While it’s hardly the national sport, Ice Hockey is bigger in Australia than most people realise. That said, about 75% of the players are ex-pat Americans, Canadians & Europeans :)
A bit of background info, my boyfriend (AKA The Boy) has been playing hockey for almost 20 years, and in our 5 seasons together, I’ve been to almost every game. I’ve spent the last 3 years shooting from the bench with the boys and despite one close call, I’ve never been hit with the puck!
At the end of the season, I spend the better part of a week sorting through thousands upon thousands of photos to put together a 20 minute slideshow for the end of year party.
Here’s some of the highlights of 2011! (If you missed my favourite photos from 2010, check them out).
The butterfly save
Plenty of stacks
Pure focus
There were plenty of fights, but they mostly only make sense as a series
I’m sure all the fella’s will cringe at this :)
Having shot easily 100 games, I’ve become pretty good at anticipating what’s going to happen next. Here’s a goal from the Semi Final – the wind up, the goalie going down, and the celebration that followed. They were pretty excited to say the least!
Apparently #67 thought he was pretty hard done by for getting penalised for tripping here. Seems pretty clear cut to me!
The Semi Final came down to this goal in double overtime. The Kings were the underdogs much of the season, and gave the Eagles quite the upset.
The Grand Final wasn’t meant to be however. Down 3-0 in the last period, The Kings scored with 15 seconds on the clock. My favourite thing about this shot, is while the goal scorer is celebrating in the background, the captain’s immediate reaction is to check the time left on the clock.
Some are happier than others with their silver medal :)
Here’s a trailer I put together as a teaser a few days before the party (I know it’s super cheesy, but that’s what makes it awesome!).
Congratulations to the Ice Kings for another awesome year. My boys did me very proud!
Bring on 2012!!!!
by Kellee
show hide 15 comments
Adelaide - [...] few weeks ago the Kings & I headed to Adelaide for the weekend for an Ice Hockey tournament. When I wasn’t [...]
ryan chan - LOVE Hockey! Some really great shots in here – the boys must have liked them.
Oh, and it isn’t a hockey game without at least one fight! ;-)
Nessa K - I bet these guys were so stoked to see these! I don’t know much about sports even now, but I was a sports photographer for a while and it was such a fun job. :)
Albert Palmer - I’ve never been to a hockey game, but damn it looks fun!
James Murphy - Some great action shots! Well done!
Cassie Rose - Nice work! That’s so awesome that you’re such a huge support for him (and them)!
porter - these are awesome! great coverage!
Cafe Chick - Great shots! I’ve never been to a live ice hockey game but am amazed by the lightning pace at which it is played – making the sharpness of your pics even more spectacular.
Anton Chia - Great coverage Kellee!
Samantha - Sweet, gotta love hockey!
kit - Wow! That tripping shot is visceral! Great capture! For me, sport photography seems the most challenging- you have to be ready for THE shot at any moment! These are great! I bet your man and his teammates love these.
ALMA - SYDNEY ICE HOCKEY?? Awesome!
Chantal - Haha first off, that trailer is amazing. Secondly, this does not look easy to do! I’m really impressed– and especially love the after goal shot! Awesome.
JESSIE - Hockey Players Rule! Awesome work.
heather - This team is sure lucky to have your expertise as a photographer available to them! Great photos capturing the action perfectly!