They came runner-up in division one two years ago and made a clinical start to outplay Queenstown Jurassics 8-0 at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.
Their passing was accurate and they made use of the width of the rink to expose the frailties in the Queenstown defence.
They peppered the goal with 22 shots and it was only the gutsy defence of goaltender Ted Graham that prevented the score from bubbling out to double figures.
The team was efficiently led by Melbourne sports marketing boss Scott Davidson (52), who scored a hat trick.
He was skilled with the puck on his stick and made some tricky moves up the right flank.
"We just spread it around and whoever was at the end of the passing sequence should put the puck away," he said.
"It is always nice to get them in early because it takes the pressure off."
Two goals were scored by left wing Andrew Kirkham (46), who is the youngster in the side.
He was speedy on the ice and had a powerful shot when in front of the goal.
The other standout player was Sandy Gardner, who scored a goal himself and set up shots for other goals.
"We were able to make the puck work, which makes the opposition have to work even harder," Davidson said.
"Towards the end, they just ran out of gas.
"It was a good start for us. We only arrived in Dunedin yesterday and having an early morning game is always difficult."
The Melbourne Marauders have been playing together for 30 years and know each other's play. They have been playing in masters competitions since 1995.
"It was more a matter of us worrying about our own execution rather than the opposition," Davidson said.
"An advantage that we have is that we have played together for so long.
"Although we are all getting older and slower, we still know how to move the puck. If you do it well it requires a lot less work than skating for it."
The Marauders got on top from the start, and at the end of the first of the two periods, led 4-0. They added four more goals in the second period.
