Adrenaline lose again to Mustangs

The Adelaide Adrenaline, proudly presented by Hards Transport, slumped to a 5-2 loss against the Melbourne Mustangs, their fourth loss in five games.

The Mustangs had a comfortable 2-0 lead after two periods before a flurry of goals in the third set up a thrilling finish, although Adelaide was never truly in a position to win.

Head Coach, Sami Mantere, said it was an improved performance of their Saturday defeat but certain moments let the team down.

“We played better today than yesterday but some big individual mistakes, they [Mustangs] made it count and we can’t do that at this level,” Mantere said.

Melbourne had the opening goal when a speeding Matt Beattie snuck a shot through the legs of Pete King, and the run was just one of the many chances Beattie created throughout the game.

Adelaide’s offence looked strong in the opening stages as Joey Rezek and Cam Critchlow worked their magic with Critchlow also at the centre of a crunching collision with Vadim Virjassov.

The second period saw the Mustangs double their lead on a high press which saw the Adrenaline give up possession far too close to goal. A centering pass found Jackson McCoy, who rifled a shot into the net while Anton Kokkonen nearly set up a third soon after.

With King and Melbourne goalie James Kruger regularly tested, there was no time for complacency, but it was Melbourne who controlled the tempo and left Adelaide needing to improve.

“You’ve got to grow on everything; preparation, defence - you know, better defence better offence,” Mantere said.

“Look, the guys know we need to improve on that, it’s pretty simple.”

They had their third 90 seconds into the third period as Brendan McDowell shot into a wide open goal in the power play, essentially securing the points.

Greg Oddy created some hope when he gobbled up a great pass, beating Kruger with a tap in to clear space, before the Mustangs made it 4-1 with 6.54 remaining.

Virjassov had the goal through a powerful drive from afar, although the Adrenaline responded well as Rezek scored off a goal-line scramble at the other end, just 10 seconds later.

However, the Mustangs had the final say when Paul Lazzarotto flicked one into the top right corner with a clinical finish. Despite the finish, Mantere is optimistic and believes the Adrenaline will bounce back.

“We’ve been in this situation before, even this season and we’ve bounced back pretty well. As we said after the game in the changeroom, we haven’t lost anything yet and we’ve got a team that can beat any team as we showed last week,” he said.

“We need to believe; as soon as we stop believing it’s done.”

The Adrenaline are on the road next weekend, facing the Newcastle Northstars on Saturday and the Sydney Bears on Sunday.