Hockey and ISO 1600/3200 - what to expect?

My son played in Casper, WY this weekend. The rink was like a cave according to my camera . I was using a 30D with a 70-200 f2.8L wide open. I set ISO at 1600 and shot the ice. I moved the histogram to the right and went to manual - 1/250 was about all I could get in the brightest part of the rink. In the third period of the last game I decided to experiment with ISO 3200. I was very surprised to find that the images are not that much noisier than ISO 1600 and the quality actually improved. I guess that is caused by the faster shutter speeds (not an IS lens).

Anyway, here are two images - one at 1600 and the other at 3200. I've linked them so you can see the full EXIF. (These shots aren't particularly good but I link them as examples of ISO 1600 and 3200) Is this the quality that I can expect at these settings?

I only adjusted the white balance and brightness (slightly) - no noise or sharpness PP.

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yup, I agree -- better to get a correctly exposed shot at 3200 with adequate shutter than an underexposed shot or one with motion blur from a slow shutter.

in both the shots you posted, the players are standing still. 1/250 should be OK for that, but if you want motion shots for HS hockey you really need to be near 1/500.