COACHES REPORT - 18 APRIL 2008
Well with great excitement the 2008 AIHL season is about to start after 6 weeks of Blood, Sweat and Tears the Gold Coast Blue Tongues will be taking to the ice this weekend for 2 important road games
The tryouts and training camp over 6 weeks were hotly contested from an original 40 trying out (1st 2 weeks) to a practice squad of approx 22 to 28 over the last month. To picking a 16 man roster for this weekend, which is changing even as I write this.
We had a plethora of Imports already on the scene vying for 4 import position as the 5th was a lock with Finish Import and # 1 Goalie Simo Mustonen, With Simo we as a team are very fortunate to be blessed with the high quality of import players already on the Coast and in Brisbane, including Mustonen, the 4 additional imports to gain ITC clearance through the Blue Tongues are Chris Kerr D from BC, who will be wearing the C this weekend, who will bring a stabilizing maturity and good defensive play to the Blue Tongues. Chris Martin D from Ontario who is a mountain of a man and who has a big shot for the power-play, Reg Thomas from Ontario , Reg’s skill and determination will see him rack up a lot of points during the season, Jordan Ross from Ontario , Jordan who just finished a 4 year collegiate grid iron career will be a thorn in the side of all teams in the league and his self motivation and raw spirit will be of great benefit to the team.
Returning to the Blue Tongues this year are veteran and Assistant Captain Rob Avey, Rob brings experience and behind the scenes leadership to the Club. AIHL veteran (Avalanche and Blue Tongues) and Assistant Captain Ross Howell., Ross will continue to be an integral part of the defence corp, especially with the departure of Mark Rummokaiinen to Canberra and Australian Gold Medal Winner Mike Gough returning to Canada to finish off his degree, before returning in August to finish the season. 2nd year player Ben Spillane returns after a 1st season split between forward and defence, Ben will be counted on to solidify his rightful place on D. Returning upfront are Dave Upton for his 3rd, however, due to school commitments last year which saw Dave play only a handful of games, the team knows Dave will return to his offensive best which saw him score 12 goals as a 16 year old. Dave has the potential if he works hard, to represent Australia at the senior level in the future. Another part time player last year, Nick Jones has looked good so far this season and with Nick’s size and shot the team is looking for a big weekend and season, Ben Maher who played a handful of games last year will be given a good look this weekend as you cannot go past Ben’s size and speed. A big plus for the team was the return of Chris Bell, initially Chris was going to give the season a miss, however, is now committed and will be a big plus with his hardnosed play, experience and leadership qualities. Returning players not on the first trip include Jon Bale, who was fighting out the last forward spot for this weekend. Jon needs to continue to focus on the defensive side of the game to go with his high offensive skill. Former Captain Don Burke who will see limited action this year (his choice) after years of service to the Blue Tongues and Ice Hockey Australia . Back-up Goalie Brenton Cooney returns for his third year, Brenton’s good nature, attitude, team spirit and ability to be called on at anytime in any situation to jump between the pipes will be a big plus to the team.
New comers to the team include Gold Coast Barracudas Veteran Paul Rayner, Paul was on the trip this weekend until a fighting suspension in the Gold Coast Monday night league. Paul experience, work ethic and grasp of the game will be valuable with the young members of the team. Robert Orosz formerly from the Czechs Republic and scoring whiz in the Monday Night League, Robert was going on the trip, however an upper body injury on Monday will see him on the sidelines for up to a month, his offence will be missed. Just turned 19 year old Jack Conner has been a very pleasant surprise to come out of training camp, an Australian rep on the youth team in the past, Jack has the size, skill and with the right attitude and determination, could represent Australia at the Senior level in the future, it will be a pleasure to see Jack progress this year. Another pleasant surprise has been Kristian Sullivan who after playing on and off over the last couple of years has found a new energy and with his enthusiasm, speed and skill is a fine addition to the club. Not on this trip, however two that will play huge roles with the team this year are AIHL veteran’s Micheal Blackwell (Newcastle Northstars) and Matt Lehoczky ( Australia and Canberra Knights). Mike’s experience and knowledge and all round game will be a big plus, as will Matt’s speed and offensive touch which is starting to become evident over the last two weeks after a couple of years off ice. Cameron Trew D and Marco Bertossa F of the practice squad will get a good look and opportunity to play in the future.
The first game of the season pits us against perennial powerhouse and 3 time AIHL Champions and 2007 Grand Finalist the Newcastle Northstars, this will be a good test for the team and in all honesty starting on the road in my opinion is a plus. This weekend will give us the opportunity to bond and gel as a team with a focus on good defensive play, KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) in other words if the play is not on do not force it, dump it, use the boards, play basic hockey, as our first 6 games on the road, we should have this perfected, before we light it up for the offensive show the 14 and 15th of June vs. the Sydney Bears.
On Sunday we play the Central Coast Rhinos a team that has finished below the Tongues the last couple of years, however, each season has beaten the Blue Tongues and last year the defeat robbed the BT’s of a final 4 playoff birth. This season we will not take any team lightly or for granted, however, we need to be sure to secure victories against the team below us and again that gets back to playing good solid defensive hockey with KISS applying. Once we ingrain this in our team philosophy winning and losing will be more enjoyable and bearable. In other words we will control what we can control and not worry about or get bogged down in what we cannot control.
Here is to the Final 4
Regards,
Kevin
By Kevin Sands April 18, 2008
Upcoming Games
| DATE | HOME | AWAY | TIME |
| 5 July | Avalanche | Blue Tongues | 4:30pm |
| 6 July | Ice | Blue Tongues | 4:15pm |
| 12 July | Blue Tongues | Ice Dogs | 3:30pm |
| 13 July | Blue Tongues | Ice Dogs | 3:30pm |
Previous Games
Home teams on top row| Date | Teams | P1 | P2 | P3 | F |
| 29 June | Blue Tongues Rhinos |
4 0 |
3 2 |
2 2 |
9 4 |
| 28 June | Blue Tongues Rhinos |
0 1 |
0 1 |
0 0 |
0 2 |
| 22 June | Blue Tongues North Stars |
1 2 |
1 1 |
2 1 |
4 5* |
| 21 June | Blue Tongues North Stars |
0 1 |
0 2 |
0 2 |
0 5 |
AIHL Standings
| Current as of 2 July, 2008 | ||
| GP | Pts | |
| The Bears (Sydney) | 15 | 36 |
| Western Sydney Ice Dogs | 18 | 31 |
| Melbourne Ice | 17 | 30 |
| Newcastle North Stars | 17 | 28 |
| Central Coast Rhinos | 16 | 20 |
| Gold Coast Blue Tongues | 13 | 16 |
| Canberra Knights | 18 | 16 |
| Adelaide A's | 14 | 15 |
Individual Leaders
| Current as of 30 June, 2008 | ||
| Goals: | Gaetan Royer | 14 |
| Assists: | Brian Lachance | 13 |
| Points: | Gaetan Royer | 20 |
| PIMS: | Jordon Ross | 67 |
| PPG: | Gaetan Royer Jack Conner |
4 |
| SHG: | Dave Upton | 2 |
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