Adrenaline fall in Melbourne

 

The Adrenaline failed to turn it around in the second period as Adelaide fell victim to the penalty parade.

The first damage came four minutes into the second frame when Pat O'Kane tipped an Isaacs point shot into the back of the net to level the game. The goal was, of course, on the power play.

But the Adrenaline bounced back thanks to a great effort from Josef Rezek. Darge and Rezek found themselves on a two-on-one just moments after the first Mustangs goal. Darge faked a shot and send a soft pass forward in front of Mustangs goalie Fraser Carson. Rezek dove forward and not only slid into the net but popped the puck across the line to make it 2-1.

Moments later, the Mustangs tied it up again. This time Jamie Bourke walked in from the right wing and sniped a shot top cheese to level.

Adelaide spent the last four minutes of the period on the penalty kill thanks to a string of undisciplined play. Despite killing off two 5-on-3 advantages, the Adrenaline couldn't survive the attack. 

Patrick O'Kane walked in with Vadim Virajsov on a 2-on-1 and beat King short side to give the home side a 3-2 advantage after two periods.

Adelaide struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the third period as Melbourne carried most of the play. Late in the third period, Sean Jones slotted in a puck to seal it off a sharp-angle shot on a rebound that Adrenaline failed to clear. 

Adelaide had no problem laying the body in the third period, stringing together a block of big hits. But big hits don't score goals.

Pete King finished with 26 saves in defeat, another solid performance between the pipes.

The loss drops the Adrenaline record to 2-4-0-1 and the team faces a must win game on Sunday to keep positive momentum going. The game begins at 3:30 Adelaide time, and a livestream will be available.