The Ice Dogs were always going to be a tough team to face, either at home or away. This weekend we played two hard fought matches against the Ice Dogs and they showed that its no fluke that they sit atop the AIHL Ladder.
Saturday’s game was hard to swallow. I thought we outplayed the opponent for large stretches of the game. We out-shot them 42 to 26, but Kimlin made a huge effort in goal for the Ice Dogs and full credit to the rest of the team, they dug in and ground out three valuable away points.
We played well as a team and sometimes you just don’t get the bounces. I was certainly left wondering ‘what if’ when thinking about the three posts we hit and the two disallowed goals. I was buoyed by the teams play though and I’m confident that if we continue to play like that, the results will come.
The crowd was incredible and stayed with us the whole time and the players knew we owed them something and soon. I think maybe we were a little too anxious to create secondary scoring that we lacked a little defensive discipline, but you can’t take anything from the Ice Dogs win or their incredible work ethic.
Sunday was a big day for us. We needed to get our season started, and we believed we could bounce back strong and beat the Ice Dogs on our home ice. Again we got out to a quick start, but after losing a number of two-goal leads this season, I didn’t want our boys to let off the gas.
Our imports really led the way and when asked they stood up. Forney and Strueby were excellent and our captain, Sam Wilson, showed why he wears the ‘C’, leading by example and scoring our first goal.
Rolph and Tolles helped secure the defence and I thought Del Basso and Young played solid games on the blue line. One of the most important factors for the win on Sunday was the improved back-checking of all our local players. They really upped their game on Sunday and continued to work hard at both ends of the ice.
I believe that was the toughest hockey game we have ever played at home. Sure, there were a few mistakes, but the overall desired work ethic and attitude of the team was fantastic. We were tied 5-5 and I was sure we were going to overtime, when with less than 30 seconds to go, Matt Strueby scores, I thought the noise would bring the roof down.
I think our incredible fans got great value in that game and illustrates to our team that ‘the game is never over’. There are no easy games in the AIHL. It was another split weekend for the Thunder and another valuable win against a top team.
I’d like to make special mention of our committee members and volunteers. We had a huge weekend with the new mascot, who I understand has not been named yet, as well as the Red Bull DJ and plenty of on-ice activities. They’re working hard to make sure the fans get the best show in town and its great to see everyone having such a good time at the games.
The squad is now preparing for our road games against the Mustangs in Melbourne this weekend. I watched a replay of the game today on Fox Sports with a few of the players and supporters, and I hope our fans enjoyed it just as much as I did!
Stan Scott
Head Coach
Perth Thunder