Two games this weekend, Melbourne Ice hosting Perth Inferno.
Fully expecting this to be a showcase of great hockey across the two days, it was not disappointing.
The weekend saw the Melbourne Ice run away with two wins against a short Perth Inferno.
The results
Saturday – Melbourne Ice 8 – 7 Perth Inferno
Sunday – Melbourne Ice 9 – 2 Perth Inferno
The shot count was high for Melbourne on both days, outshooting Perth 52-26 on Saturday and 59-24 on Sunday.
The Games
Saturday was pride round for Melbourne Ice and they donned some stunningly designed jerseys. You can bid for your favourite players jersey here: https://www.icepridejersey.com/
Saturday was a very even game played end to end and fairly even, with both teams keeping up with each other with the scoring. It was a tough weekend for the goalies at either end, with players like Ashlie Aparicio, Michelle Clark-Crumpton, Sharna Godfrey, Elizabeth Scala taking shots and scoring goals.
Melbourne came in playing fierce hockey and with so much possession and the fire power up front, they found momentum and capitalised on it at every opportunity.
A short Perth just couldn’t maintain the fire they had on Saturday, responding with just two goals on Sunday against a Melbourne team that was full of momentum and resolve.
11 penalties in the game on Saturday saw Perth secure 4 powerplay goals and two for Melbourne. We saw a contrast on Sunday with 5 penalties, and just one powerplay goal to open the game, meaning the plethora of goals come, during 5 on 5 hockey.
The Players
The stars of Melbourne and Perth whose names have become more and more familiar to me this season did not disappoint.
The plays and opportunities that they find and capitalise on are nothing short of fun to watch.
Next Week
It’s the big six next week with all teams playing.
The schedule:
Saturday:
4.45pm Perth Inferno vs Adelaide Rush at Cockburn Ice Arena
4.45pm Brisbane Lightning vs Sydney Sirens at Boondall IceWorld
4.15pm Melbourne Ducks vs Melbourne Ice at IceHQ
Sunday:
10.45am Perth Inferno vs Adelaide Rush at Cockburn Ice Arena
1.00pm Brisbane Lightning vs Sydney Sirens at Boondall IceWorld
4.15pm Melbourne Ducks vs Melbourne Ice at IceHQ