Talk about a thunderous finish to the season.
If 2022 was more about rebuilding and developing for the Dunedin Thunder than staging a genuine tilt for the championship, at least it ended with a bang.
The Thunder completed a difficult campaign by grabbing just its second win from 16 games when it thumped the Botany Swarm 7-2 in Auckland in the second game of a back-to-back on Sunday night.
It leaves the Dunedin team on seven points, 14 points behind the other four teams, from two wins and an overtime loss.
Seven different players whacked in a goal for the Thunder as it made no race of the game against the Swarm.
Mat Enright, Taine Allan — scoring his first goal of the season — Benjamin Harford and Dylan Devlin made it 4-0 after the first period.
Jack Lewis then scored a fifth goal before the Swarm finally responded.
A 5-1 lead heading into the final period became 7-1 when Isaak Reid and Jackson Flight found the net, and the Swarm’s only consolation was a late second goal.
Devlin and Billy Sheard each had two assists for the Thunder.
The Thunder produced 41 shots on goal, while Dunedin goaltender Toby Shuck saved 31 of 33 shots on his net.
Devlin led the Thunder in points for the season with 15 (eight goals, seven assists).
Noah Gregory had five goals and nine assists, Enright seven goals and five assists, Sheard three goals and seven assists, and Ian Audas seven goals and three assists.
