Melbourne Mustangs

Melbourne Mustangs
2018 AIHL season
City Melbourne, Victoria
League Australian Ice Hockey League
Founded 2010
Operated 2010-Current
Home arena O'Brien Group Arena
Colours               
Owner(s) Australia John Belic
Australia Andrew McDowell
General manager Canada Rod Johns
Head coach Canada Maxime Langelier-Parent
Website mustangs.theaihl.com
Franchise history
2010–2012 Mustangs IHC
2012–present Melbourne Mustangs
Championships
Regular season titles 1 (2014)
Goodall Cups 1 (2014)

The Melbourne Mustangs are a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They are members of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team plays its home games at the O'Brien Group Arena, located in the suburb of Docklands. The Mustangs' were founded in 2010 as the Mustangs IHC and joined the AIHL the following season. They changed their name to the Melbourne Mustangs in 2012 after a licence condition had been lifted by the league. The Mustangs' best result in the regular season was the 2014 season where they finished in first place and claimed the H Newman Reid Trophy. They next made the finals in 2017, losing to the Melbourne Ice in the semi finals.

History

The Mustangs IHC were founded in 2010.[1] During the 2010 AIHL season the Mustangs competed in six exhibition games against ice hockey teams around Australia, including games against the Gold Coast Blue Tongues, the Gold Coast Grizzlys, and Perth Thunder.[2][3] Following the closure of the 2010 season the AIHL granted a licence to the Mustangs to join the league and compete in the 2011 AIHL season.[4] Steve Laforet was named coach and Shane Hardy team captain for the 2011 season. Some big names on the inaugural team include the Belic brothers and Michael McDowell, with Nick Trusewicz a surprise cut. However, on 23 June, it was announced that Laforet had resigned for "personal reasons" and assistant coach, Doug Stevenson would take over the head coach role.[5]

The Mustangs lost their first game in the AIHL 4–8 against the Melbourne Ice. The game was the season opener and was played at the home stadium of both teams in Docklands, Victoria.[6] The team finished sixth after the regular season, ahead of the Canberra Knights and the Sydney Bears.[7]

For the start of the 2012 AIHL season the Mustangs changed their name to the Melbourne Mustangs after the AIHL lifted a condition that prohibited the use of "Melbourne" in their team name. The restriction was originally put in place to protect the brand of the Melbourne Ice. .[8][9] Also the club announced that Bill Wilkinson would be their head coach. Midway through the season though Wilkinson was fired as head coach and replaced by former head coach Steve Laforet. In December 2012 the club announced that they had appointed Brad Vigon as head coach, replacing Steve Laforet who had been fired at the end of the 2012 season.[10][11] The club also revealed their new logo for the start of the 2013 season featuring a redesigned mustang horse, holding an ice hockey stick.[12]

The Mustangs finished the 2014 AIHL season in first place, then went on to win the Goodall Cup, defeating the Melbourne Ice 6-1 in the final.[13]

Coach Brad Vigon stepped down at the end of 2015, with his assistant Michael Flaherty taking over as head coach for 2016. Maxime Langelier-Parent took over head coaching duties in 2018.

Season-by-season results

Champions Runners-up Third Place
Melbourne Mustangs 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 Goodall Cup final Name Points
2011288–1721107132-25296th–Canada Scott Corbett43
2012245–161254107-53195th, Easton–Canada Jake Ebner17
20132812–1042118103+15465th–United States Patrick O'Kane51
20142817–8–310888+20541st22–125ChampionWon 6-4 (Ice Dogs)Won 6-1 (Ice)United States Patrick O'Kane44
20152811–1232139105+34416th–United States Patrick O'Kane48
20162811–152–89102-13375th–Australia Jamie Bourke32
20172811–1223104113-9404th1–124Semi-finalistLost 2-4 (Ice)–Australia Jamie Bourke47
20182812–122210697+9424th1–115Semi-finalistLost 1-5 (Brave)–United Kingdom Benjamin Davies42

Championships

Champions (1): 2014
Premiers (1): 2014

Players

Current roster

Team roster for the 2018 AIHL season[14][15]

2018 AIHL Melbourne Mustangs Roster
#NatNamePosS/GAgeAcquiredBirthplace
49AustraliaMatthew AndersonFR272018
85AustraliaStephen BelicDR312011Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
23AustraliaJamie Bourke (A)FR272013Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
21New ZealandBradley AppsRW/LWR232018Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom
10AustraliaGavin BirchlerFL192017Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
19AustraliaDamian BrightDR302011Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
5United KingdomBen DaviesCR272018Cardiff, Wales
8AustraliaAndrew ErzenFL292018Australia
18CanadaBrett FergusonLWL282018Vibank, Saskatchewan, Canada
22AustraliaLuke FisherFL292016
24AustraliaMitchell HumphriesFR252017Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
51AustraliaSean JonesFL332011Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
55New ZealandKahu JoyceDL242018Christchurch, New Zealand
52LatviaŅikita KolesņikovsDL252018Jelgava, Latvia
77AustraliaPaul LazzarottoF242017Australia
15AustraliaJackson McCoyDR282011Townsville, Queensland, Australia
29AustraliaBrendan McDowell (A)C/LWL262012Australia
2AustraliaMichael McDowellDR292011Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
25AustraliaMichael McMahon (C)DL242016Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
31AustraliaNicholas NovysedlakGL232017Queensland, Australia
89United StatesPatrick O'KaneFL292013Hollis, New Hampshire, United States
54FinlandPetri PitkänenGL272018Jyväskylä, Finland
16AustraliaTroy RobertsonDR282017Australia
11AustraliaMatt StringerFR252011Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
35AustraliaAleksi ToivonenGL222018Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
13AustraliaVadim VirjassovFL312015Kohtla-Järve, Estonia

Former players

Club staff

Current as of 08 May 2018 [16]

2018 AIHL Melbourne Mustangs Staff
Position Name
Head Coach Canada Maxime Langelier-Parent
Assistant Coach Australia Jon Moses
Assistant Coach Australia Damian Holland
Team Manager Australia Mick Burslem
Equipment Manager Australia Daniel Hall
Strength & Conditioning Coach Australia Keira Dunwoody
Physiotherapist Australia Michael Killip
Doctor Australia Dr Cherry Lau
Hockey Operations Coordinator Australia Andrew McDowell
Hockey Operations Administration Australia Wendy Jones

Leaders

Team captains

The first team Captain for the Melbourne Mustangs was Shane Hardy, his Alternate Captains were Scott Corbett and Stephen Belic.[17]

Year Captain Alt Captain One Alt Captain Two
2011 Australia Shane Hardy Canada Scott CorbettAustralia Stephen Belic
2012 Australia Shane Hardy Canada Scott LevittAustralia Christopher James
2013 Australia Sean Jones Australia Brendan McDowellAustralia Andrew Belic
2014 Australia Sean Jones Australia Brendan McDowellUnited States Patrick O'Kane
2015 Australia Sean Jones Australia Brendan McDowellUnited States Patrick O'Kane
2016 United States Patrick O'Kane Australia Sean JonesAustralia Jamie Bourke
2017 Australia Michael McMahon Australia Jamie BourkeAustralia Brendan McDowell
2018 Australia Michael McMahon Australia Jamie BourkeAustralia Brendan McDowell

Head coaches

The first Head Coach for the Melbourne Mustangs was Steve Laforet.[18]

# Manager From To
1 AustraliaCanada Steve Laforet 20112012
2 AustraliaUnited States Brad Vigon 20132015
3 Australia Michael Flaherty 20162017
4 Canada Maxime Langelier-Parent 2018Current

Franchise player records

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten-point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed AIHL regular season.[19]

# Player Seasons Pos GP G A Pts PIM
1Australia Jamie Bourke2011, 2013-18F143113111224590
2United States Patrick O'Kane2013-18RW13910410420864
3Australia Brendan McDowell2012-18C/LW150536712072
4Australia Sean Jones2011-18F137375289137
5Estonia Vadim Virjassov2012-13, 2015-18F111404585103
6Australia Joseph Hughes2014-15RW45393170135
7Sweden Viktor Gibbs Sjödin2014-15D/F47244569105
8United States Jack Wolgemuth2013-14D51204767125
9Australia Andrew Belic2011-17F161243357150
10United States Jeff Grant2014-15F479465534

All-time most appearances

These are the top-ten all-time players who have made the most appearances in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed AIHL regular season.[20]

# Player Seasons Pos RS GP PS GP
1Australia Matt Stringer2011-18C1693
2Australia Andrew Belic2011-17F1613
3Australia Brendan McDowell2012-18C/LW1503
4Australia Jamie Bourke2011, 2013-18F1433
5United States Patrick O'Kane2013-18RW1392
6Australia Sean Jones2011-18F1373
7Australia Jackson McCoy2011-13, 2015-18D/F1171
8Australia Damian Bright2011-18D1163
9Estonia Vadim Virjassov2012-13, 2015-18F1111
10Australia Stephen Belic2011-18D1072

Broadcasting

TV:
Fox Sports (2013-present) - Part of the entire AIHL TV deal with Fox Sports to show one game a round, normally on Thursday's at 4:30 pm or after NHL games during NHL season.[21]
Online video streaming:
ATC Productions (2017 - Current) - Since 2017 the Melbourne Mustangs have live streamed home matches in Melbourne on the YouTube platform through ATC Productions. The broadcast is called "AIHL TV" and is a partnership between ATC Productions, the AIHL, Melbourne Mustangs and Melbourne Ice. All matches are also available on-demand.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Mustangs v Melbourne Ice". Victorian Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  2. ↑ "Blue Tongues Playing For 2011". Southern Stars Ice Hockey. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Melbourne Mustangs News". Melbourne Musttangs. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  4. ↑ "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  5. ↑ "Team Profile". Melbourne Mustangs. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  6. ↑ "2011 AIHL Regular Season". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
  7. ↑ "2011 Regular Season Standings". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  8. ↑ Hewitt, Andrew. "Changes aplenty at AIHL AGM". Hewitt Sports Network. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  9. ↑ "2012 Regular Season Standings". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2012-04-14.
  10. ↑ "New Coach for Mustangs". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  11. ↑ "Laforet and Mustangs sever ties". Hewitt Sports Network. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
  12. ↑ Jones, Hamish (2013-02-07). "Mustangs New Logo". Australian Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  13. ↑ "Ruthless Mustangs snatch maiden Goodall Cup". Australian Ice Hockey League.
  14. ↑ "Melbourne Mustangs 2017-18 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  15. ↑ "Melbourne Mustangs Roster". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  16. ↑ "Melbourne Mustangs Off-Ice Team". mustangs.theaihl.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  17. ↑ "AJIHL Rosters Finalised". Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Mustangs Ice Hockey". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "Melbourne Mustangs All-time Top Points Scorers". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  20. ↑ "Franchise All-time Stats - GP - Melbourne Mustangs". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  21. ↑ Brodie, Will (2013-04-17). "Ice hockey gets pay TV boost". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  22. ↑ "AIHL TV". Australia Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
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