Match report from the Canberra Knights’ facebook group:
Less dumping, more skating and tape-to-tape passing supported a 39-save performance from Russell Brewer as the Canberra Knights took their first points of the new season against the visiting Sydney Bears.
Chris McPhail, Ollie Rozdarz, Addison DeBoer, Britt Ouelette, Aaron Clayworth and Mickey Rhodes all registered two points each in a sublime team effort.
“This was the Canberra Knights everyone was waiting for,” said delighted Knights general manager John Raut.
Michael Schlamp meanwhile led all players with three points for Sydney.
Canberra took the lead three minutes into the game with the teams at four skaters each when Ouelette deked his way through Sydney’s backline and sent a pass across the crease where it was redirected by McPhail.
A minute later, it was 2-0 as DeBoer exited the sin bin to assist Rozdarz for a power play goal.
But Sydney soon clawed back through Schlamp’s first with 4:31 remaining in the first period.
The Knights then endured a heavy siege on its low slot and got to the intermission on Brewer’s 17 saves.
Canberra’s lead survived only five more minutes before Schlamp struck again, charging down the left flank before scoring.
But the home team went ahead again shortly after, when Rhodes unloaded with a cannon from fifty feet, with the rebound picked up in the end zone and relayed to Clayworth at the blueline.
Clayworth, the Knights’ acting captain, maneovered for a better angle and found the net with a wrist shot through the overcrowded slot.
Canberra had the chance to extend its lead at the start of the third, but wasted a penalty shot, with coach David Rogina quipping “20 burpies” for Jordan Gavin’s penance.
Kurtis Dulle then punished Canberra with a textbook display of puck control, going right across the Brewer’s crease before making it 3-3 on his backhand.
The Knights would, however, take the lead again six minutes later, when Dustin Johnson rushed the puck all the way from his own zone before sending a pass from behind the net to an arriving Rhodes to clean up.
Canberra was pinned in its own zone for much of the remainder, with Sydney adding to the suspence by playing the last 1:19 with an empty net.
But Brewer stopped his last nine shots before DeBoer added the insurance with a second left on the clock as the volume peaked in the Phillip Ice House.
Schlamp then won the meaningless final face-off with the teams all but lined up for the traditional post-game handshake.
Canberra makes it first road trip today to play the Ice Dogs in Liverpool and will spend next weekend at the Gold Cost before returning for a rematch with the Bears on May 21.
