The 2012 Trans-Tasman Champions League was the inaugural tournament between the Australian Ice Hockey League and the New Zealand Ice Hockey League played on July 7 and 8, 2012. It was held at the Medibank Icehouse in Melbourne. Each league fielded their best two teams from the 2011 season, and in a single field game round robin, played against the teams of the other league. The Southern Stampede finished fourth after losing both games and finishing with a minus 18 goal differential, Botany Swarm finished third after losing both games but finishing with a goal differential of minus six, and the Newcastle Northstars finished second after winning both games and finishing with a plus 11 goal differential. The Melbourne Ice finished in first place with a 2–0 record and a +13 goal differential.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Australia |
| Dates | 7 – 8 July 2012 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
Champions  | Melbourne Ice (1st title) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 50 (12.5 per game) |
| Scoring leader(s) | Jeremy Boyer (10 points) |
Background
editThe Trans-Tasman Champions League was first announced in August 2011 by the Australian Ice Hockey League and the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. The 2012 Trans-Tasman Champions League was held on 7 and 8 July at the Medibank Icehouse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tournament consisted of four teams, two from each of the represented leagues. The Australian Ice Hockey League was represented by the Melbourne Ice, the 2011 regular season and Goodall Cup winner, and the Newcastle North Stars, the runner-up of the 2011 Goodall Cup. The New Zealand Ice Hockey League was represented by the Botany Swarm, the 2011 regular season and Birgel Cup winner, and the Southern Stampede, the runner-up of the 2011 Birgel Cup.[1] Teams played two games during the tournament with both games being played against the opposing league teams.[1] Prior to the start of the tournament it was announced that the City of Melbourne had signed as the official sponsors for the tournament.[2] The Melbourne Ice won the tournament after winning both of their games and finishing with the best goal difference in the tournament.[3] Newcastle finished second after winning both of their games against the New Zealand teams but fell short of first place based on goal difference. Both New Zealand teams failed to win either of their games however the Botany Swarm finished ahead of the Southern Stampede with a better goal difference.[4]
Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Ice | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 6 |
| 2 | Newcastle North Stars | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 6 |
| 3 | Botany Swarm | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 0 |
| 4 | Southern Stampede | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 23 | −18 | 0 |
Fixtures
editAll times local.
| 7 July 2012 16:00 | Southern Stampede | 2 – 12 (0–5, 1–3, 1–4) | Melbourne Ice | Medibank Icehouse Attendance: 720 |
| Game reference |
|---|
| 7 July 2012 19:30 | Botany Swarm | 3 – 6 (0–1, 2–2, 1–3) | Newcastle North Stars | Medibank Icehouse Attendance: 280 |
| Game reference |
|---|
| 8 July 2012 16:00 | Southern Stampede | 3 – 11 (2–3, 1–5, 0–3) | Newcastle North Stars | Medibank Icehouse |
| Game reference |
|---|
| 8 July 2012 19:30 | Botany Swarm | 5 – 8 (4–3, 1–2, 0–3) | Melbourne Ice | Medibank Icehouse Attendance: 750 |
| Game reference |
|---|
Scoring leaders
editList shows the top ten skaters sorted by points, then goals, assists, and the lower penalties in minutes.[5]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | POS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jeremy Boyer |
Newcastle North Stars | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | F |
 Brian Bales |
Newcastle North Stars | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | F |
| Doug Wilson |
Melbourne Ice | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | D |
| Jason Baclig |
Melbourne Ice | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | F |
| Joseph Hughes |
Melbourne Ice | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | F |
| Matt Armstrong |
Melbourne Ice | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 25 | F |
| Beau Taylor |
Newcastle North Stars | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | F |
| Lliam Webster |
Melbourne Ice | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | F |
| Robbie Lawrance |
Newcastle North Stars | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | D |
 Charlie Huber |
Botany Swarm | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | F |
Goaltenders
editGoaltenders are sorted based on save percentage.[6]
| Player | Team | MIP | SOG | GA | GAA | SVS% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivier Martin |
Newcastle North Stars | 120 | 64 | 6 | 2.25 | 0.906 |
| Stuart Denman |
Melbourne Ice | 60 | 18 | 2 | 1.50 | 0.889 |
| Zak Nothling |
Botany Swarm | 120 | 87 | 14 | 5.25 | 0.839 |
| Dahlen Phillips |
Melbourne Ice | 60 | 24 | 5 | 3.75 | 0.792 |
| Aston Brookes |
Southern Stampede | 120 | 85 | 23 | 8.63 | 0.729 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Australia vs New Zealand in all new Ice Hockey Showdown". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "City of Melbourne - Official TTCL Supporter". Australian Ice Hockey League. 2012-06-07. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Melbourne Ice win innaugural [sic] Trans Tasman Champions League". Australian Ice Hockey League. 2012-07-08. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Standings". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Leading Players". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Leading Goalies". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-07-15.