Announcement: Braves Committee for 2020

On Thursday 31st October, the Braves held their Annual General Meeting. Congratulations to the following individuals who were voted onto the committee for 2020:

  • Daniel Fuentes President
  • Jesseca Kirwan Vice President
  • Bianca Cassar Secretary
  • Kieran Gooley Treasurer
  • Justin Powell Ordinary Member
  • Justin Kuyken Ordinary Member
  • Gary Christieson Ordinary Member

This year sees Jesseca Kirwan stepping into the role of Vice President after four years as an ordinary member, Bianca Cassar returned as Secretary, and Justin Powell returned as Ordinary Member.

In addition we have some new faces in Justin Kuyken, who brings experience in IT, strength and conditioning, and working with IHV, and Gary Christieson who is an accountant with experience in IT and has held various committee roles previously.

Lastly, we would like to thank outgoing committee member Lindsay Nash. Whilst only on the committee for a year, his help has been instrumental for a number of years in a wide range of support roles at the club.

Winter 2019 Awards

Our Winter 2019 season saw us send 3 teams to finals once again, with the Senior C team going a step further than 2018 to progress to the Grand Final. While we were not able to secure a trophy, we continue to see development throughout the playing group and look forward to continuing this into 2020. Each year we highlight the achievements of a select group of players, but a thank you must be extended to the entire squad for their commitment to our program.

Mick Costello Award

The Mick Costello Award recognises the contribution our players make to the club. For Winter 2019, this has been awarded to Alex Milton. For the past three seasons, Alex has taken on the responsibility of eSportsDesk site management for the Braves, as well as winter season Benchapp and schedule development. On top of these regular responsibilities, this season Alex worked with IHV to manage system and procedural issues that saw Braves players being disassociated from their teams, other players disappearing entirely, and statistics being misreported. He developed a good working relationship with IHV’s ESD coordinator to ensure all issues were promptly resolved allowing the Braves to field our strongest teams each week.

Phil McKay Award

The Phil McKay Award recognises the contribution of our non-playing volunteers. For Winter 2019 this was awarded to Wez Holmes. A player in the summer development competition, Wez usually devotes the winter season to his Melbourne Mustangs volunteer responsibilities. However this year Wez provided tremendous support to the Braves teams, including relief coaching (often at short notice), volunteering to manage penalty boxes, ferrying equipment between rinks, plus much more. On top of this, Wez was regularly seen at the rinks supporting Braves teams at all levels.

Best Goaltender

Congratulations to Fraser Ohlson for achieving the best goaltending results at the club, with a 0.864 SV% for the season.

Playing Awards

Congratulations to the following players for an outstanding season:

Grade MVP Highest Points Best Defence Coach’s Award
A Fraser Ohlson Andrew Belic (14) Michael McDowell Chris Drake
B Daniel Fuentes Alex Barnes (22) Martin Kucera Stefaan White
C Lucas Dobson Lucas Dobson (19) Michael Best Leigh Crossley
D Ash Spiteri John Belic (13) Ben Kirker Aaron Cowell

Notice of Braves AGM

This post serves as formal notice that the Braves Ice Hockey Club will hold its Annual General Meeting on:

Date: Thursday 31st October 2019, 7.00pm
Location: O’Brien Ice House, Docklands – Henke Room (near Igloo Cafe)

Nominations are now open for the following positions:

  • Vice President (2 year term)
  • Secretary (2 year term)
  • Ordinary Member – two roles (1 year term)

A member of the Braves may:

  • nominate himself or herself; or
  • nominated another member, with his or her consent.

Nomination forms can be requested from the Secretary – Braves IHC at secretary@bravesicehockey.org.au

Should you have any questions regarding the the roles and responsibilities of the advertised positions, or the nomination process, please reach out to the secretary on the above address.

Summer 2019 program expressions of interest

The Summer Season is currently in planning, and the Braves are seeking expressions of interest from current Braves Summer Players, Braves Winter Players and new players seeking a club to join for the 2019/20 Ice Hockey Victoria Summer Season.

What we know

We anticipate the season to run October 2019 to April 2020, to have multiple grades of experience and to comprise 15 rounds plus finals. The games may be spread across multiple days, and multiple rinks. Winter registered players are eligible to play – however we will prioritise the placement of returning Summer players.

What we plan

Nothing will change at the Braves. We will still put forward a program to help you be the best players you can be. We will have grading and will allocate you to the team best suited to your level and trajectory, you will have trainings to help you build your skill-set and knowledge, and there will be coaches to guide you.

More information

We will share more information with you as it becomes available. Your committee is here to answer your questions – reach out to us via Facebook, or email our Summer Coordinator at summer@bravesiehockey.org.au.

Deadline

The deadline for expressions of interest is Sunday 11th August, 2019.

 

Summer 2018 Award Winners


Summer 2018 saw players continue to embrace the Braves mindset of hard work providing growth and opportunity, and we saw the fruits of this with many players rewarded and progressing onto higher ranked teams within the club. As a club we were able to see improved results by all teams over the previous season, culminating in two teams making finals and the Mohicans walking away with the ultimate prize in Ice Hockey Victoria’s Conference 3!

Rick Dwyer award

The Rick Dwyer Award recognises a Braves member or volunteer for their contribution to the Summer Development Program. In 2018, the award highlights the outstanding achievements of Dominic Zielinski. Previously a player for the Braves, Dom has turned his focus to coaching and refereeing, and has spent the previous three seasons guiding our new and developing players in Division 5. The importance of this coaching role cannot be understated – this team is the first step in the Braves hockey assembly line and sees our first, second and third year players learn the skills and systems that take them onward and upwards through the Braves ranks. Dom’s passion and commitment to this process is never in doubt, and we are delighted to have him at our club.

Playing Awards

Congratulations to the following players for an outstanding 2018 Summer season:

Team MVP Highest Points Best Defence Coaches Award
Navajos Isaac van der Vliet Kyle Edwards Alex Slyshkov Dylan McKenzie
Kiowa Sarah Marshall Daniel Griffin James Brettell Daniel Harper
Cherokees Jack Martin Daniel Mellios Josh Facchini Adrian Keen
Mohicans Josh Buzza Aidan Atkins Kieran Gooley Daniel Schiena
Comanches Tommy Bawden Will Lovell Matthew Melrose Caroline Alvarez

Best Goaltender

Congratulations to Josh Buzza for achieving the best goaltending results at the club, with a .862 SV% during season, rising to .906 SV% for his finals campaign with the Mohicans.