the best meal you can cook? Can you even cook? Kraft dinner

What has been your favourite Doggies moment to date? Scoring my first AIHL goal

Do you have any advice for the youngsters coming up? Work hard and have as much fun as you can, that is the best way to learn. Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it, believe in your self that is the best learning tool.

Favourite Music: Michael Jackson

Favourite Car: Escalade

Who was your first crush on? Sharon Lockwood (HaHa inside joke)