It was a thrilling end to another double header weekend at the Ice ArenA as the Adelaide Adrenaline were able to gain four points overall and move up a spot in the Rurak Conference.
The Perth Thunder, sitting in a comfortable third place overall, tried to get an edge on the Adrenaline as they continued to charge the net and kept the Adrenaline on the defence. Although midway through the first they had taken more shots on net it was the Adrenaline who would get on the board first. Shaun Dosanjh and Josh Adkins took advantage of a rebound off of Leo Bertein to set up frontman Kaden Elder who scored his seventh goal in three games, bringing fans to their feet.
The Thunder responded by tightening up their lines and creating a number of scoring chances but had trouble getting the puck through the crowd of bodies in front of the net, particularly Julian Friederich and Ty Wright. The two worked together by putting themselves in front of the play and fighting to push the puck up the ice.
"Typically I play a lot of lock down in the defensive zone but I think it will be beneficial for the team if I'm looking offensive too, especially when I get those opportunities to be an option for a pass or to shoot the puck," Wright says.
Rounding out the first period was a quick goal from Thunder forward Kieran Webster who was waiting in front of the net for a quick pass from Jordan Kyros to even the score.
The action continued into the second period as each team tried to get the go ahead goal but Rylan Toth was able to maneuver around the crease with relative ease and produce twice as many saves as Bertein, giving his team the chance to regroup and take control of the puck.
Tied at one a piece in the third, the Adrenaline seemed to tap into their energy reserves and were able to dominate the offensive zone. Dosanjh had been cautiously positioning himself in front of the net which paid off when a rebound came from Daniel Koudelka and he wasted no time in taking the shot and getting the go ahead goal, the fourth of the season for the Adrenaline defenceman.
"Our guys are getting better because now they know where to go and there's a lot more communication," Dosanjh says. "It's good for them to see that they can all contribute and that it's not just the same five guys contributing to the score."
With less than two minutes to go in the third, Kaden Elder displayed his excellent puck handling abilities and charged the net to make the final score 3-1.
Wright says that now after the Adrenaline got a taste of winning, it'll be a lot harder for their opponents to take them down:
"Everybody's just excited to be at the rink and on the ice. We're all working together as a team and it's paying off for us now."
The Adrenaline are gearing up for another double header weekend at home as they get a rematch against the Melbourne Ice. Puck drop on Saturday is at 4:30pm. -
Joanna Gruenberg
ADRENALINE
BEARS
LIGHTNING
ICE DOGS
BRAVE
