PREVIEW: Adrenaline Host Bears in Home Opener

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The Adelaide Adrenaline and the Sydney Bears wrap up their season series this weekend with a double header in Adelaide at the Thebarton IceArenA.

Having spent the opening two weekends of the season on the road, the Adrenaline are looking forward to finally playing at home and showcasing some exciting new roster additions to an eager Adelaide crowd.

After four road games, the team has managed two wins and two losses much to the satisfaction of Coach Ryan O’Handley who has no complaints with his side’s performances so far.

“Road trips are tough in this league, particularly for us when we do the New South Wales swing, so to get splits I’m happy,” O’Handley said.  

Both of the Adrenaline’s wins this season have come against the Bears and with home ice advantage they hope to complete a sweep of the season series against the struggling visitors who are yet to record a win and have found it difficult to score goals.

It will be no walkover however, and O’Handley anticipates the Bears will come out hard after a difficult start to their 2015 campaign.

“The Bears are not a bad team, speaking to some of them on the weekend they’re a little frustrated, a little down; they’re a good team so we can’t come in here thinking it’s going to be easy,” O’Handley said.

Despite their eagerness to secure a first win of the season, it looks a tough assignment for the Bears with the fast-skating and highly physical Adrenaline set to come out hard on the smaller ice surface and make it an uncomfortable weekend for the visitors.

This weekend will also be the first opportunity for Adrenaline fans to witness the talents of English import Jonathan Boxill, who met the team on their road trip last weekend after flying in from the UK.

“Obviously jumped kind of in the deep end there jumping into Canberra, it was a bit of a whirlwind three days of travelling and then a game in Canberra that night,” Boxill said.

Having had a week now to settle in Adelaide and training with the side, Boxill is looking forward to his first home game as a member of the Adrenaline.

“I’ve heard good things (about the crowd) and Sunday is Mother’s Day, so hopefully we can get some mothers out to the game, which will be exciting,” Boxill said.

The hard hitting and speedy Adelaide Adrenaline will begin their weekend home stand this Saturday, 4.30PM at the Thebarton Ice ArenA.

Game two of the weekend will be played Sunday at 3.30PM and tickets are still available for both matches online and at the door.