The Stampede will get an insight into how hard it will be to defend its title when it plays the unbeaten West Auckland Admirals in back-to-back matches in Auckland this weekend.
The Queenstown-based Stampede has been the benchmark side in the league for the past two seasons but the Admirals have emerged as a serious threat to that status.They have scored 59 goals in six games. Thomas Battani is at the top of the individual list with 14 goals, while team-mate Adrian Toth is the leading points scorer with 17 assists and eight goals.
Stampede forward Colin McIntosh has nine goals and seven assists but he will need more help from his team-mates if the southerners are going to get a win on the Admirals’ home rink.
"Hopefully, it is a prequel of the finals," Stampede coach Adam Blanchette suggested.
"They have put a pretty good team together this year, so it is definitely going to be a good measuring stick for us," he said.
"The entire team is pretty pumped up to have a good game against a good opponent."
The Stampede has been doing quite nicely as well with five wins from six games. Its only slip up was a 4-0 loss to the Dunedin Thunder in Dunedin last month.
The Thunder is struggling a little bit with two wins from six games. But it has an opportunity to string a couple of wins together this weekend when it hosts the bottom-of-the-table Botany Swarm.
It will be missing some key personnel with Latvian import Juris Berzins returning home for the season for personal reasons, while Regan Wilson is ill and Benjamin Gavoille is sidelined with an injury.
