Kyle Johnsson: Botany Swarm Captain previews the clash against the Auckland Mako, the NZ Ice Hockey League beginning

One last clash before the New Zealand Ice Hockey League gets underway. 

The season starts next week, but before that, the Botany Swarm are facing off against the Auckland Mako tomorrow evening.  

Kyle Jonsson is captaining the side this weekend, and joined D’Arcy to preview the game. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Talking at New Zealand Ice Hockey League just about the
underway the Botany Swarmer in action this weekend. They said
to take on the Auckland Markel side in the build
up to the season's start next week. Card Johnson will
be captain inside this weekend and he joined us. Now,
good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Kyle, Good morning Darcy. How are you.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm good looking forward to the season. We're still a
week away, but you guys are in pre season essentially.
Then the Swarm. I've got a week's delay before you
start your season. But all this preparation super important. And
you're taking on this markor team, which is the new
team I suppose you'd say in the competition.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yes, Darsie. So the Auckland Marco are actually development team,
so they're sort of the younger sort of up and
coming stars of the league and ice Hockey and Auckland.
So the way that it works is for our preseason
games is with the Botany Swarm. There's also the West
Hawk and Admirals on the other side of town, so
we play the old Auckland Marco in our preseason games

(01:14):
just to sort of give them a bit of development
and also get us, you know, get up and ready
for the season starting in a couple of weeks.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Limitation wise with this, Michael side, you said their development.
Is there an age cap on these fellows.

Speaker 3 (01:28):
A little bit? So the way that it works is
that they're sort of an under twenty three and under
team in sort of age, so it really is just
to give a bit more sort of playtime at that
level for those younger ones coming through into the league.
So yeah, it's good development for them, but also just
good good for us to kind of practice and you know,

(01:49):
get ready for that season.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
It really important for the strength of the league and
it has been getting bigger and badder every year. So
no surprise that Auckland can actually provide three teams in
this competition or is it a surprise?

Speaker 3 (02:05):
No, No, it's great. No, No, the game's definitely been
growing for quite a long time now as well, so
it's been great having a lot more players sign up
and coming through both both the West Auckland Admiral's and
the Botany Swim clubs. So yeah, it's been really great
to get that and there's some great talent on those teams,
so we definitely don't take those teams lately, and.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Looking at the year, plainly you want to win at all,
but when you look at the history of the Botany Swarm,
you haven't picked up that major title in quite some time,
although you do have four under your belt.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Right, that's right. Yes, it's been quite quite some time,
that's for sure. But yeah, definitely in the last couple
of years we've been pushing real close. So we've just
last year we ended up coming first in the regular season,
but it was only where we fell short in the
final to Queenstown there. So yeah, we're pushing, we're pushing

(03:00):
and we and we're right there. So yeah, we're definitely
hoping to get done.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Not impossible to roll the Stampede. I know they're pretty
stats team, they've got a great history, but the rest
of the teams get getting closer. Do you think the
likes of yourself and the Admirals and the list goes on.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
Yeah, So it's always there's a really good crossdown rivalry
between us and the West Hawk and Admirals, so that's
always a real, real good battle up here in Auckland
and certainly the Dunetan Thunder as well. They've they had
a really really strong year last year as well, so
it's it's going to be tired, it's going to be exciting.
So yeah, I'm hoping we can get it done here

(03:41):
and yeah, we're definitely ready for it.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
The expansion of the league further and you're not, I
don't think in management up at that high level, but
do you think it's got a lot more room to
move it. We'd like to see Wellington Hamilton teams being
involved in this competition.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
It'd be great to get Wellington in there. There's always
been sort of whispers but nothing official. The main the
main sort of constraint, I guess is with with you know,
ice rinks in the country, so that's why you know,
we got the ones in Auckland and Christchurch in Queenstown,
and i'd say mostly that sort of southern half of
the North Islanders. It's actually quite quite more common for

(04:22):
in line hockey and those types of ranks, so it's yeah,
we're just a bit limited with ice rinks there. But yeah,
it would be awesome to get another team in there.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
You're running the show at the moment. Why you're regular
captains swarming himself over in Fiji, which is kind of
understandable when it comes back to your men playing though.
Did you have many guys with the ice Blacks you
were in in Softia? What was it last month?

Speaker 3 (04:50):
So if yeah, yeah, that's the one. Yeah, so we did. Yeah,
we had a handful of guys in that team as well,
which which they actually they had a great tournament there.
They ended up coming second and winning silver for that division.
That was only probably a few weeks ago now, early April.
But yeah, I got a couple of guys from there,
Kyle marsh and some of them. So yeah, it's mean, yeah, good,

(05:12):
good to have some representation for the Swarm and the Icebergs.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
There onward and upward. This season proper starts in a
week's time. You're on the ice properly in competition in
two weeks time. But you're going to get you get
all busy against the markl tonight. Looking forward to the season.
Kyle Johnson, thank you so much for your time.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Awesome, Thanks Darcy.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
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