PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES The Southern Stampede know all the ways to win. Queenstown’s perennial champions again displayed their versatility as they banked two wins over the Botany Swarm in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League at the weekend. They rolled to a 10-2 demolition in the first leg of the doubleheader at the Queenstown Ice Arena. But they had to scrap a lot harder 24 hours later before slipping past the Swarm 4-3 in overtime. The Stampede actually trailed 1-0 for a patch in the first period of the opening game. Their response — particularly that of star import Connor Jean — was impressive. Jean scored three unanswered goals to give the Stampede a 3-1 lead after the first period, and he added a fourth on the power play shortly into the second. The home side led 4-2 heading into the third period then cut loose. The Stampede scored six unanswered goals in the final spell. Max Roth got two, the other goals went to Lachlan Frear, Ollie Ruski-Jones, Jackson Flight and Dylan Devlin, and Jean added an assist to finish with five points. Stampede goaltender Joel Gerard had 41 saves. Game two was looking like another whitewash as the Stampede led 3-0 after the first period. Frear scored the opening goal after just 18sec, Flight added another, and Frear made it 3-0 to seemingly set the home side on the path to a comfortable victory. Things changed dramatically from that point. The Swarm scored three goals in the space of seven minutes in the second period to tie it up. Neither side could find the net in the final period and to overtime the game went. The tension built until Roth sent the home crowd wild when he scored the winner. Jean went scoreless in the second game but he leads the NZIHL with 20 points. Frear is second on 19 points. The Stampede now have a seven-point lead at the top of the table ahead of their doubleheader against the Thunder in Dunedin on June 19-20. • The Thunder opened their national women’s league campaign with a 5-1 win over the Canterbury Inferno in Dunedin on Saturday. Kate Vernal scored twice for the Thunder, who led just 2-1 after two period but finished exceptionally well. Lyani Goodman, Manuella Pedrosa and Jessica Ryall scored the other goals for the home side. hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz
