Thunder Set for Defining Road Trip

The C.D. Dodd Perth Thunder will look to start their run at a spot in the AIHL Finals when they open their post-All-Star game schedule with an important weekend road trip to New South Wales with games against the Sydney Bears and Newcastle Northstars.

Saturday 22nd June
Sydney Bears (5-W/5-L/1-OTW/0/OTL-17 PTS)
Perth Thunder (3-W/6-L/1-OTW/0-OTL-11 PTS)

Sunday 23rd June 
Newcastle Northstars (11-W/1-L/0-OTW/0-OTL-33 PTS)
Perth Thunder (3-W/6-L/1-OTW/0-OTL-11 PTS)

Season Defining Road Trip?

The C.D. Dodd Perth Thunder have a golden opportunity to turn their season around and set themselves on a course towards a fifth consecutive AIHL Finals appearance if they can bring back the points on offer in this weekend’s East Coast road trip.  The Thunder will take on the fourth placed Sydney Bears on Saturday followed by a tilt with the equal first placed Newcastle Northstars on Sunday.  It’s not inconceivable that the Thunder could wake up Monday morning in a tie for the fourth and final qualifying spot on the AIHL ladder.  That of course would be reliant upon bagging road wins against two teams currently in the top four, no easy task, but that is the reward that a solid weekend of play could bring.

The Thunder currently trail the Sydney Bears by six points in the race for the final spot, a regulation win over the Bears on Saturday would close the gap to three and with the Bears hosting the league leading and defending Goodall Cup champion CBR Brave on Sunday, the opportunity to dream a little is there for fans of the Thunder.  While it is very likely the Thunder won’t close the six-point gap this weekend, it does provide hope and optimism that the Thunder can work themselves back into contention with still more than half a season to play.

Thunder Look to Build Off Win Over Melbourne Ice

It’s been nearly two weeks since the Thunder last took the ice and take the Ice they did!  Perth will look to build on the momentum gained in defeating a travel weary Melbourne Ice outfit 5-2 at Perth Ice Arena back on Saturday 8th June.  The Thunder used a strong start and held on to defeat the Ice before a boisterous home crowd.  The Thunder took advantage of a tired Melbourne team who arrived into Perth at approximately 4 AM on game day following flight delays on the East Coast.  Perth raced to a 3-1 first period lead and cruised home in an important win to take into the AIHL All-Star break.

Thunder Well Represented in AIHL All-Star Game

The C. D. Dodd Perth Thunder were well represented in last weekend’s AIHL All-Star Game, played at Darling Harbour in Sydney.  Led by Keven Veilleux who scored a hat-trick and was named the MVP for the South All-Stars, the Thunder were also represented admirably by South All-Star team Captain Jamie Woodman, Rob Haselhurst, Kieren Webster, and goaltender Nico Viksten.  Also, keeping a close eye on the boys from behind the bench was Thunder Head Coach Dave Ruck. In an entertaining contest for the fans on hand, the North All-Stars skated to an 11-9 victory.

Next Thunder Home Game

Following this weekend’s road trip, the Thunder will return to home action on Saturday 29th June and Sunday 30th June when they host a pair of weekend games against the Adelaide Adrenaline.  The Adrenaline are languishing at the bottom of the ladder but have showed signs of being competitive and it will be important for the Thunder not to take them lightly as there will be six important points up for grabs that weekend!

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