2002 AIHL season

2002 AIHL season
LeagueAustralian Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Regular season
PremiersSydney Bears (1st title)
Top scorerGreg Oddy (39 points)
(Avalanche)
Goodall Cup
ChampionsSydney Bears
  Runners-upAdelaide Avalanche
AIHL seasons
← 2001
2003 →

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.

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

Source

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 Bears5 – 4 (SO)Adelaide AvalancheBlacktown 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

  1. ^ "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  2. ^ Meltzer, Bill (28 May 2008). "Australia celebrates hockey centennial with gold". National Hockey League. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Australian Ice Hockey League 2002 Championships: Statistics". Australian Ice Hockey League. 2002-08-02. Archived from the original on 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-04-08.
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