2000 AIHL season

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2000 AIHL season
LeagueAustralian Ice Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Regular season
PremiersSydney Bears (1st title)
Top scorerPaul Lawson (Avalanche)
Championship final
ChampionsAdelaide Avalanche
  Runners-upSydney Bears
AIHL seasons
2001 →

The 2000 AIHL season was the inaugural season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), the first semi-pro national ice hockey league in Australian history. The Sydney Bears finished first after the regular season but lost the championship final to the Adelaide Avalanche 5–6 in a shootout. Paul Lawson of the Adelaide Avalanche top scored in the regular season.

Regular season[edit]

The maiden regular season featured all three founding teams, Adelaide Avalanche, Canberra Knights and the Sydney Bears, playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams at the conclusion of the regular season would qualify to play a single head-to-head final.[1]

Team GP W T L GF GA GDF PTS
Sydney Bears Statistical information unavailable
Adelaide Avalanche Statistical information unavailable
Canberra Knights Statistical information unavailable
Qualified for championship final Premiership winners

Final[edit]

Following the regular season the Avalanche and the Bears competed in the single game final held at Macquarie Ice Rink. Adelaide won the game 6–5 in a shootout after coming from two goals behind late in the third period to level the match in regulation time. The Bears controlled the match in the first two periods before a controversial five minute major penalty late in the game to the Bears saw Adelaide pull goaltender Eric Lien and score two power play goals.[2]

Adelaide Avalanche6 – 5 (SO)Sydney BearsMacquarie Ice Rink
Game reference

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History/Trophies/Awards". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Adelaide Avalanche: The Franchise that changed Australian hockey forever". Adelaide Adrenaline. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2019.