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AIHL LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	OTW	OTL	PTS
Ice	19	14	0	2	3	49
Thunder	18	9	6	1	2	31
Mustangs	17	8	7	2	0	28
Lightning	16	7	4	1	4	27
Brave	16	6	8	2	0	22
Northstars	16	5	8	3	0	21
Adrenaline	16	4	10	0	2	14
Rhinos	18	2	12	2	2	12

SCORING LEADERS

Scott
Timmins (MMS)

Player	Points
Yu Hikosaka (PER)	45
Kolton Shindle (MIC)	40
Tanner Hopps (BRE)	40
Joakim Erdugan (MIC)	40

GOALIE LEADERS

Anthony
Kimlin (MMS)

.917

Goalie	SV%
Tatsunoshin Ishida (MIC)	.913
Matus Trnka (BRE)	.893
Aleksi Toivonen (PER)	.887
Jakob Doornbos (BRE)	.879

Mustangs get one back against Ice

Friday, June 6, 2014 - Submitted by Dan Hamer

The Melbourne Mustangs thrashed the ladder leading Melbourne Ice 8-3 on Thursday night and moved into second place in the AIHL competition.

It was a fairly even game until the final period when the Ice were blown away by five goals to the Mustangs.

The Mustangs impressive goal tally was led by Jamie Bourke and Pat O’Kane with two each, and singles from Brendan McDowell, Jeffrey Grant, Joseph Hughes and Viktor Gibbs Sjödin.

Ice captain Lliam Webster scored two, while Austin Mckenzie netted one.

Webster led by example, encouraging his teammates to finish their checks and take control of the momentum. He tried desperately to rally his side in the final period, to no avail.

Ice head coach Brent Laver said their opponents worked harder and played smarter, exposing and exploiting weaknesses like all good sides should. He also said that ultimately the responsibility lies with the coaches to assess the result and identify solutions.

Laver said, “The buck stops with us [the coaches] to see if we've swayed from our plan, to see if we've created a mixed message. It's about work. The talent's there, the systems are there, and there's clear evidence of that. There are 17 games left in the season, and we have to get back to work-that's all it is. It's getting 'blue collar' again and working as a team.”

The first period had fans salivating about what was yet to come. The Mustangs went into the first intermission down 1-0 thanks to a breakaway goal from Brendan McDowell.

The Ice managed to get on the board through captain Lliam Webster in the second period, edging the puck past Mustangs goalie Fraser Carson to make it 1-3. Austin McKenzie then put through a piercing howitzer of a shot, waiting until he saw the opportunity to send the puck screaming past Carson’s glove from distance.

Carson was in solid form all night, saving 29 of 32 shots. At the other end, Ice goalie Gustaf Huth grew noticeably frustrated as the night went on. The Mustangs had thirteen more shots on goal than the Ice, with Huth conceding 8 of 45.

The Ice’s defence was lacking, with Huth often exposed due to miscommunication, leading to multiple breakaway goals and gifted opportunities.

It’s an area that defenseman and Ice import, Jeff Smith, said comes down to hard work.

“Hard work beats talent every night and they came to work. They're probably the best team in the league I've played against, and what’s dangerous is they brought hard work mixed with talent. We had to match their intensity and their skill level, and we just didn't do that tonight.”

The Ice were mediocre in passing, shots on goal and defensive intensity. There were glimpses of getting their game together, but they were quickly quashed by the Mustangs who were intent on controlling every aspect of the game through hustle and grit.

Ice coach Laver said overall it was a night to forget.

“It's a bit of a mindset issue. We need to get the work boots back out and knuckle down, and I really think it'll turn around again for us,” said Laver.

"The rivalry is amazing. It's fantastic for the league. Hearing the crowd when the team goes out for warm-ups is absolutely fantastic. It's a great reward for effort by Brad [Vigon, Mustangs Head Coach] too- he's working just as hard as we are.

“We’re 2-1 now, and the last game of the derby is going to be huge.”

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