Craig will be the one to lead New Zealand on the ice when they travel to Spain for the 2018 IIHF Division 2B World Championship this April.

With the Ice Blacks coaching staff aiming to win and gain promotion to the next tier in international ice hockey within the next two years, the captain is a key part of making that happen. Head coach Anatoly Khorozov believes that Craig has the necessary maturity required to wear the ‘C’ and has shown an ability to lead by example both on and off the ice.

At last year’s IIHF tournament held in Auckland, Craig wore the ‘A’ as one of the alternate captains for the Ice Blacks. In that tournament New Zealand finished second with a 4-1 record on their home ice, just one game behind winners China. With previous captain Bert Haines retiring, he’s a natural fit to take over the role and continue the promising effort the team has shown in recent outings.

At the 2017 Winter Games in Queenstown, New Zealand played a three-game test series against Trans-Tasman rivals Australia. NZ took out the first game 4-1 which some labelled as a ‘shock’ being only their second victory in their previous 16 encounters. They lost the second, and then narrowly missed out on taking the decider thanks to everyone’s favourite way of deciding a contest, the shootout.

While a 2-1 test series loss isn’t the outcome many Kiwi sports fans would want when facing an Australian team, it does show that the gap between the two nations is closing and perhaps the Ice Blacks could be competitive in the IIHF’s Division 2 – Group A.

Nick Craig is no stranger to leading a team however, he’s also part of the West Auckland Admirals leadership group during the NZIHL season.

When captain Justin Daigle went down with an unfortunate eye injury last season that required surgery, the team appointed Craig to take over the captaincy for the remaining games of the 2017 season. He took on that responsibility by guiding the Admirals through to the NZIHL Finals, where the team ultimately lost to three-time defending champions, the Skycity Stampede. The second place finish was the team’s best result since 2010.

The saying goes ‘never trust a man with two first names’ but in this instance, Nick Craig has proven that he’s up to the task of handling the Ice Blacks captaincy. We reached out to Craig with a few questions to find out a bit more about the new captain.

What does it mean to you to wear the ‘C’ for New Zealand?

It means a tremendous amount to me. (There’s) a huge amount of honour and pride to be captain of this team. I remember how it felt putting the black jersey on for the Ice Blacks the first time and it’s that feeling again – just with that additional spark of motivation keeping my grin ear-to-ear.

When you look at other captains in the hockey world, who inspires you to be a better leader?

I can’t go past my predecessor with this question – Bert Haines is an absolute legend in the hockey community and has done so much for New Zealand hockey and the Ice Blacks. When I was made aware of my captaincy, you can bet who I called first for some advice. The way Bert portrays himself and how hard he worked on and off the ice is a testament to his leadership abilities. It won’t be the only time I seek advise from him throughout this 2018 journey.

Throughout your years of playing hockey, who do you think has helped shape you into the player you are today and influenced your ability to be a leader?

Csaba Kersco-Magos Snr must have an honourable mention for pulling myself and Nick Henderson out of the SNC league in our first year and into the Admirals family to begin our journeys. There were many nights of basic skating lessons over the summer before we were ready to graduate though – not to mention a number of other Ice Blacks Csaba has developed also.

A special mention goes out to the Ravens in-line hockey club in New Plymouth. Coaches and members who helped me in my younger days when I had no ice to jump on in my hometown.

In terms of leadership, the Admirals and Ice Blacks teams as a whole – all the coaches, managers, players, fans etc. have contributed and helped me get to where I am today. And, similarly to a previous question above, after a 2017 Ice Blacks season being Bert Haines’ assistant captain and room-mate, I learnt an incredible amount from him.

How do you rate New Zealand’s chances at the World Championship in April?

There can be no room for second guessing or allow any doubt to creep in when competing on the world stage. I believe we have a great team heading into this year’s World Champs and strongly believe we will take gold.

There is a lot of work to get done in the lead up to Latvia and even more work to be done whilst in Latvia at training camp. Hell, I wouldn’t be much of a captain writing to you now if I thought our chances were “slim”. Now the team has been announced, we are all in full swing on the road to gold this year in Spain.

As the new Ice Blacks captain going into the training camp in Latvia, what is one thing you want to establish that will help the team be better?

I don’t want to change anything heading into camp. We have a leadership group established within the team. The coaching staff have a vision and our role is to support them.

Most of the guys know how I operate, if anything I would only want to establish the team’s goals and expectations as set out by the coaches and ensure everyone is on board to go to work. I am fairly straight up and open to anyone’s opinions or ideas so things could change. I don’t believe leadership means you have to make all the decisions – it’s a team after all.

(Main photo: Mike Froger)

The 2018 New Zealand national men’s ice hockey team is as follows.

Goalies: Daniel Lee, Csaba Kercso-Magos.

Defence: Nick Craig, Oliver Hay, Stefan Amston, Kahu Joyce, Gareth McLeish, Tristan Darling, Andrew Hay, Cameron Trew (non-traveling reserve).

Forwards: Matthew Schneider, Jake Ratcliffe, Alex Polozov, Andrew Cox, Paris Heyd, Nick Henderson, Dale Harrop, Callum Burns, Frazer Ellis, Jordan Challis, Taylor Rooney, Shaun Harrison, Connor Harrison, Jeremy Chai (non-traveling reserve).

This roster comes from the 36-player strong training squad that was announced back in October. A few notable omissions include Stampede goaltender Aston Brookes, Red Devils defenceman Mason Kennedy, and the Swarm’s Michael Attwell. Brookes and Kennedy were unavailable due to other commitments, while Attwell remains sidelined with an injury that will require surgery.

The tournament will be the first for Khorozov as head coach, prior to this year he served as assistant coach under Maru Rout.

He shared his thoughts on the selection process by saying, “It’s always tough to make the cuts and yes, sometimes those decisions make some people unhappy. Sometimes, circumstances do that for me and injuries or other commitments take some players off the list. But that’s my job to assemble the best team possible and so I have to make those calls.”

Prior to arriving in Spain, the team will travel together to Latvia for a brief training camp, as did their under-20 counterparts back in January.

The Ice Blacks first game of the tournament is against rivals Mexico on April 15 at midnight NZDT, followed by Israel the next day also at midnight. The team will have a rest day before playing Luxembourg on April 18 at 2:30am, then DPR Korea at the same time on April 20. Finally, New Zealand will wrap up round robin play against hosts Spain with arguably the more friendly start time of 6am – perfect for fans back home that want to start their Saturday (April 21) with some international ice hockey.

When Puck Yeah interviewed Khorozov back in October, he stated the team’s ultimate goal was to move up a division in the IIHF rankings within two seasons. That would see New Zealand face much tougher opposition, a true test of where the nation currently stands in the hockey world. Right now, the next division up (IIHF Division 2 – Group A) features Belgium, China, Iceland, the Netherlands, Serbia, plus Trans-Tasman neighbours Australia.

But before that can become a reality, this group of players have to conquer their current division first.

In regards to what lies ahead for the Ice Blacks, Khorozov stated, “We have played all these teams numerous times in the past, so we’re familiar with all of them. Luxembourg was quite awhile ago…but all other teams are our regular opponents. I believe that we should aim for the gold medal as we should be competitive with all of them.”

New Zealand has proved they can compete with their opposition by claiming silver in last year’s World Championships in Auckland. Now it’s time to turn that confidence and belief into results.

(Main photo: Winter Games NZ)

New Zealand’s national men’s hockey team, the Ice Blacks, have recently seen assistant coach Anatoly Khorozov take over the reins as head coach from Maru Rout. His first assignment is the IIHF Division 2 – Group B World Championship in Spain this April, where NZ face old rivals Mexico, along with Spain, Israel, DPR Korea, plus the recently promoted Luxembourg.

A strong extended training squad was announced back in October and the traveling team will be named next month. After finishing with silver last year and remaining in the same division, anything less than winning gold and earning a promotion to Division 2 – Group A will be seen as a disappointment.

New Zealand Under-20s

New Zealand’s under-20 men’s national team (more affectionately known as the ‘Junior Ice Blacks’) has also seen a coaching change with Justin Daigle now running the bench.

While playing for the West Auckland Admirals as a crucial part of their blueline, Daigle has been transitioning further into coaching roles. In 2017 he served as assistant coach for the Junior Ice Blacks at the IIHF Division 3 World Championship held in Dunedin, working with fellow coaches Matt Sanford, Perry Wilson and Anatoly Khorozov, who has now moved into the head coaching position with the Ice Blacks.

Next month’s Division 3 tournament in Bulgaria is his first big test – coaching an under-20s squad full of promising junior players (including Moses Bygate-Smith, Ryan Martinoli, and Ben Harford) to reach their goal: winning the gold medal game.

The last time the Junior Ice Blacks made it to Division 2 was back in 2009. Unfortunately the team were unable to compete that year due to the financial constraints that can come with traveling around the world for these tournaments, subsequently New Zealand has remained in the third division ever since. They will need to come out on top over Australia, Bulgaria, China, Iceland and Israel if they were to be promoted – considering recent strong showings by some of those nations, it’s a hard task but it’s certainly not a challenge that Daigle and his team will shy away from.

Side note: The only IIHF tournament New Zealand will host this year is the Men’s Under-18 Division 3 – Group B World Championship at the Queenstown Ice Arena in April.

Ice Fernz

In March New Zealand’s national women’s team, the Ice Fernz, will be travelling to Spain for the IIHF Division 2 – Group B tournament where they will be up against Iceland, Turkey, Romania, Chinese Taipei, plus the host country. Led by captain/scientist Helen Murray with former Botany Swarm head coach Andreas Kaisser calling the shots from the bench, the Ice Fernz will be looking to improve upon their bronze medal placing at last year’s tournament in Iceland.

Also in March, the Women’s Under-18 development side will be in Kuala Lumpur for the 2018 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia. Having won the tournament in their first attempt last year, they will be back to defend their gold medal status in the top division against Thailand, Singapore, and Chinese Taipei U18.

The 2018 NZIHL Season

The Skycity Stampede were on a roll this past NZIHL season as they secured their third championship in a row – joining the Canterbury Red Devils as the only other club to accomplish such a feat. However, the 2017 title may need to come with an asterisk after news broke last month that Mitchell and Lachlan Frear were suspended for two years by the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand after they were found guilty of naively buying the banned substance clenbuterol online.

With the suspension backdated to January 1st 2017 this includes the 2017 NZIHL season in which the Frear brothers were part of Queenstown’s championship-winning team. Under the NZIHL rulebook section 10.11 states “All competitive results achieved during the period of Ineligibility, including retroactive Ineligibility, shall be Disqualified.”

Puck Yeah consulted with the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation on this subject and we were told that the fate of this matter rests on whether or not the league’s four other teams would request a review of the situation. In a recent podcast Puck Yeah debated if this would happen but ultimately we believe that the teams are going to let this go and move on. After all, it was a silly mistake that has seen some tough lessons learnt, plus two players don’t make the team – the Stampede would have been a competitive side with or without the suspended Frear brothers.

So, that brings us to the 2018 season. Ultimately I don’t see the Stampede finishing as champions again, but it could be a year where counting out any team is a risky move.

The West Auckland Admirals have gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years and will be looking to avenge their Birgel Cup finals defeat. The Botany Swarm have shaken up their front office and coaching staff in a move that could reinstall a winning culture that saw the East Auckland side previously dominate the league. The Dunedin Thunder were the dark horse of the 2017 season and continue to improve as they aim to go one step further and secure a finals berth, meanwhile the Canterbury Red Devils need to recover from a lacklustre campaign that saw them at the bottom of the table for the first time since 2005, the NZIHL’s inaugural season.

Mix in the league’s involvement with the 2018 Ice Hockey League, next season is hopefully one that will pack out the local arenas as New Zealand’s top hockey clubs battle it out for the Birgel Cup and the Toa Kauhanga Riri Tio challenge trophy.

Ice Hockey Classic

Last month the 2018 Ice Hockey Classic was announced, generating a positive buzz on social media for the USA vs Canada exhibition series that sees a three-game tour played in Auckland, Queenstown and Wellington. The latter is set to be an outdoor spectacle at Westpac Stadium similar to what is seen with the NHL’s Winter Classic.

As the curtain raiser for the main event in Auckland there will be a regular season NZIHL game played between the West Auckland Admirals and Botany Swarm. The prospect of playing at Spark Arena to a crowd of prospective new fans is thrilling for those involved – including Botany Swarm head coach Ian Wannamaker who sees this as a great stage to demonstrate the fierce cross-town rivalry his team has with the Admirals, “I would expect there to be some sort of fireworks, if not actual fireworks, definitely a lot of fierce competition on the ice. No one will want to lose and both teams will play very hard and want to not only win but to show the NZ fans who is the top Auckland based club.”

The Ice Blacks will play at the Westpac Stadium outdoor game against a NZIHL All-Stars squad made up of import players from all five teams across the league. It’s a smart initiative by TEG Live and the NZIHF to team up and help give the country’s top-tier clubs, plus the national side, a welcome increase in exposure. Who knows, this may inspire more youth across the country to lace up a pair of skates and grab a stick? Either way, it’s a must-see event for any sporting fan.

The Continuing Rise of Grace Harrison

This is one of my favourite ongoing stories in New Zealand hockey, perhaps NZ sport in general.

Typically goalie Grace Harrison flies under the radar but the coaching staff at St. Lawrence University aren’t afraid to sing her praises. Saints head coach Chris Wells told reporter Carlos Verde that despite coming in as the team’s third-string netminder, it didn’t take her long to earn the starting role, saying “She chipped away, worked hard, and by mid-January (in her first year) she was our starting goalie and really carried the bulk of playing time.”

By the end of her rookie season Harrison finished with a 7-7-6 record, posting a 2.14 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Harrison pushed that performance to the next level as a sophomore – for the 2016-17 season she was named as part of the Second-Team All-ECAC Hockey team while also being nominated as a ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Year finalist. As her play advanced, so did her numbers with an incredible 23-6-4 record, 1.62 GAA and a .923 save percentage to go along with her record-breaking nine shutouts – the most by any goalie in the Saints program.

Now well into her third season, Grace Harrison remains a key part of the St. Lawrence roster and this weekend came back from the holiday break with a two-game series against Lindenwood at the Honda Center – home of the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.

Starting in the second game, Harrison backstopped the Saints to a 3-2 overtime win that improves the 10th-ranked Saints to 10-7-3. Standing in the same crease that is typically home to John Gibson or Ryan Miller will be an experience to savour for this young athlete, but there’s still plenty of hockey to be played before the season wraps up in March.

2018 is going to be an action-packed year for New Zealand ice hockey. What are you most looking forward to?

(Main photo: Mike Froger)

We dedicate this week’s podcast to co-host Logan’s incredibly generous Secret Santa. If you don’t know, in New Zealand a nationwide Secret Santa is done via Twitter and it’s the most amazing thing ever!

If you didn’t get involved this year, don’t miss out in 2018 – it’s a heap of fun plus the kindness of strangers can really surprise you.

(Main photo: Skycity Stampede / Source: Facebook)

Auckland’s Spark Arena plays host to the first leg of the tour, with the USA and Canada teams touted to feature current NHL players, veterans, and promising young talent. As a curtain raiser to the main event, the Botany Swarm and West Auckland Admirals will play each other in an official NZIHL game that counts towards the league’s standings.

Spark Arena is home to the NZ Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League with a capacity of around 8,500 for their home games. The arena also plays host to international recording artists when they come to Auckland – most recently Canadian RnB superstar The Weeknd performed his hits to a sold-out crowd.

Playing at such a venue is a brand new prospect for the cross-town hockey clubs as they get the chance to showcase their fiercely competitive rivalry to a wider audience than what would normally fit within their home rinks at Paradice Avondale and Paradice Botany Downs.

Admirals captain Justin Daigle told PUCK YEAH that he is excited and honoured to be part of the 2018 Classic, “This is a huge deal for the entirety of the sport in New Zealand…For us it’s an opportunity to showcase the game we all love to play and really raise the profile and public awareness of hockey.”

He expects that these games will likely attract a new audience to the NZIHL. “As I often say, I’m yet to introduce the sport to a Kiwi who hasn’t fallen in love with it so hopefully this will serve as a catalyst towards new fans and players,” said Daigle.

Newly appointed Botany Swarm head coach Ian Wannamaker shares the passion of his West Auckland counterpart, “You don’t want to miss out on an amazing opportunity to see the fastest game on the planet in your backyard, seeing some of the best athletes in the world compete, and also see how competitive and exciting the local league is. You simply just have to be there.”

With 19 players from the Admirals and Swarm currently in the national team’s wider training squad, that round of the NZIHL season will be split over two weekends to allow their players who also represent the Ice Blacks to travel to Wellington and compete against a NZIHL All-Star team for the outdoor game at Westpac Stadium on June 23rd.

That All-Star team will be made up of import players from the five NZIHL teams, along with a few Kiwi players added to the lineup if needed. Considering the calibre of talent the league is now attracting in what is typically the off-season for ice hockey in North America, expect the Ice Blacks v NZIHL All-Stars game to be one full of action (and perhaps plenty of goalscoring) prior to the main event.

Ice Blacks head coach Anatoly Khorozov is elated that his team will be part of the historic game in Wellington, saying he sees it as a great experience for the players, “I think a lot of players, if not all, will naturally be nervous but will also be very excited. I’d hope nerves will disappear after a few shifts and they will show the crowd that New Zealand has some ice hockey talent too.”

Khorozov hopes the Ice Hockey Classic will be a way of introducing more fans to the national men’s team that compete in annual IIHF World Championship events, the latest held in Auckland earlier this year. “I also hope this event will help Wellington with their ice arena project as more people will be excited to have the game in their city.”

While the rosters for the American and Canadian teams are yet to be announced, Justin Daigle believes no matter who is coming, the outdoor game at Westpac Stadium will be a special event for New Zealand sports fans, “At the end of the day, the players on the ice are secondary to the atmosphere and environment that hockey provides let alone a venue as amazing as an outdoor rink. There’s something about the outdoor games that makes it feel a little closer to the roots and origins of the sport.”

Tickets for the 2018 Ice Hockey Classic with USA v Canada are currently on sale via Ticketmaster for Auckland and Ticketek for Wellington and Queenstown.

(All NZIHL and Ice Blacks photos by Mike Froger – All other photos supplied by TEG Live.)

The pair have played a crucial part in the recent success of the Skycity Stampede in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. Their suspensions have been backdated to January 1 2017, which includes the Stampede’s third consecutive NZIHL championship win. Neither player will be available to compete again until December 31 2018.

The Frear brothers were identified in an investigation by Drug Free Sport New Zealand with Mitchell found to have purchased a 10ml bottle of clenbuterol spray in October 2014, while Lachlan had made two purchases of the same product in November 2014 and January 2015.

During that investigation, both had admitted in writing to purchasing the product but denied any use of the substance due to never receiving their orders, and claimed that neither held any intention of cheating to gain an unfair advantage.

From their decision, the Sports Tribunal have stated that Mitchell and Lachlan Frear had not researched the substance for further information, or checked with team staff and players, DFSNZ, or seek medical advice from a doctor prior to purchasing clenbuterol.

In a statement New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF) President Günther Birgel has said:

“The NZIHF strongly supports DFSNZ and is a signatory to World Anti-Doping Agency. All players who represent New Zealand sign a contract agreeing not to use illegal or body enhancing substances.

In this case both young players have been naïve in believing that the product purchased was a fat burning product only. Both young men deeply regret not having checked with relevant experts prior to their purchasing decision and have accepted the decision of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand.

This will serve as a sharp lesson for all of our athletes. From a NZIHF stance, I hope that this will be the only time that our sport is involved in this issue. This matter serves as a reminder to all participants in ice hockey in New Zealand to be vigilant when considering any such substance.”

Birgel went on to confirm that both players have committed to assisting the NZIHF in player education about making ice hockey drug free in New Zealand, along with an increased education requirement at all levels of the sport in 2018.

Stampede team manager Ross Burns told Puck Yeah that he respects the decision made by the Sports Tribunal and won’t be making any further comment on the matter.

(Main photo: Mitchell Frear playing for the Skycity Stampede / Source: Facebook)

The Livestream account that is home to this great archive is up for its annual renewal and likely won’t be renewed for 2018.

You might be wondering how such a thing could happen? Well, that account belongs to Jez Brown of Slapshot Productions – whom would typically keep that Livestream page running because it was needed for producing live game broadcasts across New Zealand. But after being unceremoniously dumped by the NZIHL and NZIHF earlier this year, Slapshot is no longer required to provide and maintain this service.

Amongst the soon-to-be-disappearing archive you’ll find the thrilling Birgel Cup championship runs by the Canterbury Red Devils and Skycity Stampede, the Skate Of Origin, plus who could forget the fantastic weekly highlight show TopShelf?

Having no online access to those games is an issue the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation should look into resolving for the sake of preserving part of our country’s history on the ice.

Whether that happens remains to be seen. In the meantime – be sure to get your fix in before next Saturday.

Main photo: Rachel van Luyt

Goalies: Daniel Lee, Aston Brookes, Csaba Kercso-Magos.

Defence: Nick Craig, Blake Jackson, Jamie Lawrence, Mitchell Frear, Ollie Hay, Stefan Helmersson, AJ Spiller, Gareth McLeish, Mason Kennedy, Remy Sandoy, Kahu Joyce, Cameron Trew, Andrew Hay.

Forwards: Matthew Schneider, Jacob Ratcliffe, Alex Polozov, Andew Cox, Paris Heyd, Chris Eaden, Nick Henderson, Dale Harrop, Callum Burns, Ryan Ruddle, Jordan Challis, Frazer Ellis, Connor Harrison, Kevin Jagau, Adam Soffer, Micheal Attwell, Taylor Rooney, Martin Lee, Tristan Darling, Jeremy Chai.

Breaking down the selections by NZIHL teams, the West Auckland Admirals have the most with twelve. While the Dunedin Thunder, Skycity Stampede, Canterbury Red Devils and Botany Swarm have four, seven, two, and seven respectively. Outside of New Zealand, the AIHL’s Perth Thunder is the playing home of Andrew Cox.

There are two notable omissions from the announcement – recent captain Bert Haines and veteran goalie Rick Parry. Since the 2017 Winter Games in Queenstown, Haines has decided to hang up the skates and focus on starting a family along with his promising business opportunities, meanwhile Parry is unavailable due to family commitments.

The Ice Blacks are looking to build upon their recent impressive outings against Australia – it’s now the job of newly promoted head coach Anatoly Khorozov to take this team and push their development further.

The traveling team will be announced on February 12 next year. With thirty-six players named today, it’s fair to say there may be a few cuts that might disappoint some, but will ultimately show what direction this Ice Blacks team is heading in under a new coach.

We reached out to Anatoly for a few questions via email.

Congratulations on becoming the new head coach for the Ice Blacks, what do you bring to the table that will help New Zealand rise higher in the international hockey ranks?

Thank you. It is with great honour and pride that I begin my new journey with the Ice Blacks as a Head coach. I guess the main thing is a continuity. Basically, we will try to build on what’s already been done starting last season rather than get new things out there.

Different hockey coaches use different systems to get the win, what would you say is ‘Anatoly hockey’?

‘Anatoly hockey’ is very simple – it’s the modern style of play that is adapted to the skill set and talent we have.

You’ve been involved with the NZ game for quite some time now, in your eyes how much has the sport of ice hockey grown in this country and what do you think can be done to increase its popularity?

True. 15 years to be exact. The level of the game has gone up big time. In regards to popularity, it’s a complex issue really. If I try to compress it into one phrase – we need more ice rinks as the first step.

What’s in store for the Ice Blacks in 2018?

Our ultimate goal is to move up a division in the IIHF rankings within two seasons. (New Zealand is currently in Division II B)

Under your tenure as head coach, what are you hoping to achieve with this team?

I’m hoping to change boys’ attitude in the first place. Historically, it has been more of ‘who can afford to go’ club rather than truly being the national team – this needs to change.

Players must understand that they need to be good enough to make it into the national team and they need to compete for that spot as only the best will make it. Once this message is received by all the players and administration, we will become a much stronger team.

In the hockey world, who are some other coaches you admire?

Quite a few to be honest. But if I had to choose a top 3… Firstly, my mentor legendary Russian coach Victor Tikhonov, the only coach who won both the Stanley Cup and Gagarin Cup, Mike Keenan, and Roger Rönnberg.

With Bert Haines retiring, do you have anyone in mind for the captaincy role with the Ice Blacks?

Sure. We have quite a few guys who are mature enough and are ready to step up into a leadership role.

Having Matthew Schneider now available to play for New Zealand, how has that strengthened this Ice Blacks side?

Matt is a huge asset for the team without a doubt. He’s a natural leader both on and off the ice and I believe he’s got a lot to bring to the table. I’m looking forward to working with Matt.

Long-time Ice Blacks goalie Rick Parry was unavailable to join the squad due to other commitments, is the starting goalie position completely up for grabs between the three goalies you announced for this squad or do you have someone in mind?

Nope. All three have a 33.33 percent chance, it’s all in their own hands so everything will come down to their attitude and fitness.

All the NZIHL teams are well represented in the Ice Blacks – do you think at this moment New Zealand ice hockey is stronger than its ever been?

We can only say if were strong enough after we accomplish our mission at the world championships and achieve our goal (of promotion). Everything else is just words if you know what I mean.

Lastly, would you like to see an annual test series with Australia?

Absolutely!

Main photo: Kate Harrison

With the beautiful Queenstown mountains looking Remarkable in the background, a chilled out silver fox enjoys his lunch. Wait a minute…is that who I think it is? Yes! That’s Bert Haines, captain of New Zealand’s national men’s hockey team (the Ice Blacks) and core piece of the current NZIHL dynasty, the Skycity Stampede.

Mainland butter must be flying off the supermarket shelves ever since this commercial started airing this week.

New Zealand dressed an impressive lineup featuring the likes of Rick Parry, Gino Heyd, and what felt like half of the NZIHL champion Skycity Stampede.

Prior to the Winter Games, Australia had won all but one of their previous 15 encounters with New Zealand. It’s too early to say that domination is over, but the series was competitive throughout. The Ice Blacks looked dominant in game 1 as they came out swinging in-front of a sold out Queenstown crowd to win 4-1. Australia took the second game, with the third going to a penalty shootout to decide the victor. The Mighty Roos went on to win the series, but a little puck luck could’ve easily seen the result go the other way.

Overall, the test series felt like a success – so the question must be asked, should this become an annual event?

Recently PUCK YEAH ran the most scientific methods of audience measurement, the Twitter poll, to see if there was an appetite for this to happen.

With easily the most votes we’ve ever received on a poll, the Yeas firmly have it with a 91% margin over the Nays.

Humble brag time: Liam Stewart, son of Rod Stewart and New Zealand’s favourite ice cream spokesperson Rachel Hunter, is right behind the cause.

Perhaps the odd few that elected no did so because they are aware of the astronomical costs that are involved with sending a hockey team to New Zealand or Australia. While that is a factor that needs to be considered, it shouldn’t stop an annual test series from becoming a reality if it was done right.

The potential to boost hockey’s profile and reach within the New Zealand and Australian markets is huge.

I work with a legendary All Black open-side flanker, not Richie McCaw, the other one. When he found out that New Zealand was playing Australia in a test series of hockey, his excitement levels went through the roof and wanted to know how he could watch it. Josh Kronfeld is a great example of your everyday New Zealander who loves sport and wants to see a NZ team beat Australia, no matter what the code might be. For the purpose of this, I’ll call them ‘casual fans’.

The casual fan might not be aware that New Zealand’s main rival in hockey is actually Mexico. But for most NZ sports fans, the natural rivalry is of course with Australia. An annual series can help strengthen the level of competition with our neighbours across the ditch while generating further public interest. Imagine the merchandising opportunities if this sport managed to capture the imagination of Kiwi fans.

Attracting the right sponsors is key to figuring out the most crucial part, the cost. Money is needed to cover flights, accomodation, advertising, the ice time, and among other things, broadcasting.

There is many ways this can be achieved – including adding sponsor logos to the jerseys and brand integration within the live broadcast. Grow the product and companies will start listening and potentially open up their wallets, but they need to be approached far in advance. I’m aware that I am making this all sound rather easy when in fact it requires many hours of hard work to make it happen, but by bringing in the right marketing and media specialists, this can be achieved.

Puck Yeah understands that the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation are looking into ways they can possibly establish the test series as an annual event, which is an encouraging sign, so I’ve come up with my own idea of how I see this playing out in a perfect world.

Firstly, there will be a big beautiful trophy to play for; consider it the Bledisloe Cup of hockey. Over time this will create history and with it, a great sporting rivalry.

Secondly, alternate between countries. In 2018 Australia would host the series, New Zealand in 2019 and so on. In doing so, the host city also needs to rotate. In New Zealand alone this Trans-Tasman series could be hosted in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, and hopefully one day, Wellington. With this rotation policy, each host city’s hockey community gets the media spotlight for one weekend; where their stories can be told and used as publicity for attracting new fans to the game. Think of it like ‘Hometown Hockey’ on Sportsnet.

Lastly, improve the visual coverage. A cheap live stream isn’t enough. If sponsorship is secured, the cost of a professional broadcast needs to be factored into the budget. A production company who can handle the outside broadcasting requirements for TV and online should be considered because casual fans are accustomed to a certain level of production value in their sports, as seen on ESPN and Sky Sports. From this you can generate more visual material for social media while also supplying highlights to local and international media. With hockey being a minority sport in this country, if you want the best media coverage, you have to serve it on a silver platter for them – they won’t chase you.

Speaking from experience, it can be tricky to get NZ media interested in hockey and the coverage is sporadic at best – which is the whole point of this website, to increase said coverage – but to see every major news website in this country mention the Ice Blacks over that weekend shows there is an interest in this series. You can credit Winter Games Media Manager George Berry for that. Amongst all his other responsibilities during the festival, he tirelessly sent out match reports/press releases, game photos, plus a little video content to the NZ media. This highlights the need for the NZIHF to have their own Media Manager to help facilitate more media opportunities and generate buzz.

Kiwis want to see their very best do well on a global stage and now the NZIHF have this unique opportunity to capitalise on the initial attention generated from the Winter Games.

So, let’s make it happen! Let’s make the Ice Blacks v Mighty Roos an annual test series. We owe it to the sport that’s given us all so much.

Photos: Kate Harrison
Video: DaysRun