2005 AIHL season#Semi-finals

{{Infobox sports season

| title = 2005 AIHL season

| league = Australian Ice Hockey League

| sport = Ice hockey

| color = black

| color_text = white

| duration = 16 April 2005 – 4 September 2005

| season = Regular season

| season_champ_name = V.I.P. Cup

| season_champs = Adelaide Avalanche (3rd title)

| MVP =

| MVP_link =

| top_scorer = Francis Walker (54 points)
(North Stars)

| top_scorer_link =

| finals = Goodall Cup

| finals_link = Goodall Cup

| finals_champ = Newcastle North Stars

| finals_runner-up = Adelaide Avalanche

| finals_MVP =

| finals_MVP_link =

| nextseason_year = 2006

| prevseason_year = 2004

| seasonslistnames = AIHL

}}

The 2005 AIHL season was the sixth season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). It ran from 16 April 2005 until 28 August 2005, with the Goodall Cup finals following on 3 and 4 September 2005. The Adelaide Avalanche won the V.I.P. Cup after finishing the regular season first in the league standings. The Newcastle North Stars won the Goodall Cup for the second time by defeating the Adelaide Avalanche in the final.

Regular season

The regular season began on 16 April 2005 and ran through to 28 August 2005 before the top four teams advanced to compete in the Goodall Cup playoff series.{{cite web | url = https://theaihl.com/leagues/print_schedule.cfm?leagueID=11464&clientID=3856&teamID=0&mixed=1 | title = 2005 AIHL Schedule | publisher=theaihl.com | accessdate = 25 September 2018 }}

= Standings =

width=165\|Team !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|GP\|Games played}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|W\|Wins}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|T\|Ties}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|OTW\|Overtime wins}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|OTL\|Overtime losses}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|L\|Losses}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|GF\|Goals for}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|GA\|Goals against}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|GDF\|Goal difference}} !width=40\|{{Tooltip\|PTS\|Points}}
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
style="background:#90EE90;" \|style="text-align:left;"\| Adelaide Avalanche	26	19	1	0	2	4	133	77	+56	60
style="background:#ccffcc;" \|style="text-align:left;"\| Newcastle North Stars	26	14	2	1	4	5	113	77	+36	50
style="background:#ccffcc;" \|style="text-align:left;"\| Western Sydney Ice Dogs	26	11	1	2	2	10	102	106	-4	40
style="background:#ccffcc;" \|style="text-align:left;"\| Sydney Bears	26	11	0	2	1	12	93	94	-1	38
style="text-align:left;"\| Canberra Knights	26	11	2	0	0	13	96	102	-6	35
style="text-align:left;"\| Brisbane Blue Tongues	26	8	1	4	0	13	112	112	0	33
style="text-align:left;"\| Melbourne Ice	26	9	0	2	2	13	112	116	-4	33
style="text-align:left;"\| Central Coast Rhinos	26	4	1	2	2	17	69	146	-77	19

class="wikitable"

style="background:#ccffcc;"|Qualified for the Goodall Cup playoffs

|style="background:#90EE90;"|V.I.P. Cup winners

[https://web.archive.org/web/20140613002558/http://www.theaihl.com/leagues/standingsTotals.cfm?leagueID=11464&clientID=3856 Source]

= Statistics =

== Scoring leaders ==

List shows the ten top skaters sorted by points, then goals. Current as of 4 September 2005{{cite web | url = https://theaihl.com/leagues/stats_hockey.cfm?leagueID=11464&clientID=3856 | title = 2005 AIHL season: League leading players | publisher=theaihl.com | accessdate = 25 September 2018 }}

width="175px"\| Player !width="175px"\| Team !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|GP\|Games played}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|G\|Goals}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|A\|Assists}} !width="60px" \| {{Tooltip\|Pts\|Points}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|PIM\|Penalties in minutes}} !width="60px" \| {{Tooltip\|POS\|Position}}
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
align="left"\| {{sort\|Walker\|Francis Walker}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	24	28	26	54	60	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Nichols\|Donald Nichols}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	25	13	36	49	65	D
align="left"\| {{sort\|Corcoran\|Darcy Corcoran}}	align="left"\| Adelaide Avalanche	23	23	24	47	50	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Fairweather\|Shaun Fairweather}}	align="left"\| Canberra Knights	21	23	23	46	22	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Landry\|Jordan Landry}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	24	21	21	42	160	RW
align="left"\| {{sort\|Harrow\|Michael Harrow}}	align="left"\| Canberra Knights	26	10	31	41	50	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Oddy\|Greg Oddy}}	align="left"\| Adelaide Avalanche	23	16	23	39	50	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Graham\|Nolan Graham}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	15	22	22	37	16	LW
align="left"\| {{sort\|Webster\|Lliam Webster}}	align="left"\| Melbourne Ice	21	14	22	36	32	F
align="left"\| {{sort\|Starke\|Robert Starke}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	26	9	27	36	86	D

== Leading goaltenders ==

Only the top five goaltenders, based on save percentage with a minimum 40% of the team's ice time. Current as of 4 September 2005{{cite web | url = https://theaihl.com/leagues/stats_hockey.cfm?leagueID=11464&clientID=3856 | title = 2006 AIHL season: League leading goalies | publisher=theaihl.com | accessdate = 25 September 2018 }}

width="170px" \| Player !width="175px"\| Team !width="60px" \| {{Tooltip\|MIP\|Minutes played}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|SOG\|Shots on goal}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|GA\|Goals against}} !width="60px" \| {{Tooltip\|GAA\|Goals against average per 60 minutes}} !width="60px" \| {{Tooltip\|SVS%\|Save percentage}} !width="50px" \| {{Tooltip\|SO\|Shutouts}}
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
align="left"\| {{sort\|Ezzy\|Matthew Ezzy}}	align="left"\| Newcastle North Stars	1128	747	71	3.15	0.925	2
align="left"\| {{sort\|Lien\|Eric Lien}}	align="left"\| Adelaide Avalanche	777	449	55	3.54	0.878	1
align="left"\| {{sort\|Wong\|David Wong}}	align="left"\| Central Coast Rhinos	1084	891	120	5.54	0.865	0
align="left"\| {{sort\|Smart\|Dylan Smart}}	align="left"\| Canberra Knights	1035	603	84	4.06	0.861	0
align="left"\| {{sort\|Denman\|Nigel Ward}}	align="left"\| Adelaide Avalanche	425	212	30	3.53	0.858	0

Goodall Cup playoffs

The 2005 playoffs was scheduled for 3 September with the Goodall Cup final held on 4 September 2005. Following the end of the regular season the top four teams advanced to the playoff series which was held at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Newcastle, New South Wales. The series was a single game elimination with the two winning semi-finalists advancing to the Goodall Cup final. The Goodall Cup was won by Newcastle North Stars (2nd title) who defeated the Adelaide Avalanche 3–1 in the final.{{cite book |last=Krein |first=Michael |date=17 June 2014 |title=AIHL ALMANAC 2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q4jVBgAAQBAJ |location=Grossaffoltern, Switzerland |publisher=Lulu |page=179 |isbn=9781291897173 }} Newcastle's goaltender Matt Ezzy was awarded the grand final game puck post-game by coaching director Rob Barnes for his display in the final and throughout the season despite having a shoulder injury that would require surgery post-season.{{cite web|url=http://www.iha.org.au/ |title=Newcastle North Stars 2005 AIHL Champions! |publisher=Ice Hockey Australia |accessdate=6 February 2023 | first=Peter | last=Lambert |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050910131856/http://www.iha.org.au/ |archivedate=10 September 2005 |url-status=dead }} In a first for the league and ice hockey in Australia, the 2005 Finals was broadcast live on the internet via webcam with live instant text play-by-play provided by Peter Lambert. Over 110,000 hits were registered over the Finals weekend with supports watching from as far away as North America.

{{4TeamBracket

| RD1=Semifinals

| RD2=Final

| RD1-team1=Sydney Bears

| RD1-score1=3

| RD1-team2=Adelaide Avalanche

| RD1-score2=6

| RD1-team3=Western Sydney Ice Dogs

| RD1-score3=2

| RD1-team4=Newcastle North Stars

| RD1-score4=5

| RD2-team1=Newcastle North Stars

| RD2-score1=3

| RD2-team2=Adelaide Avalanche

| RD2-score2=1

}}

All times are UTC+10:00

= Semi-finals =

{{IceHockeybox

| date = 3 September 2005

| time = 16:30

| team1 = Sydney Bears

| team2 = Adelaide Avalanche

| score = 3–6

| periods = (2–1, 1–4, 0–1)

| reference = https://theaihl.com/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&gameID=1425108

| goalie1 = Peter Haywood

| goalie2 = Eric Lien

| progression = 1 – 0
1 – 1
2 – 1
2 – 2
2 – 3
2 – 4
3 – 4
3 – 5
3 – 6

| goals1 = Di Piazza (Stransky, Kinateder)
Jayawardene (Di Piazza, Petr)
Stransky (Nelson-Bond, Kinateder)

| goals2 = Brlecic (Oddy, Martin)
Keane (Delsar, Martini)
Oddy (PP) (Corcoran, Lien)
Thilthorpe (Oddy, McKenna)
Corcoran (SH)(Oddy)
Oddy (Walsh)

| official = Rob Duchemin

| official2 =

| linesman = Chris Mason

| linesman2 = Jamie Miller

| stadium = Hunter Ice Skating Stadium

| attendance = 800

| penalties1 = 14

| penalties2 = 6

| shots1 = 19

| shots2 = 25

}}

{{IceHockeybox

| date = 3 September 2005

| time = 18:00

| team1 = Western Sydney Ice Dogs

| team2 = Newcastle North Stars

| score = 2–5

| periods = (2–0, 2–1, 2–2)

| reference = https://theaihl.com/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=3856&leagueID=11464&gameID=1425109

| goalie1 = Christian Fritz

| goalie2 = Matthew Ezzy

| progression = 0 – 1
1 – 1
1 – 2
2 – 2
2 – 3
2 – 4
2 – 5

| goals1 = Haakstad (Wilson, Gailloux)
Gailloux (unassisted)

| goals2 = Foll (PP) (Byrne, LaJeunesse)
Ogilvie (Sheffield, Walker)
Sheffield (LaJeunesse, Starke)
Nichols (PP) (Starke, Landry)
Walker (Nichols, Starke)

| official = Jeff Scott

| official2 =

| linesman = Jason Forbes

| linesman2 = Matthew Taylor

| stadium = Hunter Ice Skating Stadium

| attendance =

| penalties1 = 42

| penalties2 = 14

| shots1 = 31

| shots2 = 29

| bg = #eeffff

}}