Adrenaline fall short in final home game of 2016

The Adelaide Adrenaline, proudly presented by Hards Transport concluded their final home game of the 2016 AIHL season in theme with the rest of the year, losing by one goal to the CBR Brave.

Whilst it might sound like broken record, the 6-5 loss was Adelaide’s 12^th one-goal defeat of the season, once again emphasising just how close the team has been all year.

Speaking post-game, Adrenaline head coach Eric Lien was determined to not dwell on the result, preferring to focus on the depth scoring his side produced.

“We talked before the game that we needed secondary scoring,” Lien said.

“Last night, (Wehebe) Darge’s line did all the scoring so it was nice that we had three defensemen score… that’s how you draw it up.”

Secondary scoring proved the be the highlight of the night, with 17-year-old rookie Marcel McGuiness netting his first AIHL goal in just his tenth game in the league.

Playing on a line with his brother – 19-year-old Remy McGuiness – and veteran, captain Greg Oddy, the trio looked dangerous all night, setting up multiple quality scoring chances showcasing a bright future for South Australian ice hockey.

“Marcel was born in 1999, and that’s the first year that Greg (Oddy) plays in the league, and they’re on a line together. It’s pretty good isn’t it?” said an excited Lien.

“There’s lots of aspects to Marcel’s game that he needs to work on but the fact that he passes the puck like a veteran already shows good hockey sense.”

“I’m going to look forward to being a fan watching the two McGuiness brothers play in this league for a lot of years.”

Whilst the future brilliance of the McGuiness brothers was on the minds of Adrenaline fans, it was the present day brilliance of a number of CBR Brave stars that eventually saw the visitors over the line.

Last season’s scoring leader Geordie Wudrick was brilliant once again, netting a hat-trick, whilst goalie Aleksi Toivonen reeled off a number of spectacular and spell-binding saves to shut the door on the home side.

Not to be denied, second-liner Casey Kubara dangled his way to one of this season’s most spectacular goals.He beat two Adrenaline defensemen before out-foxing goalie Pete King to slide in a clincal finish.

Kubara added his second goal mid-way through the third period and it was the eventual game-winner.

Despite a rough run of home results, Lien was quick to point out the incredible support his side has received at home this season.

“I’m amazed at the level of support this team gets, this is a loud rink,” Lien said.

“Tonight, when we tied the game, this place was rocking. The team are really appreciative of the fact they’ve been supported throughout the whole season.”

“We’re disappointed we didn’t get the results but it’s fantastic and it means we have a good base to work with going forward.”