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AIHL LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	OTW	OTL	PTS
Ice	8	6	0	0	2	20
Thunder	8	5	3	0	0	15
Mustangs	6	4	1	1	0	14
Lightning	6	2	1	1	2	10
Brave	9	2	5	2	0	10
Rhinos	7	1	2	2	2	9
Northstars	8	1	5	2	0	7
Adrenaline	6	0	4	0	2	2

SCORING LEADERS

Kolton
Shindle (MIC)

Player	Points
Scott Timmins (MMS)	20
Brandon McNally (CBR)	20
Yu Hikosaka (PER)	19
Ty Wishart (MMS)	19

GOALIE LEADERS

Jakob
Doornbos (BRE)

.939

Goalie	SV%
Tatsunoshin Ishida (MIC)	.939
Anthony Kimlin (MMS)	.923
Matus Trnka (BRE)	.902
Aleksi Toivonen (PER)	.900

Brave’s Pitt hat-trick sinks gallant Ice Dogs

Sunday, June 7, 2015 - Submitted by Karl Bala

A hat-trick from Scott Pitt ensured the CBR Brave extended the Sydney Ice Dogs winless streak to 10, winning 4-1 at the Phillip Ice Skating Centre on Saturday night.

A packed Brave Cave welcomed the home team that announced the first father/son combination on the team list of David Lewis and his 16-year old son Jayden.

Although Jayden didn’t hit the ice, it was a special moment for the pair and continued the youngsters rise after playing for the Niagara Whalers in GMHL (Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League).

Long-term Canberran backup Stuart Woodall gave Josh Unice a weekend off and stepped into goals for the night giving Junior Brave goaltender Alex Tetrault another opportunity to dress as backup net minder.

Similarly, the Ice Dogs started backup Jake Burgess, who impressed with 38 saves from 42 shots on the night.

An injury depleted Ice Dogs pack took the trip to Canberra with 13 players making it on to the ice.

“We have a few players who have been injured, one guy who is suspended and [Kevin Harvey] playing in the US v Canada game,” Ice Dogs’ coach Anders Jespersen said.

The Brave would have been disappointed they weren’t able to take advantage of the extra personnel on hand as the Ice Dogs managed to match it up with the Brave.

The Ice Dogs were able to keep Woodall busy, taking 12 shots on the Brave’s goaltender.

However, it was the Brave’s Jordan Gavin who was able to kick off the scoring for the game with only 62 seconds remaining.

The Brave were able to step up the intensity in the second as they continued to create chances but failed to get one pass over the line.

It took with 56 seconds remaining in the period for a relieved Pitt to double the lead for the Brave as the teams headed to the final break.

Sydney Ice Dogs had Jake Burgess to thank for keeping the score line respectable at the end of two with a tiring Ice Dog pack in front of him.

The CBR Brave continued to mount on the pressure in the third but still faced with a desperate Sydney team who didn't want to give an inch.

At with just under seven minutes remaining in the final period, the Dogs were able to pull one back as via a Ryan Strayer penalty shot.

Pitt responded 15 seconds later before sealing the game and his hat-trick with 34 seconds left.

CBR Brave coach Brad Hunt said despite the win, there was plenty to work on for his side.

“We needed to play our game and not slow down to their level,” Hunt said. “Not that they’re a slow team, but we play at a certain level. For the first couple of periods we played not at our quickest pace. We had a lot of opportunities but we couldn’t find goal - couldn’t buy a goal. In the end, class shows through and the boys stepped up in the end it started going in the net.”

Jespersen said that the biggest plus out of the game was the performance of Ice Dogs netminder Jake Burgess.

“I know we’re down and we’ve lost lots of games and I wanted to give him a chance and see how he goes and he played really well,” Jespersen said. “Compared to before, it’s getting much better.”

Former goaltender Hunt said also heap praise on the Ice Dogs’ Aussie youngster.
“He was unreal,” Hunt said. “He’s a little goaltender but he played well. All credit to him. He kept them in the game. It could have been 10, but at the end of the day, it was probably a 2-1 game. He played fantastically.”

For the home side’s goaltender, Woodall got his first start and win for the Brave, and received game puck for his efforts in making 29 saves for 30 shots.

Next week, the Brave are on the road in Melbourne taking on the Ice, while the Ice Dogs have two home games with the first against the Bears in Liverpool on Saturday and the second against the North Stars in Newcastle.

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