Bears V Thunder [4-2 Loss]

For the first time in 2016, Sydney Bears hosted Perth Thunder at Penrith Ice Palace on Saturday July 23. With Thunder in the Top 4 and the Bears in 6th position, this was a must-win game for the Bears with 8 games left in the regular season.

Thunder was the only team to score in the first period with a goal near the halfway mark of the period. Goaltending and defence was the only thing which prevented the score from increasing. The second period had no goals to either team,

The third period was action packed. Thunder scored 3 goals in under 90 seconds to suddenly change the game from 1-0 down to 4-0 for the Bears. The second half of the last period saw the Bears stage a fightback with late goals to Michael Schlamp and Billy Cliff. While these 2 goals in 2 & 1/2 minutes were welcome, ultimately the margin was too wide for the Bears to bridge in the dying stages. Even creating a man advantage by emptying the Bears net late in the game was not enough to give the Bears a goal. 

With the exception of that fateful 90ish seconds in period 3, Bears showed many glimpses of their recent form without converting chances to goals.

Next weekend, Bears travel to Newcastle on Saturday to host the North Stars on Saturday July 30. The following day, Bears host CBR Brave at Penrith Ice Palace on Sunday July 31.

Story: Eric Brook

Photo: Injected Ideas Photography