1974 - C-Pool in Grenoble (France)

The "comeback" came in the 1974 C Pool World Championship in Grenoble. This time the Australians relied heavily on their Canadian defenseman Charles Grandy and the acrobatic Swedish goalie Anders (Andy) Wiking, who played for Djurgården as a junior. He moved to Australia in the late 1960s and eventually played there until 1983. Wiking and Grandy were a major reason that Australia beat North Korea 4 – 1, however they lost their other six games. Other players of note were two Czech-born players on the squad, 25-year old Michal ‘Mike’ Kriz and 23-year old Peter Vlacicky.

1979 - C-Pool in Barcelona (Spain)

Five years later, Australia participated in the 1979 C-Pool World Championship in Barcelona, where they finished last, gaining only one point in the tournament, a fight-filled 0 – 0 game against South Korea. This time the team revolved around goalie Barry Harkin and Canadian Mike Pierce (2 + 2 = 4 in 7 games) as well as the bearded 39-year old defenseman, Charles Grandy. Another solid player was the 29-year old defenseman, Trevor Gardner. Guy Grant had 3 points (2 + 1) in 7 games and Chris Spike 3 points (0 + 3) in 7 games making them the highest point getters on the team, together with Pierce.

1986 - C-Pool in Puigcerda (Spain)

The Australians didn't participate internationally again until 1986, at the C-Pool World Championship in Puigcerda, a winter resort in the nothern parts of Spain. In 1980, Australia had appointed its first ever National Coaching Director and, to encourage greater participation among young Australians, an amateur system similar in structure to the Canadian system was installed. By the mid-80s, only five foreigners were allowed on each team, in order to better develop Australian players. Once again Australia finished last, but they had improved a lot, especially at their own end. They lost 4 – 5 in a close game against Bulgaria and shot their only point in a intense 2 – 2 tie against North Korea. In the battle for last place they lost 7 – 9 to South Korea. It was in this tournament that Australia's best player in many years made his debut. 18-year-old goalie Damian Holland from Adelaide (born England) was spectacular between the pipes. In fact, he was so promising that he was invited to Toronto for a goalie camp, and wound up playing college hockey in the USA for several years. Another player who did well was the 20-year-old defenseman Howie Jones from Sydney, who was voted best player of the Australian team. Australia had two good young talented players in Holland and Jones and they were to become the backbone of the National team for years to come.

1987 - 1st International Ice Hockey Medal, Perth

In 1987, the first ever D-Pool World Championship was held in Perth, Western Australia. Four teams participated: Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Hong Kong. The Australians cleaned the house scoring a whopping 177 goals in six games. New-comers New Zealand were trashed 58-0. In the return game, New Zealand managed to cut the goals against by half, "only" yielding 29 goals (0-29) to the Australians. Australia also smashed Hong Kong 37-0 and 42-0. Only the South Koreans gave a solid effort, losing 2-7 and getting a 4-4 tie. In the 4-4 game, the South Koreans played like lumberjacks, using their sticks extensively. Thirty-two year old veteran, Sandy Gardner, was the best scorer on the Australian team, taking 23 goals from six games. Gardner was easily the most experienced, having been on the National Team since 1974.  Roland Nilsson, a Swede, was also a member of the team. He once played for Malmö in the Swedish first division. The best scorers on the Australian team were: Scott Davidson 42 points (21 + 21), Charles Cooper 42 points (18 + 24), Sandy Gardner 41 points (23 + 18), John Botterill 38 points (15+23), David Emblem 33 points (15 + 18), Guy Grant 31 points (16+15) and Czech-born Vladimir Mihal 31 points (14 + 17). All that in only 6 games. Goalie Emanuel Hadjigeorgiou was voted as the best goalie of the tournament.

1989 - C-Pool in Sydney

In 1989, Australia hosted the C-Pool World Championship in Sydney but still finished last among the eight teams, losing all eight games, some of them pretty close. Australia's best player, goalie Damian Holland, was out playing college hockey for Michigan in the USA. The problem for Australian was that their season began in April and, since this was played in March, they weren't in proper game shape. Most games were played at Macquarie Ice Arena, about 12 miles (19 km) north-west of Sydney. Some were played in Blacktown International Arena, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Sydney. The Blacktown Arena was in such bad shape that some of the games had to be rescheduled to Macquarie. Blacktown didn't have any plexiglass, the ice was in poor condition and it was extremely hot in the arena. Other than that, the tournament was a success, from both a financial and PR-related viewpoint. Some of the games were sold out, with 3,500 vocal fans in the stands.

1990s On

Among notable achievements in the 1990s was the 7th-place finish in the 1993 C-Pool tournament held in Slovenia. Australia had 17-year old goalie Jason Eliott, born in the North Western Territories (Inuvik), just outside Alaska. Eliott was drafted one year later by Detroit (205th overall), playing for Cornell (same club as legendary Ken Dryden). Eliott and Holland were two very capable goalies. In 1995, Eliott was stuck in New York with a lost passport and missed the 1995 C-Pool tournament held in South Africa. Holland stepped in and was the best goalie of the tournament. Due to Eliott’s passport problems, Australia only had one goalie available and David Mann, a defenseman had to be in goal for one game against Belgium. He fought bravely and yielded 10 goals.

In 2007, Australia played in Division II Group B, finishing second, narrowly missing promotion by losing 4 – 5 to Korea, who earned it instead. Only Joseph “Joey” Hughes (2 + 3) and Greg Oddy (1 + 4) were able to break the Korean dominance amongst the top 10 point getters in the tournament. American College player Joey Hughes was the only player who played his club hockey outside of Australia. He had previously played in Canada as a junior (BCJHL). The team was coached by former NHLer Steve McKenna who had played in Australia for one season during the lockout season in 2004-05. McKenna managed to get good results from his players who ranged from 18-year old Todd Stephenson, to 39-year old veteran, New York-born Murray Wand. 2007 saw Australia without veteran stalwart Glenn Foll, a Canadian-born player who set the World record for most appearances in IIHF World Championships with 16, and also the record for most times wearing “C” (15 times).

Australia's participation in Olympic and International ice hockey produced its first medal in 1987, 80 years after Reid established the first rinks and almost a quarter of a century after Kennedy had first argued that overseas trips were necessary for Australia to reach world standard. Australia won IIHF Pool D gold that year and the record for the highest ever score in a World Championship match against Team New Zealand — 58 – 0 at Perth on March 15th, 1987. [43]

Over the 20 years since, Australia won a further 10 World Championship medals: Pool D silver in 1990 and 1998; Pool C bronze in 1992; Pool D bronze in 1999 and 2000; Division II (Group A) bronze in 2001 and 2004; and silver 2005 – 07. Although Australia was yet to achieve Division I World Championship standard, it was closer than ever before, as Meltzer noted at the time:

'Ice Hockey Australia hopes a day comes when the AIHL is also a choice off-season destination for foreign pros on the rise — much like fall and winter league baseball in the US and Latin America — as well as a breeding ground for an Australian national team solidly entrenched in the IIHF's Division One level.' [55]


2008 Division IIB Gold, Newcastle, Australia.

At the 2008 Division II World Championship, the Mighty Roos were represented by four Penrith Bears players, the defending Goodall Cup champions of the AIHL: veteran defenseman Tyler Lovering, and forwards Vladimir Rubes, Murray Wand and Adrian Esposito.  Among the other AIHL clubs, the Australian team featured six players from the West Sydney Ice Dogs, five from Adelaide, four from Newcastle, four from the Melbourne Ice, two from the Gold Coast (formerly Brisbane Blue Tongues) and one (offensive defenseman Aaron Clayworth) from the Canberra Knights. A handful of players on the Mighty Roos and AIHL were born in Canada or other elite hockey countries, but they either hold dual citizenship or have become naturalized Australian citizens. Lovering, for instance, originally hails from Canada, while the Czech-born Rubes formerly played at the Czech Division I level, and in North America for the Memphis River Kings.

NHL, international experience pays off. Since 2001, Australia has competed in the IIHF World Championship Division II. The Aussie program achieved a substantial breakthrough two years ago when the Australian Ice Hockey Association recruited former NHL player Steve McKenna to coach the Mighty Roos. McKenna, who played for Adelaide during the 2004-05 lockout in the NHL and has played professionally in four different continents, has played for a variety of coaches and under a diverse array of systems. At age 34, he is still young enough to identify with the players under his auspices but experienced enough as a player to command instant respect and credibility. Last year, at the 2007 World Championship Division II Group B in South Korea, the Mighty Roos narrowly missed promotion, losing only to the host nation.  This time around, with the tournament moving to Newcastle’s Hunter Ice Skating Stadium (HISS), the Aussies were the country with a distinct home ice advantage.

In Australia’s opening match, the Mighty Roos easily defeated Mexico, 7 – 1. Goaltender Matthew Ezzy (Newcastle North Stars) faced only 13 shots, while the Roos generated 48 of their own. Adelaide Avalance forward Greg Oddy scored a hat trick while Lliam Webster of the Melbourne Ice tallied a goal and three assists. Two nights later, the Australians faced much stiffer competition from Spain. Rubes got the Mighty Roos off to a leaping start with an early powerplay goal, but the Spaniards battled back to tie the game late in the first period and then takes leads of 1 – 2 and 2 – 3 in the middle period. In the final period, Australia rallied for 19 shots and three unanswered goals, as Michael Gough (Gold Coast) re-tied the game early and Webster scored a pair of powerplay goals to seal a 5 – 3 win. Ezzy turned back 18 of 21 shots for the win. Next up for the Aussies was a familiar foe, New Zealand. In hockey, the rivalry has typically favoured Australia by a substantial margin. The Kiwis’ Ice Blacks team won last year’s IIHF World Championship Divison III in Dundalk, Ireland, but finished last in Newcastle this year. The Roos dominated much of the territorial play, outshooting the Ice Blacks by a 47 – 18 margin, but the game was tied 2 – 2 on the scoreboard heading into the final period. Gough scored a powerplay goal early in the third period and Lovering added valuable insurance two minutes later to provide the final 4 – 1 margin of victory.

The Mighty Roos took on Iceland in the penultimate match, shutting out the Icelanders by a 3 – 0 mark. Ezzy was busy in goal, facing 33 shots (including 27 in the final 40 minutes of the game), but had the answers every time. Oddy gave Australia the offensive production it needed with goals in the first and second period and defender Aaron Clayworth (Canberra Knights) added a third goal in the match’s final minute. All that stood between Australia and a promotion to Division I was a victory over fellow undefeated squad, China, in the tournament’s final match at HISS. A crowd of 875 fans gathered at the small rink, which was upgraded to a maximum capacity of about 1,000 spectators for the tournament. There was no doubt which team they came out to support.

The game remained scoreless until Webster tallied midway through the first period. It would be the only one of the Roos’ 32 shots to elude to Chinese goaltender Yang Yu. But Ezzy made the skinny lead hold up, stopping all 36 shots he faced. The Chinese got frustrated late in the game, taking three penalties in the game’s final nine minutes and hurting their chances for a comeback. Australian captain Anthony Wilson (West Sydney Ice Dogs) and his teammates celebrated the biggest victory in the country’s hockey history as the crowd at HISS stomped and chanted. Oddy, who finished with five goals and 12 points, was named Best Forward, while Ezzy was an easy selection as Best Goaltender after posting two shutouts and allowed just four goals in his four starts [Bill Melzer].

From Melbourne Ice: Stuart Denman, Joseph Hughes, Lliam Webster, Brad Vigon and Thomas Powell. From West Sydney: Anthony Wilson (Captain), Chris Sekura (Asst. Captain), Andrew White, Brett Thomas, Scott Stephenson. From Sydney: Murray Wand, Adrian Esposito, Tyler Lovering, Vladimir Rubes. From Newcastle: Casey Minson, Robert Starke, Matthew Ezzy. From Adelaide: Greg Oddy (Asst. Captain), Joshua Harding, Olivier Martin. From Canberra: Aaron Clayworth. From Brisbane: Mark Rummukanen, Michael Gough. Head coach: Steve McKenna (ex NHL); Assistant coach: Robert Knesaurek; Team Leader: Kevin Brown; Team Manager: Ross Noga; Medic and Physio: Fred Stevenson; Equipment Manager: Ray Sheffield.

Australian Men's ice hockey is ranked 33rd in the world and finished in 30th place in 2008. The next team will compete with the elite Division I Group A ice hockey nations of the world at Vilnius, Lithuania, April 11-17, 2009, against Slovenia (15), Kazakhstan (19), Japan (22), Lithuania (23) and Croatia (26). From there, Australia can work on earning promotion to the World Championship group comprised of the top sixteen hockey nations in the world.