The Melbourne Mustangs have ground out a hard fought 2-1 win over the Sydney Ice Dogs on Saturday night at the Macquarie Ice Rink. With the regulation win, the fourth-placed Mustangs secure a valuable three competition points and extend to a seven point lead of over fifth-placed Sydney Ice Dogs with only four games left in the season.

Shannon Ponton from the Biggest Loser opens the game in Sydney. Photo: Jeff Reingold. 

Melbourne Mustangs Head Coach Michael Flaherty admitted the challenge his players faced down.

“It was a win for the boys,” said Flaherty.

“Very close game, 2-1 score line, the shots-on where very even and we had to grind out the win tonight.”

In a tight checking first period, both teams exchanged a number of quality chances but thanks to a equally high quality goal keeping, the teams went into the first intermission nil-all.

The game opened up in the second period however, and the Ice Dogs struggled to keep pace. Ice Dogs’ defenceman Andrew White was called for tripping midway through the period and the Mustangs’ power play made them pay.

Forward Jamie Bourke fired home a shot through traffic to give the visitors a one-goal lead heading into the second intermission.

Jamie Bourke puts away more points to his 2017 tally. Photo: Jeff Reingold. 

Bourke is having a career year, on pace to set his highest ever point total in his AIHL career with 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) and five games remaining in the regular season. His current highest season total is 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists), which he set in 2013.

Both team were playing with a defence-first mentality, which made it difficult for the either team to establish pressure in the offensive zone, the Mustangs went into the final break leading 1-0.

It was the Mustangs who jumped out of the gates first in the third period, scoring in the first 21 seconds. Forward Pat O’Kane drove hard to the net and finished off a nice passing play from Michael McMahon and Maxime Langelier-Parent to give the visitors a two-goal lead.

The Ice Dogs pushed hard for the equaliser and were rewarded late in the period when defenceman White buried a chance on the power play to cut in the lead in half, with just over 4 minutes left to play.

With the clock winding down and goalie Damien Kelto on the bench for the extra attacker, the Ice Dogs threw every thing at the Mustangs’ James Kruger – but the import net minder was a wall and the Mustangs hung on for the 2-1 win.

Kruger was excellent in the net for the Mustangs, stopping 32 shot on the night, while Ketlo was equally as impressive stopping 33.

Both Kruger and Ketlo delivered for their teams in net. Photo: Jeff Reingold. 

With the all-important regulation win, the Mustangs can breathe a little easier because they will remain in the fourth position on the ladder and the final AIHL playoff spot for at least another week. However Flaherty isn’t letting his troops get ahead of the themselves.

“It a long way to go the AIHL Finals,” laughed Flaherty.

“We’re just taking it one week at a time, focusing on getting those competition points every game and set ourselves up for a crack at the finals.”

The Mustangs hit the road to travel up the highway to face the Newcastle Northstars, where a regulation win over the reigning Goodall Cup Champions would all but secure a 2017 final berth for the Mustangs and eliminate the Northstars.