Adrenaline searching for crucial win vs. Ice

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On Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9, the Adrenaline will be tasked with needing to defeat the Goodall Cup favourite Melbourne Ice at least once to keep their playoff hopes alive. Tickets for the two home games can be purchased at www.trybooking.com/pftr. 

The Adrenaline have dropped four games in a row and have 16 points - just six points removed from fourth. With teams ahead of them playing each other, the Adrenaline need to win to stay alive.

Meanwhile, the Ice sit on top of the standings with a polished 9-1-2-0 record. That mark is good for 31 points - just three points clear of first with two games in hand. 

A win this weekend would almost certainly turn the momentum. Here are some key things to look for:

1) Third period success

The final 20 minutes of a game has not been kind to the Adrenaline lately. Adelaide held third period leads vs. Newcastle and Sydney in their last two games and fell behind. They also got outscored by the Mustangs their last home games by allowing five goals across just two games in the third. 

Adelaide will need to show they can play a complete game. They've held leads and been in contests but haven't been able to find sustained success.

2) Break the streak

Adelaide has not beat the Melbourne Ice since a sneaky road win in May, 2015. That's over two years and seven straight games without a victory vs. the perennial contenders.

3) Youth pushing through
It was always going to be a transition year for Adelaide. A solid core of players aged 21 and under are starting to be given more responsibility. As the season creeps along the number of minutes will only increase.

Jake Riley (17 years old) and Marcel McGuiness (also 17) are starting to gain confidence in the league. Remy McGuiness (21) is benefitting from a healthy season. Zach Boyle (21) is one of the most experienced young players in the AIHL with over 80 games under his belt. 

Ryan Foll (21), Jordan Geyer (20), Seb Woodlands (17), Nathaniel Benson (16), Dylan Pope (18) are all other young stars who have benefitted from being involved in the system. 

4) Battle the experience
While Adelaide's youth is shining through, Melbourne's have the best depth and versatilely in the league.  

Australian national team stalwart Joseph Hughes (age 33) leads the team in scoring with 23 points in 12 games. Meanwhile 22-year-old Jeremy Brown, an Aussie/Canadian with major junior experience, is having a breakout year with 13 points in 10 games. 

Regulars Tommy Powell, Matt Armstrong, Liam Webster and Todd Graham continue to flex their muscles in the AIHL. In net Dayne Davis has been solid in net with a 2.57 GAA since coming over from winning the last two AIHL titles in Newcastle.

Their imports are four Swedish players all with strong experience.

2017 MEETINGS:
April 29 - Melbourne Ice 5, Adelaide Adrenaline 2
April 30 - Melbourne Ice 8, Adelaide Adrenaline 5

Who's Hot? 
Adelaide - Josef Rezek. He had four goals and two assists during the last weekend of play.

Melbourne - Joseph Hughes. He had 2 goals and 3 assists in two games vs. the Sydney Bears last weekend. 

Mortgage Choice Malvern Goal Leaders - Adelaide
Cam Critchlow (import) - 14
Josef Rezek - 10
Greg Oddy - 8
Ales Kratoska (import) - 6
Casey Babineau (import) - 5
Darren Corstens - 5

Goal Leaders - Melbourne 

Joseph Hughes - 10
Kristoffer Backman (import) - 10 
Victor Gibbs Sjodin (import) - 8
Sebastien Ottosson (import) - 7
Matt Armstrong - 5
Chistopher Wong - 5

Expected Starting Goaltenders
Adelaide - Matthew Murphy (import): 3 wins, 4 losses, 3.59GAA, .917 sv%
Melbourne - Dayne Davis: 9 wins, 0 losses, 2.57GAA, .897 sv%