Weekend Preview: Round Two

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After a single-game opening weekend, the Sydney Bears go back-to-back this weekend. First up the team will travel to Adelaide to take on the Adrenaline at Ice ArenA on Saturday at 4:30 pm ACST, 5:00 pm AEST. Then, on Sunday at 5:00 pm AEST, the defending champion CBR Brave will travel from the nation’s capital to Macquarie Ice Rink for the Bears’ home opener.

Adelaide hasn’t won an AIHL game since 2018, having gone winless in 2019, the last season it appeared in the AIHL. However, despite losing 6-2 last weekend in its return to the AIHL in Perth, the Adrenaline outshot its opponent 51-34.

With home-ice advantage, Adelaide will be keen to get off the mark in its home opener. Adrenaline import Andrew Hamilton scored both goals last weekend, and the Bears will look to shut down the 6’4” Canadian forward.

Sunday, in what is undoubtedly the most intriguing matchup of the round, the Brave travel to Sydney to battle the Bears. Last season the Bears won the first two matchups against the Brave, winning 8-7 in Canberra and 5-4 at Macquarie Ice Rink.

However, the Brave evened up the season series with an 11-4 win in Canberra and a 9-1 win in Sydney. The Bears were the only opponent the Brave failed to win the season series against last year.

The games between the two clubs last season were feisty affairs. Although both teams are waiting for imports to join and players on international duty to return, the game presents an opportunity for early-season bragging rights over a cross-conference rival.

Keys to Victory
The line of Ace Cowans, Kenshin Hayashi, and Tommy Steven wreaked havoc against the Ice Dogs in the Bears’ season opener. The line was involved in all six Bears goals, Cowans collected four points, Steven three, and Hayashi two. As the top line, they will be the straw that stirs the drink for the Bears, and a big part of the team’s success this weekend.

Another key to success is goaltending, and import goaltender Dane Brumm showed last weekend that he could provide excellent cover in net for the Bears while starting netminder Anthony Kimlin is away on international duty.

For the game against Adelaide, Coach Kuprowsky indicated that the key to victory “will be a strong effort and hard skating by all lines. Adelaide has their imports, so we need to keep them in check and capitalise on our opportunities.”

Last weekend, Adelaide managed to outshoot Perth heavily; its shot share was 60 per cent (51 of 85 total shots on goal). Asked if the focus would be on shot suppression, Coach Kuprowsky commented, “Of course, you want to minimise shots against. It’s always been a goal of ours to keep them down, so by keeping them down, we are playing our game.”

For the match against the Brave, Kuprowsky continued, “We just need to play our game and minimise our mistakes. They are a good team even without their key players, so we have to take advantage of any breaks they give us.”

The crowd will be a huge part of the contest against the Brave, according to Coach Kuprowsky. “With it being the home opener, the crowd will be behind us, so we can get an extra boost.”

You, the fans, are our seventh player. If you are travelling to Adelaide, click here to get your tickets or sign up for AIHL TV. And you won’t want to miss our home opener; get your tickets and make your way down to Macquarie Ice Rink on Sunday at 5 pm to lift the squad. We have a membership package to suit your needs, so check out our options and join us in our quest for the Goodall Cup.