2007 AIHL season

The 2007 AIHL season was the eighth season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 14 April 2007 until 26 August 2007, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 1 and 2 September 2007. The Adelaide Avalanche won the V.I.P. Cup after finishing the regular season first in the league standings. The Bears won the Goodall Cup for the second time by defeating the Newcastle North Stars in the final.

2007 AIHL season
LeagueAustralian Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Duration14 April 2007 – 2 September 2007
Regular season
V.I.P. CupAdelaide Avalanche (4th title)
Season MVPTommy Powell (Ice)
Top scorerBrad Wanchulak (69 points)
(North Stars)
Goodall Cup
ChampionsThe Bears
  Runners-upNewcastle North Stars
Finals MVPPekka Kankaanranta (The Bears)

Regular season

The regular season began on 14 April 2007 and ran through to 26 August 2007 before the top four teams advanced to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series.[1]

Standings

Team GP W SOW SOL L GF GA GDF PTS
Adelaide Avalanche281713712499+2556
Melbourne Ice281443711184+2753
Newcastle North Stars281354611796+2153
The Bears281442711387+2649 [lower-alpha 1]
Brisbane Blue Tongues2815048126111+1546 [lower-alpha 1]
Western Sydney Ice Dogs281071911399+1442 [lower-alpha 1]
Canberra Knights286022087132-4520
Central Coast Rhinos282022480163-838
Qualified for the Goodall Cup playoffs V.I.P. Cup winners

Notes:

  1. The Bears, Western Sydney Ice Dogs and Brisbane Blue Tongues were each penalised 3 competition points. The three teams all iced players that had not been officially cleared to play by the IIHF and IHA.

Source

Scoring leaders

List shows the ten top skaters sorted by points, then goals. Current as of 2 September 2007[2]

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM POS
Brad WanchulakNewcastle North Stars2331386926F
Matt AmadoBrisbane Blue Tongues2039236256F
Tomas LandaThe Bears2520426249F
Greg OddyAdelaide Avalanche20241943109F
Ryan RemillardAdelaide Avalanche2322204224F
Vladimir RubesThe Bears2415264134F
Håkan OlssonCentral Coast Rhinos2211273828C
Brian BallmanAdelaide Avalanche2117203740LW
Robert StarkeNewcastle North Stars267283567D
Thomas PowellMelbourne Ice231618344F

Leading goaltenders

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage with a minimum 40% of the team's ice time. Current as of 2 September 2007[3]

Player Team MIP SOG GA GAA SVS% SO
Matthew EzzyNewcastle North Stars992674693.480.8983
Lanny RamageWestern Sydney Ice Dogs681431463.380.8930
Pekka KankaanrantaThe Bears1103584693.130.8822
Olivier MartinAdelaide Avalanche994594703.520.8821
Stuart DenmanMelbourne Ice1039536663.180.8771

Notes

  • The Newcastle North Stars vs Canberra Knights game scheduled for 10 June was postponed by six weeks, due to power cuts caused by wild storms.
  • The Adelaide Avalanche set an impressive record on 1 July against West Sydney, scoring four goals (all even-strength) in just thirty-four seconds; the comparable record in the NHL is eighty seconds, and is over sixty years old.
  • The inaugural MVP award was presented to Tommy Powell of the Melbourne Ice. While Powell ranked only tenth amongst scorers (23 games, 16 goals, 18 assists), he dominated Melbourne's attack during the first half of the season, when they were at their most successful.

Goodall Cup playoffs

The 2007 playoffs was scheduled for 1 September with the Goodall Cup final held on 2 September 2007.[1] Following the end of the regular season the top four teams advanced to the playoff series which was held at the Penrith Ice Palace in Penrith, New South Wales. The series was a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final. The Goodall Cup was won by The Bears (2nd title) who defeated the Newcastle North Stars 3–2 in overtime after the two teams finished regulation time locked at 2–2. Bear's goaltender, Pekka Kankaanranta, was named the finals most valuable player (MVP).[4]

Semifinals Final
      
1 The Bears 4
4 Adelaide Avalanche 1
The Bears 3
Newcastle North Stars 2
3 Newcastle North Stars 6
2 Melbourne Ice 3

All times are UTC+10:00

Semi-finals

1 September 2007
16:00
The Bears4–1
(2–0, 0–0, 2–1)
Adelaide AvalanchePenrith Ice Palace
1 September 2007
19:00
Newcastle North Stars6–3
(2–0, 2–1, 2–2)
Melbourne IcePenrith Ice Palace

Final

2 September 2007
16:00
The Bears3–2 (OT)
(0–0, 1–0, 1–2, 1–0)
Newcastle North StarsPenrith Ice Palace

References

  1. "2007 AIHL Schedule". theaihl.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  2. "2007 AIHL season: League leading players". theaihl.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  3. "2007 AIHL season: League leading goalies". theaihl.com. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  4. "2007 AIHL Grand Final Boxscore". theaihl.com. 2 September 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
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