Brave battle Thunder for the win. Photo: Richard Sak.

The CBR Brave came up with an important victory on Sunday at Perth Ice Arena, defeating the Thunder 5-2 in what turned out to be a fierce battle between two of the league’s top teams.

Right from the get go both teams were playing with an almost playoff like sense of speed and tenacity as the game quickly sprung into a fast and furious battle between the two rivals.
“Tonight we definitely saw a very high octane game with a lot of emotion involved and a high level of compete from both sides” Brave coach Rob Starke said after the game.

The Brave were first to get on the board with 10:49 remaining in the initial period with Kai Miettinen getting the game’s first goal. Thunder Captain James woodman however was quick to answer as he managed to tie the game on an aggressive pinch in for the speedy defenseman to put his team level just over a minute after the Brave had taken the lead.

The game continued to move on at an electric pace as both teams looked to find an edge in play, and the brave were next to hit the scoreboard again, giving themselves a one goal lead once more as Hayden Dawes managed to find the back of the net with three minutes remaining in the period.

After a heavy hit from Thunder forward Simon Kudla was questioned angrily by the brave bench, the end of the first saw the game reach its boiling point for the first time as both teams came together at centre ice after the buzzer had sounded in what could have become an ugly affair with both benches empty as the players made their way to the dressing rooms.

Cooler heads prevailed however and the second period started with the same tenacity that had ended the first, with both teams competing fiercely to get ahead in the tight contest.

Brave outplay Thunder to take the win. Photo: Richard Sak.

For the Thunder, it was the league’s leading scorer in Pier Olivier Grandmaison who was able to get his team back level with the Brave, after a tough fought period from the Thunder had earned them a goal with just three minutes left in the second.

With the game tied heading into the final frame, the Thunder were hoping to push the pace of play once more with twenty minutes remaining. However it was the Brave who came out firing on all cylinders once more as they managed to push the Thunder on the back foot just six minutes into the period as Trevor Gerling gave the brave the lead once more this time at 3-2.

At this point it seemed the Thunder looked to run out of gas a little as the third period continued on. A bench minor for too many men gave the brave an opportunity to take a firm grasp on the game which they weren’t going to neglect, with Gerling getting his second of the night with six minutes remaining in the game and CBR now up by two.

“We really tried to push for a full three periods of ‘Brave’ hockey tonight, and keep rolling three lines throughout, and  I think that started to show in the later stages of the game and we were rewarded for it” Starke said.

The Thunder didn’t let up however as they continued to try and push back to get within reach of a tie game. However after they were awarded a powerplay with five minutes to go, a shorthanded goal from Chris Leveille had all but sealed the victory for the Brave at 5-2 with only four minutes remaining in regulation.

The two teams are set to do battle again however, and the feeling was not lost in the contest as the game neared its conclusion as Landon Oslanksi squared up to Hayden Dawes with a minute to go after he was blindsided entering the zone and left with a bloodied nose too add to the fierce rivalry that will surely continue when the two teams meet again in the coming weeks.