Mighty Roos + AWIHL

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Last weekend was a big weekend for players and coaches from the ACT on the national stage. Ice Hockey ACT was represented by present and past members in both Sydney and Melbourne.

In Sydney the Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League kicked off with a Saturday match between the Sydney Sirens Ice Hockey Team taking on the Brisbane Lightning out at Macquarie. Ebony Brunt, Lucy York, and Eiland Kenyon suited up for the Sirens in their strong win over the Lightning. Saturday was a milestone day for Lucy when she scored her first goal in the AWIHL. Well done and the more ACT females in the AWIHL the better.

Down south in Melbourne at the O’Brien Group Arena saw the resumption of the Trans Tasman series post COVID. Organised by Ice Hockey Australia, the matches are against our mates from across the ditch, Ice Hockey New Zealand, and this year’s edition had many present and past ACT people on deck. Jordon Brunt and Mike Giorgi played at least two games each over the long weekend for the Roos with Jordon scoring his first goal as a men’s Mighty Roo player. Mike scored his first goal as well but no photographic evidence exists.

Ice Hockey ACT was also represented on the bench with the majority of coaching and management staff being current or past IHACT coaches. Matti Luoma (Head Coach), Mark Rummukainen (Assistant Coach), Donald McDonald (Goaltending Coach), and Darryl Day (Gear Manager) on the bench. The ACT has had and continues to have exposure to excellent coaches which we are looking to utilise more in our junior program to produce more Jordon’s and Lucy’s et al.

IHACT is proud as punch for all of you and looks forward to seeing you all more on the national and international stage.

Photos Credits: Sydney Sirens & Ice Hockey Australia

October 2022 Newsletter

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October 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to the October 2022 newsletter for Ice Hockey ACT, we have a lot of good news to cover. The last month has been a busy time for the board with the commencement of summer leagues and administrative transitions since the AGM. Although Winter season has finished, games and training rolls on with the commencement of our D grade league and Women’s league. Please enjoy the below and if you can think of someone who would be good as Treasurer, tap them on the shoulder and let us know.

Contents: Winter Grand Finals – Injured Stripes – Portfolio Director EOI’s – Treasurer Position available – Lineys Course – Level 2 Coaching Course – Juniors @ Coffs – Summer League – Community Page – Goodall Cup visits Junior Training.

Regards,
Adrian Miller
Ice Hockey ACT President

Board – Adrian Miller, President | Joel Davis, Vice President | Meryia Throop, Secretary | Dani Curcio, Assistant Secretary | Greg Morris, Junior Delegate | Chris Bagnall, Senior Delegate | Treasurer, Vacant

2022 Winter Grand Finals

Our first fully uninterrupted seasons since 2019 culminated in two hard fought Grand Finals in B grade and C grade. To put in perspective that is over 1,000 days since we last saw a Grand Final day in Canberra for our local players. Simply having a Grand Final vibe in the rink was a welcome event and the hockey played was definitely worth the effort to come out.

First Grand Final in over 1,000 days saw a battle of the ages in C grade. The u18 development team, the Phoenix take on the Devils in the first of two hotly contested finals on the day. Phoenix boasting a cache of IHACT developed Juniors who have also seen regular playing time in the higher division, notably Connor Binkin and Josh Mohr winning in both C and B grade grand finals this year. Devils powered on by some superb goaltending by Luke Fiveash took it to the juniors for three strong periods of hockey in a largely error free game which ultimately saw the juniors take home the silverware with a 3-1 victory. Goals to Ebony Brunt, Finn Matthews, and Henry York for the Phoenix got the job done over the sole goal from Matt Olivier for the Devils.

B grade was contested between Bulls and Blades with the Bulls coming off with a 5-3 victory. Fast, highly skilled end to end hockey was on display by both teams badly wanting to put their mitts on the Canweld Trophy. First two periods were an arm wrestle for control on the ice and scoreboard, with the third period seeing the Bulls edge ahead to get some breathing space then close it out with an empty netter with 3 seconds on the clock. The Blades did not back down one millimeter till the final siren showing the resolve that got them there in the first place. Blades with two goals to Matt Buskas and one to Matt Marasco wasn’t enough to outdo a Hayden Dawes hat trick and Jackson Gallagher racking up a double for the Bulls.

Well done to all teams in the Grand Finals.

EOI for Portfolio Director roles

The IHACT Board is now open to receiving emailed Expressions Of Interest (EOI) for the following Portfolio roles, an earlier email was sent out on 14th October. The list below contains brief descriptions for each role. If you would like to contribute to an existing role, or have a suggestion for a functional aspect we should be delivering on (ie. management and oversight of Territory Teams) then please contact any board member you feel appropriate or email secretary@ihact.org.au before the due date of 6pm 27th October 2022.

Roles we are seeking to fill:

Chief Medical Officer (CMO): Responsible for the coordination of first aid services and maintenance of first aid resources. The CMO will also provide advice to the IHACT Board on medical matters when required to do so.

Director of Player Development: Responsible for working with both Junior and Senior Coaching Directors to ensure that players across the association seeking to develop their skills are receiving appropriate opportunities and instruction to do so.

Women’s Director: Responsible for working with the Junior and Senior Delegates to manage the Women’s League, including developing, promoting and implementing effective programs that support the growth of women’s ice hockey.

Junior Coaching Director: Responsible for training and development of local Junior Coaches, making sure each team has a suitably qualified coach where required.

Senior Coaching Director: Responsible for training and development of local Senior Coaches, making sure each team has a suitably qualified coach where required.

Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO): Responsible as the first point of contact for any enquiries, concerns or complaints of harassment or abuse experienced during IHACT sanctioned events. The MPIO provides support to members and information on complaint resolution options.

Referee In Chief (RIC): Responsible for developing and managing qualified referees and linesmen as required for any IHACT sanctioned games; as well as managing any supplemental reports required for in-game penalties.

Equipment Manager: Responsible for the coordination and management and auditing of the Associations physical equipment as well as management of access to the Equipment Storeroom.

Registrar: Responsible for managing and assisting with registrations of players and members within ESportsDesk (ESD).

Tribunal Director: Responsible for leading the Tribunal to determine all reports and charges arising out of the conduct of members with the Association both on and off the ice. The Tribunal Director is a direct interface between tribunal members and the IHACT Board.

Treasurer role

IHACT is in need of someone to fill the role of Treasurer till the next Annual General Meeting. This position is a board voting role and is a statutory position under the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 (ACT). IHACT uses Xero and Westpac so if you have experience with Xero or access to Westpac, that would be at an onboarding advantage.

The Treasurer is responsible for the management of the Association’s accounts including budgeting, collecting and receipting of all monies and overseeing the financial direction of the Association. The Treasurer is required to report to the Board regularly on the Association‘s finances. Full position description can be found on page 8 of our position description document online https://ihact.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IHACT_Position_Decriptors_Jan_2015v1-0.pdf#page=8

Previous Treasurer experience is on the board in other official capacities so help and advice is available. If you are interested in the role, please write to secretary@ihact.org.au

Lineys Course

Have you ever thought of becoming an official? Are you interested in learning more about the rules of ice hockey?

Our on-ice officials, the referees and linespeople, play a critical role in our game that we love so much.

If you are interested in becoming an official, IHACT will be running a course for new lines persons. The details are as follows:

Date: Saturday 26 November 2022

Time: 1600-1800

Cost: FREE

Location: Phillip Ice Rink

What to bring: wear warm comfortable clothing, a water bottle, skates and a helmet.

Please send an email to ric@ihact.org.au with any questions you might have.

Level 2 Coaching Course – 2023

IHACT is looking to run a level 2 coaching course in first quarter 2023. If you would like to graduate from level 1 up to level 2, keep yours eyes and ears out. This should take one weekend to complete and level 2 is valid for four years from date of issue.

Minimum entry is for either one year of active coaching with level 1, or, a coaching history which has since lapsed (evidence of experience to be provided).

Further details will be forthcoming as we organise this.

Juniors @ Coffs Harbour skirmish

Three ACT Ice Caps teams travelled north to Coffs Harbour on 30th September to 3rd October for the Ice Skirmish Tournament hosted by Southern Stars Ice Hockey. Teams in the u9, u11, and u13 age brackets played against teams from South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland in a modified event with no offsides, powerplays, and penalty shots taken in lieu of sitting in the penalty box. First and foremost the kids had a great time with the chance to play a novel format against other clubs.

Each team won at least one game, with the u11 and u13’s winning their last games of the weekend to send them out on a high for the 9 hour drive home. The increase in game awareness was obvious with the u13 players learning the finer points from former national team player Mark Rummukainen, substantially improving as each game went on. Our u9’s and u11’s both coached by Adrian Miller had a great time, with the u9’s managing to snare a second place in a 6 team field. All the other u9 teams play winter leagues together.

Summer Leagues underway

Women’s League – We need to first apologise for the short timeframe between registrations opening and puck drop for round one, the inconvenience is noted. With some minor confusions and clarifications delaying us, we finally got the regos open just in time and thank you to everyone who registered in the short window. It is still possible to register for Women’s League, so head to the esportsdesk site (linked from our main site) to the registration page at https://www.esportsdesk.com/leagues/pick_league.cfm?clientID=6240&leagueID=0

A special thank you must go to Di Doornbos who managed to coordinate fixing our self inflicted issues whilst in America. Di is one of the many people who keep the ship afloat in the background and it is greatly appreciated by us all.

D Grade – After two rounds the competition looks strong. Each year the standard increases which makes for great fun for everyone lacing the skates up. D grade is meant to be the entry level grade in IHACT for men but the standard of play is clearly higher than what it was 10 years ago, which is excellent but it raises a future question for how to address incubating new players so they don’t feel intimidated by the pace and skill.

Goodall Cup visits Junior training

Thanks to the CBR Brave players who visited our last junior training session for the year, bringing along the Goodall Cup for some group and individual photos. Many of the Brave players came through the IHACT Junior program, maybe we can see a few current juniors hoisting the trophy one day as trophy winners. Thankyou to Paul Furness for the photography work.

And lastly, ordered chaos.

Interested in Women’s League in Summer 21-22?

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We are seeking expressions of interest for players and coaches who wish to participate in a Womens League Summer Season, which is due to kick off in early December!!!

Please fill out this survey for us so we can get an idea of how many people we have interested. More details about the season will be provided once we have your responses in.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NZLW9QP?fbclid=IwAR37Sdv0n8zHRM-IgEfCAZyIEWK1PAtx1dcwnx8JcCr65tZG93dyfbhCrpo

ACT Lockdown – Update – 18 Sep 21

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We hope that you are keeping safe and well through this extended lockdown and that you are taking what opportunities are available to you to keep active.

The rink has suspended operations and won’t be resuming until business can be sustained viably and the risk of more lockdowns has diminished.  As you can appreciate, this uncertainty makes scheduling a conclusion to the winter season and commencement of a summer season difficult. 

These circumstances weren’t forecast when the senior Rules of Engagement were last revised. If you have any thoughts or suggestions for how we might update them to suit the times, we encourage you to discuss them with your teammates and pass them through your team managers and league coordinators to the delegates. 

We’re now a year on from our last AGM. We intend to conduct our next AGM in person when we can. Details on the date and venue for the AGM will be available closer to the end of lockdown. Some positions are still vacant, and some more will be vacated at the AGM that need to be filled by election for IHACT to continue.  If you have interest and are passionate about ice hockey, please consider nominating for election.  Role descriptions can be found on the IHACT website and any of the incumbents will be happy to answer any questions you have about the duties and time commitment involved.

There will be a virtual board meeting held on the 30th, there will be an email coming out shortly with a link needed to join.

ACT Lockdown 12 Aug 2021 – All Hockey Cancelled

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Good afternoon.

Due to the announcement today from the ACT Government that the ACT will be going into a 7 day lockdown as of 5pm this afternoon, 12 August 2021, all IHACT Ice Hockey is cancelled effective immediately until further notice.

During this time, Ice Hockey ACT will work closely with rink management and within the ACT Government guidelines to plan a return to play once restrictions have been lifted.  

Thank you for your understanding.

Stay safe.

Yours in hockey,

IHACT Board

Referee-in-Chief 2021-22

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Officials on the Ice by Joel Davis

After nearly four years of dedicated service in the role, the time has come for Luke Power to pass the baton to a new Referee-in-Chief. The board wholeheartedly thanks Luke for his commitment to the role and his advocacy for the best interests of all of IHACT’s officials. We encourage everyone to thank Luke and all of the officials when you see them at the rink because without them we have no games.

The board invites expressions of interest from officials to fill the role of IHACT Referee-in-Chief from 1 July 2021 until the next AGM (due in September), with a view to continuing on in the role for the summer 21/22 season and winter 2022 season.

The position description is included below. EOIs can be submitted to the board for out of session consideration via email to the Assistant Secretary by 9am Monday 28 June.

Photo credit: Joel Davis

Referee-in-Chief

The primary role of Referee-in-Chief is to develop qualified referees using the training and guidelines of Ice Hockey Australia (IHA). A successful Referee-in-Chief will ensure that development opportunities are provided to less experienced referees, and occasionally this position will be asked to provide rule interpretations to the Board. The Referee-in-Chief reports directly to the Association’s Board.

Responsibilities and Duties:

  • Work closely with the league scheduler to develop game assignments ensuring each game has appropriate officials
  • Ensure compliance with individual league officiating requirements
  • Seek continuous improvement of officials by providing feedback throughappraisals
  • Balance game opportunities with all officials qualified to officiate, whilerecognising the need to have an official’s experience be commensurate to thelevel of play
  • Maintain a clear an accurate record of each officials completed assignment
  • Be responsible for communications with the Treasurer to ensure officials areproperly compensated for the games
  • Work with IHA’s Referee-in-Chief to train and mentor officials
  • Represent the Association’s officials at meetings of the Board as requiredDesirable Attributes and Skills:
  • It is desired that the Referee In-Chief be a minimum Level 3 Official
  • Effective written and oral communication skills
  • Demonstrated organisational skills, time management skills and ability to work todeadlinesEstimated Time Commitment:The estimated time commitment required as the Referee-in-Chief is 1-3 hours per week. The Referee-in-Chief is appointed for a 1-year term.

New COVID-related Rules in 2021

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  1. A player or team official who spits anywhere in the rink during the game will be penalised under IIHF Rule 168 Unsportsmanlike Conduct iii Misconduct (10’). Any second offence of spitting in the same game by the same player will be penalised under IIHF Rule 162 Spitting with a Match (25’) penalty and Automatic Suspension.
  2. A player or team official deliberately transmitting bodily fluids, such as clearing of the nostrils, will be penalised under IIHF Rule 162 Spitting with a Match (25’) penalty and Automatic Suspension.
  3. A player or team official who, outside of normal gameplay, encroaches on and remains in an official’s personal social distancing space of 1.5 meters will be penalised under IIHF Rule 116 Abuse of Officials iii Misconduct (10’).

Vale Lachlan Seary

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The ACT ice hockey community was saddened to hear we had lost a family member in the early hours of Monday morning.

Lachlan Seary was a young rising star of the ACT with enormous love of the game and his team mates. 

Lachlan Seary: always remembered, never forgotten.

Stuart Philips – IHACT President