Heading into the weekend this was always going to be a very tough series of games against the North Stars, without any doubt one of the most experienced and skilled teams in the AIHL. We knew we had a very tough task ahead of us just to take anything from the weekend, but if we want to play finals we knew we had to take some points.
On Saturday we got away to a flying start with two goals from new import Brian Berger, who ultimately ended the game with a hat-trick, and a great goal from Kenny Rolph that was inspiring. The North Stars were on the back foot for the whole game. Our local players put real pressure on their D men and we were causing turnovers all over the ice. By mid second period I couldn’t see us losing the game if we maintained the game plan. Our players deserve full credit for their work ethic and commitment to the system. Dan Clarke in goal has really helped us out, playing a commanding game and handling all the pressure they applied with true composure, which really settled us down at times. You can’t play a team like the Stars and not expect them to have some quality opportunities. There isn’t a team in the AIHL who hasn’t got the ability to hurt you and the Stars have a lot of firepower.
Coming away with a 6-2 win I must admit, was surprising, though we earned the win. The scoreline may have been flattering but we won’t complain! It was an outstanding performance from all of our players. We rolled 3 lines throughout the game and put in the performance we needed.
We knew the North Stars would come out firing for Sunday’s game. After results at the weekend, the top four spots were all potentially up for change. The Mustangs and the Adrenaline were closing the gap, but we also had an opportunity to move to second on the ladder. Again, we got off to a good start from Berger, who is proving to be a real sniper for us. Berger, Rolph and Mohle, are starting to really gel as a line and that is very good for us. I would say our D men had their best games of the season so far, with solid gap control, some great blue line interceptions and very composed passing. D is built on partnerships and for various reasons we haven’t been able to establish those partnerships until recently.
Overall, I thought we played very well, aside from 10 minutes in the second where we took our foot off the gas which cost us two goals. I thought the shifts in that period were too long and if anything we have become disciplined to short, hard shifts. We lost that for a few minutes and paid for it. Nevertheless, in the third we came out and dominated, hitting three posts in that period, which if you were stood on our bench, was painful to see. We also missed three one on ones with their goalie which we have to work on. From the bench it was hard to watch, as I know it was for our great crowd, who again were treated to a cliff-hanger. We even nearly scored with four seconds to go after a late face-off, but unfortunately we went down 3-2 in a classic hard fought game.
A split series at this stage of the season against the top placed North Stars should be viewed as three very valuable points. To me however, the success was that we showed we can compete with anyone in the league, and if we want to make the finals this season that is a confidence that will give us belief in our capabilities.
Stan Scott
Head Coach
Perth Thunder