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The team won their opening game of the 2007 season against the [[Brisbane Blue Tongues]] by a score of 5-2.
The team won their opening game of the 2007 season against the [[Brisbane Blue Tongues]] by a score of 5-2.
The Canberra Knights lost in over-time shoot-out to the [[Newcastle North Stars]] 4-3 the following week. In a double header away the Knights lost both games against the [[Melbourne Ice]] and the [[Adelaide Avalanche]]. On Saturday the 5th of May the Knights had a compelling 5-3 win against a strong West Sydney side. Since this win, the Knights have only won one more game, on the 9th of June against the [[Central Coast Rhinos]], defeating them 7-0. On the 23rd the team had a close match against the [[Sydney Bears]] at home, losing in a shootout. The Canberra Knights won two more games in the season, the second of which being their only away win for the entire season, against a strong [[Brisbane Bluetongues]], causing Brisbane to lose their opportunity to enter the play-offs.
The Canberra Knights lost in over-time shoot-out to the [[Newcastle North Stars]] 4-3 the following week. In a double header away the Knights lost both games against the [[Melbourne Ice]] and the [[Adelaide Avalanche]]. On Saturday the 5th of May the Knights had a compelling 5-3 win against a strong West Sydney side. Since this win, the Knights have only won one more game, on the 9th of June against the [[Central Coast Rhinos]], defeating them 7-0. On the 23rd the team had a close match against the [[Sydney Bears]] at home, losing in a shootout. The Canberra Knights won two more games in the season, the second of which being their only away win for the entire season, against a strong [[Brisbane Bluetongues]], causing Brisbane to lose their opportunity to enter the play-offs.

The Canberra Knights finished the season on 20 points, in 7th place.


==Team Colours==
==Team Colours==

Revision as of 11:48, 26 August 2007

Canberra Knights
File:Canberra Knights team logo.jpg
League AIHL
Founded 1981
Based in Phillip, ACT
Home ice Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Centre
Colors Teal, black, silver and white
Championships 1998 (ECSL)
Minor Premiers None
Owner John Raut
Head coach Australia Mike Harrow
General manager Australia Harry Moon
Assistant Manager Australia Andrew Deans
Captain Canada Mark Persick

The Canberra Knights are a semi-professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League. The team plays its home games at the Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Centre in Phillip, a suburb of Australia's capital city, Canberra.

The Knights have only been premiers once, in 1998, in the now defunct ECSL.

History

1980-1993

The Phillip Ice Skating and Swimming centre opened in 1980, and in 1981 the Canberra Knights were formed by a group of former hockey players, many who had not played in years, and they played in various exhibition matches against international and Australian teams. In 1982 the Knights were a founding member of the New South Wales Superleague, which was a Sydney based competition, taking on some of the best teams in Australia. In this first year the Knights were coached by Stuart Wright, and although it was unsuccessful for the Canberra Knights, they gained invaluable experience.

In 1983, the Canberra Knights were again entered into the NSW Superleague. Chuck Naish and Jim Fuyarchuk, formerly of the Macquarie Bears and the now defunct Warringah Bombers respectively, had been brought in as player/coaches. This was a big year and the combined talents soon became evident as the Canberra Knights proved they were a winning team. Ably assisted by some promising young players and the proven skills of the imported players, the Canberra Knights finished a close second to the Warringah Bombers in the playoffs.

1984 continued with the same team with the addition of Dean Pollock (from the Macquarie Bears), and Canadian import Bill Rose.

Mike Harrow, Canberra Knights head coach

1994-1999

While lasting for thirteen seasons, the NSW Superleague struggled to gain stability and could not continue. The league was reborn in 1994, as the East Coast Super League. It continued with the same number of teams but was still largely based in the NSW area. Canberra's maiden ECSL championship came in 1998 when they won the Goodall Cup, for the first time ever. The East Coast Super League continues today but is a junior (under 23) competition which serves as a bridge between local league hockey and the national level. [1]

2000-2006

The Canberra Knights, along with the Sydney Bears and Adelaide Avalanche, founded the AIHL as a three-team competition following the disbanding of the ECSL in 2000. 2002 saw the introduction of the Melbourne Ice and the West Sydney Ice Dogs, increasing the number of teams in the league to 6. The team finished just above the Melbourne Ice in 5th place, finishing the season with 12 points and Knights goaltender Brad Hunt finished 4th overall. In 2003 David Lewis, and import Saku Martakainen were the top scorers, but the Knights finished in last place, not winning a single game. Since a playoff format was introduced to the AIHL in 2003 (prior to this, minor premiers were champions), the Knights are yet to make the postseason.

In 2005, with new imports, such as goaltender Dylan Smart, the Knights were able to enter the 5th AIHL season stronger than ever, and nearly made the play-offs. With two new teams joining the league, the Brisbane Bluetongues and Central Coast Rhinos, the Knights were one of the more stable teams of the league, winning 11 of 24 games and finishing in 5th place with 35 points[2]. Coached by former player Laing Harrow, 2005 has been the strongest Canberra Knights AIHL season ever.

Canberra Knights 2006 team

2006 was the year the Knights acquired Finnish player/coach Tommi Suutari, and they began the season relatively strong, winning a few games, but failed to continue this and ended up losing 25 out of 28 regular season games, finishing in last place. They had one miraculous win against the Sydney Bears later in the season, beating them in a shoot-out at their home venue in Phillip. This was also the season where an Australian ice hockey record was set, when Canberra lost 21-2 in a game against the Newcastle Northstars.

Current Season

The Knights lost head coach Tommi Suutari prior to the commencement of the 2007 season. Mike Harrow, who also plays forward for the club, was appointed as head coach. Goaltenders were also changed, as Luke Fiveash became the Canberra Knights primary goalie, with Brad Hunt as a secondary. As well as this the Knights changed their away jerseys, which are now more similar to their current home jerseys.

The team won their opening game of the 2007 season against the Brisbane Blue Tongues by a score of 5-2. The Canberra Knights lost in over-time shoot-out to the Newcastle North Stars 4-3 the following week. In a double header away the Knights lost both games against the Melbourne Ice and the Adelaide Avalanche. On Saturday the 5th of May the Knights had a compelling 5-3 win against a strong West Sydney side. Since this win, the Knights have only won one more game, on the 9th of June against the Central Coast Rhinos, defeating them 7-0. On the 23rd the team had a close match against the Sydney Bears at home, losing in a shootout. The Canberra Knights won two more games in the season, the second of which being their only away win for the entire season, against a strong Brisbane Bluetongues, causing Brisbane to lose their opportunity to enter the play-offs.

The Canberra Knights finished the season on 20 points, in 7th place.

Team Colours

Canberra Knights Alternative Logo found on away jerseys

The Canberra Knights logo shows a teal coloured Knight wielding a hockey stick. Behind him is a silver shield, with the words Canberra Knights below him. The entire logo is outlined in white. Prior to the 2005 season, the Knights had a logo which is now used on the away jerseys, It simply has the words Canberra Knights, with a picture of a puck.

File:Oldknightsjersey.jpg
Canberra Knights Jersey from 1994 to 2005

Jerseys

The teams colours are teal, silver, black and white. The home jerseys for the Canberra Knights are black, and have the logo on the front, with the old logo on the shoulder, with white numbers and names. They are based on the San Jose Sharks alternate jerseys. The away jerseys are white and have the old logo on the front, with the new logo on the shoulder, and have black numbers and names. Prior to the 2005 season the Knights wore Teal coloured jerseys, with the old logo on the front, and white numbers and names.


Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTW = Overtime Wins, OTL = Overtime Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points

Season Position GP W L T OTW OTL GF GA PTS
2002 [3] 5th (Of 6) 16 6 10 0 0 0 42 63 12
2003 [3] 6th (Of 6) 8 0 8 0 0 0 16 64 0
2004 [3] 6th (Of 6) 20 3 14 1 2 0 53 109 14
2005 [3] 5th 24 11 13 2 0 0 96 102 35
2006 [2] 8th 27 3 24 - 1 0 75 185 11
2007 [2] 7th 18 4 12 - 0 2 48 68 14

Records

Players

  • Most goals in a season: Shaun Fairweather, 24 (2005)
  • Most assists in a season: Mike Harrow, 31 (2005)
  • Most points in a season: Shaun Fairweather, 46 (2005)
  • Most Penalty Minutes in a season: Trevor Ross, 189 (2005)

Team

  • Most points in a season: 35 (2005)
  • Most wins in a season: 11 (2005)

Current Squad

As of June 21, 2007. [4]

Goaltenders
# Player Catches Date of Birth Place of Birth
20 Canada Dylan Smart L 22 May 1979 Martinsville, Saskatchewan
20 Canada Brad Hunt R - Hamilton, Ontario
37 Australia Luke Fiveash L 1987 Brisbane, Queensland
38 Australia Nickolas "Bones" Eckhardt R 10 Dec 1989 Canberra, ACT
39 Australia Justin Mendham R - - -, Canberra
Defensemen
# Player Shoots Date of Birth Place of Birth
6 Australia Aaron Clayworth R - Perth, Western Australia
8 Canada Mark Persick - C L 26 Apr 1980 Yorkton, Saskatchewan
15 Finland Antti Teisala R 4 Sep 1982 Lappeenranta, Finland
' Australia Matt Higgins R 1 Jun 1980 Gundagai, NSW
28 Australia Tim Cox R 16 Sep 1987 Brisbane, Queensland
91 Australia Peter Taylor R 1988 Canberra, ACT
Forwards
# Player Shoots Date of Birth Place of Birth
2 Australia Andrew Brunt - A R 22 Mar 1977 Canberra, ACT
3 Finland Ari-Pekka Hakala L 15 May 1985 Urjala, Finland
4 Canada Steve Farrer L 7 May 1983 Sarnia, Ontario
5 Australia Brendan Taylor R - Canberra, ACT
9 Canada Mike Johnston L 1990 Canada
11 Australia David Lewis R 17 Jul 1978 Sydney, New South Wales
12 Canada Dayne Habbib R 1984 Toronto, Ontario
13 Australia Luke Philps R 1983 Sydney, New South Wales
16 Canada Mike Daugulis R 1986 Vancouver, Canada
17 Australia Mike Harrow R - Australia
19 Australia Jordan Gavin - A R 1983 Canberra, ACT
33 Australia Steven Deans R 18 Jun 1982 Sydney, New South Wales
41 Australia Stuart Philps R 6 Dec 1978 Sydney, New South Wales
44 Australia Matt Tattersall R 5 Aug 1977 Canberra, ACT
53 Australia Ollie Rozdarz R 29 Aug 1984 Canberra, ACT
66 Australia Richard Moon R - -
77 Australia Tom Letki R - Canberra, ACT
88 Australia Jeremy Sheppard R - Canberra, ACT

Honored Members

So far there have been three Knights players awarded the Hudson Trophy, player and former coach from 1983, Chuck Naish in 1990, A. McLean in 1992 and former coach and player Laing Harrow in 2000.[5]

Leaders

Mark Persick, current Canberra Knights captain

Team Captains

  • Mike Harrow (2004-2006)
  • Mark Persick (2007)

Head Coaches

  • Stuart Wright (1982)
  • Chuck Naish, Jim Fuyarchuk (1983-1985)
  • Laing Harrow (2004-2005)
  • Tommi Suutari (2006)
  • Mike Harrow (2007)

Tickets

Tickets for home games in Phillip are currently AUD$15 for adults, and AUD$8 for children under 12, cash only.

References

  1. ^ "ECSL Website". 2007. Retrieved 21/06/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Official AIHL Website Statistics". 2007. Retrieved 20/06/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) Cite error: The named reference "AIHLstats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d "Official IHA AIHL Statistics". 2007. Retrieved 20/06/2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) Cite error: The named reference "IHAstats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ http://www.canberraknights.com.au/team.htm
  5. ^ "Ice Hockey Australia History".

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canberra_Knights&oldid=153727650"