Capital Gains Task

May 26, 2023

Capital Gains Task

The CBR Brave and Sydney Bears face-off this weekend for the final time in the 2023 AIHL regular season. Sydney can complete the series sweep with a win in the capital on Saturday.

Last time the two rivals met on April 23, the Brave iced an understrength lineup, and were exposed on the capacious surface at Macquarie. The Bears secured an 8-2 victory powered by last week’s Skater’s Network AIHL Player of the Week, Tommy Steven.

Steven nabbed a hat-trick, Ryan Annesley added two goals from the blueline, and Noah Moncrieff, Tyerell Clare, and Ellesse Carini all tallied for the Bears. Mitchell Henning and Joseph Maatouk scored for the Brave.

Sydney Bears' forward Tommy Steven fires a shot on goal against the CBR Brave

Since that game, Sydney has gone 5-1, and finds itself with a .889 win percentage, a four point league lead, and a seven point lead in the Hellyer Conference. CBR has gone 4-0-1, losing to the Mustangs in a shootout, and has the second-best win percentage in the league at .750.

The Bears are the last team to beat the Brave in Canberra, winning 8-7 in a shootout on May 29 last year. Sydney has picked up maximum points on the road this season, winning all four games in regulation.

The Brave have only played two games at home this season, and are yet to lose, beating the Ice Dogs in overtime, and the Northstars in regulation. Something must give between the two teams.

The Sydney Bears celebrate scoring a goal against the CBR Brave

Both teams will be keeping an eye on the Brisbane Lightning vs Newcastle Northstars doubleheader at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium. The Brave trail the Lightning by two points, so a win, paired with two Lightning regulation losses, would see the Brave go top of the conference.

Meanwhile, if Brisbane win both matchups against Newcastle, the Bears must beat the Brave to remain top of the league, although they will have two games in hand on Brisbane after this weekend.

The Brave and Bears have received elite goaltending this season, and the battle between the pipes will be an intriguing one to watch on Saturday.

Anthony Kimlin, who returned from national team duty following the last Bears v Brave clash, has an impressive .928 save percentage. That is good enough for second in the league; Brave netminder Aleksi Toivonen has a .929 save percentage for first overall.

Sydney Bear's goaltender Anthony Kimlin

Special teams could be a factor, and the two teams are close; however, the Bears have a slight edge with a combined percentage of 105% (82% penalty kill + 23% powerplay). The Brave have a special team’s percentage of 98.7% (86.2% penalty kill + 12.5% powerplay).

Bears’ fans will be keen to see the top-line of Joshua Lammon, Tommy Steven, and Ace Cowans continue to develop chemistry. Tommy Steven has scored in every Bears’ game this season.

Tomas Landa also has a four-game goal-scoring streak of his own, the 39-year-old from Kladno, Czechia has shown no signs of slowing down, providing vital offense from the second line.

If you’re not able to get to Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre to support the team, you can watch the game on AIHL TV. Puck drop is at 5:15 pm on Saturday. The Bears’ social media accounts will also provide updates throughout the game.

The Bears' next home game will be Saturday, June 3, at 5 pm against the Adelaide Adrenaline. The team needs you, our seventh player, at the rink to lift the team. Click here to get your ticketscheck out our membership packages, and see you at the rink!



Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Bears Blog

Bears Bite Back, Seize Top Spot
Bears Bite Back, Seize Top Spot

May 23, 2024

The Sydney Bears leapfrogged the Melbourne Ice to take control of top spot in the Australian Ice Hockey League standings. Gordon Goodenough recaps the action.

View full article →

Sydney Bears pocket points as big test looms ahead
Sydney Bears pocket points as big test looms ahead

April 23, 2024

The Sydney Bears secured six big points over the weekend, downing the Ice Dogs in the Sydney derby Friday night 9-2, and then coming from behind four times to defeat the chippy Central Coast Rhinos 8-4. Gordon Goodenough has four takeaways from the weekend.

View full article →

Sydney Derby showcased in first Friday night game of AIHL season
Sydney Derby showcased in first Friday night game of AIHL season

April 19, 2024

The Sydney Ice Dogs hosts the Sydney Bears in the first Friday game of the 2024 Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season tonight. Gordon Goodenough has comments from both coaches ahead of the contest.

View full article →