You can feel the buzz around the Dunedin Thunder. They seem to be a united squad who genuinely love playing for each other and have fans swarming to the Dunedin Ice Stadium for record sell-out crowds every game. The Thunder have topped that off by finishing the regular New Zealand Ice Hockey League season in second spot and locking away their first home playoff in a decade. “It’s amazing to see the rink full,’’ Thunder head coach Guillaume Leclancher said. “It’s such a great environment to see that. Just for the work that most of the volunteers put in to make that happen — I think it’s a great reward for them — and it’s also great to play in front of that. “It’s a good testament of where hockey is going. “You do see this as well in other parts of the country. “It’s great to see hockey growing more and more across the country and if Dunedin could be made a hub for that, that’s a plus.’’ Leclancher’s side have been humming this season, finishing the regular season with nine wins and seven losses to finish second. “I’m really, really happy — a good accomplishment for the team.’’ Across the ice, the Thunder have been strong this season, and Luke Stegmann (41 points) and Cole Beckstead (40) sit third and fourth on the league’s scoring table. After a couple of players moved on after last year, Leclancher was proud to see how his players adjusted and responded to the demand of the league’s quality this season. The Thunder will host their doubleheader semifinal against the West Auckland Admirals in Dunedin — “it’s great to bring that kind of event to Dunedin’’ — on Friday and Saturday. The Admirals finished the regular season third with seven wins, eight losses and one overtime win. The league’s playoffs are an aggregate series, meaning teams need to win the series based on the combined score across both games. If game one is tied, there will be no overtime. But if the aggregate scores are tied after both games, teams will play up to 20 minutes of sudden death overtime and if scores are still locked, it will go to a penalty shootout. Goals have never been more important and Leclancher is well aware “everything matters’’. The Thunder have split their games against the Admirals this season: losing 5-4 (May 22) and winning 4-2 (May 23), and losing 8-5 (July 11) and posting a shutout 6-0 win (July 12). The Admirals were a team that worked hard for each other, Leclancher said. “One thing we cannot take away from them is the work ethic. “So it’s being able to do what we’ve been pretty good at, and setting up the pace, and making sure we dictate the game, and we don’t give them anytime to create any opportunity for themselves. “Once we do that — and we’ve done that several times during the season — when we commit to this style of playing, we’re pretty good at it. “We’re ready to go.’’
