New Zealand Ice Hockey League

The NZIHL is New Zealand’s national ice hockey league. It is an amateur league that was formed in 2005 to develop the sport in New Zealand and to give the top players regular competition against each other to improve the skill level of the game domestically and make New Zealand more competitive on the international scene.
Because the NZIHL is held during the Northern Hemisphere's ice hockey off-season, many quality players travel to New Zealand and enjoy an off-season abroad while keeping in ice hockey shape.
The New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation is made up of 3 affiliated regions, all of whom are represented in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League with 2 teams from Auckland, 2 teams from Southern and 1 team from Canterbury.
==Teams==
Team 	City 	Arena 	Capacity 	Founded 	Joined 	Premierships 	Runner Up 	Championships
New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League 	New Zealand Ice Hockey League 	New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League	New Zealand Ice Hockey League
Auckland Mako 	Avondale, Auckland & Botany Downs, Auckland	Paradice Avondale & Paradice Botany Downs	500 & 400 	2021 	2021 	- 	- 	-
Botany Swarm 	Botany Downs, Auckland 	Paradice Botany Downs 	400 	2005 	2005 	3 	1 	4
Canterbury Red Devils 	Christchurch 	Alpine Ice Centre 	700 	2005 	2005 	4 	4 	4
Dunedin Thunder 	Dunedin, Otago 	Dunedin Ice Stadium 	1,850 	2008 	2008 	1 	2 	-
Skycity Stampede 	Queenstown, Otago 	Queenstown Ice Arena 	642 	2005 	2005 	7 	3 	6
West Auckland Admirals 	Avondale, Auckland 	Paradice Avondale 	500 	2005 	2005 	- 	4 	1
;Foundation clubs
The NZIHL had four foundation clubs, Canterbury Red Devils, West Auckland Admirals, Southern Stampede and South Auckland Swarm. The South Auckland Swarm changed their name to the Botany Swarm in 2007 to reflect the site of their home rink.
;Expansion
The Dunedin Thunder joined the competition in 2008 which saw the Southern Stampede move all its home games to Queenstown.
;Future expansion
Expansion within New Zealand is limited by the number of indoor ice rinks currently available. A notable omission from the national competition is the city of Wellington which is New Zealand's third largest city, but does not have an ice facility. Recent proposals to build a permanent ice rink in Wellington have not yet come to fruition, despite the popularity of temporary ice rinks in the city.
There is always discussion of ice facilities being built in a variety of centres around the country and if any of these come to fruition further expansion of the NZIHL is likely.
With the increase in quality of the New Zealand league and its player base, much talk centres around a combined Oceania competition with a merger between the New Zealand and Australian leagues in one form or another. An early precursor to such a move was the establishment of the Trans-Tasman Champions League. Expansion of this competition or a combined finals across the two nations would likely consist of the top 4 finishers from Australia and the top 2 finishers from New Zealand. Currently the national federations of both countries favour the re-instigation of a bi-lateral international series between the nations at the New Zealand Winter Games as opposed to investing further in inter-club competition through the Trans-Tasman Champions League.
==Rosters==
NZIHL team rosters must be made up of a minimum 18 players and 2 goalies.
Each team is allowed an unlimited number of overseas imports on their roster, however there are limits to how many of these players can take the ice.
Each team can have 4 imports plus 2 assimilated players (15 months playing in NZ with unlimited ITC). Assimilated players are expected to stay in New Zealand long term and either work towards becoming an Ice Black or participate in coaching junior teams. Australian players are classed as local players and import limits do not apply.
==Current season structure==
The NZIHL season has developed and lengthened over time and currently consists of a home and away structure where all teams play each other 4 times, twice at home and twice away.
Teams receive 3 points for an outright win, 2 points for an overtime win, 1 point for an overtime loss and no points for an outright loss.
The three top seeded teams after the regular season then contest the finals. The second and third place finishers play a single match for the right to face the top seed in a 3-match Grand Final Series with the first match held at the semi-final winner's home rink and the remaining two matches held at the minor premier's home rink the following week.
==Old season structure==
;2005 & 2006 seasons.
During the first two seasons of the NZIHL there was no preliminary round. Each team played 6 games, 2 games against each team. Each team hosted one round, with one team having a bye.
The top two teams would then play a 2-game finals series. If both teams won a game each, the winner would be decided on which team had the superior goal difference in those 2 games, followed by which team scored the most goals, followed by regular season results between the 2 teams.
;2007 season.
The 2007 season started with preliminary rounds 1 & 2 consisting of each team playing against their local rivals twice per round on a Saturday and Sunday. The Swarm playing against the Admirals while the Red Devils squaring off against the Stampede. Each win in this round was worth 2 points, while a draw was worth 1.
The next 4 rounds saw each team’s home rink hosting a round. Each round consisting of 3 teams playing 2 games each over a Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the 4th team having a bye. Each win in these rounds was worth 4 points and the draw was worth 2 points.
In the end each team played their local rivals 6 times and the other two teams twice.
After the regular season had been completed the top two teams in the standings compete in the final, with the winner of the regular season having home ice advantage.
;2008-2013 seasons.
With the Dunedin Thunder joining the NZIHL as its fifth team, the format of playing each side 4 times was established, but only a single Grand Final match was held at the minor premiers home rink between the top two seeds after the regular season.
;2014-2017 seasons.
The Birgel Cup final became a best of 3-match series contested by the two top seeded teams after the regular season with the first match held at the second-place finishers home rink and the remaining two matches held at the minor premiers home rink the following week.
;2018-present seasons.
The 2018 season introduced a semi-final match between the second-place and third-place season teams. The winner going on to play the first-place team in the finals. The finals structure stayed the same as previous seasons.
==NZIHL Trophy==
For the 2005-2009 seasons the teams contested the NZIHL Trophy, from the 2010 season onwards they then contested a new trophy, The Birgel Cup.
Year	Minor Premier 	Champion 	Runner up 	Score(s) 	Venue
2005	Southern Stampede 	Southern Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals 	2-1, 6-3 	Dunedin
2006	South Auckland Swarm 	Southern Stampede 	South Auckland Swarm 	3-3, 5-4 	Botany Downs
2007	Canterbury Red Devils 	Botany Swarm 	Canterbury Red Devils 	7-0 	Christchurch
2008	Canterbury Red Devils 	Botany Swarm 	Canterbury Red Devils 	3-2 	Christchurch
2009	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	5-4 	Christchurch
2010	Botany Swarm 	Botany Swarm 	West Auckland Admirals 	3-1 	Botany Downs
2011	Botany Swarm 	Botany Swarm 	Southern Stampede 	5-3 	Botany Downs
2012	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	6-5 (SO) 	Queenstown
2013	Dunedin Thunder 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Dunedin Thunder 	7-3 	Dunedin
2014	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Dunedin Thunder 	4-3, 14-6 	Dunedin, Christchurch
2015	Southern Stampede 	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	3-5, 4-3, 4-3 	Christchurch, Queenstown
2016	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	6-2, 7-1 	Christchurch, Queenstown
2017	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals 	5-2, 5-2 	Avondale, Queenstown
2018	Skycity Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals 	Skycity Stampede 	5-4(OT), 2-1 	Avondale, Queenstown
2019	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede 	8-4, 6-2 	Avondale, Queenstown
2020	season suspended prior to starting due to COVID-19 pandemic	season suspended prior to starting due to COVID-19 pandemic	season suspended prior to starting due to COVID-19 pandemic	season suspended prior to starting due to COVID-19 pandemic	season suspended prior to starting due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	Southern Stampede 	Playoffs cancelled 	Playoffs cancelled 	Playoffs cancelled 	Playoffs cancelled
==Toa Kauhanga Riri Tio==
The Toa Kauhanga Riri Tio challenge trophy was introduced in the 2012 season. The name translates to "champions of the ice battlefield" and the trophy is contested during the NZIHL regular season in the second home game of each series hosted by the current holder. The trophy was designed and built by Wellington craftsman Mark Newnham.
Year	Holder 	Challenger 	Winner 	Score 	Venue
2012	Dunedin Thunder 	West Auckland Admirals	West Auckland Admirals 	7-4 	Dunedin
2012	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	7-6 	Avondale, Auckland
2012	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	7-5 	Christchurch
2012	Canterbury Red Devils 	Dunedin Thunder 	Canterbury Red Devils 	9-4 	Christchurch
2012	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	Southern Stampede* 	6-2 	Christchurch
2013	Southern Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals	Southern Stampede 	6-5 	Queenstown
2013	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	6-5 (OT)	Queenstown
2013	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	12-2 	Christchurch
2013	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils* 	3-1 	Christchurch
2014	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	4-2 	Christchurch
2014	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	8-6 	Christchurch
2014	Canterbury Red Devils 	Botany Swarm 	Botany Swarm 	4-3 (SO)	Christchurch
2014	Botany Swarm 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	5-1 	Botany Downs, Auckland
2014	Canterbury Red Devils 	Dunedin Thunder 	Canterbury Red Devils* 	6-0 	Christchurch
2015	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	7-6 	Christchurch
2015	Canterbury Red Devils 	Southern Stampede 	Canterbury Red Devils 	4-3 (OT)	Christchurch
2015	Canterbury Red Devils 	Botany Swarm 	Botany Swarm 	5-4 (OT)	Christchurch
2015	Botany Swarm 	West Auckland Admirals	West Auckland Admirals*	3-2 (OT)	Botany Downs, Auckland
2016	West Auckland Admirals	Botany Swarm 	Botany Swarm 	5-4 (OT)	Avondale, Auckland
2016	Botany Swarm 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Canterbury Red Devils 	4-3 	Botany Downs, Auckland
2016	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals	West Auckland Admirals 	7-3 	Christchurch
2016	West Auckland Admirals	Dunedin Thunder 	West Auckland Admirals 	8-2 	Avondale, Auckland
2016	West Auckland Admirals	Skycity Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals*	5-3 	Avondale, Auckland
2017	West Auckland Admirals	Botany Swarm 	West Auckland Admirals 	14-0 	Avondale, Auckland
2017	West Auckland Admirals	Canterbury Red Devils 	West Auckland Admirals 	8-2 	Avondale, Auckland
2017	West Auckland Admirals	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede 	5-3 	Avondale, Auckland
2017	Skycity Stampede 	Dunedin Thunder 	Skycity Stampede 	6-2 	Queenstown
2017	Skycity Stampede 	West Auckland Admirals	Skycity Stampede* 	5-3 	Queenstown
2018	Skycity Stampede 	Dunedin Thunder 	Dunedin Thunder 	3-4 	Queenstown
2018	Dunedin Thunder 	Canterbury Red Devils 	Dunedin Thunder 	6-1 	Dunedin
2018	Dunedin Thunder 	Skycity Stampede 	Skycity Stampede* 	4-5 	Dunedin
2019	Skycity Stampede 	Botany Swarm 	Skycity Stampede 	4-2 	Queenstown
:(*) - denotes end of season holder
==Skate Of Origin==
Skate Of Origin was introduced in the 2009 season. The format sees the best players eligible to represent New Zealand at an international level play for the respective island on which they played their junior hockey. Players represent one of the two major islands of the New Zealand archipelago, namely the North Island or the South Island. The match is held alternately on either the North or South Island.
The teams contest the Glass Family Shield, named after the Glass Family of the South Island with three generations of contributors and builders of the sport within New Zealand. Ben Glass is a founding member of the NZIHF and Patron of the SIHL. Graeme Glass is the Past President of the NZIHF and recently inducted Life Member. While Simon Glass, Ben Lewis & Hamish Lewis have previously played for the New Zealand national side, the Ice Blacks, which Simon captained. Annabelle Lewis also played for the New Zealand women's side, the Ice Fernz.
Year	Holder 	Challenger 	Winner 	Score 	Host
2009	N/A 	N/A 	North Island	6-5 (SO)	Botany Downs, North Island
2010	North Island	South Island	North Island	3-2 	Queenstown, South Island
2011	North Island	South Island	North Island	8-6 	Botany Downs, North Island
2012	North Island	South Island	South Island	5-3 	Christchurch, South Island
2013	South Island	North Island	South Island	6-5 	Botany Downs, North Island
2014	South Island	North Island	South Island	6-4 	Dunedin, South Island
2015	South Island	North Island	North Island	9-7 	Queenstown, South Island
2016	North Island	South Island	North Island	2-1 (SO)	Avondale, North Island
==Trans-Tasman Champions League==
The Trans-Tasman Champions League was established in 2012 to expand relations, cooperation and competition between the New Zealand Ice Hockey League and the Australian Ice Hockey League.
The format sees the grand finalists from both competitions come together to contest the Trans-Tasman Trophy over a weekend of international match-ups. The competition was set out to be held alternately by either New Zealand or Australia on an annual basis, but costs prevented Australia from sending teams in 2013. There were discussions to renew the competition with the champions of each nation facing off in a 3-match series in New Zealand, but an international series between the New Zealand and Australian national teams was favoured with a view to the Trans-Tasman Champions League returning in the future.
Year	Winner 	Runner Up 	Other Competitors 	Host
2012	Melbourne Ice	Newcastle North Stars	Botany Swarm, Southern Stampede	Melbourne, Australia
==See also==
*New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation
*New Zealand national ice hockey team
*Australian Ice Hockey League
==References==
==External links==
*Official website
*NZ Ice Hockey Federation
*Asian Ice Hockey.com NZIHL News Site
 
Category:Ice hockey leagues
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Category:Ice hockey in New Zealand
Category:Established in 2005