Match report from the Canberra Knights’ Facebook group:
CANBERRA KNIGHTS FALL TO MELBOURNE ICE, BUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT
A boisterous crowd cheered to the end as the Canberra Knights suffered a nailbiting 6-5 loss at home to the Melbourne Ice.
Despite falling behind early in the game, the Knights mounted a spirited comeback powered by a hat trick by Addison DeBoer.
Canberra started the game determined to redeem itself following last week’s loss, with aggresively backchecking fowards forcing the Melbournians to shoot early.
Obi Aduba got the first of his two goals for the visitors by opening the scoring four minutes in.
But DeBoer one-timered Jordan Gavin’s pass past Stu Denman to tie the game less than three minutes later.
Although the Ice would score two more to take a 3-1 lead, the Knights came out charging in the second period, with DeBoer’s sublime stickwork confouding the visitors and allowing Slavomir Boris to score seconds after coming out of the penalty box.
Ollie Rozdarz then scored off his own rebound to erase the deficit before the Ice notched one on the power play before the second intermission.
After Aduba got his second at the start of the final period, DeBoer found himself with an opportunity only to be taken out on a play that also left Denman flat on the ice along the boards and in his own goal cage.
With the crowd roaring in anger at the perceived foul play, the mood soon turned with a goal awarded to the Knights.
Joseph Hughes later increased Melbourne’s lead to 6-4 with his fourth point of the night as the home side started to lose focus.
But a well-called timeout at the suggestion of assitant coach Justin Mendham was just the prelude to a rowdy end when DeBoer completed his hat trick moments later.
Canberra parked an extra attacker in the slot and came narrowly close several times before the Ice succeeded in dumping the biscuit to safety and allowing the last seconds to run down.
The Knights next host the Sydney Bears on May 7 before embarking on their first road trip to Liverpool to play the Sydney Ice Dogs.
