Adelaide’s own ice hockey team, Adelaide Adrenaline, is set to return to the ice this Saturday for the first game of the 2024 season at the Ice Arena in a clash against the Sydney Bears.

The team’s coach, Stu Henly, said he’s excited to return this season with many of last year’s players returning despite a hard season in 2023.

“We all went through a really difficult season together last season where we only won four games,” Henly said.

Instead of letting last year’s challenging season shape the team Henly said they are using it as motivation to improve their skills and grow as a team.

“They’ve all been working really hard in the pre-season, they’re all really excited to be here with us and I think that’s the biggest excitement for me… that everyone wanted to come back (this season) and everyone wants to be part of the solution for this team and getting better this year,” he said.

After the Ice Arena closed its doors temporarily last year, there was some uncertainty on whether the team would have ice to practice and play on.

“You kind of learn to live with uncertainty,” Henly said.

“There can be uncertainty with what’s available or if something breaks or conditions beyond the control of the people in the different ice sports change. If those conditions change its largely out of our hands whether ice will be available. You kind of get used to taking it one year at a time.”

Despite difficulties in the past with negotiations to secure a lease with the Ice Arena, Henly said the new management has been a huge support to the team this year.

“As far as this year goes I think we’re really fortunate as a team that the Ice Arena has supported us,” Henly said.

“Ice time is hard to come by and they’ve really supported the team and they’ve made sure we’ve had all of the ice time that we need for training and for games.”

Despite ice hockey being a small sport in Australia it has grown significantly since the start of Adelaide Adrenaline in 2008, which took the place of the previous SA ice hockey team, Adelaide Avalanche.

“Ice hockey here is a really small niche sport and it’s getting bigger and bigger,” Henly said.

“The National Hockey League was here in September and held two exhibition games in Melbourne. To think 20 years ago that the National Hockey League would come to Australia because the sports grown so much that were on the map for them… I think that’s incredible.”

The team’s manager, Jamie Taylor, hopes that more people in Adelaide will discover the joy and excitement of watching an ice hockey game.

“We want more people to experience the excitement of ice hockey in Adelaide. Adrenaline’s games are the perfect mix of fun intensity and physicality,” he said.

“What I’d like to see for the future is continued growth,” Henly said.

“If this country was consistently developing professional players so that women and men could go to North America and Europe and earn money off this sport that we love that would be a huge dream I think for everyone in this country.”

The first game of the season will start at 4:45pm this Saturday at the Ice Arena in Thebarton.

To purchase tickets, see the full schedule for the season or find out how to get involved in ice hockey visit the Adelaide Adrenaline website.