The Australian Ice Hockey League’s latest addition, the Mustangs, tagged league heavyweights Adelaide Adrenaline not once but twice last weekend on home ice at Melbourne’s Medibank Icehouse.
The Mustangs were formed on the premise that Victoria’s youth weren’t getting enough opportunities with a single AIHL team, the Melbourne Ice.
It’s a question often chewed over by sports administrators, of whether it’s better to provide more opportunity to upcoming players at the expense of quality, or to set a high standard at the expense of opportunity.
The very significant proportion of under-18 players on the Mustangs can give punters the impression that the Mustangs are under-cooked. Last weekend’s results were a pretty damned good reason to think again.
The author was one such doubter, thinking the Mustangs mostly like to finish the season in 6th or 7th place in a field of 8 teams, with positions 5 or 8 also possibilities. He may need to revise that judgement to a couple of places north.
Sure, the Adrenaline still don’t have their complete side, and have some players in recovery or injured, but they’re probably at 80 to 90 percent strength, not 50.
Following their 5-2 and 5-3 wins over last year’s finalists, the Mustangs have to be considered for a top-four finish and a crack at the 2011 finals in their debut season.
‘One swallow does not a summer make’ is certainly true in the AIHL, where early season results can vary wildly, but after wins versus the Bears and Adrenaline, and the third-best win percentage in the league, all teams must take them seriously.
Melbourne’s original team, the Ice, and a newly-deep Newcastle North Stars are both undefeated so far this season, but under them there are six places wide open. The Mustangs, though, are chiselling out a foothold in third.
All AIHL teams should take heed – underestimate these kids at your own peril!
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