Weekend Preview: Thunder in Sydney

The C.D. Dodd Perth Thunder will head out on the road this weekend with a pair of games in Sydney against the Ice Dogs and the Bears.  The Thunder take on the Ice Dogs on Saturday at 3:00pm (WA time) and the Bears on Sunday at 3:00pm (WA time).  

Saturday 27th July 
Sydney Ice Dogs (6-W/11L/1-OTW/1-OTL-21PTS, 6th place)
Perth Thunder (10-W/8-L/1-OTW/1-OTL-33 PTS, 4th place)

Sunday 28th July
Sydney Bears (10-W/7L/2-OTW/0-OTL-34PTS, 3rd place)
Perth Thunder (10-W/8-L/1-OTW/1-OTL-33 PTS, 4th place)
 

Thunder Sweep the Ice Dogs at Perth Ice Arena

The C.D. Dodd Perth Thunder improved their standing in the race for a Finals position in the AIHL with a sweep of their two-game home-stand over the Sydney Ice Dogs this past weekend at Perth Ice Arena.  On Saturday, the Thunder were victorious in a high scoring affair by a score of 7-5 despite being without the services of their leading scorer, Keven Veilleux, who was serving a two-game suspension received during an altercation in last weekend’s game vs the Melbourne Mustangs.  

Saturday’s game was a penalty-filled affair and culminated with Ice Dogs’ coach Andrew Petrie being ejected from the game for a water bottle throwing incident and abuse of officials.  The ejection resulted in Petrie being ineligible to coach in Sunday’s game.  

The high scoring contest saw a number of players pad their offensive stats.  The Thunder were led by Ben Breault with a four point effort (1G-3A), and three pointgames from Andrew Cox (2G-1A) and Louick Marcotte(1G-2A).  Jake Gilmour also scored two goals in the win.  The Ice Dogs were led by their high scoring-trio with Paul Crowder scoring five points (1G-4A), Dylan Quailevwith four points (2G-2A) and Tim Crowder with three points (1G-2A).  

On Sunday, the Thunder defeated the depleted Ice Dogs 5-0 as goaltender Nico Viksten posted his second shutout of the season turning aside all 29 shots faced.  Vikstenwas outstanding and the Thunder found enough offense to put the Ice Dogs away.   Louick Marcotte (2G-2A) led the way with four points, while Ben Breault (2G-1A) and Kieren Webster (1G-2A) each had three points.  Webster’s goal was his team leading 14th of the season. The Ice Dogs were without Paul Crowder who sustained an injury in Saturday’s game as well as Head Coach Andrew Petrie due to suspension.
 

Thunder Pair Celebrate Milestones with Victories

The Thunder and their supporters celebrated two significant milestones in the games against the Ice Dogs.   On Saturday, defenceman Alastair Punler played his 100th AIHL game and he celebrated with an assist in the Thunder’s 7-5 win.  On Sunday, Thunder games-record holder Jordy Kyros played his 200th career game in the blue and red.  Both players have been significant contributors to the Thunder’s success and we take this opportunity to say well done on the milestones reached and good luck in reaching the next one!
 

This Week’s Games

The C.D. Dodd Perth Thunder will travel to Sydney this coming weekend to take on the Ice Dogs and Bears in a pair of key games in the Finals race.  On Saturday, the Thunder will be looking to complete a four-game season series sweep of the Ice Dogs and effectively put the Ice Dog’s campaign on ice.  The Thunder currently lead the Ice Dogs by 12 points for the fourth and final qualifying position.  A loss would leave the Ice Dogs 15 points back with only eight games to play, a hill likely to steep for the Dogs to climb.

Sunday’s game against the Sydney Bears is shaping up to be a crucial game for the Thunder in the battle for third place in the AIHL standings and, critically, the race to avoid a semi-final match-up with the league leading and defending Goodall Cup champion, CBR Brave.  The Thunder currently trail the Bears by just one point in the AIHL standings and will look to leapfrog the Bears if results over the weekend go the Thunders’ way.   The Thunder will be mindful they have not yet secured their spot in the post-season but with a nine-point buffer over the fifth placed Melbourne Mustangs, the Thunder would be well served entering Sunday’s game with the Bears with an eye to battling them head to head for third place.  

Check in with our social platforms for updated information on availability of game streams or audio as the information becomes available.
 

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