A hat-trick from 100-gamer Jordy Kyros and a team shutout from goaltenders Mark Guggenberger and Mark McCann spearheaded the Perth Thunder’s commanding 8-0 win over the Sydney Ice Dogs at Perth Ice Arena on Saturday.
Kyros was one of three Thunder players to tally four points (three goals, one assist) on the night, with Andrew Cox and Alex Hudson each tallying one goal and three assists, while Alastair Punler and Tomek Sak each scored their first AIHL goals as the Thunder ran rampant against the Ice Dogs’ defence.
Thunder head coach Dave Kenway was thrilled for hat-trick hero Kyros, who was the figurehead in a potent power play unit on the night.
“We’ve been working on the power play for a couple of weeks, so to see it actually put up three [goals] tonight is really good,” Kenway said. “And Jordy’s ecstatic, a hat-trick in your 100th game - can’t get much better than that.”
Kyros was also happy with the output of the power play units; something that he says has been improving in recent weeks.
“We’ve actually had a good power play the last five or six games so that’s starting to pick up,” Kyros said. “Our penalty kill has been great all year so it’s good to see a high level now with both of them.”
Kenway was also happy with the contribution of Punler and Sak, who have been regular players in the past few weeks for the Thunder.
“They’re two kids that turn up every week and play in the junior league, they’ve stepped up to join our league and our squad and are getting some ice time and putting some goals on the board which is great,” Kenway said.
With the Thunder leading 7-0 at the end of two periods, rookie goaltender Mark McCann was given the third period to show his wares, something that Dave Kenway said was reward for the work McCann puts in during the week.
“Mark’s at training every week, it’s good to get him in there and let him feel the game and experience playing for the Thunder,” Kenway said.
Kyros also praised McCann’s work ethic, and was pleased he was able to spend some well-earned time in net.
“Mark was great for us last time he played so he deserved to go in there,” Kyros said. “He didn’t know about it, it was a complete surprise. He’s always up for the challenge.”
Ice Dogs head coach Tim Flynn says his team heeded messages during the week to play a more disciplined game, stating that Perth’s potency on the power play wasn’t the major factor in the heavy loss.
“We had a big discussion about the discipline and the penalty minutes previously and tonight they went very hard about trying to keep that under control,” Flynn said. “The game got away from us in the end but not because of penalties. The players just got tired and ran out of legs.”
The Thunder started the game nervously, with defenceman Jamie Woodman coming to Mark Guggenberger’s rescue with a fantastic stick save after the goaltender turned the puck over attempting to clear the defensive zone, keeping the game scoreless.
The Thunder soon found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play and Kyros took full toll, scoring two power play goals in the space of 25 seconds, with Punler adding the third goal 35 seconds later to give the Thunder a 3-0 lead.
Thunder leading scorer Toni Kluuskeri then capitalised on a third power play opportunity, with Alex Hudson assisting the fourth Thunder goal just before the end of the first period.
It took the Thunder seven minutes in the second period to tally their fifth goal, with Hudson winning a race to the loose puck in the corner, before setting up Sak in the slot for his first AIHL goal to give the Thunder a 5-0 lead.
Kyros then completed his hat-trick 30 seconds later, smashing the puck past Jake Burgess after a scramble in front of the net, before Andrew Cox added his name to the score sheet to stretch the Thunder lead to 7-0 after two periods.
Alex Hudson capped off his productive night offensively by slapping in a rebound goal five minutes in to the third period to finish the scoring for the night, with the 8-0 win being the equal biggest winning margin in Thunder history on a night of milestone celebration.
Despite another hefty loss, Ice Dogs coach Tim Flynn remained optimistic about his team, saying the baptism of fire they’ve received this season will pay dividends in the long run.
“We have an incredibly young team so it’s been a steep learning curve for them this season,” Flynn said. “For the rest of the season, we try to give them as much ice time as we can to prepare for next season, where I know we’ll be back to the old Ice Dogs form.”
Next week the Ice Dogs head to Canberra for a relocated home game to take on CBR Brave on Saturday before heading to Newcastle to take on the ladder-leading North Stars, while Perth will remain at home to take on the Mustangs on Saturday night.
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