The Melbourne Mustangs have overcome the Sydney Bears with three third period goals to take a 4-2 win and keep their finals hopes alive at the Medibank Icehouse on Sunday night.
 
Locked at 1-all after two periods, the Mustangs closed out the match on the back of a strong performance from Vadim Virjassov, assisting the Mustangs second and third goals, before doing it all himself and dekeing several Bears for the final goal.
 
With a shortened bench and coming off a loss in the Melbourne Derby on Thursday night, Mustangs coach Brad Vigon was thrilled with how his team bounced back and held their nerve.
 
“I think from start to finish it was maybe our best game of the season, especially since we lost [captain Sean] Jonesy and Mikey James [to the Inline World Champs], Joey’s [Hughes] out injured, Jeff Grant’s out injured and we were running with a shortened bench,” Vigon said.
 
“To see the guys step up and really stick to the game plan and the way we’ve been trying to get them to play all season, it really came through tonight. Instead of getting to the third period and losing a game, we found a way to win it tonight.”
 
From the get-go, it was clear the game was going to be a squeaker.
 
While the game got off to a fast start, both teams were feeling each other out in the initial stages.
 
But after getting an early power play, the Mustangs waited for it to elapse before Jamie Bourke was allowed to skate straight through the neutral zone, thundering a slap shot into Jarina, who was a long way out of his crease to stifle Bourke’s advance.
 
Bourke regathered the rebound, getting the puck beside the net and passing to Matt Stringer to slot the opener.
 
The Bears hit back soon after with Paddy Ward the beneficiary of prolonged pressure on the power play, shooting from mid-range and going top shelf with the puck ringing the inside of the post.
 
A close second period followed with plenty of bodies being thrown around and plenty of strong opportunities were denied at both ends in strong performances by the goalkeepers.
 
The save of the night was a Fraser Carson glove save after a reflex pad save on a shot through traffic. The puck rebounded straight to Bears captain Michael Schlamp and Carson denied his attempt, reaching right back to glove the puck.
 
After 22 minutes without a goal, midway through the third, Jamie Bourke broke the deadlock for the Mustangs, entering the zone and beating three Bears  before slotting it past Jarina.
 
Viktor Gibbs Sjödin made it 3-1 when he thundered a bolt from the blue line immediately after entering the zone.
 
With the Bears sensing the game was getting away from them, the intensity increased and the Bears were rewarded when Michael Schlamp redirected a Paddy Ward pass with three-and-a-half minutes remaining.
 
However, the Sydney-siders hopes of repeating their six-point weekend from the last Canada Day weekend faded when Virjassov expertly deked through the Bears defence, dodging a hip check and doing it all himself to reinstate the winning two-goal margin.
 
Vigon said that it was good for the Mustangs to get back to an aggressive-style of play.
 
“I don’t know where it’s been all season but we haven’t been sticking to the game plan,” Vigon said. “Tonight they started to get back to it. They know if they do it, it works but sometimes when you’re struggling, you try to do things all by yourself and it doesn’t really come off all that well.”
 
Bears assistant coach Ron Kuprosky said his side hoped to come away with all six points and they feel like “we short-changed ourselves”.
 
“It was a hard fought game,” Kuprowsky said. “We didn’t get the result that we wanted so it’s a bit disappointing. The win yesterday kind of gets soured in the loss today but we’ll bounce back. We’ll work hard on Tuesday and Thursday and get our game back ready for next weekend.”
 
Bears forward Saxon Air agreed, saying the mood in the dressing room was “a little sombre, a little down”.
 
“We really wanted this game because it would have put us in third but sh*t happens and what can you do,” Air said.
 
With Paddy Ward getting his permanent residency, Tomas Landa was able to return to the Bears squad after an injury layoff with Kuprosky saying that he hardly lost a step.
 
“He’s excellent,” Kuprowsky said. “He’s hitting people, shooting, scoring and doing everything you want him to do. Once Cam [Todd] and Lee [Turner] get back [from the Inline World Championships], it means we’re firing on all cylinders and away we go.”
 
Next week, the Mustangs are on the road, taking on the Brave in Melbourne, with Vigon saying the win will do their confidence good.
 
Meanwhile, Kuprowsky said games like this will help the Bears prepare for the Saturday game against the Ice Dogs at Penrith Ice Palace, reminding his side that you can’t take any team lightly.
 
“We have to play solid against any team,” Kuprowsky said. “It just shows tonight that if you come out flat and don’t capitalise on your opportunities then you just don’t come away with the points.”

Thank you to Eric Scaresbrook for performing the interviews with both sides.