Aussies upset by Ice in Tampa

Well, it is unseasonably cold down there... about 6º C (3º C with the wind chill factor) according to the site linked to your left... but that wasn't the point of the header. The 10th seeded Ice have beaten the 7th seeded Australians by 7, winning by a score of 43 - 36. All members of the Australian team were on their 2002 World Championships team. The Ice were seeded 10th going in to the tournament, despite having beaten the Germans last year at the World Rugby Challenge and the Suncoast (now Hoveround) Lightning and the California Quake at the Demolition Derby. I suspect they will be seeded higher next year.

Mike Whitehead (3.0) played sensationally for the Ice, and along with Jared Funk (0.5) and Patrice Simard (1.5) played the entire game. 3.0 classified players Fabien Lavoie and Steven Dunn subbed in and out for each other throughout the game. At one point, The Ice held a 13-point lead, and delegated the Australians to the pool of teams who will seek 9th place over the course of the next two days. All teams who place either 1st or 2nd in their pool today still have a shot at winning the tournament.

In other pool games today, GB beat the Germans by 7, and the last time I heard, GB was up by 7 over the Hoveround Lightning, who are from Sarasota, Florida. The Texas Stampede (without Zupan or Updegrove) beat the Tampa Generals by 3.