Of course, there's no natural ice and only a couple of indoor rinks, and players strap themselves into modified sleds to compete.
They risk some gnarly injuries, and director Isaac Elliott's debut feature documentary about the team is appropriately titled Hard as Puck.
"All of the players have some sort of disability, they're used to injuries and pain," said Elliott, who began making films in 2007 after a motorbike crash left him a paraplegic.
The tale of the Garden Island Pirates is a little bit Cool Runnings with a dose of Rats in the Ranks, he said.
As well as the glory of unlikely victories, there are the familiar challenges of grassroots sport - bureaucracy, infighting and having barely enough players, let alone an opposition to play.
Hard as Puck will have its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.
Originally from Alice Springs, Elliott attends the festival every year and can barely contain his enthusiasm at being part of the program - especially since he finished post-production on Hard as Puck about a week ago.
"It's so exciting that a film I've made as a director is finally playing," he said.
"I moved to Melbourne to make films, and it's taken 15 years to get here."
Filming on the ice was a constant challenge, from the risk of crew injuries and interrupting play, to recording sound with sleds whizzing past.
"Sometimes we would have two cinematographers on the ice, and they would wear full hockey outfits to basically be as protected as possible," said Elliott.
He rigged up a removalist's trolley with camera gear and replaced its wheels with hockey pucks, to create a sliding contraption that enabled him to film just above the ice.
Fortunately, the crew's cinematographer-in-training also happened to be a figure skater, so she could move close to the action and swing away quickly when needed.
Elliott still rides a modified motorcycle for fun, but says motorbike jumps are much less scary than the brutal sport of para ice hockey.
"There's no way of getting around being hit in the head with a puck or hitting your head on the wall, or getting your fingers run over by the blades at the bottom of the sled," he said.
Hard as Puck was funded through government screen agencies, philanthropic donations, and the film festival's Premiere Fund, which has backed more than 100 Australian feature films.
The festival runs from August 6-23 with an online program screening until August 30.