2003 AIHL season

The 2003 AIHL season is the fourth season of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).
==Regular season==
=== Fixtures and results ===
The 2003 season consisted of 60 fixtures that were scheduled between 3 May and 29 August. Each of the six teams where scheduled to play 20 games, with four games designated double-points games, where the one result counts towards two games, to save on travel costs. Game 58 between the Canberra Knights and Adelaide Avalanche was cancelled due to ice problems at the rink inside Snowdome Adelaide. It was decided game 59 on the Sunday between the two teams would count as a double-points game instead, raising the number of double-points games for the 2003 season to five.
==== May ====
May 	May 	May 	May 	May 	May 	May
Game #	Date	Time	Away 	Score	Home 	Location
	1 		3 May 2003		17:30	Ice Dogs 		8–0 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	2 		3 May 2003		17:00		Bears 		4–7 	North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	3 		4 May 2003		17:30	Ice Dogs 		9–6 		Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	4 		10 May 2003		17:30		Knights 		3–8 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	5 		10 May 2003		18:00	North Stars		9–3 		Ice 	Olympic Ice Skating Centre
	6 		11 May 2003		15:00	North Stars		9–0 		Ice 	Bendigo Ice Skating Stadium
	7 		17 May 2003		16:30		Ice 		3–8 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	8 		17 May 2003		17:30		Bears 		3–5 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	9 		17 May 2003		17:30	North Stars		7–3 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	10 		18 May 2003		16:15		Ice 		3–5 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	11 		18 May 2003		17:30		Knights 		3–7 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	12 		24 May 2003		17:30	Avalanche 		12–1		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	13-14		25 May 2003		17:30	Avalanche 		4–3 		Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	15 		25 May 2003		17:00		Knights 		4–11	North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	16 		31 May 2003		16:30		Bears 		1–4 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	17 		31 May 2003		18:00		Knights 		1–7 	Ice 	Olympic Ice Skating Centre
	18 		31 May 2003		17:00		Ice Dogs 		2–4 	North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
==== June ====	
June 	June 	June 	June 	June 	June 	June
Game # 	Date 	Time 	Away 	Score 	Home 	Location
	19 		1 Jun 2003 		15:00 		Knights 		0–4 	Ice 	Bendigo Ice Skating Stadium
	20 		1 Jun 2003 		16:30 		Bears 		2–6 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend 	Bye for all teams - Long weekend
	21 		14 Jun 2003 		17:30 		Ice Dogs 		3–5 	Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	22 		14 Jun 2003 		18:00 	Avalanche 		4–2 		Ice 	Olympic Ice Skating Centre
	23 		15 Jun 2003 		15:00 	Avalanche 		4–1 		Ice 	Bendigo Ice Skating Stadium
	24 		15 Jun 2003 		17:00 		Knights 		1–5 	North Stars 	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	25 		15 Jun 2003 		17:30 		Ice Dogs 		2–4 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	26 		21 Jun 2003 		16:30 	Ice Dogs 		3–2 		Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	27-28 		21 Jun 2003 		17:30 	Ice 		3–1 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	29 		21 Jun 2003 		17:00 		Bears 		1–2 	North Stars 	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	30 		22 Jun 2003 		16:15 		Ice Dogs 		6–7 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	31 		22 Jun 2003 		17:00 		Ice 		1–7 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament	Bye for all teams - Brown Trophy tournament
==== July ====
July 	July	July	July 	July 	July 	July
Game #	Date	Time	Away 	Score	Home 	Location
	32 		5 Jul 2003		17:30	Ice 		3–3 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	33 		5 Jul 2003		17:30		Bears 		2–8 	Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	34 		6 Jul 2003		17:00		Ice Dogs 		2–8 	North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	35 		6 Jul 2003		17:00		Ice 		1–3 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	36 		12 Jul 2003		17:30	Avalanche 		5–2 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	37 		13 Jul 2003		17:00	Avalanche 		9–5 		North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	38 		19 Jul 2003		16:30		North Stars		2–10	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	39 		20 Jul 2003		16:15		North Stars		4–8 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	40 		26 Jul 2003		17:30	North Stars		6–5 		Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	41 		26 Jul 2003		17:30	Bears 		4–1 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	42 		27 Jul 2003		17:30	North Stars		3–2 		Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
==== August ====
August	August	August	August 	August	August 	August
Game #	Date 	Time 	Away 	Score 	Home 	Location
	43 		2 Aug 2003		17:30		Knights 		1–9 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	44 		2 Aug 2003		18:00	Bears 		9–5 		Ice 	Olympic Ice Skating Centre
	45 		3 Aug 2003		15:00	Bears 		5–0 		Ice 	Bendigo Ice Skating Stadium
	46 		3 Aug 2003		17:30	North Stars		4–2 		Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	47 		9 Aug 2003		17:30		Ice 		1–11 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	48 		9 Aug 2003		17:00	Avalanche 		10–3 		North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	49-50		10 Aug 2003		17:00		Avalanche 		5–6 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	51-52		10 Aug 2003		17:00		Ice 		1–9 	North Stars	Hunter Ice Skating Stadium
	53 		16 Aug 2003		17:30	North Stars		7–5 		Knights 	Phillip Ice Skating Centre
	54 		16 Aug 2003		18:00	Ice Dogs 		4–3 		Ice 	Olympic Ice Skating Centre
	55 		17 Aug 2003		15:00	Ice Dogs 		5–0 		Ice 	Bendigo Ice Skating Stadium
	56 		17 Aug 2003		17:30		Knights 		2–8 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
	57 		23 Aug 2003		17:30		Bears 		3–6 	Ice Dogs 	Blacktown Ice Arena
	58 		23 Aug 2003		16:30		Knights 		Cancelled		Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	59 		24 Aug 2003		16:15		Knights 		1–12 	Avalanche 	Snowdome Adelaide
	60 		24 Aug 2003		17:30		North Stars		2–7 	Bears 	Sydney Ice Arena
Key:
Winner	Tie
===Standings===
 1. Adelaide Avalanche 20 17 0 0 3 116: 48 34
 2. Newcastle Northstars 20 14 0 0 6 106: 80 28
 3. Sydney Bears 20 11 1 0 8 87: 67 23
 4. West Sydney IceDogs 20 11 0 1 8 99: 65 23
 5. Melbourne Ice 20 4 0 1 15 41: 95 9
 6. Canberra Knights 20 1 0 0 19 36:130 2
The statistics for the following table comes from the Newcastle North Stars and includes double point games.
Team 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Adelaide Avalanche 	18	15	0	0	0	3 	98 	52 	+46	30
Newcastle North Stars 	19	14	0	0	0	5 	101	76 	+25	28
Sydney Bears 	18	11	0	0	0	7 	74 	64 	+10	22
Western Sydney Ice Dogs	18	10	1	0	0	8 	90 	64 	+26	21
Melbourne Ice 	19	4 	1	0	0	14	46 	92 	−46	9
Canberra Knights 	18	1 	0	0	0	17	45 	106	−61	2
Qualified for the Goodall Cup playoffs	Premiership winners
==Playoffs==
The playoffs were held at Sydney's Glaciarium. Newcastle defeated the West Sydney 4–1 in the final to win their first championship and the Goodall Cup.
=== Semifinals ===
* Adelaide Avalanche - West Sydney Ice Dogs 1:4
* Newcastle North Stars - Sydney Bears 7:4
=== 3rd place === 
* Adelaide Avalanche - Sydney Bears 5:10
 
== Final ==
* Newcastle North Stars - West Sydney Ice Dogs 4:1
==External links==
*Australian Ice Hockey League
==References==
AIHL season
Category:Australian Ice Hockey League seasons