Rylan Toth earns shutout but Adrenaline cracked in shootout

The Adelaide Adrenaline will most certainly be looking forward to returning home after a pair of losses in New South Wales last weekend.

Sunday’s matchup against the Central Coast Rhinos was the last of five games on the road for the Adrenaline, who still managed to force the Rhinos into an exciting game of speed and strength. The first two periods saw more than a few roughing and tripping penalties handed out while the Rhinos’ starting goalie Anand Oberoi embodied a brick wall as he staved off every powerplay opportunity the Adrenaline took. On the opposite end of the ice, Rylan Toth started in net for the Adrenaline and robbed the Rhinos of any opportunity at getting the go ahead goal.

The Adrenaline continued to put pressure on the Rhinos in the third as they repeatedly forced the play on net and forward Daniel Chen was able to display how well he can read the play and consistently move the puck out of the Adrenaline zone. By the end of the third period, incredibly, both teams had taken just 23 shots on net and headed into overtime still looking for a goal.

The Rhinos continued their defensive streak as there was considerable traffic in front of the net that the Adrenaline just couldn’t break through, while Toth continued to hold the Rhinos at bay and make one incredible save after another. However, it was the newest Rhino, Canadian import Danick Bouchard, who delivered the 1-0 win to his team in a shootout.

Despite not coming up victorious it’s key to note that the Adrenaline have been making huge strides as a team this season and are playing far more cohesively. Captain Joey MacDougall, like so many of his teammates, chooses to look ahead with optimism:

“We feel as though we know what we’re up against and are managing ourselves to be a competitive team in the league,” MacDougall says. “I think our fans can expect to see a team that is a lot more confident in their abilities.”

Catch the Adrenaline at home this Saturday as they take on rivals Melbourne Mustang but hurry, tickets are selling fast. Puck drop is at 4:30 ACST.