The Southern Stampede has lost its perfect record but is still helping set the pace in the national ice hockey league.
After being held to a 4-4 draw by the Botany Swarm in Queenstown on Friday night, it was business as usual on Saturday as the Stampede claimed a 3-1 win.
The Stampede retains a healthy lead at the top of the league, though Canterbury's Red Devils have games in hand.
Brett Speirs, Joe Bjorkman and Braden Lee scored the goals for the Stampede in Saturday's win, with Brett Bjorkman, Stacey Rout and Jamie Moore-Carter getting the assists.
The Queenstown side scored a goal in each period, with Ian Wannamaker getting the Swarm's only goal in the second.
Stampede goaltender Thomas Globeil had an impressive 97% save rating.
In a penalty-rife opening game on Friday night, both teams failed to score in the first period and scored two goals in each of the second and third periods.
Simon Glass led the Stampede with two goals and Moore-Carter and Simon Wilson had one each.
Speirs, Hayden Argyle and Mitchell Frear were credited with assists.
Martin Lee led the Auckland-based Swarm with a pair of goals and an assist.
In Auckland, the Dunedin Thunder slumped to a seventh consecutive defeat when it was beaten 4-2 by the West Auckland Admirals on Saturday.
All six goals in the game came in a frenetic 10-minute spell at the end of the fourth period.
French forward Jordane Fazende gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead with a powerplay goal before the Admirals capitalised on some sloppy Thunder bench penalties and took a 3-1 lead.
Simon Christos scored to get the Dunedin side back into the game with just 2min remaining but West Auckland added a late goal.
Thunder goaltender Rick Parry made 43 saves.
Dunedin was playing West Auckland again last night.
