Adelaide Avalanche

Adelaide Avalanche
City Thebarton, Adelaide, South Australia
League Australian Ice Hockey League
Founded 2000 (2000)
Operated 2000-2008
Home arena IceArenA
Colours

Blue, bronze, black and white

                   
Championships
Premierships 4 (2001, 2003, 2005, 2007)
AIHL Championships 2 (2000, 2001)

The Adelaide Avalanche were a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Thebarton, Adelaide, South Australia that competed in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The Avalanche was founded in 2000 as one of three inaugural members of the AIHL and played home matches at Snowdome Adelaide (now known as IceArenA). The Avalanche won multiple premiership titles and two AIHL Championships before the franchise experienced financial difficulties in 2008 and collapsed resulting in their AIHL licence being taken over by a new franchise run by Snowdome Adelaide called Adelaide A's (later to be renamed Adelaide Adrenaline).

History

Along with the Sydney Bears and Canberra Knights, the Avalanche were one of the founding members of the AIHL in 2000. They finished first out of the three teams that year and claimed the inaugural AIHL championship. In 2001, the club enjoyed the same success in winning their second consecutive title.

In 2002, the Melbourne Ice, Western Sydney Ice Dogs, and Newcastle North Stars joined the AIHL, expanding it to six teams. The Goodall Cup, Australia's top prize in ice hockey, also became part of the AIHL that year. Adelaide again finished second in the overall standings and lost to the Bears in the Goodall Cup final.

Adelaide Avalanche's old logo.

The Avalanche finished the 2003 season with their fourth straight minor premiership but lost to the Ice Dogs in the first round of a newly introduced four-team playoff system. They would lose in the semifinals again in 2004 to the North Stars in double overtime.

As two more teams—the Brisbane Blue Tongues and Central Coast Rhinos—entered the league in 2005, the Avalanche returned to dominance by finishing first overall in the regular season standings. The "curse of the minor premiers" again haunted the team. Despite winning through to the Goodall Cup final for the first time in three years, they were defeated 3–1 by the North Stars in that game.

The Avalanche have retooled for 2006 in the quest for their first-ever Goodall Cup, with their current roster boasting Mighty Roos players Greg Oddy and brothers Ben & Luke Thilthorpe. They finished second after the regular season and hosted the finals series, beating the Ice Dogs 5–2 to reach the final but losing the final 0-4 to the North Stars.

Members of the Adelaide Avalanche were featured on episode 11 of Network Ten's Cyber Shack TV on 10 October 2006. Both David Huxley and Brad Wanchulak played and reviewed the new NHL 2K6 on Xbox 360.

The Avalanche came into financial difficulties in 2008, and after being able to host several game at the start of the season, could not meet its road commitments, forcing the team to withdraw from the remainder of the season on 17 June. The team's players were transferred to the newly formed Adelaide A's, who in a deal with the AIHL was allowed to play the remainder of the Avalanche's season.

Season-by-season record

Champions Runners-up Third Place
Adelaide Avalanche all-time record
Season Regular season Finals weekend Top points scorer
P W T L SW SL GF GA GD Pts Finish P W L GF GA Result Semi-final AIHL final Name Points
2000Information not available11065Champions–Won 6-5 (SO) (Bears)Australia John Oddy34
2001161510––12060+60311st110107Champions–Won 10-7 (Bears)Canada Paul Lawson38
2002201307––12067+53262nd10147Runners-up–Lost 4-7 (Bears)Australia Greg Oddy39
2003[lower-alpha 1]7700––4316+27141st[lower-alpha 2]202514Fourth[lower-alpha 3]Lost 1-4 (Ice Dogs)–Australia Greg Oddy47
200420719116468-4294th10123Semi-finalistLost 2-3 (2OT) (North Stars)–Australia Greg Oddy30
20052619140213377+56601st21176Runners-upWon 6-3 (Bears)Lost 1-3 (North Stars)Canada Darcy Corcoran47
20062819–90013484+50572nd21156Runners-upWon 5-2 (Ice Dogs)Lost 0-4 (North Stars)Canada Brad Wanchulak53
20072817–71312499+25561st10114Semi-finalistLost 1-4 (Bears)–Australia Greg Oddy43
200815[lower-alpha 4]3–8223253-2115DNF–Sweden Peter Lindgren29[lower-alpha 5]

Notes:

  1. ↑ 2003 AIHL season statistics are incomplete. No one source has all the information and the AIHL has not published official statistics on www.theaihl.com.
  2. ↑ Based on the most complete information available, the Avalanche finished the 2003 season in first place and qualified for the first four team finals weekend.
  3. ↑ 2003 was the one and only season where a third place play-off was contested as part of the finals format for the AIHL. The Sydney Bears defeated the Adelaide Avalanche 10-5 in the third place play-off so the Avalanche finished fourth.
  4. ↑ Only completed 15 of the 28 matches in the 2008 season before withdrawing and forfeiting two games. All points, players and fixtured were transferred to the Adelaide A's when the licence was transferred.
  5. ↑ top point scorer over entire season including matches for both the Avalanche and Adelaide A's.

Notes References: [1] [2]

Championships

  • AIHL Championships (2000–01)1
Champions (2): 2000, 2001
Runners-Up (0):
Champions (0):
Runners-Up (3): 2002, 2005, 2006
Premiers (4): 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007
Runners-Up (2): 2002, 2006
1 The first two season's of the AIHL did not have the Goodall Cup as the Championship prize. The Adelaide Avalanche is the only AIHL team to win the AIHL and not be crowned Goodall Cup Champions.
2 This list also includes Premierships won prior to the first trophy (VIP Cup) for Premiers came into existence in 2004.

Notable former players

References

  1. ↑ "Championnat d'Australie 2003 (French)". www.hockeyarchives.info. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
  2. ↑ "AIHL History". www.hockeywise.com.au. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
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