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HELLYER LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	PTS
Ice	3	3	0	9
Thunder	4	3	1	9
Mustangs	1	1	0	3
Bears	2	1	1	3
Ice Dogs	3	0	3	0

RURAK LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	PTS
Northstars	3	3	0	9
Adrenaline	1	1	0	3
Brave	4	1	3	3
Lightning	4	1	3	3
Rhinos	3	0	3	0

SCORING LEADERS

Aiden
Wagner (NNS)

Player	Points
Jeremiah Addison (PER)	14
Wehebe Darge (NNS)	12
francis Drolet (NNS)	12
Beau Taylor (NNS)	10

GOALIE LEADERS

N Novysedlak (BRE)

1.000

Goalie	SV%
Tatsunoshin Ishida (MIC)	.952
Rhys Pelliccione (PER)	.950
Leo Bertein (PER)	.912
Jeremy Friederich (ADE)	.912

Thunder dominate lacklustre Ice Dogs

Monday, August 11, 2014 - Submitted by Simon Kirkman

The Perth Thunder took the Sydney Ice Dogs to task on Sunday night, dominating them 8-2 at the Liverpool Catholic Club.

Jordan Kyros was the catalyst on offence, netting a hat trick and adding an assist. Justin Fox added two goals and an assist, Andrew Cox had one goal and three assists. Goalkeeper Mathieu Dugas turned away 40 shots to frustrate the Ice Dogs’ offensive weapons.

The Thunder took an early three-goal lead in the first period through goals by Fox, Kyros and Cox. The Ice Dogs struggled down low to clear deep in the defensive zone and the Thunder capitalised on the opportunities.

Justin Fox jumped on the first chance and sliding it past Tim Noting. The Ice Dogs had moments of offensive flare, but with just over five minutes to play, Kyros scored his first of many for the night, finding the smallest of gaps to ricochet the puck into the back of the net off the post.

Ice Dogs coach Andrew Petrie lamented the defensive complacency that led to the two goals.

“We directly gave them opportunities in the high slot and they buried two shots,” he said. “I was disappointed with our sense of responsibility in our defensive end.”

The woes didn’t end there for coach Petrie and the Ice Dogs in the first period as Andrew Cox took advantage of another defensive lapse and snapped it home to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead.

“We worked on shutting down their stretch pass in training, so we made sure our ‘D’ was mobile today and cut-out their stretch pass options,” said Cox. “Getting an early lead in this league is vital for winning games so it was good to get those three goals in the first period and it really gave us an edge.”

The second period saw the Ice Dogs pile on the pressure and dictate the flow of play throughout large parts of the period. However, a neutral zone turn-over from David Dunwoodie saw Anthony Nottle jump on the puck, sliding a pass to a streaking David Ruck he got in behind the Ice Dogs’ defence and beat Noting to put the Thunder up 4-0.

Looking at a grim score line the Ice Dogs kept pressing and were rewarded when Mitch Bye solved Dugas and punched it home to put the Ice Dogs on the board. Shane Southwood assisted on the play, picking up his seventh point of the weekend.

In the third period the rejuvenated Ice Dogs took it to the Thunder offensively and David Dunwoodie picked up a perfect rebound after the initial build-up from Simon Barg and John Clewlow and placed it past Dugas to put the Dogs within two.

The celebrations were short lived when 37 seconds later Stuart Stefan broke the hearts of the Ice Dogs faithful by putting one home past Noting.

Jordan Kyros added his second of the night with halfway through the period and again with nine seconds left in the third to rub salt in the wounds. Celebrations for Kyros were in order for the Perth team after the game thanks to his first AIHL hat-trick.

“It was Kyros first AIHL hat-trick which is huge,” Cox said. “He had a great game and he’s very happy about it. We will have a couple of beers and celebrate it together.”

It has come down to a crucial road series against Perth for the Sydney Ice Dogs, who are currently sitting in fourth. If they don’t win at least one of the games, it’ll open up the fourth and final playoff spot for the Newcastle North Stars to creep in with Newcastle currently sitting four points out of the top four with three games left.

Petrie believes his team has what it takes to succeed in Perth and they’ll rise to the occasion.

“I think the boys will develop a real sense of occasion and they know that when they get down to this part of the season everyone lifts,” he said. “There’s an emotional level we need to reach without losing control of ourselves.”

With the win, it means that Perth is still in with a slim chance to make the fourth play-off spot, but they have to defeat the Ice Dogs in both games at home next week and hope other results go their way.

Cox realises the task before them to make that final play-off spot and that it won’t come easy.

“We are going to play them (the Ice Dogs) like we are going into the finals. Statistically, it’s not over yet.”

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