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.

Game Preview

This Sunday August 2nd at 5pm the first place Newcastle Northstars come to town to take on the Dogs. The Ice Dogs will be hungry for a big win against the Northstars who they have failed to beat so far this season.

Every spectator who comes to the game will also get an entry into the draw for a chance to win Scott Stephenson’s stick signed by the Ice Dogs team to be given out at the end of the game. Click here to find out more

Game starts at 5pm at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex.

Game Review

Dogs Knock Down Northstars

The Sydney Ice Dogs took down the league leading Northstars 3-2 last Sunday night at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex. With 5 Ice Dogs out of the line-up due to suspensions and injuries it was going to be a tough slog for the home side, especially when Casey Minson from the Northstars got his team ahead by one early on. Canadian Import Brock Backus however took care of Minson minutes later by dropping the gloves.

Ice Dogs rookie defenceman Shannon Macgregor replied for the Dogs with his first ever AIHL career goal leaving the scores locked at 1-1 before the first intermission.
Ice Dogs goaltender Jimmy Herbert was sensational in net, making desperate kick saves to keep his team in contention. Jimmy wasn’t the only James on fire as Import Jamie Galbraith scored a slippery goal upstairs on national team goaltender Matt Ezzy escaping two of the Newcastle defenders.

Sydney knew the night was far from over and Newcastle’s Import John Halverson confirmed that notion when he tied things up with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
The Dogs held their composure and it would be Jimmy Herbert’s brother Scottie who would put home the game winner as the Pups walked away with the win.

Scottie Herbert after scoring the game winning goal.

The Sydney Ice Dogs will play their Last Home Game of the year August 16th Sunday night against the Adelaide Adrenaline at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex. Game starts at 5pm, Adults are $12 and Kids are $6.

Game Preview - Double the points, Double the Action

The Sydney Ice Dogs season is on the line this Sunday night when they face off against the travelling Melbourne Ice in a double point decider. Not only will the 6 points up for grabs make a huge difference to the Ice Dogs position on the competition table but it is actually Melbourne who they are battling with for a top four playoff spot.

(As all teams play each other four times in a season and Melbourne only travels once this year to play the Ice Dogs instead of twice, the game is therefore worth double the points).
“This game will be, by far the biggest of the year and you can expect the guys [Ice Dogs] to come out firing at a million miles an hour” tells Captain Anthony Wilson.
It is that time of year where teams and fans start pulling out their calculators and working out who needs to beat who with a handful of games remaining and three or four teams fighting for a playoff spot. “It really is the most exciting time of year in the Australian Ice Hockey League, as every game counts and it definitely shows with the higher speed and intensity that comes from the players” adds Ice Dogs supporter and Liverpool Saints under 13s ice hockey coach Mick Lynch.

The Dogs are charging from their 5-3 win last Saturday night against the Penrith Bears, building on their recent winning streak. The game against Melbourne this Sunday is one of three remaining home games left in the season at the LCC Sports Complex in Liverpool with warm-up starting at 4:45pm. The last time these two teams met it was in Melbourne and the Dogs escaped with a 5-4 shootout win.

Adults are $12 and Children are $6.  For more information visit www.icedogs.com.au/tickets

Game Report

Melbourne 5

Sydney 3

Game Review

Double Trouble For Ice Dogs

The winning streak comes to an end for the Ice Dogs as they were defeated by the Melbourne Ice 5-3 last Sunday night.

At times the game could have gone either way with three of the Ice Dogs scoring opportunities hitting the post whilst Melbourne were treated to some lucky bounces.
The crowd got their fair share of excitement with two fights where arguably the home team finished on top. However the two fights cost Sydney in the sin bin and that is where Melbourne took full advantage.

The Melbourne Ice dominated during the man advantage and scored 3 unanswered goals. Sadly, the Ice Dogs saw the game slipping away and attempted to fight back and managed to score a second goal to make the score 5 to 2 at the end of the second period.
The Ice Dogs were far more disciplined in the third period and Canadian Import Jassi Sangha managed to pull back a third goal and his second of the game but this was to be the final score.

Game Preview

The last battle of Sydney for 2009 between the Sydney Ice Dogs and the Penrith Bears. Flying high after two big wins in a row last weekend the Dogs are looking to make it three as they take on the Bears. Saturday nights game is the first of four remaining home game in a row for the Ice Dogs before the season closes and they will be looking to make use of the home advantage to sneak back into playoffs as they sit just one point shy of fourth place.

Game starts at 5pm this Saturday night July 11th. Bring a jumper and the family for a great game of Ice Hockey.

Game Report

Icedogs 5

Bears 2

Game Review

*The editorial review will be written by Scott Stephenson as per usual and posted here shortly after the game.

It was all smiles in Liverpool on Sunday night after the Sydney Ice Dogs defeated the Knights 4-1 in Canberra on Saturday before taking down the Adelaide Adrenaline 5-3 at Liverpool.

The back to back wins now puts the Dogs one point out of a playoff position and with four home games in a row to come the Ice Dogs are determined to bring it home hard. “Every game counts now, and that is definitely starting to show in the hockey we are playing” said Assistant Captain Andrew White who scored the second goal in Canberra off a booming slap shot.

White’s fellow defensemen were the forefront of Sydney’s attack on Saturday as both David Dunwoodie and Patrick Hornacek sniped a goal each in the Ice Dogs 4-1 win over Canberra.

But as Sunday rolled around it was back to business, as the second place Adelaide side came to town hot off the stove with their 4-3 win over Newcastle the night previous. “We knew we had to take the game to them, finish every hit and take the puck hard to the net” tells Canadian Import Brock Backus who came out of the weekend with 7 points.

Backus’s Canadian counterpart Jassi Sangha was also lethal scoring the first and fourth goal for the Pups with his laser beam of a shot.

Ice Dogs youngster Beau Niha was originally sent out to cause a bit of trouble for the Adrenaline, but decided to bring more than just a few thunderous hits when he put home the third goal for his side.

Just as the Dogs thought they had the game in the bag Adelaide leapt back onto attack scoring two flashy goals to get back to within one goal at 4-3. After much end to end action, it was Sydney who had the final say as Todd Stephenson buried the fifth and final goal to solidify a successful weekend for the Sydney Ice Dogs.

Be sure to get to one of the four remaining games to see some hard hitting and fast paced ice hockey action as the Sydney Ice Dogs contend for a playoff spot. For more information on games, tickets and location go to www.icedogs.com.au/venue.html . Next home game is this Saturday 5pm at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex.

Striking from the back end the Ice Dogs defence led the charge in Canberra Saturday night as Dave Dunwoodie, Andrew White and Patrick Hornacek scored each in a 4-1 win over the Canberra Knights.

Veteran goaltender Al Becken jumped in on the defensive action rendering the Knights scoreless until the third period when they finally registered their goal for the night. David Dunwoodie drew first blood scoring top shelf on a break away with a man in the penalty box four minutes into the second period.

Andrew White continued his hot streak scoring minutes later with a slap shot on the power play. Sydney walked into the change room after the second period with the most dangerous lead in hockey, a 2-0 score line. With the season on the line and a voodoo to break against the Knights, the Dogs were not going to take the foot off the pedal.

The Knights however had other plans, determined to please their frenzied fans they managed to get within a goal with ten minutes remaining in the game. The momentum shifted noticeably in the Knights favour, but Becken stood on his head and weathered the storm.

With defence being the new attack on the night Patrick Hornacek made the most of a set up from Brock Backus putting him right in front of net alone with Lowe. Hornacek wasted no time sneaking the puck between Lowe’s legs to give the pups some breathing room at 3-1.

Brock Backus then added another point to his night scoring an empty net goal to seal the win tight 4-1. The Dogs now gear up to face Adelaide on Sunday night after their win against the Northstars 4-3 in Newcastle. Game starts 5pm at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex.

Veteran Chris Sekura has returned to re-ignite the Ice Dogs line up helping the Ice Dogs to a 4-1 win over the Gold Coast Bluetongues on Saturday night at Liverpool. It was then on the road to Newcastle on Sunday to battle with the first place Northstars where the Dogs fell short by a goal.

Saturday nights game was do or die as the pups needed a big win to break their losing streak and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Dogs needed to get back their mongrel and there was no shortage of big hits and scoring opportunities by both teams.

Jassi Sangha scored the first goal early on for the Ice Dogs but it would be defenceman Andrew White who would steal the show scoring two back to back goals in the third period with less than five minutes to win and secure the game. His defence partner and Captain Anthony Wilson put home an empty net goal to finish off the Bluetongues.

The mongrel continued in Newcastle the following night with White on a roll starting the game with a top corner goal from the blue line during a Northstars penalty. The cheering didn’t last long when a bad bounce resulted in an own goal, and if that wasn’t enough help for the Northstars the Ice Dogs found themselves in penalty trouble and down 3-1 in no time.

That didn’t phase Sydney as they continued to step up the physical play and attack the Newcastle net. Ice Dogs top goal scorer Jassi Sangha found another use for his magical hands when he got the better end of a Newcastle defenceman in a fight. Fellow import Matthew Monaghan got the Dogs within one goal with 8 minutes left, but Newcastle managed to hold on for the 3-2 win. “Despite the loss this Sunday I am proud of the guys as we are starting to play like the team we can be” finished Coach Mark Stephenson.

Finish off next weekend on a high as the Ice Dogs take on the Adelaide Adrenaline next Sunday night at 5pm at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex.

The slump continues for the Ice Dogs after losing 9-2 and 8-4 against the Gold Coast Bluetongues in Gold Coast last weekend. The losing streak has been extended to five losses now, which has not happened to the troubled pups in a very long time.

“I think we forgot what made our team successful and competitive in recent years and that is a hard working, hard hitting in your face hockey culture” explains Captain Anthony Wilson. “We addressed this before Sunday’s game and started to look like the Ice Dogs again in the first two periods”.
Wilson was not wrong. The Ice Dogs came out flying on the Sunday exerting a more physical style of play which left the scores tied at one a piece after the first period. American Import Matt Monaghan scored the go ahead goal for the Dogs at the start of the second stanza which was his second of three goals for the weekend.

League leading goal scorer Brad Smulders scored to lock it up at 2-2 for the Bluetongues and again just minutes later to regain the lead 3-2. Monaghan replied to make it 3-3 before penalty trouble put the Dogs on the back foot and the Bluetongues in the driver’s seat allowing the Gold Coast to consolidate a double header victory.

The Gold Coast Bluetongues come to the LCC Sports Complex this Saturday night June 27 and the Ice Dogs are determined to turn their season around. Puck drops at 5:00pm so bring a jumper and some friends for what looks to be a very physical and redeeming game.

The Ice Dogs were in for a tough weekend of ice hockey and unfortunately were unable to come out victorious losing 6-3 to the Canberra Knights in Canberra on Saturday and 6-4 to Newcastle on Sunday at home in Liverpool.

With a depleted line up due to sickness and injuries the pups didn’t help themselves down in Canberra as they amassed a whopping 68 minutes in penalties in comparison to the Knights measly 24.

Canadian Jassi Sangha calmly sniped the first goal of the game for Sydney before the storm of penalties would give Canberra’s Fin Marco Raita the chance to even the match with the man advantage.

The Knights managed to add to their tally, scoring with 12 seconds left in the first period before Dogs top defenceman Andrew White was kicked out of the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The more the Dogs tried to reason with the referees the more trouble they found themselves in facing another three player ejections before the night was out. Despite the penalties the Ice Dogs kept on barking and were tit for tat with the confident Knights. The Ice Dogs did look like a chance at the start of final period as David Dunwoodie put home a ripping slap shot in hope of encouraging a comeback from 4-3.

The Canberra Knights had other plans and finished the job to make it 3 wins over the Ice Dogs this season which is a first in AIHL history for Canberra giving a bruised and battered Sydney side a lot to think about on the 3 hour journey home.

Onto the first place Newcastle Northstars the very next day and the Ice Dogs were met with yet another challenge when Newcastle charged off to a commanding two goal lead in the opening stanza. David Dunwoodie knew what to do scoring in similar fashion to the night previous.

American Import Matthew Monaghan levelled the game as he converted his break away goal shooting the puck off the top bar and in over the Newcastle goaltender Matt Ezzy’s glove.

Just as the feisty pups could sniff a lead, Newcastle’s Import John Halverson replied on his own breakaway goal to make the score 3-2. Ice Dogs Jason Gibson staged a second comeback for his team in impressive style scoring right off the draw hitting the far post and in catching Ezzy off guard.

The Ice Dogs relapsed their way back to the penalty box at the worst time possible allowing the Northstars to get two more goals and eventually a 6-4 win.

As we hit the halfway point of the season the playoff race has tightened up and Sydney will need two big wins this weekend as they travel to the Gold Coast to keep in it.

The flight home Sunday night was a slow and painful trip for the Ice Dogs as they narrowly defeated the Melbourne Ice in a shootout 5-4 on Saturday but were flattened 8-3 by the undefeated Adelaide Adrenaline on Sunday.

The Ice Dogs will need to go back to more than the drawing board to find their skates again,”I think this road trip really put things in perspective, we have to be mentally prepared every play to get the small things done in order to get the results we want at the end of the game” explains Import Jamie Galbraith who scored the first goal against Melbourne.

Canadian Import Jassi Sangha managed to get his Sydney side ahead scoring two breakaway goals. One of the goals Sangha slid the puck through the legs of three Melbourne defenders before dazzling the goaltender and scoring to stretch a comfortable 4-1 lead.

But before the pups could blink the Ice responded with two flashy goals to close the gap to 4-3. With 30 seconds to go Dogs goalie Jimmy Herbert robbed Melbourne’s import Lacasse with a glove save. Unfortunately the Dogs did not get off that easy when Melbourne tied the game with 0.9 seconds on the clock forcing a shootout.

Sangha was up first in the shootout and scored with ease. Herbert shut out all of Melbourne’s three shootout attempts to silence the crowd and give Sydney the win.
A slow start in the opening period against a high flying Adelaide unit left Sydney down 3-0. Again it would be Sangha to give the Ice Dogs some life to finish the first period down 3-1. The Ice Dogs showed glimpses of crawling back into the game but between spending too much time in the penalty box and defensive zone lapses the Adrenaline took full charge running away with the game.
Captain Anthony Wilson missed the road trip due to a groin injury but hopes to return at full strength for the Ice Dogs next home game against the defending champions the Newcastle Northstars.

Canadian Import Jassi Sangha managed to get his Sydney side ahead scoring two breakaway goals against Melbourne and the Dog's first against Adelaide.

The Sydney Ice Dogs will have to get their act together before travelling to Melbourne and Adelaide next weekend after a disappointing performance in a 3-1 loss against Canberra last Sunday night.

Off the mark the Dogs came out firing as Scott Stephenson put away his first goal at home off a set-up from Import Jamie Galbraith. The Dogs might have headed into the locker room with a one goal lead, but the Knights came back out into the second period with 2 goals.

Ice Dogs top defenseman Andrew White dropped the gloves with Canberra’s Captian Mark Rummakainen in hopes of building some momentum as the two went punch for punch before ref’s intervened.

As the players went hit for hit both goaltender’s Jimmy Herbert (Ice Dogs) and Ryan Lowe (Knights Import) traded save for save. Herbert managed to stop two breakaways and even a 2 on 1, but it would be Lowe who would steal the show and shut out several close attempts from the Sydney attack up to the dying seconds.
The Knights third and final goal was an empty net goal scored with 0.2 seconds left in the game as Sydney had pulled their goalie in exchange for an extra attacker which in the end backfired.

The pups will be on what is regarded as one of the toughest road trips in the league facing Melbourne next Saturday before taking on the Adelaide Adrenaline on the Sunday.

Ice Dogs Defenseman David Dunwoodie doing his best to dodge the Knights defenders

For the last two seasons the Penrith Bears have had the upper hand over the Sydney Ice Dogs winning 7 out of 8 encounters since 2006. But the Sydney Ice Dogs have somewhat reversed the curse defeating the Bears last Sunday night 5-1 at the Penrith Ice Palace.

Missing Captain Anthony Wilson, import Matthew Monaghan and veteran defenseman Patrick Hornacek to injuries the Ice Dogs were in for a challenge.

Canadian Import Jassi Sangha picked up where he left off from last weekend putting the first goal up for the Ice Dogs. The Bears replied just minutes later to level the score at one a piece.

The Bears marker seemed to have sparked something in the feisty pups as the physicality of the game increased tremendously and in the usual fashion the Ice Dogs accustomed themselves to the sin bin. Andrew White would set up Scott Stephenson for a tip in on the power play to increase the lead by one.

White then when onto score shorthanded firing a blistering slap shot past the Bears net minder as he was flying down the wing in the second period.

After that it became the Herbert’s show as dog’s goaltender Jimmy Herbert shut the doors on the troubled bears while his brother and forward Scottie Herbert put home the fifth and final goal.

The Sydney Ice Dogs face off against the Canberra Knights this coming Sunday at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex, puck drops at 5pm.

Canadian Import Jassi Sangha looks to be settling in, as he tallied a hat trick last Saturday night in the Sydney Ice Dogs 6-1 win over the visiting Penrith Bears at the Liverpool Catholic Club Sports Complex.

Sangha started his scoring spree a few minutes into the opening frame with a blistering slap shot from out far. Determined to redeem themselves after last weeks defeat the Penrith Bears answered back not too long after capitalising on an Ice Dogs penalty. Tied at 1-1, the Canadian struck two more times to give the Ice Dogs a comfortable 3-1 lead and his first Australian Ice Hockey League hat-trick. “It was important for us to get the win tonight, we seem to be coming together as a team and that will benefit us further along in the season” added Sangha.

With a 3-1 score line the Sydney rivalry was re-ignited as the Bears Goaltender did not take too kindly to a collision with Ice Dogs forward Todd Stephenson, in which the two exchanged “gloves” before the referee’s would intervene. Stephenson would later score the final goal for the Ice Dogs to finish off the 6-1 victory.

The Dogs will face the Bears in Penrith next week, before the Canberra Knights come to town Sunday May 24th at the LCC Sports Complex.

A classic Australian Ice Hockey League rivalry kicked off the Sydney Ice Dogs weekend as they defeated the Penrith Bears 5-1 last Saturday in Penrith, before the Canberra Knights rode into town to steal a 3-2 shootout victory at home in Liverpool on the Sunday.

It has happened twice now this season where the pups have sealed victory in the first of a doubleheader weekend to fall short on the Sunday night. Despite outshooting the Knights 36-10, they could not seem to finish the job in regulation time. This worked in Canberra’s favour as their new Californian Goaltender Ryan Lowe was hot and with the majority of the play spent in Canberra’s end the ice was pretty scrappy and not the best to manoeuvre in a shootout. Canberra’s Finish import Marko Raita scored first in the shootout and that was all it took to win as Lowe shut out all three Dogs shooters for the win. “We played solid defensively which is something we stressed after last weekend, but this weekend we didn’t capitalise in front of their net” added Australian and Ice Dogs defenseman Andrew White.

Next Saturday night will be an intense and physical rematch between the Penrith Bears and the Sydney Ice Dogs at LCC Sports Complex in Liverpool. If you ever wanted to check out an Ice Hockey game this would be the one. Game starts at 5:00pm, Adults entry is $12 and Kids entry is $6 and be sure to wear a jumper at the game!

The Sydney Ice Dogs raced off to a flying start last weekend with a 6-1 win over the Gold Coast Bluetongues at home at the Liverpool Catholic Club (LCC) Sports Complex, but couldn’t finish off the Newcastle Northstars on the Sunday Night when they blew a 3-0 lead to lose 5-3 in Newcastle.

With the return of five national team representatives back from tour and all four North American Imports signed the Sydney Ice Dogs were locked and loaded for their match up against the Gold Coast Bluetongues. Canadian import Jamie Galbraith got his team [Ice Dogs] charging as he scored his first goal on Australia soil midway through the opening period. Gold Coast replied early in the second period whilst Sydney was busy in the penalty box levelling the score at 1-1.

That would be the last of the Bluetongues for the rest of the evening when the Ice Dogs buried three more goals (scored by defenseman Patrick Hornacek, import Brock Backus and Captain Anthony Wilson) leaving the second period at 4-1. Despite the score line the action didn’t stop with plenty of big hits, the odd scuffle and some nifty team work from both sides. The Liverpool crowd provided a great atmosphere for their home team to put away two more goals both from the combination of Todd Stephenson and Brock Backus in the third period (which is the last period of the game) to round out a perfect start to the season.

The Dogs picked up right where they left off at the start of their next derby in Newcastle the following night. Ice Dogs import Jassi Sangha opened the pups account as he manoeuvred around the last defender to get in for a close range shot that was a little too quick for the Northstars goaltender Matt Ezzy. Sydney would peak at 3-0 with two more tallies from American forward Matt Monaghan and Scott Stephenson before Newcastle managed to scrape their first one with a minute left in the first frame. Newcastle’s first goal proved to be the turning point of the game as they moved onto the offensive in the second and third period capitalising on the Dogs errors scoring four more unanswered goals. The Ice Dogs have a bit of sharpening up to do this week before they encounter the Canberra Knights next Sunday night May 3rd, 5:00pm at the LCC Sports Complex.