LEGENDS CLUB: James Keane and Eric Lien

This weekend we welcome two former players that are part of our brand new Legend's Club out to enjoy the Adrenaline vs. Bears game!

Have you got your tickets yet? Make sure you grab them at www.bit.ly/adrenalinetickets. 

But back to the matter at hand...

On Saturday the first goalie for the Avalanche, and perhaps one of the most impactful imports-turned-locals of all time, Eric Lien will be in attendance. 

On Sunday James Keane will be there to drop the puck. Keane, who also runs the business Artsign Outdoors, played 207 games for the Avalanche/Adrenaline which is good for fourth on the all-time list.

Here is a bit more about them below.

ERIC LIEN 
from Legends of Australian Ice. Read original story here.

In their first season of AIHL hockey, the Adelaide Avalanche honoured a twenty year-old native of Nanaimo BC in Canada whose enthusiastic and competitive nature as back-up keeper had an immediate effect on the team.

Flexible, agile, and difficult to beat one-on-one, he single-handedly won the game against the Knights in Canberra with 27 big saves, then followed it up with a record 37 saves against the Bears in Sydney.

In 11 games he continued to improve, finishing on a save percentage of 86%, and only narrowly missing the NSW Super League goaltender of the year award.

Opponents scored an average 3.7 goals per game on the Avs defense that season, and he was the Avs first ever Rookie of the Year.

He went on to play nine seasons with the Avalanche, through to their ultimate demise in 2008 as the A’s, winning back-to-back Goodall Cups in 2000 and 2001. He was the AIHL Best Goaltender of the regular season in 2001 and, at his peak in the AIHL, he was saving almost 90 percent of shots on his goal.

He possessed a unique ability to handle the puck and some may recall he scored a memorable goal that first season which instantly made him an Adelaide fan favourite. 

He was also the Junior Development Coach in Adelaide back then, touring China in 2000 as assistant coach of the National Youth Team. He continues to coach and mentor young players, most recently at the Elite Bantam National Development Camp in Newcastle in 2016.

He played for the Adelaide Tigers in 2011 and was assistant coach of the Adelaide Adrenaline from 2011 to 2014, then interim Head Coach mid-season 2016.

Avs player Daniel George recalls Lien once asked the team whether they had the “intestinal fortitude” to go win the the game. “I said yes then went home and googled both words,” says George. 

He was also assistant coach of the National Men’s Team at the 2014 and 2015 Division 2A Worlds in Belgrade, Serbia, and Reykjavik, Iceland, respectively. The author of an authoritative article or two on hockey in Australia, he still coaches and plays recreational hockey, advancing his career here towards the end of a second decade.

JAMES KEANE

From 2003 to 2014 Keane played 203 AIHL games for the Adrenaline and Avalanche. 

He totalled 144 points in his 11 season career. His best season came in 2011 when he had 12 goals and eight assists in 17 games for a total of 20 points.

Even after his season Keane trained with the Adrenaline semi-regularly to keep himself in game shape. He had a brief return last year. 

Keane's experience extends internationally. He represented Australia twice at the Division 2 World Championships in 2006 and 2007. He was a point-per-game player with the Adrenaline when they won their last championship in 2009.

Former teammate Sami Mantere has nothing but good things to say about James.

"James is a very experienced player who has won a Goodall Cup. His experience and knack for the net was something that was valuable on any team," he says. 

Last season former player and co-Legends Club inductee Sean Greer described Keane as a "gritty, do-it-all and play for your brother" type player. That's a great attitude to have.