The Dunedin Thunder produced some of its best hockey of the season to beat the table-topping Botany Swarm at the weekend.
A night after slipping to a 5-1 loss to the Aucklanders, the Thunder dominated the ice for a 6-4 win on Saturday night to claim its second triumph from 10 games this season.
Thunder captain Matt Enright was the hero on Saturday with a rare hat-trick.
He scored a goal in each period and added an assist for an all-action performance.
Enright’s first goal was the only scoring of a tight first period.
The second period was a different story as the puck started clanging into the net at either end.
After the Swarm equalised, Will Ellis made it 2-1 to the Thunder before Noah Gregory got a third goal for the home team on the power play.
A second Swarm goal was followed by Ellis and Enright each scoring again as the Thunder took a 5-2 lead into the final period.
Enright completed his hat-trick on the power play to put the game beyond doubt, though the Aucklanders fired in two late consolation goals.
James Moore had 20 saves from 24 shots for the Thunder.
The game got a little niggly, and two Swarm players spent time in the penalty box for abusing the officials.
On Friday night, the Thunder fell into a 3-0 hole in the first period and never really recovered.
It was 5-0 to the Swarm with eight minutes to play when Jack Lewis scored the Thunder’s only goal.
The Swarm fired in 42 shots to the Thunder’s 32.
The Thunder has a long wait before its next assignment, the derby against the Stampede in Queenstown on July 21-22.
The vagaries of the draw mean the standings are relatively imbalanced. While the Swarm is technically top, it has played 10 games to the Stampede’s four.
