ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – With two hat tricks including a six point game from Captain Greg Oddy, Adelaide Adrenaline made easy work tearing apart and shutting out a young Melbourne Mustangs 10-0 at the IceArenA on Saturday 30 June.
Brett Liscomb with five points, got the avalanche of goals started twelve seconds into the game unassisted and a shorthanded marker late in the period. But tonight belonged to Captain Greg Oddy and Wehebe Darge both scoring hat tricks in their best games of the season.
Darge showed what the preseason hype of his return was all about in an outstanding all-round display. James Keane also found his mark this night with a third period goal and a three-point game. Belgium import Mitch Morgan made an immediate impact in his first game, with a three-point game including the final goal of the night and his first in the AIHL.
Adrenaline put 36 shots on net for their return of 10 goals, which is a far cry from the opening weekend against the Knights (2goals from 62 shots).
Head Coach Ryan O’Handley had a game plan and his men delivered in relentless fashion and with the game beyond doubt after an early second period goal through Wehebe Darge (5-0). The job was far from over in the most dedicated and disciplined performance seen at the IceArenA in a long time.
Adrenaline needed to make a statement after some recent lows within in the team, losing imports Dan Nicholls and Josef Rezek. With an average display in Perth by club standards and suspensions something needed to fall right.
Sami Mantere for his first game back since 2010 and Morgan arriving from Belgium in the early hours of Friday morning, just may have been the change in fortune they were looking for.
Adrenaline will need to back up this result in Game two (Sunday 1st July), to keep some breathing space between themselves and Perth Thunder. With the Thunder losing 2-3 to the Sydney Ice Dogs this gives Adrenaline a little more incentive to do just that.
Other scores from Saturday 30th June:
Canberra Knights 2 @ Newcastle North Stars 6 making it now 9 in a row from the steel city. But the Ice Dogs win against the in form Thunder keeps them 1 point off top spot, for the battle of the Bauer Conference.
Sydney Bears 6 @ Gold Coast Blue Tongues 5 in a shoot-out. The return of Mike McRae from suspension could lift Blue Tongues as they continue to fall from grace in the Eastern Conference. This is the Bears first win since May 19 defeating Canberra Knights 4-1 in regulation.
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