2023 CBR Brave season

2023 CBR Brave
Rurak Conference champions
League1st AIHL
Conference1st Rurak
2023 record20–1–1–4
Home record10–1–0–2
Road record10–0–1–2
Goals for170
Goals against77
Team information
CoachAustralia Stuart Philps
Assistant coachAustralia Jeff Helbren
CaptainAustralia Kai Miettinen
Alternate captainsAustralia Bayley Kubara
Australia Casey Kubara
ArenaPhillip Ice Skating Centre
Team leaders
GoalsUnited States Austin Albrecht (39)
AssistsCanada Felix Plouffe (44)
PointsUnited States Austin Albrecht (76)
Penalty minutesAustralia Mike Giorgi (45)
Goals against averageAustralia Aleksi Toivonen (2.86)

The 2023 CBR Brave season was the Brave's 8th season in the Australian Ice Hockey League since being founded and entering the league in 2014. Canberra won a fourth consecutive premiership title and lifted the H Newman Reid Trophy, by finishing top of the regular season standings.[1] The Brave also finished top of the newly formed Rurak Conference and held aloft the inaugural Rurak Conference Cup.[1] Canberra finished second in the AIHL Finals, being beaten by the Melbourne Mustangs in the championship grand final in Melbourne to miss out on the Goodall Cup.[2]

Season notes

[edit]

Pre-season, the Brave organised exhibition games against the Brisbane Lightning in Brisbane and Canberra.[3] Former Sydney Sirens head coach, Jeff Helbren, was signed to take on the role of assistant coach.[4] Caribou Kingston became the first ever Brave naming rights sponsor, with the team to be known as the Caribou CBR Brave for 2023 and Peter Di Salvo was added to the coaching roster as a goaltender coach for Toivonen and Tétreault.[4][5] During the season the Brave revealed special one-off jerseys for Caribou Kingston, Menslink and Hockey Fights Cancer. All special jerseys were auctioned with proceeds going towards the team, Menslink and Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.[6][7][8] Off the ice, CBR Brave super-fan, Emma Easton, died in 2023. Before her death, the Brave faithful celebrated Emma's 35th birthday with a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ at a home game at the Brave Cave. Brave players and supporters then came together to produce a memorial video and give Emma a hockey guard of honour at her funeral.[9]

Roster

[edit]

Team roster for the 2023 AIHL season.[10][11][12]

CBR Brave roster - 2023 AIHL season
Active Roster Coaching staff
Goaltenders
  • -- Australia Andrew Glass
  • 29 Australia Alexandre Tétreault
  • 35 Australia Aleksi Toivonen

Defencemen

  • 71 Australia Jordan Brunt
  • 44 Australia Nick Christensen
  •  4 Australia Lachlan Fahmy
  • 22 Australia Mike Giorgi
  •  7 Australia Bayley Kubara (A)
  • 61 Australia Joseph Maatouk
  •  8 Canada Cameron Marks (I)
  • 28 United States Carson Vance (I)
 Forwards
  • 11 United States Austin Albrecht (I)
  • 27 Australia Andreas Camenzind
  • 42 Australia Jackson Gallagher
  • 81 Canada Matthew Harvey
  •  3 Australia Mitchell Henning
  • 21 Australia Joseph Hughes
  • 15 Australia Casey Kubara (A)
  • 85 Australia Toby Kubara
  • 16 Australia Tyler Kubara
  • 64 Australia Kai Miettinen (C)
  • 96 Australia Ricki Miettinen
  • 93 Canada Félix Plouffe (I)
  • 92 Australia Jake Riley
  • 90 Canada Christopher Stoikos (I) (REL)
  • 14 Australia Charlie York
  • 91 Australia Henry York
 Head Coach
  • Australia Stuart Philps

Coaches

  • Australia Jeff Helbren
  • Australia Peter Di Salvo
  • Australia Andrew Deans
  • Australia Darryl Day
  • Australia Rob Reid
  • Australia Jono Carey


Legend
(C) Captain
(A) Alternate Captain
(I) Import player

Statistics
Average age: 27.0
Average height: 184.9 cm
Average weight: 84.18 kg
Locals: 21
Imports: 5
Acquired 2023: 9
Acquired pre-2023: 17

Last updated on: 7 August 2023
Elite Prospects IHNA

Transfers

[edit]

All transfers in and out of the team since the last AIHL season.[11][13] Kale Costa was announced as a signing in pre-season,[4] but in May 2023 it was revealed he would not be joining the team, instead choosing to stay in the Czech Republic to play for HC Stadion Litoměřice in the Czech 1.liga.[14] In July 2024, the Brave signed goaltender Curtis Villani to an affiliate contract. Villani was added to the roster as an emergency backup but was never dressed or used and was subsequently removed from the roster without playing a game.[15]

In

[edit]
Pos Player Transferred From Local / Import
W United States Austin Albrecht Maine Mariners Import
D Australia Lachlan Fahmy The Coast Local
G Australia Andrew Glass Adelaide Tigers Local
D/F New Zealand Matthew Harvey No team Local
D Canada Cameron Marks Corsaires de Nantes Import
F Australia Ricki Miettinen Jokerit (ACT) Local
C Canada Felix Plouffe Corsaires de Nantes Import
F Australia Jake Riley* Melbourne Ice Local
F Canada Christopher Stoikos Waterloo Maroons Import
D United States Carson Vance South Carolina Stingrays Import
* Mid-season transfer

Out

[edit]
Pos Player Transferred To Local / Import
D Australia Declan Bronte Salem State Vikings Local
D United States Garret Cockerill Jacksonville Icemen Import
F Australia Wehebe Darge Newcastle Northstars Local
F Australia Nicholas Doornbos Steele County Blades Local
G Australia Luke Fiveash No team Local
G Australia Wylie Hodder No team Local
D Australia Lynden Lodge Perth Thunder Local
D United States Matthew Marasco No team Local
F Italy Brandon McNally Sheffield Steelers Import
F Australia Hamish Murray No team Local
D Australia Matthew Price Newcastle Northstars Local
D Australia Alastair Punler Perth Thunder Local
F Canada Christopher Stoikos* Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan Jaguars Import
F Canada Mario Valery-Trabucco No team Import
D Australia Jamie Woodman Perth Thunder Local
* Mid-season transfer

Staff

[edit]

Current as of 2023 AIHL season.[11]

CBR Brave Staff
Role Staff
Head Coach Australia Stuart Philps
Assistant Coach Australia Jeff Helbren
Team Manager Australia Andrew Deans
Equipment Manager Australia Darryl Day
Team Doctor Australia Rob Reid
Physiotherapist Australia Jono Carey
General Manager (hockey operations) Australia Jordan Gavin
Chief Operating Officer Australia Steve Moeller
Chief Executive Officer Australia Stephen Campbell
Bench Official Australia Darren Sault
Bench Official Australia Kelly Sault

Standings

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]

Summary

Season Overall Home Away
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
2023 26 20 4 1 1 170 77 +93 63 1st 13 10 2 1 0 88 37 +51 13 10 2 0 1 82 33 +49

Position by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819
Position5555434321111111111
Updated to match(es) played on Completed. Source: www.icehockeynewsaustralia.com

League table

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 CBR Brave (P) 26 20 1 1 4 170 77 +93 63 2023 Goodall Cup Finals
2 Sydney Bears 26 21 0 0 5 132 81 +51 60
3 Newcastle Northstars 26 18 1 0 7 162 112 +50 56
4 Melbourne Mustangs 26 17 2 0 7 147 94 +53 55
5 Perth Thunder 26 17 0 1 8 141 90 +51 52
6 Melbourne Ice 26 10 0 0 16 144 165 −21 30
7 Brisbane Lightning 26 9 1 1 15 156 136 +20 30 2023 Goodall Cup Finals
8 Sydney Ice Dogs 26 7 0 2 17 104 159 −55 23
9 Adelaide Adrenaline 26 4 0 1 21 90 162 −72 13
10 Central Coast Rhinos 26 1 1 0 24 75 245 −170 5
Source: AIHL Elite Prospects
Rules for classification:
Tie-break: 1) points; 2) points percentage; 3) head to head; 4) goal difference; 5) goals scored; 6) coin toss
Points: 3 points for regulation win; 2 points for OT or SO win; 1 point for OT or SO loss; 0 points for regulation loss
Note: Sydney Bears deducted 3 points by the league for accidentally breaching player cap regulations in June 2023.[16]
(P) Premiers

Rurak Conference

Pos Team Pld W OTW OTL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 CBR Brave 26 20 1 1 4 170 77 +93 63 2023 Goodall Cup Finals
2 Newcastle Northstars 26 18 1 0 7 162 112 +50 56
3 Brisbane Lightning 26 9 1 1 15 156 136 +20 30
4 Adelaide Adrenaline 26 4 0 1 21 90 162 −72 13
5 Central Coast Rhinos 26 1 1 0 24 75 245 −170 5
Updated to match(es) played on 6 August 2023. Source: AIHL Elite Prospects
Rules for classification:
Tie-break: 1) points; 2) points percentage; 3) head to head; 4) goal difference; 5) goals scored; 6) coin toss
Points: 3 points for regulation win; 2 points for OT or SO win; 1 point for OT or SO loss; 0 points for regulation loss

Finals

[edit]

Summary

Season Finals weekend
P W L GF GA Result Play-in final Semi-final Goodall Cup final
2022 2 1 1 4 2 Silver – Won 4-1 (Thunder) Lost 0-1 (Mustangs)

Bracket

Play-insSemi-finalsGrand final
26 August – Melbourne
20 August – Melbourne1Sydney Bears0
3Melbourne Mustangs8Melbourne Mustangs427 August – Melbourne
6Brisbane Lightning3Melbourne Mustangs1
26 August – MelbourneCBR Brave0
19 August – Newcastle2CBR Brave4
4Newcastle Northstars1Perth Thunder1
5Perth Thunder4

Schedule & results

[edit]

Exhibition games

[edit]
2023 exhibition fixtures and results
Date Time Away Score Home Location Recap
4 MAR 17:00 CBR Brave 5–2 Brisbane Lightning Iceworld Boondal Ref
5 MAR 15:30 CBR Brave 6–0 Brisbane Lightning Iceworld Boondal Ref
1 APR 17:00 Brisbane Lightning 5–6 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre Ref

Regular season

[edit]
Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
ArenaAHAAAHAAHHHHHHAAAHHHHAAAHA
ResultWWLWLWWWLWWWWWWWWWWLWWWWWL
Updated to match(es) played on Completed. Source: AIHL
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss
2023 fixtures and results
Date Time Away Score Home Location Recap
16 APR 15:30 CBR Brave 5–3 Central Coast Rhinos Erina Ice Arena [1]
22 APR 17:15 Sydney Ice Dogs 2–3 (OT) CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [2]
23 APR 17:00 CBR Brave 2–8 Sydney Bears Macquarie Ice Rink [3]
29 APR 17:00 CBR Brave 7–1 Melbourne Ice O’Brien Icehouse [4]
30 APR 14:00 CBR Brave 2–3 (SO) Melbourne Mustangs O’Brien Icehouse [5]
06 MAY 17:15 Newcastle Northstars 3–4 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [6]
13 MAY 15:30 CBR Brave 9–1 Central Coast Rhinos Erina Ice Arena [7]
20 MAY 17:00 CBR Brave 4–1 Sydney Ice Dogs Macquarie Ice Rink [8]
27 MAY 17:15 Sydney Bears 3–2 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [9]
03 JUN 17:15 Brisbane Lightning 5–9 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [10]
04 JUN 16:45 Brisbane Lightning 2–7 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [11]
11 JUN 16:45 Melbourne Mustangs 2–8 CBR Brave Hunter Ice Skating Stadium [12]
17 JUN 17:15 Newcastle Northstars 4–5 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [13]
18 JUN 16:45 Melbourne Ice 7–9 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [14]
24 JUN 16:30 CBR Brave 7–4 Perth Thunder Perth Ice Arena [15]
01 JUL 17:00 CBR Brave 7–3 Brisbane Lightning IceWorld Boondall [16]
02 JUL 16:30 CBR Brave 9–2 Brisbane Lightning IceWorld Boondall [17]
08 JUL 17:15 Adelaide Adrenaline 3–8 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [18]
09 JUL 16:45 Adelaide Adrenaline 1–8 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [19]
15 JUL 17:15 Perth Thunder 4–3 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [20]
23 JUL 16:45 Central Coast Rhinos 0–10 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [21]
29 JUL 17:00 CBR Brave 6–2 Newcastle Northstars Hunter Ice Skating Stadium [22]
05 AUG 16:30 CBR Brave 13–3 Adelaide Adrenaline IceArenA [23]
06 AUG 12:30 CBR Brave 6–2 Adelaide Adrenaline IceArenA [24]
12 AUG 17:15 Central Coast Rhinos 1–12 CBR Brave Phillip Ice Skating Centre [25]
13 AUG 16:00 CBR Brave 5–7 Newcastle Northstars Hunter Ice Skating Stadium [26]

Finals

[edit]

Goodall Cup semi-final

26 August 2023
18:30		CBR Brave4–1
(2–1, 0–0, 2–0)		Perth ThunderO’Brien Icehouse
Game reference
Australia Aleksi ToivonenGoaliesCanada Kristian SteadReferees:
Rob Love
Mark Peruzzo
Linesmen:
Russell Dow
Hayden Rogers
(Plouffe) Albrecht1 – 0
(Camenzind) T Kubara2 – 0
2 – 1Breault (Jean)
(Hughes, Harvey) B Kubara3 – 1
(Albrecht, Vance) Plouffe4 – 1
6 minPenalties4 min
50Shots39

Goodall Cup final

27 August 2023
14:00		Melbourne Mustangs1–0
(0–0, 1–0, 0–0)		CBR BraveO’Brien Icehouse
Game reference
Canada Liam HughesGoaliesAustralia Aleksi ToivonenReferees:
Kent Unwin
David Gal
Linesmen:
Russell Dow
Hayden Rogers
(Lawrence, Timmins) McDowell1 – 0
2 minPenalties2 min
22Shots33

Awards

[edit]

No team awards announced by the Brave for 2023. No Canberra players or staff were awarded any AIHL season awards for the first time in team history.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b O'Connor, Sean (September 4, 2023). "CBR Brave win historic 4-Peat Premiership title". CBR Brave. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  2. ^ O'Connor, Sean (September 4, 2023). "Brave finish runner's up in 2023 Championship tilt". CBR Brave. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Collins, Lee (March 18, 2023). "Brisbane Lightning and CBR Brave to play exhibition game in April". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Gavel, Tim (April 20, 2023). "With a new sponsor and another title under their belts, CBR Brave set for strong 2023 season". The RiotACT. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Collins, Lee (April 27, 2023). "Peter Di Salvo joins the CBR Brave as a goaltending coach". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Collins, Lee (May 26, 2023). "CBR Brave reveal Caribou sponsored jersey". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Collins, Lee (July 8, 2023). "CBR Brave reveal Menslink jersey". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Collins, Lee (August 16, 2023). "CBR Brave reveal Hockey Fights Cancer jersey". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  9. ^ Radford, Travis (September 11, 2023). "The Caribou CBR Brave rallied around their biggest fan and showed 'humanity at its best'". The RiotACT. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "2023 CBR Brave Team Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Collins, Lee (April 11, 2023). "CBR Brave 2023 roster". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  12. ^ "CBR Brave 2023 captains". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. March 28, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  13. ^ "CBR Brave 2022 roster". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Collins, Lee (May 24, 2023). "Kale Costa opts not to join the CBR Brave for 2023". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Collins, Lee (July 27, 2023). "CBR Brave sign Curtis Villani". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  16. ^ Collins, Lee (June 26, 2023). "Sydney Bears penalised three points over breach of import rule". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
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