They have won the last five in a row.
The Queenstown-based team has been utterly dominant, but coach Cameron Frear warned it is getting harder to stay ahead of the chasing pack every year.
He has been involved in the league since 2006 and has seen it grow and get more competitive each year.
This season shapes as the most competitive yet, he suggested.
‘‘The level of the league has come up a lot in terms of professionalism,’’ he said.
‘‘You see that by the level of the import players, and Kiwi kids playing overseas as well is a pretty good guide that the sport’s moving forward.’’
You are also seeing it in the results.
The Stampede shared the honours with the Dunedin Thunder in the opening round in Dunedin.
They beat the Thunder 7-4 in the first game but lost the second leg 6-3.
‘‘I think it's going to be a league this year where all the teams are very close and there might be a lot of split weekends, which we started to see last year.
‘‘That’s great for fans to sit, you know, not knowing who's going to win each game.
‘‘But, yeah, I think, you know, we're going to have to play the right way to get two wins this weekend.’’
They are hosting the Canterbury Red Devils, who were beaten 7-2 and 5-3 by the West Auckland Admirals in Auckland.
Frear said they would need to be more disciplined and give the Devils less space than they allowed the Thunder.
American Conner Jean arrived this week and will strengthen the Stampede lineup. He has had professional stints in the likes of Sweden and France, and he played NCAA Division 1 hockey.
Fellow America Max Roth is another player expected to make a positive impact on the league.
