Adelaide hosted Sydney Ice Dogs HC in the opening round of the AIHL on Saturday, winning 5-1 in front of a modest crowd. The match, scheduled for 06:45 local time, gave both sides their first taste of the new season. Adelaide took all three points, while Sydney's campaign started with a setback.
And here's the thing about the table — both sides sit on zero points after 30 games each, which tells you the season has only just begun. Adelaide's record of four wins and twenty-six losses sits them in tenth place, while Sydney's seventeen wins and thirteen losses put them sixth. These figures are from last season, not this one.
By then, Sydney had been finding their way difficult against Australian opposition. Their recent run includes losses to Melbourne Ice 2-6, Melbourne Ice 2-4, Melbourne Mastiffs 2-12, Sydney Bears 1-12, and Melbourne Mastiffs 6-9. This weekend's result adds to that collection.
The hosts threw everything at it from the opening period, and the scoreboard reflected that approach. The five-goal margin suggests Adelaide found a way through Sydney's defence with relative ease. Goals came at intervals, though the exact timing isn't recorded in the available data.
What the result means is straightforward: Adelaide have started on the right foot, while Sydney will need to regroup. The gap between sixth and tenth place last season may well close again this time around. Both teams have thirty games to play, and the standings will tell a different story by season's end.