Bears open season in the nation's Capital
Sydney Bears vs CBR Brave Recap

An eager Sydney Bears team rolled off the team bus and went straight into pool-side warmups at the Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre last Saturday. The boys were fired up and ready to kick their 2018 season off against the CBR Brave, a team who, much like the Bears, have seen a lot of roster movement in the offseason. Both teams came into the game with depleted rosters, with the Bears missing notable names like Anthony Kimlin, Brian Funes, Adrian Esposito and Jeremy Vasquez.

The first period started exactly as one would expect from a season opener between two fierce rivals. Fast skating, hard shooting and harder hits lined the first eight minutes of the game until the scoring opened up. A slashing call on the Bears saw the Brave on a two-minute powerplay, however they’d only need 10 seconds of the man-advantage to strike. CBR import defenseman Channing Bresciani unloaded a blast from the point, beating the Bears new face in net, Aston Brookes, to take a one goal lead.

The penalty kill would prove to be a sore point for the Bears, giving up a second goal with Tyerell Clare in the penalty box at the 15-minute mark. Again, the Brave’s imports would prove their worth, this time it was Trevor Gerling scoring on a screened shot from the slot. The Bears would head to the locker room with a 2-0 deficit.

Period two saw the Bears step up the intensity and dominate the Brave in 5-on-5 hockey. A shot off the post had the boys thinking they’d cut the deficit in half, however the referees disagreed and play continued. More close calls on the power play came after the Brave were called for slashing, but the CBR PK would prove strong and keep the Bears scoreless. With the Bears gaining momentum as the period came to a close, a fiery third was sure to follow with the Brave still leading 2-0.

The Brave would give up yet another powerplay chance to the Bears just 24 seconds into the third period, with veteran forward Joey Hughes getting the call for hooking. Another strong CBR kill would keep the Bears still searching for their first goal of the season. A mid-ice defensive breakdown gave Trevor Gerling an opportunity to spring a pass to Brave captain Matthew Harvey, who scored on the breakaway chance.

Just over a minute later the Bears would hit back on a play between Tyerell Clare and Michael Haynes, with Haynes picking up his first AIHL goal and cutting into CBR’s lead. The Bears initial tally fired the boys up, with Anthony Barnes scoring only 30 seconds later to make it a one goal game. A valiant final 10 from the boys from Sydney saw several chances to tie the game stopped by CBR’s import goalie Mat Hewitt. The Bears would pull Brookes for the extra attacker with under two minutes to go but would come up short, with Joey Hughes potting the empty netter with 16 seconds remaining in the game.

Sydney finished the game with a total of 31 shots on goal and proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the 2018 season, even with a shortened roster. As the Australian team finishes up at the IIHF World Championships, look for Kimlin and Funes to return to action for the Bears in the coming weeks. With star imports Charlie Adams and Ryan Lough still on their way to Sydney, the Bears will look to make a big impact on the 2018 AIHL season.

The boys will be back in Macquarie to take on the Sydney Ice Dogs on the 5th of May, followed by a rematch with the CBR Brave on the 6th.