2002 AIHL season
The 2002 AIHL season was the third season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The Sydney Bears completed the double by winning the league premiership by finishing top of the league standings and claiming the Goodall Cup after defeating Adelaide Avalanche in the AIHL final.
| 2002 AIHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Australian Ice Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Regular season | |
| Premiers | Sydney Bears (1st title) |
| Top scorer | Greg Oddy (39 points) (Avalanche) |
| Goodall Cup | |
| Champions | Sydney Bears |
| Runners-up | Adelaide Avalanche |
League business
The 2002 season saw the league expand from three teams to six with the introduction of the Melbourne Ice, Newcastle North Stars, and the West Sydney Ice Dogs.[1] The league also secured the Goodall Cup as the trophy for the AIHL final victor for the first time (winners in 2000 and 2001 were backdated).[2]
Regular season
| Team | GP | W | T | RT | L | GF | GA | GDF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Bears | 16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 90 | 54 | 36 | 25 |
| Adelaide Avalanche | 16 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 90 | 50 | 40 | 22 |
| West Sydney Ice Dogs | 16 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 54 | 48 | 6 | 17 |
| Newcastle North Stars | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 56 | 95 | -39 | 13 |
| Canberra Knights | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 42 | 63 | -21 | 12 |
| Melbourne Ice | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 30 | 54 | -24 | 4 |
| Qualified for the Goodall Cup final | Premiership winners |
Goodall Cup playoffs
The playoffs were held at Sydney's Blacktown Ice Arena. The Sydney Bears defeated the Adelaide Avalanche in the final to win the Goodall Cup. The Bears were the first team to win the Goodall Cup in the AIHL after it was transferred from the inter-state tournament.
| 24 August 2002 16:15 | Sydney Bears | 5 – 4 (SO) | Adelaide Avalanche | Blacktown Ice Arena |
| Game reference | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Statistics
Scoring leaders
List shows the ten top skaters sorted by points, then goals.[3]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Oddy | Adelaide Avalanche | 15 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 47 | F |
| Brett Hillier | Newcastle North Stars | 14 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 22 | F |
| Thomas Mikkelsen | Adelaide Avalanche | 12 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 26 | D |
| Murray Wand | Sydney Bears | 15 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 14 | F |
| Michael Schlamp | Newcastle North Stars | 14 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 40 | F |
| Branislav Kronika | West Sydney Ice Dogs | 12 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 10 | F |
| Ray Sheffield | Newcastle North Stars | 13 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 4 | F |
| Jarrko Turtainen | Sydney Bears | 15 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 20 | F |
| Martin Jesko | West Sydney Ice Dogs | 11 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 2 | F |
| Vladimir Rubes | Sydney Bears | 13 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 37 | F |
Leading goaltenders
Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage.[3]
| Player | Team | MIP | SOG | GA | GAA | SVS% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Benedictson | Adelaide Avalanche | 180:00 | 114 | 10 | 2.50 | 91.23 | 0 |
| Harri Kohvakka | Sydney Bears | 315:00 | 185 | 22 | 3.14 | 88.11 | 0 |
| Allan Mitchell | West Sydney Ice Dogs | 483:14 | 322 | 40 | 3.73 | 87.58 | 1 |
| Brad Hunt | Canberra Knights | 240:00 | 176 | 23 | 4.31 | 86.93 | 0 |
| Eric Lien | Adelaide Avalanche | 450:00 | 282 | 40 | 4.00 | 85.82 | 1 |
References
- "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- Meltzer, Bill (28 May 2008). "Australia celebrates hockey centennial with gold". National Hockey League. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- "Australian Ice Hockey League 2002 Championships: Statistics". Australian Ice Hockey League. 2002-08-02. Archived from the original on 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2010-04-08.