2016 AIHL All-Star Weekend
June 11th-12th at Penrith Ice Palace.
The 2016 AIHL All-Star Weekend is less than three weeks away. In the lead up, theaihl.com sat down with fan favourite Robert Malloy, defenceman with the Newcastle North Stars, to talk about playing in the event.
Q: This is your second AIHL All-Star Weekend experience. What is your fondest memory from last year’s event?Being involved in the first All-Star Weekend last year was pretty special - especially because it was at home in Newcastle. We won the Goodall Cup two weeks prior and everyone was still buzzing. The skills competition was a blast. I think all the boys enjoyed kicking back a bit and enjoying it all. It was pretty much a chirp-fest.
Q: What are you looking forward to most about the 2016 event?Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many players across the league, especially playing for the national team. We don’t get much time throughout the season to really catch up and have a bit of fun, so this will be a rare experience. I'm also looking forward to seeing past teammates and fans from my Sydney Ice Dogs days.
Looking at the rosters, I think the game itself is going to be pretty sick. If I were a fan of the league or even ice hockey in general, I wouldn’t want to miss this. It’s an opportunity for guys to pull some moves and dangles they wouldn’t normally try throughout the season.
Q: Which skills contests do you think will be most fun for players? Is there a skills contest you would like to avoid?I think the breakaway challenge is always fun for the players and goalies. We saw some creativity last year. I can only imagine what guys have in their bag of tricks this year. Something is sure to go viral.
I'm going to try to avoid anything that will highlight my stone hands. Hopefully I can get some redemption in the shooting accuracy and hardest shot competitions.
Newcastle North Stars defenceman Bert Malloy participates in the 2015 Skaters Network Hardest Shot Competition Q: At dinner Saturday night, which AIHL player would you most like to meet?It’s crazy that I know the majority players selected for the All-Star Weekend. I always like to meet the new imports. The hockey world is so small. We will most likely have buddies in common.
Q: Matt Armstrong fired a 96mph rocket to win last year’s contest. What will it take to win Hardest Shot in 2016? Can you do it?Army with 96mph? I don’t’ recall. I’m pretty sure the radar gun was in kilometres per hour. I think Schlampy will agree something a bit fishy was going on there.
Maybe the secret to success is the old school Al Iafrate wood twig and mullet. Hopefully I can make a good showing.
Q: What advice would you give to young Aussies wanting to play in the AIHL?Growing up, I gained so much just by watching hockey. I would tell young Aussie hopefuls to watch as much hockey as possible. Learn as much as you can from the older guys and imports, then apply their knowledge into your own game. Young guns around our club have learned so much from NSA Hockey and imports that come across the pond. Juniors probably don’t realize how much we enjoy coaching as well. Don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions- we are here to help!
The 2016 AIHL All-Star Weekend presented by APA Group takes place June 11th-12th at Penrith Ice Palace. Tickets start at just $18.75 and are available at
www.trybooking.com/JVIN.