Melbourne to host 2013 AIHL finals

Melbourne to host 2013 AIHL finals

By Robert Bremner

Melbourne has been chosen as the host of the 2013 Australian Ice Hockey League finals series.

The finals will be played out on September 7 and 8.  The top four teams at the completion of the season will progress to the finals.

The first day will be the semi finals. The team that finishes top of the ladder will play the fourth-ranked side whilst second and third will also do battle. The winner of each match will play off in the grand final the next day for the Goddall Cup. The Melbourne Ice is the current reigning champion.

Heading into July and there is a surprise at the top of the ladder. Melbourne Ice is currently sitting third on the league table behind last year’s finalists Newcastle and the surprise packed of the season, the Sydney Ice Dogs. The Mustangs sit in fourth spot – a vast improvement on their second last in 2012.

The Mustangs have improved out of sight this season and this was evident in their recent clash against rivals Melbourne Ice. The match was tight from start to finish and the Mustangs were gallant against the Ice going down 2-1 in a very tight and defensive match. It was a vast improvement on their other matches against the Ice.

Ice were almost unbeatable last year but have dropped matches to both the North Stars and the Ice Dogs in recent weeks. They haven’t dominated the league the way they did in previous seasons that brought them three premierships in a row and have struggled against the improving teams in New South Wales. Ice are yet to beat either of these two sides this season which is a problem they must rectify before the finals.

With both Melbourne teams currently in the top four, there is a real possibility that we will see an all Melbourne grand final this year.

Information surrounding tickets to the finals series will be released in the next month.

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