When I proudly mention that I’m the secretary of the Kodiak Melbourne Mustangs Ice Hockey Club, one of the most common responses is that people weren’t aware that they could watch it in Melbourne.

Regrettably, it’s one of the best kept secrets in town! If you haven’t been before, consider this to be my brief guide to attending your first match, and having a great time.

So what do you need to know to watch the Mustangs play?

The Mustangs play their Melbourne matches at O’Brien Icehouse, which is located in Docklands right next to the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel and Costco Docklands.

Getting here is easy. The City Circle Tram and Tram Routes 86 (Bourke Street) and 70 (Flinders Street) will drop you a short walk from the arena. If you’re catching the train, go to Southern Cross Station and catch the 86 Tram from Bourke Street towards Docklands and alight at the final stop. Alternatively, the walk from Southern Cross Station takes around 20 minutes (exit via Marvel Stadium). O’Brien Icehouse is in the Free Tram Zone.

If you prefer to drive, there are a number of car parks located in Docklands close to O’Brien Icehouse.

Over the last few years the range of dining options in Docklands has improved significantly. Whether fast food or something more substantial there are plenty of options available. Many of them are around the new Hoyts cinemas which opened recently. We recommend Billy’s District where you will normally find our Mustangs family members, fans and players after each game.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. When you are selecting seats you might want to consider something a little bit back from the front of the rink - so you get a better overview of what is happening. The rink holds more than a thousand people, and we normally get a great range of people attending, including families.

Drinks are available from the bar (you can drink them there or take them back to your seat) and a range of snack food is also available.

Beyond that you really don’t need to know much to get started. Part of the fun is picking it up as you watch the match. A few basics to get you started:

• There are eight teams in the Australian Ice Hockey League, and the Kodiak Melbourne Mustangs travel around Australia to play matches in Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle.

• Every team is allowed to have four import players from overseas. Because our season (April - August) occurs during the northern hemisphere winter you can expect to see some great players from overseas keeping up their skills during their off-season.

• There are three periods per match - so don’t leave after two!

• If a player does something wrong, the referee can send them to the penalty box and you can see how much time they have to stay in there on the scoreboard. This gives the other team an advantage as they have one more person on the ice and this makes for some exciting hockey.

• Expect games and fun between periods! Many of our matches have themes and competitions that you can enter on the day. Just ask at the raffle table.

• There is a large sheet of ice - so dress warmly!

• The team on the ice that you’re supporting is the Kodiak Melbourne Mustangs - our team colours are orange and black, and we “Bleed Orange”.

On behalf of the Mustangs I’d really like to see you at a match. 

The schedule for Melbourne Mustangs' 2019 season is available, and I hope you can become part of the Mustangs family. We currently have memberships available for the 2019 season starting in April. 

Go Mustangs!