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HELLYER LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	PTS
Ice	4	4	0	12
Thunder	6	4	2	12
Bears	4	3	1	9
Mustangs	2	1	1	3
Ice Dogs	5	1	4	3

RURAK LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	OTW	OTL	PTS
Northstars	4	3	0	1	0	11
Lightning	6	3	3	0	0	9
Adrenaline	3	1	1	0	1	4
Brave	6	1	5	0	0	3
Rhinos	4	0	4	0	0	0

SCORING LEADERS

Jeremiah
Addison (PER)

Player	Points
Aiden Wagner (NNS)	18
Wehebe Darge (NNS)	15
francis Drolet (NNS)	15
Zane Jones (PER)	13

GOALIE LEADERS

N Novysedlak (BRE)

1.000

Goalie	SV%
Rhys Pelliccione (PER)	.950
Tatsunoshin Ishida (MIC)	.933
Leo Bertein (PER)	.905
Charles Smart (NNS)	.903

Youth the future for the Ice Dogs

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - Submitted by Tina Girdler

The Sydney Ice Dogs came into this season with many in the AIHL world wondering about the club’s ability to rebuild after losing key players in the off-season.

The loss of veteran players meant the Ice Dogs have had to fast-track the development of inexperienced rookies, many of whom have played AJIHL but had yet to play AIHL.

During the off-season, club president Bryan Musgrave took to the Ice Dogs’ Facebook page to explain the shift.

“These departures have allowed us to get back to how our Club was established; by developing young Australian talent with a balance of imports to the team,” Musgrave wrote on Facebook. “This worked well for us in the past. In our [second] year of joining the AIHL our team made the semi-finals (2003) and in our [third] season we won the Cup (2004).”

“We are confident that we have a great mix of players who will continue to grow and develop throughout the season.”

Although it’s not a strategy for success in the short-term but is something that will allow the team to grow together, as the average age of the team dropped for just under 27 to 22. Adding in experienced imports to impart their wisdom on the team, it is clear the side has their eyes set on the future.

After 10 straight losses to start the season so far, young Ice Dogs squad still has a long way to go. However, positive signs are there for the squad, being competitive in their last few games against the Brave and Adrenaline as they work towards that elusive first win.

Ice Dogs veteran and assistant captain Shannon McGregor has experienced the highs of the Sydney team’s 2013 championship win and views current struggles as rebuilding for a stronger future.

“I think rebuilding with a lot of young guys is good,” McGregor said. “It will give us a solid foundation for the future to build upon. These young guys are not just an overnight solution; it’s for the long run, which is what we want.”

“Trying to rebuild, especially with new coaches as well, it has been frustrating at times. But the boys are starting to come together and good things are starting to happen. It's just going to take a lot of hard work and some patience.”

The Sydney Ice Dogs scored a league leading 116 goals in 2014 with Simon Barg leading the AIHL in points with Dave Dunwoodie and John Clewlow not far behind. The loss of nine of the team’s top ten point producers means their offensive production was bound to drop.

Ice Dogs coach Anders Jespersen said the team is young but learning, describing it as better to face adversity now than later in the year.

“For a lot of the players, it’s their first season,” Jespersen said. “It’s tough. But we need to play as a team, not focus on point production. Keep disciplined on the ice and play our system. I expect all players to give a 100% effort and focus on doing the little things right.”

With high young local talent on the ice in practice and scrimmages, the competitive level has grown. That's something that hasn't been lost on those who already have time at the AIHL level and know what it takes to make it there.

Perth Thunder coach Dave Kenway saw positives on the ice when his team faced the western Sydney side a few weeks ago.

“[Ice Dogs] are doing well,” Kenway said. “They’re a young team with a lot of young players coming through and they lost a lot of experience out of their club. Just keep going, they’re doing the best they can and their goalkeeper is outstanding. Their win will come; they’re playing a good game of hockey.”

Jespersen identifies positives in the games played and a brighter future after the rough start.

“We feel it’s coming,” Jespersen said. “We’ve got a great goalie in [Matthew] Grogan, guys are starting to take higher quality shots and trying to get to the net a little more.”

After rookie backup goalie Jake Burgess’ performance on Saturday night in Canberra, he impressed plenty of people and is being touted as the future long-term netminder of the side. In his first AIHL start, he faced 42 shots from 38 attempts from the likes of Stephen Blunden, Scott Pitt and David Dunwoodie.

Although the Ice Dogs may not have won a regular season game in 2015, all eyes are on the future as the rebuild continues.

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