Thunder double does Stampede favour

Paris Heyd.
Paris Heyd.
The Dunedin Thunder has done provincial counterpart the Southern Stampede a favour by handing National Ice Hockey League contender the West Auckland Admirals back-to-back losses on their home turf over the weekend.

The Thunder not only boosted its own season with the 3-2 win on Saturday and 5-1 victory on Sunday, but helped ensure the Stampede stays  top of the table to allow it to secure the advantage of a home finals series.

With the Stampede having a bye over the weekend, the Admirals had the chance go  top of the league, but the Thunder quickly put a stop to that with its attacking play.

Saturday’s win was a come-from-behind effort in which the Thunder sent the match to overtime.

"It was just kind of a scramble where we scored with six minutes to go. We pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, somehow the puck went in," captain Paris Heyd said.

The Thunder then went on to win the match, only a matter of seconds into overtime.Sunday’s game was a long way from requiring extra time with the Thunder dominating the match from the outset.

Heyd led the way with two goals as his side ran out a comfortable 5-1 winner.

"It was nice to play a complete game on a Sunday, which we have struggled to do all year."

The back-to-back victories also gave injured player Regan Wilson an enviable record after his first two games in charge of a national league side.He stepped in as coach  with Graeme Darling, in the absence of coach Matt Hladum.

"Matt was a bit gutted not to be here, but Regan, who stepped in as coach, has got a 100% record now," Heyd said.

The Thunder, which is  third on the competition ladder behind the Stampede and the Admirals, was due to finish its season this Sunday with the bye in the last official round of the competition.

However, it will play two catch-up games  against the Canterbury Red Devils in Dunedin on August 12-13. The matches were called off because of the deluge in the  South last month.

Before that, the Stampede is scheduled to take on the Red Devils in a two-game series this weekend.

- Jonny Turner

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