Thunder 4 - Mustangs 3

Ben Breault has celebrated his 100th AIHL game in style, scoring a last-gasp game-winning goal to hand the CD Dodd Perth Thunder a 4-3 win and a crucial three points against the Melbourne Mustangs on Sunday night.

Breault found himself in open ice with 37 seconds to go as Jamie Woodman made an exceptional move through the crease to set up the milestone man, who duly found the back of the net, ending a frenetic contest at O’Brien Icehouse.

Nico Viksten made 18 saves to earn the win, while Louick Marcotte (one goal, two assists), Breault, Kieren Webster and Rob Haselhurst (each one goal, one assist) all recorded multi-point nights as the Thunder jumped up to fourth in the AIHL standings.

It was again the Mustangs who opened up a 2-0 first period lead on the back of two Parker Thomas goals, and it took until the second period for Marcotte to pounce on an offensive zone chance to cut the lead to 2-1.

Hope for the Thunder seemed to be dissipating when, facing a 2-1 deficit in the third period, Keven Veilleux was assessed a match penalty and the Thunder had a major penalty to kill.

The Thunder not only killed the major penalty, but Webster levelled the scores with his team-leading 13th goal of the season just minutes later, setting the stage for what would turn out to be a frantic final three minutes.

Rob Haselhurst’s goal with 2.36 remaining gave the Thunder the lead 3-2, and as they looked to hold on for a vital win, Andrew Cox took a tripping penalty with 1.45 remaining.

The Mustangs responded, scoring 20 seconds in to the power play, and the game seemed destined for overtime before Woodman and Breault’s heroics saved the three points for the Thunder.

The Thunder now return home for a weekend series against the Sydney Ice Dogs, having opened up a six-point buffer in the battle for the top four.