Murphy leads Adrenaline to key road win

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The Adelaide Adrenaline returned to the win column by defeating the Sydney Bears 3-2 in a shootout on a dramatic Saturday afternoon in NSW.

Cam Critchlow tied the game with less than two minutes to play to force a shootout. Josef Rezek had an incredible back hand deke to seal it in the tiebreaker. 

But the real story is the mesmerising debut of import goalie Matthew Murphy. The New Brunswick-born goalie who signed this week made 45 saves to help the Adrenaline steal a crucial road win. 

He made stop after stop after save after save keeping the Adrenaline in it to give the team a fighting chance. 

The "Maritime Monster" stuck pads out of nowhere, blocked two-on-ones, controlled rebounds and took away dozens of Sydney chances to keep Adelaide in the game.

"He was incredible. He was a wall back there," said Adrenaline forward Greg Oddy, who also scored in the game.

"He bailed us out a couple times and he gave us an opportunity to win which is what we really needed in this one. Great performance," he added.

The Adrenaline entered the game allowing an AIHL worst 5.2 goals per game to start the season. They have also allowed the most shots. 

The impact of Murphy was felt instantly. He made a couple big saves on the penalty kill early in the first and stonewalled a Bears attacker late in the frame on a breakaway to keep the Bears scoreless in the first.

"He was really, really good in that first period. I was incredibly impressed," said team manager Mike Biergard after the first period. "There were a couple saves in the high slot he made which were solid. He really kept us in the game.

The Bears controlled the play for the most part, dominating the shot category 18-6 through one.

On the other end of the rink the Adrenaline did manage to generate a couple chances but Bears goalie Anthony Kimlin, who is Australia's #1 backstop, was up to the task.

The teams traded chances but the score stayed 0-0 after the first 15.

It did not take long for the Bears to strike in the second period, however. Building off the form from the first period, the Bears finally capitalised when Tyler Noseworthy buried a goal past Murphy to put the Bears up 1-0.

A few minutes later the Adrenaline got a chance to excercise their AIHL-leading power play. They made no mistake as Greg Oddy delivered a tip-in goal, and his 597th AIHL point, to tie the game up off a Joey Rezek shot.

Oddy, who went scoreless in four games, now has five points in his last two and is just three points away from a historic milestone of becoming the first player to 600 career AIHL points.

"I'm just starting to take my chances. I knew I was getting the right spaces but it's a relief they are finally starting to come," he said. 

But just as quickly as the Adrenaline tied it up the Bears seized the lead back. 

Import defenseman Jackson Brewer slotted another quick one for the Bears to put the home side up 2-1.

The teams started to trade chances late in the second as the game became a bit of a foot race. Once again, the Bears generated the better opportunities. Matt Murphy had to come up big with 50 seconds to go in the period as he sprawled back to make a save on an odd man rush.

Murphy kept it a one goal game heading into the third after making another few late saves when the Adrenaline couldn't clear the zone.

"He kept us in it," said Biergard at the break. "He made a couple big saves, especially late in that second, to keep this a one goal hockey game and us feeling positive in the room. We were still in it."

Adelaide opened the third with a power play but unfortunately it was the Bears who got the best chances again. Murphy came up with another beauty just a couple minutes in an an odd-man short-handed Bears rush.

Later, with the teams playing four-on-four hockey after they exchanged penalties, the game's tempo went to the next level. On one end Nick Rivait was denied in tight as he tried to snipe it by Murphy. On the other end Greg Oddy was denied by Kimlin on a breakaway.

Perhaps Adelaide's best opportunity came with eight minutes to go. Cole MacMillan and Greg Oddy drove the net causing all kinds of problems for the Bears defense but nobody could knock in a bouncing puck in front of the net.

Once again, Murphy was asked to stand tall and he responded. Just moments after Adelaide's glorious chance, the New Brunswick import slid across the crease to make a huge block on a 2-on-1. 

Then, Murphy save, after Murphy save, after Murphy save the Adrenaline finally broke free.

Cole MacMillan set up 'Captain Clutch' Cameron Critchlow who buried from just in front of the net to tie the game with less than two minutes to play.

The Bears went right back on the front foot. They had the puck in the Adrenaline end for the strong majority of the last 90 seconds. Matt Murphy had to come up with another fantastic save by sprawling across the crease to take away the shot. 

But he got them to the shootout.

In the tiebreaker Cam Critchlow scored for the Adrenaline and the Bears snagged a goal of their own to make it 1-1 heading in to the final round.

Josef Rezek made a tidy move, popping to his backhand and undressing a diving Kimlin to win the game in the final shootout round. 

Fittingly, Murphy made the final stop to secure the two points.

"This is such an import win because it will get the guys believing in themselves. We lost a lot of games late in the last two years so to get on the right side of it is such a confidence boost," said Oddy.

Two points for the Adrenaline to break a mini two-game losing streak.

The Adrenaline get on a plane and head to Melbourne to play the Mustangs on Sunday.