# 2015 CBR Brave season

The 2015 CBR Brave season was the Brave's 2nd season in the Australian Ice Hockey League since being founded and entering the league in 2014. The season ran from 25 April 2015 to 29 August 2015 for the Brave. CBR finished fourth in the regular season behind the Newcastle North Stars, Melbourne Ice and Perth Thunder. The Brave qualified for the AIHL Finals in Melbourne and played in semi-final one. Canberra were defeated by league premiers, the Newcastle North Stars, 3–4 in their semi-final match and were knocked out of the finals weekend, ending their season.

## News

In January 2015, the Brave announced the appointment of Brad Hunt as the new head coach of the team for the 2015 AIHL season. Brad was originally going to take on the assistant coach role for 2015 after hanging up the skates at the end of the 2014 season but with former head coach Matti Louma leaving the club to take on a development coaching position in Perth, Hunt was promoted to head coach instead.
In February 2015, the league commission announced scheduling changes for the 2015 season that saw the Sydney Ice Dogs and Sydney Bears move three home matches from Sydney to Canberra.
In March 2015, the CBR Brave in conjunction with Ice Hockey ACT announced the formation of the Junior Brave team to compete in the 2015 NSW Midget League. The junior program was coached by former AIHL player and Australian representative Andrew Brunt and finished their first season by finishing second in the league and losing the grand final to defending champions, the Liverpool Saints, 3–1. Three of the Junior Brave players made their debut with the senior CBR Brave team in the AIHL during 2015, including: goalie Alexandre Tetrault and forwards Jayden Lewis and Jordan Brunt. Alexandre Tetrault was also selected to represent Australia in the Under 20 World Championships in Serbia in 2016.
In July 2015, the CBR Brave and head coach Brad Hunt parted ways by mutual consent. On ice performances during the first half of the regular season and future planning were cited as the main reasons for the decision. Import goaltender, Josh Unice, was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Alternative captain, Aaron Clayworth, retired from playing and stepped in to take over as assistant coach for the remainder of the season.

## Roster

Team roster for the 2015 AIHL season
2015 AIHL CBR Brave Roster :
| # | Name | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
| 73 | Stephen Blunden | W | L | 26 | 2014 | Gloucester, Ontario, Canada |
| 92 | Jordan Brunt | F | L | 15 | 2015 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 22 | Harrison Byers | C | R | 22 | 2014 | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| 17 | James Byers | D | R | 21 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 6 | Aaron Clayworth | D | R | 30 | 2014 | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| 14 | David Dunwoodie | D | R | 29 | 2015 | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| 38 | Nickolas Eckhardt | G | L | 25 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 19 | Jordan Gavin | F | R | 32–33 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 39 | Kelly Geoffrey | W | L | 25 | 2015 | Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| 27 | Mike Giorgi | D | L | 27 | 2014 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 65 | Matthew Harvey | D | R | 29 | 2014 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| 3 | Ryan Johnson | F | R | 40–41 | 2014 | Amesbury, Massachusetts, United States |
| 16 | Tyler Kubara | F | R | 20 | 2015 | Wombarra, New South Wales, Australia |
| 77 | Tom Letki | F | R | 26 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 11 | David Lewis | F | L | 37 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 93 | Jayden Lewis | F | L | 16–17 | 2015 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 8 | Tomas Manco | D | L | 27 | 2015 | Brezno, Slovakia |
| 4 | Kyle Mariani | D | R | 26 | 2015 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 64 | Kai Miettinen | F | L | 19 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 24 | Ben Pagett | D | 0 | 30 | 2015 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| 77 | Jordan Peddle | C | L | 24 | 2015 | Elbow, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| 61 | Scott Pitt | C | L | 27 | 2015 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| 32 | Alain Riesen | F | L | 24–25 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 12 | Mark Rummukainen | D | R | 33 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 91 | Peter Taylor | F | R | 27 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 92 | Alex Tetreault | G | L | 17 | 2015 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| 69 | Aleksi Toivonen | G | L | 19 | 2015 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| 30 | Josh Unice | G | L | 26 | 2015 | Holland, Ohio, United States |
| 29 | Stuart Woodall | G | L | 32 | 2014 | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |

## Transfers

All the player transfers in and out by the CBR Brave for the 2015 AIHL season.

### In

| Pos | Player | Transferred From | Local / Import |
| F | Jordan Brunt | No Team | Local |
| D | David Dunwoodie | Sydney Ice Dogs | Local |
| W | Kelly Geoffrey | No Team | Import |
| F | Tyler Kubara | Sydney Ice Dogs | Local |
| F | Jayden Lewis | Meaford Knights | Local |
| D | Tomas Manco | No Team | Local |
| D | Kyle Mariani | Laval Prédateurs | Import |
| D | Ben Pagett | No Team | Local |
| C | Jordan Peddle | Mississippi Surge | Import |
| C | Scott Pitt | Braehead Clan | Import |
| G | Alexandre Tetreault | No Team | Local |
| G | Aleksi Toivonen | HCIK | Local |
| G | Josh Unice | Sheffield Steelers | Import |

### Out

| Pos | Player | Transferred To | Local / Import |
| D | David Bell | No Team | Local |
| F | Darren Cope | No Team | Local |
| F | Jeff Harvey | No Team | Import |
| G | Brad Hunt | CBR Brave head coach | Local |
| C | Anton Kokkonen | TuTo | Import |
| F | Matthew Lehoczky | No Team | Local |
| F | Christopher McPhail | No Team | Local |
| W | Mathieu Ouellette | No Team | Import |
| G | Petri Pitkänen | KeuPa HT | Import |
| F | Shai Rabinowitz | No Team | Local |
| D | Darren Taylor | No Team | Local |
| F | Derek Walker | No Team | Import |
| F | Corey Wilkie | Ste. Anne Aces | Import |

## Staff

Staff Roster for 2015 AIHL season

## Standings
### Regular season

Summary
| Season | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Season | P | W | L | OW | OL | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Finish | P | W | L | OW | OL | GF | GA | GD | P | W | L | OW | OL | GF | GA | GD |
| 2015 | 28 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 125 | 104 | +21 | 47 | 4th | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 63 | 59 | +4 |
Position by round
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Position | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
League table
| Team | GP | W | SOW | SOL | L | GF | GA | GDF | PTS |
| Newcastle North Stars | 28 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 152 | 83 | +69 | 63 |
| Melbourne Ice | 28 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 121 | 83 | +38 | 56 |
| Perth Thunder | 28 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 103 | 93 | +10 | 48 |
| CBR Brave | 28 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 125 | 104 | +21 | 47 |
| Adelaide Adrenaline | 28 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 109 | 111 | −2 | 42 |
| Melbourne Mustangs | 28 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 139 | 105 | +34 | 41 |
| Sydney Bears | 28 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 110 | 110 | 0 | 37 |
| Sydney Ice Dogs | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 39 | 209 | −170 | 0$^1$ |
| Qualified for the Goodall Cup playoffs | H Newman Reid Trophy winners |
$^1$The Ice Dogs were fined three competition points for multiple breaches by-law 4 which requires teams to travel with at least 15 players unless an exemption has been granted.
Source

### Finals

Summary
| Season | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend | Finals weekend |
| Season | P | W | L | GF | GA | Result | Semi-final | Goodall Cup final |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Semi-finalists | Lost 3-4 (North Stars) |
Bracket
| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Newcastle North Stars | 4 | | | |
| 4 | CBR Brave | 3 | | | |
| 4 | CBR Brave | 3 | Newcastle North Stars | Newcastle North Stars | 3 |
| | | | Melbourne Ice | Melbourne Ice | 2 |
| 3 | Perth Thunder | 0 | Melbourne Ice | Melbourne Ice | 2 |
| 2 | Melbourne Ice | 1 | | | |

## Schedule & results
### Regular season

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| Arena | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | H | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A |
| Result | W | L | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W |
2015 fixtures and results :
| Date | Time | Away | Score | Home | Location |
| 25 April | 17:30 | Sydney Bears | 2–4 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 26 April | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 4–7 | Newcastle North Stars | Newcastle |
| 2 May | 17:30 | Adelaide Adrenaline | 3–5 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 9 May | 16:30 | CBR Brave | 3–4 | Perth Thunder | Perth |
| 10 May | 16:30 | CBR Brave | 1–4 | Perth Thunder | Perth |
| 16 May | 17:30 | Melbourne Mustangs | 4–5 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 17 May | 17:00 | Melbourne Mustangs | 4 – 3 (SO) | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 23 May | 17:30 | Adelaide Adrenaline | 2–8 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 24 May | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 5 – 4 (SO) | Newcastle North Stars | Newcastle |
| 30 May | 17:30 | Melbourne Ice | 1–3 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 31 May | 17:00 | Melbourne Ice | 4–2 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 6 June | 17:30 | Sydney Ice Dogs | 1–4 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 13 June | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 1–3 | Melbourne Ice | Melbourne |
| 14 June | 16:00 | CBR Brave | 2–3 | Melbourne Ice | Melbourne |
| 20 June | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 3–4 | Sydney Bears | Canberra |
| 27 June | 17:30 | Sydney Ice Dogs | 4–6 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 28 June | 17:30 | Newcastle North Stars | 5–1 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 4 July | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 2 – 3 (SO) | Melbourne Mustangs | Melbourne |
| 5 July | 16:00 | CBR Brave | 5–4 | Melbourne Mustangs | Melbourne |
| 11 July | 16:30 | CBR Brave | 7–11 | Adelaide Adrenaline | Adelaide |
| 12 July | 15:30 | CBR Brave | 6 – 5 (SO) | Adelaide Adrenaline | Adelaide |
| 18 July | 17:00 | Sydney Bears | 3–6 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 25 July | 17:30 | CBR Brave | 7–3 | Sydney Bears | Penrith |
| 1 August | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 10–2 | Sydney Ice Dogs | Canberra |
| 8 August | 17:30 | Perth Thunder | 4–3 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 9 August | 17:00 | Perth Thunder | 3–6 | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 15 August | 17:30 | Newcastle North Stars | 5 – 6 (SO) | CBR Brave | Canberra |
| 22 August | 17:00 | CBR Brave | 7–2 | Sydney Ice Dogs | Canberra |

### Finals

Goodall Cup semi-final All times are UTC+10:00

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | Pos | M | G | A | P | PIM |
| Stephen Blunden | D | 24 | 28 | 51 | 79 | 46 |
| Jordan Brunt | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Byers | D | 25 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 102 |
| James Byers | F | 26 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Aaron Clayworth | F | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| David Dunwoodie | F | 20 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 120 |
| Jordan Gavin | D | 21 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 18 |
| Kelly Geoffrey | D | 21 | 28 | 33 | 61 | 40 |
| Mike Giorgi | F | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Matthew Harvey | F | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| Ryan Johnson | F | 24 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 55 |
| Tyler Kubara | D | 27 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 4 |
| Tom Letki | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Lewis | F | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jayden Lewis | F | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tomas Manco | F | 23 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
| Kyle Mariani | F | 24 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 46 |
| Kai Miettinen | F | 28 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 38 |
| Ben Pagett | F | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jordan Peddle | D | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 24 |
| Scott Pitt | F | 19 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 18 |
| Alain Riesen | F | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Mark Rummukainen | D | 26 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 49 |
| Peter Taylor | D | 24 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18 |
Finals :
| Player | Pos | M | G | A | P | PIM |
| Stephen Blunden | D | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 25 |
| Jordan Brunt | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Byers | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Byers | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Clayworth | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Dunwoodie | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jordan Gavin | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kelly Geoffrey | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Mike Giorgi | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matthew Harvey | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Johnson | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Kubara | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Letki | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Lewis | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jayden Lewis | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomas Manco | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Mariani | F | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Kai Miettinen | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ben Pagett | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Peddle | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Scott Pitt | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alain Riesen | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Rummukainen | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Peter Taylor | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | Pos | M | SO | MP | GA | GAA | SA | SV | SV% | G | A | PIM |
| Nickolas Eckhardt | G | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Alex Tetreault | G | 1 | 0 | 50 | 2 | 2.40 | 20 | 18 | 0.900 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aleksi Toivonen | G | 10 | 0 | 463 | 36 | 4.66 | 311 | 275 | 0.884 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Josh Unice | G | 14 | 0 | 679 | 42 | 3.71 | 533 | 491 | 0.921 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Stuart Woodall | G | 6 | 0 | 198 | 19 | 5.76 | 120 | 101 | 0.842 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Finals :
| Player | Pos | M | SO | MP | GA | GAA | SA | SV | SV% | G | A | PIM |
| Nickolas Eckhardt | G | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Alex Tetreault | G | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aleksi Toivonen | G | 1 | 0 | 49 | 4 | 4.88 | 38 | 34 | 0.895 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Unice | G | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stuart Woodall | G | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

## Awards

2015 Brave awards :
| Team awards for 2015 season 2015 Brave awards AwardRecipient Bravest of the Brave Stephen Blunden Best Forward Stephen Blunden Best Defenceman Kyle Mariani Fans Choice Jimmy Byers Player's Choice Mark Rummukainen Coach's Award Kai Miettinen Peter Taylor Emerging Brave Jimmy Byers John Lewis Memorial Award Ryan Johnson | AIHL awards for 2015 season 2015 AIHL awards AwardRecipient * No Brave players won any AIHL Awards in 2015 |