Thunder 1 - Bears 2 (SO)

The CD Dodd Perth Thunder have gone down 2-1 in a shootout to the Sydney Bears at Macquarie Ice Rink on Sunday night, snapping their undefeated streak in season 2017.

Jonathon Bremner loads up for a shot.
Photo by Peter Podlaha

Peter Di Salvo put on a dominant display in net, stopping 29 Bears shots but Bears import forward Jackson Brewer ended the game with a top-shelf shootout goal.

Perth Thunder coach Dave Ruck said he couldn’t fault the heart shown by his team.

“I thought we looked a little tired tonight, we didn’t have the jump in the legs (that) we did yesterday,” Ruck said. “We did grind it out, and in the last five minutes we were putting on the pressure and had some missed opportunities to score.

‘I can’t fault (the players’) effort, and I can’t fault their execution of the game plan.”

A tightly contested first period saw the Thunder deny any high percentage shooting chances despite absorbing a number of shots.

They created space in the offensive zone but went into the first intermission trailing 1-0 after a 5-on-3 Bears power play goal.

The Bears lead the play through the second period, winning puck battles and creating the majority of scoring chances.

With 90 seconds remaining in the period the Thunder hit their stride, resulting in a Kieren Webster backhand goal off a rebound with 0.1 of a second remaining.

Peter Di Salvo prepares to save a Bears shot as Rob Haselhurst dives to block.
Photo by Peter Podlaha

The game’s intensity picked up in the third period, with a number of chances going both ways in a back-and-forth affair.

Despite both team’s best efforts, regulation ended at a 1-1 tie taking the game into a shootout.

Kieren Webster scored again in the shootout, but it wasn’t enough as Bears stars Thomas Landa and Jackson Brewer were both able to get it done and pick up the Bears’ first two points of the season.

Despite the loss, the Thunder head in to the bye next weekend atop the AIHL standings, and will take on the Bears in a two-game series at Perth Ice Arena from May 13-14.