The Adelaide Adrenaline, proudly presented by Hards Transport, scored a memorable and emotional 8-5 road win over first-placed CBR Brave in a loud and hostile environment.

Above: Matt Murphy was brilliant and improved his record to 2-0-1-1 as starting goalie. Photo: Paul Furness

Matt Murphy stopped 62, including 41 in the third period, import Ales Kratoska had four points, rookie Jake Riley scored his first AIHL goal and former Brave Zach Boyle tallied two goals and an assist in a team performance head coach Sami Mantere calls “truly gutsy.”

“We only had 13 skaters in Game 2 of a double header weekend against the best home team in the AIHL,” he says. “Everyone played their heart out, emptied their tanks and played well together. Now we have to back it up next weekend at home vs. the Mustangs.”

Even more incredibly, it was just the CBR’s fifth regulation loss in the ‘Brave Cave’ in the last five seasons and Adelaide’s first win in the capital since 2014.

The win meant a lot to everyone but it was particularly special to Zach Boyle. The 21-year-old South Aussie spent the 2016 season with the Brave but returned to Adelaide this season.  With injuries to Adrenaline import forwards Cam Critchlow and Cole MacMillan, Boyle was asked to play his first AIHL game at forward.

He did not disappoint. He scored twice including a vital mark late in the second period to give Adelaide a two goal cushion on a breakaway. He had an empty net goal in the third to silence the Brave Cave for good in the third.

“It feels amazing,” said a smiling Boyle after the game. “This is such a hard place to play. Everything about this win is an incredible boost for us.”

Boyle says the Brave fans are great to play in front of which makes the win even more special. The Adrenaline became the only team not named ‘Northstars’ or ‘Ice’ to win in regulation.

“They are behind the team from the get go. It’s a quirky rink to play on so [the Brave] know how to play it really well. Beating them was huge,” he says.


Above: Zach Boyle had the game of his AIHL career, sticking it to his former team. Photo: Paul Furness 

Boyle was just one of many stand out performers. Nine players registered a point in a total team effort.

The game was never going to be easy for Adelaide. The Adrenaline lost Saturday’s game 8-3 and were totally overwhelmed in the first period. Coach Mantere stressed the importance of starting well and giving the team a chance to win.

Adelaide held the high-powered Brave to a 0-0 tie after the first period thanks to strong defensive play, great team support and a calming influence from import goalie Matt Murphy.

More impressively, the Adrenaline were without leading goal scorer Cam Critchlow and second year import Cole MacMillan. They were left with only 7 forwards and four defenseman.

After easing into the game, the Adrenaline came out guns-a-blazing in the second period. Ales Kratoska, who has been a revelation for the Adrenaline, got his first goal of the night after Casey Babineau created a turnover deep in the Canberra zone.

But the momentum didn’t last. Just 25 seconds later a point shot from Brave captain Mark Rummaikainen found it’s way through traffic and behind Matt Murphy to level the score.

“I was very impressed with how we responded after the first Brave goal. We kept playing our game, stressed defense first and stayed patient,” said coach Mantere after the game.

Adelaide kept biding it’s time and when opportunity presented itself on a power play, it was an unexpected hero who delivered. After a pretty set up from Zach Boyle, rookie Jake Riley was standing on the doorstep to pop a pretty backhand past the Brave goalie.

2-1 Adrenaline.

Adelaide kept the momentum going. Just a minute later Zach Boyle created a turnover, busted in alone and beat Alex Tetrault for a goal against the club that decided to not bring him back.

“It was sweet,” said Boyle, simply, after he put the club up 3-1.

The Brave came back fast and furious but Matt Murphy delivered a couple key saves to keep the two goal lead. It also set the stage for a late second period goal from Casey Babineau, who stressed just shooting the puck from “wherever”, from the point. A four goal period put the Adrenaline up 4-1 heading into the final 20.

The third period was always going to be a test. With arguably the most potent offense in the league bolting down the ice, a short bench and string of penalties, Adelaide did not make it easy.

But thank goodness for Matt Murphy and a valiant shot blocking effort from the Adrenaline.

All-in-all, the Brave fired 45 (!!!) shots against a depleted Adelaide side in the third period but Murphy stood on his head.

The Brave made it interesting with two power play goals in the first seven minutes. They kept surviving a whole other swarm of chances but Murphy kept taking away rebounds, chasing whistles, slowing the play and giving his team a chance to rest.

The game reached peak tension with 5:35 to play in the game. With Ales Kratoska, who had been an absolute terror for CBR all night, in the box, Adelaide needed a vital kill.

In comes Darren Corstens, Morgan McNeill and a slew of shot blocking heroics. The Adrenaline dove in front of anything that went to the net and stood fearless in the face of a daunting opposition.

McNeill took a puck to the throat and Corstens blocked three shots in one penalty kill. Of course, Matt Murphy had a few big saves of his own. Adelaide could breathe a sigh of relief after CBR defenseman Jan Safar hit the cross bar on a point shot as the penalty expired.

“Do whatever it takes,” said Corstens. “I just wanted to win.”

Then, out of nowhere, the Czech Mates Josef Rezek and Ales Kratoska created a 2-on-1. Rezek fed Kratoska who batted in his second of the game on the goal line to make it 5-3 with just 2:30 to play.

Moments later, with the goalie pulled, Zach Boyle scooped up a puck and fired a shot in from the blue line to put Adelaide up 6-3 with two minutes to play. Boyle took the hammer to his opposing team as a second line centre and finished the game with 2 goals and one assist.

After a random exchange of late goals the final score ended up 8-5 but it was really over after that Boyle mark.

Above: Ales Kratoska helped set the tone with great physical play

The boys were totally spent after the game, some barely able to walk. They dug deep and pulled out a remarkable win in a difficult environment.

“This is Adrenaline hockey,” said captain David Huxley to the change room after the game. “It was gutsy it was tough.”

“A win to be proud of.”

But as head coach Sami Mantere says, the win means nothing if the Adrenaline don’t back it up vs. the Mustangs at home on June 17/18.

“These are very important games for us. I am calling on the entire community to make 10 times as much noise as the fans in Canberra did,” he says. “We need to start turning this into something.”