Perth Thunder (4-6-0-0 – 12PTS)
vs
Adelaide Adrenaline (3-5-0-0 – 9PTS)
Perth Ice Arena
Saturday June 8 @ 4.30PM (WST) and
Sunday June 9 2013 @ 4.30PM (WST)
No live stream available
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The Thunder and Adrenaline meet for the first time in 2013, as the South Australian squad travels to Perth for this week’s double-header.
Occupying 6th and 7th spots on the ATC Productions Ladders, both teams are within striking distance of a top four position and this will be another important weekend for each squad.
Perth Thunder is back at home, after a split weekend in Melbourne against the Mustangs. After a comeback in the opening game, the Thunder fell a goal short of closing the gap that the Mustangs had built in the first two periods. In the second game, the Thunder led from the outset and went on to record the team’s biggest win of the year, defeating the Mustangs 9-3.
This week sees the home debut of former Melbourne Ice player, Kevin Darcy (28). The 6’4” defender enjoyed early success with the Thunder, scoring two goals in his opening game last week. Joining Darcy, in this home game debut will be New-Zealand born Steve Huish.
Thunder will again be looking for the key imports to challenge the visitors. Michael Forney’s (7) recent form has seen him move into second in the league scoring race and he holds a league leading 3.12 points per game average. Forney and line-mate Matt Strueby (20) have been a match-up nightmare for opposing teams and they will look to capitalize early in both games.
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At the visitor’s end of the ice, the key player to watch will be Britt Ouellette (11), who leads the team in scoring, with 14 points. Britt first played in the AIHL for the Knights in 2011, scoring 77 points in 26 games.
As always, captain Greg Oddy will lead the team on the ice, as the AIHL veteran nears his 250th start in the league. The 15 time, All-Australian has one of the most impressive resumes in Australian Ice Hockey and is always a thrill to watch.
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‘They’re always a tough team. They’ve been in this league a long time, they know how to win and they have some great leaders’ said Thunder Head Coach, Stan Scott.
‘We’re two very different teams, in a very similar situation. Both teams won’t want to settle for anything less than 6 points this weekend and we intend to fight hard for those points’
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Perth Thunder players Jonathon Bremner, Liam Jeffries and Cameron Walsh are healthy scratches for this weekend as they are competing in the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships in Dresden, Germany.
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