Thunder 2 - Bears 1

The Thunder have one hand on a secure second position in the AIHL standings, after a last-minute Michael Dorr goal guided them to a heart-stopping 2-1 victory over the Sydney Bears at Perth Ice Arena on Sunday.

Dorr's tally came with just 43 seconds remaining in the game, all after the Bears had fought hard against a dominant Thunder side to draw level in the third period.

Thomas Heemskerk was again solid in net for the Thunder, stopping 23 of 24 shots to finish a weekend where he allowed just one goal on 43 shots, while Rob Haselhurst stretched his point streak to six games, tallying an assist on the game-winning goal.

The game was a grinding affair to begin, with both sides going scoreless through an attritional first period.

The Thunder seemed to be getting the better of the chances, and were able to connect on the power play as Per Daniel Goransson tapped home a loose puck in the crease to give the Thunder a 1-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the second period.

The score stayed at 1-0 until the Bears managed to tie the game just over two minutes in to the third period, with a scramble in front of Heemskerk seeing the puck cross the line and his shutout streak ended at 84 minutes.

The goal seemed to spark the Thunder, who went on to record an astonishing 19-4 advantage in shots in the third period as they piled on the pressure, but their goaltending and defence was holding strong.

The game looked as if it was headed to a shootout before Dorr connected on a great cross-ice feed from Ben Breault to send the crowd in to raptures in the final minute and hand the Thunder a thrilling 2-1 victory.

The win puts the Thunder 3 points clear of third-placed CBR Brave with two games remaining, and the Thunder need to gain just one more point in the standings to ensure a top-2 finish, which would be the highest in club history.

The game was the last at home for the Thunder in season 2016, as the team now embarks on back-to-back trips to Melbourne, first for an away series against the Melbourne Ice, who locked up first place in the standings with a win over the Ice Dogs, then for the AIHL Finals.

The Thunder ended the season with a 10-4 home record this season, and the club would like to thank everyone who attended any of the 14 home games this season.