BEARS
ICE DOGS
NORTHSTARS
THUNDER
SUN MAY 5 at 3:30PM
ADRENALINE
RHINOS
Erina Ice Arena
MUSTANGS
BRAVE
ICE
SUN JUN 30 at 3:30PM
ADRENALINE
RHINOS
Erina Ice Arena
LIGHTNING
ADRENALINE
RHINOS
ADRENALINE
RHINOS
| Team | GP | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| Brave | 26 | 63 |
| Norths.. | 26 | 56 |
| Lightn.. | 26 | 30 |
| Adrena.. | 26 | 13 |
| Rhinos | 26 | 5 |
| Player | Points |
|---|---|
| N Benson | 23 |
| C Prevost | 22 |
| J MacDougall | 16 |
| D Chen | 14 |
| Post-game Recap: Penalties spell a loss for Adrenaline in Brisbane |
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The Adrenaline rolled into Brisbane this weekend looking to pick up 2 wins against the Lightning. Both teams only having picked up wins against the Central Coast Rhinos up to this point. The two franchises have never faced each other in the AIHL.Important points for Adelaide were the absences of Walsh, Best, and Benson, out for injury and personal reasons. Jeremy Friederich started in net for Adelaide, with Steve Harris on the other end for Brisbane. Puck drop, straight off the face-off, a lucky bounce got Andrew Hamilton on the board in 10 seconds. A deflection off a Brisbane stick caromed the puck over the pad and into the back of the net, quickly extending Hamilton’s scoring streak to 5 games. A lucky play for Adelaide to start the game would not reflect the rest of the period. After a full shift of Brisbane pressure in the Adelaide zone, they would tie it up a minute and a half into the game. Although a goal had been scored quickly each way, the Lightning seemed completely in control. Adelaide got caught chasing the puck around the zone with Friederich keeping them to one goal against, 6 shots against in 3 minutes played. After 4 minutes of consistent pressure, Adelaide managed to get it down into the offensive zone, however Julian Friederich was quickly assessed a minor penalty for hooking, putting them onto the back-foot again. A successful penalty kill only featured one zone clear but a number of good chances for the Lightning. 8 minutes into the game, both teams were walking through the neutral zone a little bit easier than either coach would probably like. Adelaide managed to hem Brisbane’s constant offensive pressure for a short time, but unfortunately would take another hooking penalty. Another kill, this time aggressive, however in a trend that would continue for the Adrenaline, they were sent right back to the box. It was too much to handle, with Arum Rapchuk making it 1-2 with the first of many power-play goals for Brisbane. Friederich could not get across for the backdoor pass, the Adrenaline desperately needed to find some life if they wanted to stay in the game. 11 minutes in, the shots were 2-16 in favour of the Lightning. A show of life by the Adrenaline was once again cut short with an interference penalty assessed to Andrew Chen. Another big kill with some huge saves by Friederich, followed up by yet another penalty. 5 penalty-kills in 1 period. This was not how Adelaide was going to win a hockey game. In a tough end to a tough period, import Alexis Girard would find the back of the net with 9 seconds left. With 4-26 shots, the Adrenaline needed to go back to the room and rethink the game-plan. Start of the second period, 4 on 4 play after coincidental minors, the Adrenaline came out with some fire and good zone time, a terrible turnover by the Lightning defenseman on the breakout would give the Adrenaline a breakaway, with Steve Harris somehow keeping it out of the net. Adelaide looked to have found a bit more life compared the first period, however they would have to keep it up if they wanted to balance the game out. Right on cue, it would be the man of the hour, Andrew Hamilton buried it five-hole for his second goal of the game, making it 7 goals in 5 games. 10 shots to 26, the Adrenaline had begun to claw back. Soon after, Adelaide’s old friend the penalty kill came knocking, an unfortunate trip by Leeming would but the Lightning back on the power-play. An extremely aggressive penalty kill would prove successful for Adelaide once again, even resulting in a 2 on 1 chance that could not be capitalised on. A great stick by Joey MacDougall and a huge hit by Steele would break up a 2 on 1 opportunity the other way, the Adrenaline had found some spark and the game was opening up. 10 minutes in and the second period was appearing far more even than the first. The Lightning was icing the puck and Adelaide was pushing their buttons. Sadly for the away squad, another minor penalty would come their way to stem the momentum, a hook from Joey MacDougall would overshadow some great play from him earlier in the period. With that, import Popovic’s would take it off the face-off and bury it to make it 2-4, a rough ending to a solid 10 minutes of the period for the Adrenaline. Some back and forth, but with 6 minutes in the period left, the hooking calls would finally go in Adelaide’s favour, drawing a 2 minor power-play. A few opportunities, but a general struggle to set up in the zone did not tilt the special teams battle in their favour. Darcy Walsh’s movement on the power-play seemed sorely missed. A huge glove save by Friederich denied another high quality opportunity for the Lightning, he was proving to truly be the difference. Seeming to shift the momentum, the Adrenaline followed up with some strong play in the offensive zone. 30 seconds left in the period, Steve Harris would also make his best save of the game, robbing Daniel Chen on a top corner snipe attempt. That would be the last opportunity of the period, and while the Adrenaline had 12 shots to the Lightning’s 3 in the period, 1 goal had gone each way. Score 2-4. A period full of broken plays and constant movement back and forth the ice, little setup zone play was seen, with the physicality being on full display. While they had some momentum, the Adrenaline sticks would need to get hot for the third period. The final frame got underway with some good Adrenaline possession, focus seemed to have shifted to getting the puck deep and keeping it down the Brisbane end. They would put the Lightning on notice quickly, a juicy rebound from Harris and Jared Siemens one-timed it for his first goal of the season and Tyler Boyle’s first career AIHL point on the assist. 3-4 the score, and as the commentators said, we had a hockey game. Fired up, the Adelaide squad was trapping the Lightning in their own zone. A possible conditioning advantage was showing, the Adrenaline clearly having more legs than the home team. McTaggart would gain a possible break towards the net; an unlucky stick would push him to the ground and put the Adrenaline back on the penalty-kill. Their eighth minor penalty of the game. Shortly after, McTaggart made no mistake. A goal along the ice put the Adrenaline at 4/8 on the penalty-kill. It continued to move out of the Adrenaline’s favour, another power-play for the Lightning would come after an interference call on Andrew Hamilton. A strong kill followed, paired with some huge saves by Friederich. A massive effort was needed if the Adrenaline wanted to even it up in the last 10 minutes of the game. However, the sin bin would come for them once again, Hamilton took a high sticking penalty, and MacDougall would get sent along with him for abuse of official, harshly voicing his disagreement and frustration. They would make short work to put it out of reach, seconds into the 5 on 3, making it 3-6. With 4 minutes remaining and a penalty still to kill, it had gotten away from the Adrenaline. Blowing it wide open, Fodor would score on the second power-play to make it 3-7. The undisciplined play of the Adrenaline had truly sealed their fate. To put them even further in the hole, a possible off-side play resulted in an unexpected, screened shot on net that would trickle in. 3-8. A disastrous end to a game the Adrenaline had clawed their way back into. It would take a clear roughing call in front of the net for a late penalty against the Lightning, in a game where the officials appeared to only have eyes for the Adrenaline. Not enough, Brisbane would close the game out. Final score: 3-8 for the Lightning Adelaide Adrenaline shots on goal: 27 (4-12-11) Brisbane Lightning shots on goal: 42 (26-3-13) Adrenaline 0 for 2 on the power-play. 24 penalty minutes Lightning 6 for 12 on the power-play. 6 penalty minutes Special teams once again the story. 6 of Brisbane’s goals came on the power-play. On face value, if they hadn’t scored a power-play goal, the Adrenaline would’ve won. There is only so much you can achieve in a game when you are on the penalty-kill for more than a full period of the game. At some points it seemed that anything the Adrenaline did resulted in a penalty. Bluntly put, they need to stay out of the box. 12 penalties to 3 is also not a particularly good look game-management wise, it will be worth keeping an eye on how the calls go down during tomorrow’s game. An extremely weak first period was a thorn in Adelaide’s side, being lucky to leave for the second with the score only 1-3. In comparison, the second period was solid, holding the Lightning to 3 shots. However it would be the 3 goals in 2 minutes that would finish them off at the end of the game. The squad will have to tighten up for a full 60 minutes in Sunday’s tilt, especially with the absence of Walsh, Best, and Benson. Friederich was a true standout, with the 8 goals on 42 shots not truly indicative of his impact. There is no argument that he kept the Adrenaline in the game for the first 20 minutes. In routine we are likely to see Trnka in net tomorrow, who can hopefully carry over some of Jeremy’s focus from tonight. Andrew Hamilton had his third 2 goal game of the season, once again reinforcing his scoring ability. A 5-game streak with 7 goals total puts him firmly as the Adrenaline’s top scorer. Tyler Boyle also recorded his first AIHL point in his first game. The Adrenaline return to the rink tomorrow to try and split the weekend, fans should hope for a tighter game score wise. Staying out of the box is pivotal, that much is clear. |
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Adelaide Adrenaline Ice Hockey Club Inc.
Adelaide, South Australia
Australia
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