Week 6 Recap: Ice go 9 straight as Mustangs get season back on track

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Melbourne Ice equal best start to season with defeat of Brave

The Melbourne Ice have equaled their best ever start to an AIHL season with a 9^th straight win, defeating the Brave 4-2 on Saturday night.

In a penalty-filled and at times controversial affair, the Ice got the lead late in the first period thanks to Joey Hughes on the power play, for a 1-0 lead at the first change.

Jamie Bourke got his first of the year just 7 seconds into the second period, giving the hosts a 2-0 advantage. After 12 minutes of penalties and some controversial moments, Jake Ratcliffe finally got the visitors within one on the power play with 4 minutes remaining to make it 2-1.

Bourke would extend the lead back out to two, three minutes into the third period followed by Mac Caruana 10 minutes later to virtually seal the win for the Ice. Tyler Kubara added a consolation goal for the Brave with 6 minutes remaining, with the Ice taking the game 4-2 and looking to break their record for most ever wins to start an AIHL season next week.

The Ice head to Perth for a two-game series with the Thunder this weekend.


 
Thunder dominate Rhinos in Perth

The Perth Thunder have continued their strong start to the AIHL season with a dominant display over the Central Coast Rhinos in Perth on Saturday night.

The Thunder jumped out to a two-goal lead less than 26 seconds into the first thanks to Lynden Lodge and Zane Jones, stunning the Rhinos early. It would get worse for the visitors, as Webster, Addison and Tenosalmi added one each to make it 5-0 at the first intermission.

Alex Wardlaw answered back with his first of the year less than a minute into the second period, to lead a fight back for the Rhinos. Skipper Bert Malloy added another on the power play 4 minutes later and Central Coast had some momentum, despite the mounting deficit. It finished 5-2 after two with the Rhinos outshooting the Thunder 19-12 in the second frame.

Wardlaw had another 5 minutes into the final period and it looked like the Central Coast comeback was on. It would be short-lived, as Jordy Kyros scored less than a minute later, followed by Zane Jones completing the hat-trick and Finlay Gordon getting his first AIHL goal to complete a 9-3 rout for Perth.

The Thunder host the Melbourne Ice in a double header this weekend, while the Rhinos face-off twice against the Mustangs in Melbourne.


 
Mustangs turn the corner with pair of victories

The Melbourne Mustangs have arrested their early season slump, with a pair of defeats over the Adelaide Adrenaline and the Canberra Brave this weekend.

The Mustangs travelled to Adelaide on the Saturday and were greeted by some strong goaltending by Rylan Toth. That was until Scott Timmins broke the deadlock 8 minutes in to make it 1-0, where it would remain until the first intermission.

Timmins would have his second on the power play midway through the second, followed by another from Ty Wishart on the man-advantage to make it 3-0 Melbourne. Adelaide weren’t out of it though, as Kaden Elder got his third of the season to make it 3-1 at the final break.

Daniel Koudelka got his first AIHL goal to pull the home team within one, just two minutes into the third. However, Timmins went on a rampage with two more goals and was helped by insurance markers from Dean Klomp and Todd Cutter to take the game 7-2, in Zach Boyle’s 200^th AIHL game.

Melbourne took that momentum into Sunday at home at the O’Brien Icehouse against the Canberra Brave, who were in a similar predicament in terms of the league standings.

The Brave grabbed the early lead thanks to Austin Cangelosi, assisted by new arrival Jean Dupuy, to make it 1-0 just three minutes in.

However, the Mustangs would answer with three unanswered goals from Matheson Graham, Vadim Virjassov and Timmins to turn the tables 3-1 after 20 minutes.

Kai Miettinen answered for the visitors with his 5^th of the year, to spark some momentum and pull Canberra back to 3-2. It would be the lone goal of the period, with both Seb Woodlands and Alex Tetrault making several quality stops at each end.

Jordan Brunt got the start Canberra wanted 58 seconds from the intermission, tying the game 3-3 and forcing the Mustangs on the back foot. Despite the Brave controlling the period, Brad Apps would throw an innocuous shot on net that would be unfortunately deflected by Bayley Kubara past Tetrault, giving the Mustangs the go-ahead goal and eventually the 4-3 win in Sean Jones’ 300^th AIHL game.

The Mustangs host Central Coast this weekend in a double header, while Canberra have back-to-back games on the road in Adelaide.
 
Bears put Brisbane away in double header

The Sydney Bears have extended their winning streak to 4, after dispatching the Brisbane Lightning in a double header at Boondall.

After a scoreless first period, the Bears scored 4 unanswered goals including two to Kiwi Chris Eaden to make it 4-0 Sydney through 40 minutes of hockey. It wasn’t until late in the third period that Aaron Wanat was able to add a consolation goal for Brisbane, making the final score 4-1 to the Bears.

Debutant Kenta Matsukane grabbed two assists and James Downie stopped 23 of 24 shots in the win, in which Sydney piled 55 shots on Curtis Meger.

The second game started out more evenly in the first period, with a 1-1 scoreline thanks to Brody Lindal and Wanat adding his second of the weekend. However, it was all downhill for Brisbane after that.

Matsukane scored his first AIHL goal to break the deadlock to 2-1, before the scoring floodgates opened for the visitors. Sydney scored 6 goals across the remaining two periods, including a pair to Ryan Annesley and another to Lindal, to complete the victory 8-1 in a game which got chippy and saw Patrick Popovics ejected midway through the second.

The Bears will face the Ice Dogs in the third Battle of Sydney on Saturday and then the Lightning again at home on Sunday. The Lightning face the Northstars in Newcastle prior to their rematch on the Saturday.


 
Northstars pip Dogs to snap skid

The Newcastle Northstars have snapped their losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Ice Dogs in Sydney.

The game was scoreless through the first period as Jake Doornbos and Charlie Smart stood their ground in their respective nets.

Grant Toulmin finally opened the scoring for the Dogs with his 6^th of the year in the second period, only to be answered by Daniel Berno less than a minute later for a 1-1 score heading into the second break.

The scoring really got going in the third period with Dmitri Kuleshov getting his 12^th for the season, just 38 seconds in. Toulmin added another 5 minutes later for his 250^th AIHL point to establish a two-goal lead for the hosts.

However, as he did in the first period Berno answered instantly for the visitors to make it 3-2. He would complete his hat-trick 5 minutes later to tie the game and put overtime on the table. Francis Drolet ensured there would be no extra period of 3-on-3, with his 8^th of the year to seal the win for the Northstars and a vital 3 points.

Newcastle host the Lightning on Saturday, while the Dogs play the Bears in the Battle of Sydney on Saturday night.