It won both of its pre-season games against the Canterbury Red Devils in Dunedin over the weekend, a good turnaround after two hefty losses in Queenstown last week.
On Saturday night it claimed a 6-3 victory, scoring three goals in the third period, before hanging on for a tight 5-4 victory yesterday.
Of more importance was the way it performed and coach Matt Hladun said it had been a much improved display.
''[It was] definitely a good turnaround for us.
''We worked hard during the week. We got mentally prepared and worked out some of the kinks.
''They [the Thunder] played hard, they played a good team and we're fortunate to come out on top.
''I think its a good way to kick off the season and work our way up to our first regular-season game with some confidence.''
Hladun said the Thunder had begun to play more as a team and had improved its mindset since its losses to the Stampede.
He was confident it could have a successful season if it could continue in the same way.
''Just the desire and really wanting it more than the other team [were the key differences].
''When we were in Queenstown they felt a little flat; we were depleted with guys.
''[It was] just making sure you're wanting to be there first, you're looking out for your team-mates.
He said everyone had stepped up and played better than last week.
Captain Paris Heyd had been key in setting the tone and the other players had fed off that.
The game was the Thunder's last of the pre-season and keeping its momentum going for three weeks before its first game on June 10 would be a challenge.
''It's just going to be trying to keep the motivation there and keep the intensity up,'' Hladun said.
''Obviously game situations are a lot more intense and upbeat and it's tough to mimic that in a training session.
''So it's making sure everyone comes focused and they're training hard and they're training like they would play in a game.''
