World Championships Results

For results from the 2008 IIHF World Championships Division II Group B, Click here

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Australia’s National Ice Hockey League Season Begins

While Australia considers how it will tackle the challenge of being a Division I ice hockey nation, the 23 men of the gold-medal winning Division II team have returned to their jobs and their AIHL teams.

The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) consists of 6 times Minor Premiers and 2 times AIHL Champions the Adelaide Avalanche, ‘original three’ team and 1998 National Champions the Canberra Knights, newcomers Central Coast Rhinos, current AIHL Champions ‘The Bears’ from Penrith, new glamour club the Gold Coast Blue Tongues, 2004 National Champions the Western Sydney Ice Dogs, and 3 times National Champions and 1 time Minor Premiers the Newcastle North Stars. More>>

The latest News from the World Championships

13 April
Australia Win Gold With Perfect 1-0 Win

Australia is Number 1 in Division II Group B

By Peter Lambert, Ice Hockey Correspondent

No longer is ice hockey a novelty in Australia. A magic tournament ended with a fairy-tale ending, as the Mighty Roos Australian Senior Men’s Ice Hockey team closed down the Chinese national team 1 goal to nil in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia. The Aussies were perfect through the tournament, winning each of their five games in regulation time; their last two games in shut-outs, denying their opposition a single goal. Australian goalie Matt Ezzy was awarded ‘Best Goalie of Tournament’ for his feat in winning four games from four played, and allowing only four goals by him throughout the tournament.

China started out strong but almost immediately shortened their bench to their top six players. The Aussies held off the early assault, and then scored on their first opportunity.

Melbourne’s Lliam Webster poked his own rebound through the goal pads of China’s Yu Yang, with assists going to Andrew White and tournament MVP Greg Oddy.

From that point the Chinese never seemed like they had what they needed to win. Both teams hit the posts but the Aussies also won in that phantom category; 5 to 1 in the almost-goals.

Captain Anthony Wilson hold aloft the tournament winners plate as IIHF Official Dr Hans Dobida presents him with his gold medal.

The Australian win means many thing, but the significance of happening on the Centenary of ice hockey in Australia, and the Centenary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and on home soil made it a very special occasion for the capacity crowd. With volunteers and players included, rink management estimated an unprecedented 1200 people in the rink to witness the victory.

Veteran defenceman Tyler Lovering came out of retirement when he heard about the bid to host the tournament in Australia. Now he has a World Championship Gold Medal in his collection.

‘I had to work really hard to get back into the Australian team.

‘It’s been 10 years that I’ve played on this team.

‘We have a fantastic team of guys, I couldn’t be more proud.’

Team Manager Ross Noga was justifiably elated as he packed his players aboard their bus to head off and celebrate the milestone achievement.

‘100 years of ice hockey in Australia, 100 years of ice hockey of IIHF, you can’t beat this.

‘Here in Newcastle, in front of the home crowd. The crowd was fantastic with the hair colour, painted faces, the “Aussie Aussie Aussie” chants, the flags, it doesn’t get any better.’

The Australian team will break up after their celebrations on Monday, but with little chance for much rest as the Australian Ice Hockey League starts this coming weekend. All players in the Aussie squad belong to one of the eight clubs and may be back in training as soon as Tuesday.

The Australian ice hockey community is already buzzing with the challenge of competing with Division I countries. The task is a mammoth one but not one person involved will believe that it is impossible.

DP World supports World Ice Hockey Championships in Australia

DP World Australia announced sponsorship for the 2008 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships taking place this week in Newcastle. Jack Williams, Managing Director said “the company supports local communities but ice hockey is a first for us. When people see this incredible exciting game live, they will be fans for life”

DP World is one of the largest global marine container terminal operators with 42 terminals and 13 new developments across 27 countries. It’s dedicated, experienced and professional team of more than 30,000 serves customers in some of the most dynamic economies in the world. more>>

New! Online Membership Registration

Registration for IHSA, IHACT, IHVIC, IHQ and IHWA is now available through the IHA online registration system. Members can register and pay by Visa or MasterCard with their respective clubs and associations. IHNSW have had their site offering this service for 2 years now and have been very happy with the take-up by their members. State registrars are expected to to be the big winners of the new system with the compilation of memberships being a very handy by product. Game officials and managers will easily be able to check the status of who is registered with each team, avoiding any misunderstandings. Further development will bring the introduction of game sheets being provided electronically, and suspensions recorded to make for a more comprehensive and accurate paper flow. Click here to register online.

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