Bear Essentials: Sweep Disposition
It’s time for another instalment of the Bear Essentials presented by Genesis Edge Law Group, and we have a lot to discuss. The Sydney Bears entered the weekend in sixth place in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) standings, and exited in fourth place.
An argument could be made that Saturday's Battle of Sydney was the most meaningful derby game for both teams since 2008, and perhaps even since 2004. Let’s break down the logic.
First, the last time both Sydney teams made the Goodall Cup finals was back in 2008, and the last and only time the teams met in the finals was in the 2004 Goodall Cup semi-final - a Sydney Ice Dogs 4-3 win.
With the Wilson Cup on the line, anything other than a Bears’ regulation win would see the cup transfer to the Ice Dogs for the first time since 2018. It was a huge moment. The Ice Dogs had been flying heading into the weekend and were tied with Perth Thunder for the best points percentage in the league.
The Bears embraced the big stage, scoring early and never trailing on the way to a 6-4 road victory.
Impressively, the Bears backed up that performance with another gutsy road effort, defeating the Central Coast Rhinos at Erina 5-3. It was the first time this season that the Bears have collected all six points on offer in a double-header weekend.
Let’s look at what’s trending for the Bears.
What’s Trending
Back-to-back hat-tricks for Nick Seitz, including a natural hat-trick on Sunday, give the forward 12 goals in four AIHL games played this season. He is averaging a goal per period and has already celebrated three hat-tricks.
We discussed weeks ago the problem the Bears had with scoring the first goal of the game. That seems a distant memory as Seitz scored the opening goals quickly against the Northstars (100 seconds), Mustangs (64 seconds), Ice Dogs (63 seconds), and earned an assist on Lucas Herrmann’s opener against the Rhinos (54 seconds).
Hayden Plimley earned the win against the Ice Dogs on Saturday; it was his fourth win in five games - a .800 win percentage. Very tidy indeed.
Anthony Kimlin also had a big game on Sunday, breaking the record for most AIHL appearances by a goaltender with 191, and shut the door in the second half of the game for vital points.
Lucas Herrmann extended his points streak to 12 games with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) during the streak.
Gustav Remler-Jensen achieved a new single-game high with three points against the Ice Dogs on Saturday.
What’s Next
After being on the road for four of the last five games, the Bears return to the home bench at Macquarie Ice Rink for two games this weekend. On Saturday, the Bears play the Melbourne Ice, and Sunday the high-scoring Brisbane Lightning visit for the second time this season.
For the Saturday game against the Melbourne Ice the team will wear special Canada Day jerseys, which are available for bids right now. These jerseys won’t be available for purchase anywhere else.
The Melbourne Ice had a hiccup against the Adrenaline in Adelaide, but despite that have won five of their last six games. It’s a very different lineup than the one the Bears defeated 4-1 a month and a half ago at Macquarie.
Sunday’s game should feature plenty of scoring if Brisbane’s recent trend continues. The last time a game the Lightning played in which didn’t see 10 or more goals scored was back on April 26 when a mere six goals were scored.
Tanner Hopps leads the line for Brisbane, sharing the lead in league scoring with 50 points, including 31 points in just his last five games.
Depending on other results, at the conclusion of this weekend the Bears could sit anywhere from second to seventh in the standings. Make sure you get your tickets to cheer on the Bears this weekend at Macquarie Ice Rink.
