Mustangs claim first Grand Final spot

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A Viktor Gibbs-Sjödin double midway through the third period has led the MOAT: Melbourne Mustangs into the AIHL Grand Final, defeating defending premiers the Sydney Ice Dogs 6-4 in an intense battle at the Medibank Icehouse in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
 
Gibbs-Sjödin and Jamie Bourke claimed two goals and two assists each as the Mustangs booked the first spot in the decider.

For the Ice Dogs, it was a gutsy effort with David Dunwoodie claiming a pair and Tim Noting facing a barrage of shots from the red-hot Mustangs attack.
 
Mustangs head coach Brad Vigon was pleased with his team’s efforts throughout the game as he knows the job is not done yet.
 
"Our first period was a bit back and forth, and they got on top of us with that power play goal. We came into the second period energised, we moved our feet well; we were getting pucks on net,” Vigon said. “We scored two to get on top, but I really think we could've had five or six - we were getting a lot of traffic in front of the net. We knew that the pressure was on them; that they had to score. When they did, we kept our composure."
 
The first period delivered on all aspects of action that was expected in the build up to the 2014 AIHL Finals. The Mustangs dominated possession and shots on goal early, scoring through Jeff Grant after a brilliant feed from Joey Hughes, notching up a 1-0 lead only four minutes in.
 
The visiting Ice Dogs seemed to be slightly behind the eight ball in the early moments of the game, shell-shocked by the fast start of the Mustangs. After settling, the Ice Dogs gained the ascendency, scoring through Mitch Bye following a double team against Mustangs goalie Fraser Carson before Dunwoodie gave the Sydney-siders the edge at the end of the first after a fantastic wrap-around dish from Clewlow.
 
The Ice Dogs entered the second period with a 2-1 lead, but it was all but two minutes before it was taken from them through Jamie Bourke, and then a minute later Hughes managed to snare one past Noting, who was caught out of position leaving Hughes to drive it into the back of the net for a power play goal and the 3-2 lead.
 
While the Mustangs managed to put up shot after shot on net, 14 in all in the second period. Noting was strong for the Ice Dogs, doing an exceptional job between the pipes to limit the damage.
 
The Ice Dogs started the final period with the same intensity they brought to the first. Scoring midway through the period, Clewlow capitalised on a rebound from Tesarik to tie the scores.
 
That's when Gibbs-Sjödin stepped in with a scintillating one-timer, before claiming a second minutes later to take the game from the Ice Dogs.
 
While the Sydney-siders responded with a late power play goal, the Mustangs sealed a place in the decider with a empty netter to Jamie Bourke.

Ice Dogs head coach Andrew Petrie was disappointed with the loss, but saw promise in his side and is confident of a return to finals action in 2015.
 
"I reckon we had 40 really good minutes and 10 ordinary minutes in two patches of five,” Petrie said. “That's the story of the game. I challenged them to leave it all out there and for the most part they did that.”
 
“The next couple of days will see some quiet reflection, some team talks and some discussion about the future. I hope to see success. I would think that the Ice Dogs make the finals again."
 
For Vigon, focus turned to the Grand Final and he was eagerly awaiting to see who the Mustangs would take on in the decider.
 
"For the sport of hockey in Australia, it'd be great to go up against the Ice,” Vigon said. “It would also be a pretty great Cinderella story to go up against the Brave. I think we match up well against both teams, but we'll just have to wait and see."
 
The Grand Final starts at 3pm on Sunday with the AIHL Awards to be announced 30 minutes before at 2.30pm.
 
3 Stars of the Game
1^st star: Viktor Gibbs-Sjödin
2^nd star: John Clewlow
3^rd star: Joey Hughes