Re: Things that you rate!
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2019 10:40 am
I went along to the ice hockey on Saturday :
With mainstream sports around Australia laying claim to the standard nicknames the likes the Eagles, Magpies and Lions the sports most of us associate with North America are left to pick names that aren’t synonymous with sporting franchises. This was no more evident than on Saturday afternoon when I visited the IceArena to watch the Adelaide Adrenaline host the Sydney Ice Dogs in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).
I’d been to the ice hockey many, many years ago when my older brother had a short but unsuccessful sortie in the sport. He could certainly skate and enjoyed the physical nature of the game but felt that it was time to call it a day when he was checked up against the wall and used his collar bone to break his jaw. Needless to say our Mother was all for an early retirement, too.
Our of the companies who supplies services to my employer sponsors a player, Marcel McGuiness ( who is listed as a defender, not sure how, more on that later ) and through this sponsorship has 3 reserved seats and I was most appreciative of being offered one of those seats for the afternoon. In a most pleasing twist the side is sponsored by Big Shed Brewing so some more than acceptable beverages are on offer. Yes, I will, thank you and given the nature of the host it was more than once.
A little out of touch with the rules I thought it best I scrub up on the basics so, to the uninitiated, ice hockey is played across 3 periods and I can’t explain as to why but the periods go 15 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes. Whoever invented ice hockey must have also had a hand in the scoring system for tennis. They’re probably also responsible for those Facebook puzzles where 3 bananas = 6 points and you get stumped on the last line as they’ve take one banana away. You know the ones, but back to the hockey. The 15/15/20 minute periods are broken up by two 15 minute breaks, so play 15 and have 15 off. Generous, I thought, given the frenetic nature of the sport would make it almost impossible to engage in tactics during the breaks. Defenders are forward, forwards are defenders and midfielders are everything at once. This is where I got lost on the positions the players are listed to play in as none of them seemed to have time to lob into their preferred positions.
With a maximum of 20 players on each side and 6 at any given time on the ice the game is played at high octane speed. Interchanges are constant, there must have been a conveyor belt under the stands we were in as one player would fly off underneath us only to be replaced by another getting shot out the other end. It’s basically sprint up, sprint back, get hit, come off completely gassed.
The Adrenaline got scoring underway with 6 minutes remaining in the first period and the healthy crowd of around 200 people made some noise. As with all American sports the PA is constantly asking for you to clap/stomp along to We will rock you or blasting out some sick guitar ‘lics. It’s entertainment. Unfortunately the Ice Dogs drew level almost immediately and within a minute had taken a 2-1 lead into the first break and the home crowd wasn’t too pleased. ( At this point it’s best I point out the Adrenaline went into the series 0-11 on the season ). The first period saw 4 penalties, 3 Ice Dogs penalised and 1 Adrenaline player sent to the bin / naughty corner for 2 minutes for tripping, interference and checking. During this 2 minutes the player can’t be replaced ( a Power Play ) so it’s 6 on 5 for 2 minutes. Neither team took advantage of this advantage.
During the first break a young lady hit the ice and offered the crowd some entertainment with a figure skating routine. If I know very little about hockey I know even less about figure skating so I’m not very well placed to judge her efforts, needless to say they would be better than anything I could muster up.
The second period went by without any goals being added and there were no penalties. A largely uneventful period if not for my host pouring half his beer down my left hand side. Icy air, cold beer, wet strides. Excellent.
The third period pretty much all went Sydney’s way. 2 goals to none, 3 penalties on Adelaide and Sydney score during one of those Power Plays. A 4-1 loss and the crowd made their way outside to warm up a little. With Sunday’s second leg of the double header going the way of the Ice Dogs the Adrenaline find themselves 0-13 from 14 games on the foot of the ladder with their only point coming from an overtime loss. In what I understand is a rebuilding phase for the side season 2019 might be one to forget or one that is the start of something more significant.
I have to say I’ll be back to watch another game in the not too distant future. Entry is $19 for adults, drinks are affordable ( and in the big red party cups good value ), the game is great to watch live and the crowd certainly get involved. Some regular fans leading a chorus of “Let’s Go Adelaide Let’s Go” chants amongst others. Whilst the crowd isn’t huge ( perhaps on the back of the season ) it’s a passionate mob, almost to a man/woman they are decked out in some form of Adrenaline attire, jerseys, beanies, jackets, hoodies and shirts on display suggest there’s plenty of people invested in the Adrenaline and the AIHL.
I suggest you too invest in an afternoon at the ice hockey and support the side representing our state in the AIHL, it might just get your Adrenaline pumping.
With mainstream sports around Australia laying claim to the standard nicknames the likes the Eagles, Magpies and Lions the sports most of us associate with North America are left to pick names that aren’t synonymous with sporting franchises. This was no more evident than on Saturday afternoon when I visited the IceArena to watch the Adelaide Adrenaline host the Sydney Ice Dogs in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).
I’d been to the ice hockey many, many years ago when my older brother had a short but unsuccessful sortie in the sport. He could certainly skate and enjoyed the physical nature of the game but felt that it was time to call it a day when he was checked up against the wall and used his collar bone to break his jaw. Needless to say our Mother was all for an early retirement, too.
Our of the companies who supplies services to my employer sponsors a player, Marcel McGuiness ( who is listed as a defender, not sure how, more on that later ) and through this sponsorship has 3 reserved seats and I was most appreciative of being offered one of those seats for the afternoon. In a most pleasing twist the side is sponsored by Big Shed Brewing so some more than acceptable beverages are on offer. Yes, I will, thank you and given the nature of the host it was more than once.
A little out of touch with the rules I thought it best I scrub up on the basics so, to the uninitiated, ice hockey is played across 3 periods and I can’t explain as to why but the periods go 15 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes. Whoever invented ice hockey must have also had a hand in the scoring system for tennis. They’re probably also responsible for those Facebook puzzles where 3 bananas = 6 points and you get stumped on the last line as they’ve take one banana away. You know the ones, but back to the hockey. The 15/15/20 minute periods are broken up by two 15 minute breaks, so play 15 and have 15 off. Generous, I thought, given the frenetic nature of the sport would make it almost impossible to engage in tactics during the breaks. Defenders are forward, forwards are defenders and midfielders are everything at once. This is where I got lost on the positions the players are listed to play in as none of them seemed to have time to lob into their preferred positions.
With a maximum of 20 players on each side and 6 at any given time on the ice the game is played at high octane speed. Interchanges are constant, there must have been a conveyor belt under the stands we were in as one player would fly off underneath us only to be replaced by another getting shot out the other end. It’s basically sprint up, sprint back, get hit, come off completely gassed.
The Adrenaline got scoring underway with 6 minutes remaining in the first period and the healthy crowd of around 200 people made some noise. As with all American sports the PA is constantly asking for you to clap/stomp along to We will rock you or blasting out some sick guitar ‘lics. It’s entertainment. Unfortunately the Ice Dogs drew level almost immediately and within a minute had taken a 2-1 lead into the first break and the home crowd wasn’t too pleased. ( At this point it’s best I point out the Adrenaline went into the series 0-11 on the season ). The first period saw 4 penalties, 3 Ice Dogs penalised and 1 Adrenaline player sent to the bin / naughty corner for 2 minutes for tripping, interference and checking. During this 2 minutes the player can’t be replaced ( a Power Play ) so it’s 6 on 5 for 2 minutes. Neither team took advantage of this advantage.
During the first break a young lady hit the ice and offered the crowd some entertainment with a figure skating routine. If I know very little about hockey I know even less about figure skating so I’m not very well placed to judge her efforts, needless to say they would be better than anything I could muster up.
The second period went by without any goals being added and there were no penalties. A largely uneventful period if not for my host pouring half his beer down my left hand side. Icy air, cold beer, wet strides. Excellent.
The third period pretty much all went Sydney’s way. 2 goals to none, 3 penalties on Adelaide and Sydney score during one of those Power Plays. A 4-1 loss and the crowd made their way outside to warm up a little. With Sunday’s second leg of the double header going the way of the Ice Dogs the Adrenaline find themselves 0-13 from 14 games on the foot of the ladder with their only point coming from an overtime loss. In what I understand is a rebuilding phase for the side season 2019 might be one to forget or one that is the start of something more significant.
I have to say I’ll be back to watch another game in the not too distant future. Entry is $19 for adults, drinks are affordable ( and in the big red party cups good value ), the game is great to watch live and the crowd certainly get involved. Some regular fans leading a chorus of “Let’s Go Adelaide Let’s Go” chants amongst others. Whilst the crowd isn’t huge ( perhaps on the back of the season ) it’s a passionate mob, almost to a man/woman they are decked out in some form of Adrenaline attire, jerseys, beanies, jackets, hoodies and shirts on display suggest there’s plenty of people invested in the Adrenaline and the AIHL.
I suggest you too invest in an afternoon at the ice hockey and support the side representing our state in the AIHL, it might just get your Adrenaline pumping.