Offensive weapons set to fire as Adrenaline look to cool Ice

After a month away from home ice, the Adelaide Adrenaline, proudly presented by Hards Transport return to the Ice ArenA this weekend to face the league-leading Melbourne Ice.

Having only played two games in the past month, the Adrenaline will be well rested and ready to fire on all cylinders against a Melbourne Ice outfit that is yet to lose a game in regulation.

After the difficult decision to part ways with Trevor Walsh as head coach, the Adrenaline will be once again fully focused on getting the job done on the ice under the guidance of new coach, Eric Lien.

Whilst his appointment comes under tough circumstances, Lien believes there already exists a talented and unified group that will respond to his guidance.

“I need the guys to trust that my time playing and coaching in the AIHL and for the National Senior Team has given me the skills necessary,” Lien said.

“Equally by having known a lot of these players they will have already earned some trust from me. This will be very important going forward because we don’t have much margin for error.”

Lien has limited time to prepare with his new team, with his official announcement as head coach only coming last weekend, however he believes there is little he needs to change and the tools for success already exist within the dressing room.

“We are going to be a hard working team that will be fun to watch and we are going to enjoy playing hockey,” Lien said.

“My role will not be to change everything, because everything isn’t broken. What is needed is for the team to hit the ice every week believing they are good enough to beat any other team in this league.”

The Adrenaline will also be buoyed by their recent performances against the league’s best teams, recording a win two weekends ago on the road against the Perth Thunder and taking the Ice to a shootout on the opening weekend of the 2016 season.

Despite these strong results, the Ice are a formidable outfit this season, boasting two of the top scorers in the league and the stand-out goalie in the AIHL, Troy Davenport.

Davenport has posted elite numbers this season, with 11 wins in 12 starts, a goals-against average of 1.75 and save percentage of .927%.

Scoring has been no issue for the Ice this season either, with forward Jason Baclig currently second in league scoring with 16 goals, 22 assists (38 points) in just 16 games this season.

Adelaide too are not short of firepower, with the perennially dangerous Wehebe Darge once again amongst the best Australian skaters.

Darge sits ninth overall in league scoring and fourth amongst Australian players with 13 goals, 10 assists (23 points) in 12 games played.

Speaking with the AIHL website, Darge credits his great form to a strong season in Belgium where he scored 55 points in just 21 games for the Leuven Chiefs.

“I think playing in Belgium this past season was a very good experience for me. It gave me a great chance to develop a more offensive style to my game,” he said.

“I think like most guys, my points per game average has gone up because I’ve simply become more comfortable with the league. When I was younger I’d grip the stick a little too tight and miss chances that I’m now scoring on.”

With two games packed full of action this weekend, there’s plenty of opportunity to see offensive dynamos such as Baclig and Darge in full flight.

Tickets for both Saturday (4.30PM puck drop) and Sunday (4PM puck drop) are nearing sell-out so get in fast to avoid disappointment.

Tickets available online via TryBooking: http://trybooking.com/LCOZ