Mustangs v Ice Preview

For the most part of their existence, the MOAT: Melbourne Mustangs have been overshadowed by their cross-town rivals the Melbourne Ice. Since their inception in 2011 the Mustangs have only defeated the Ice five times out of 23 games and, while a number of those defeats were very close, the inability to prevail can become a mental hurdle. With the third Melbourne Derby of 2016 to be played this Saturday, the Mustangs will need to approach the game with the belief that they can overcome the Ice, regardless of form or favouritism.

The teams head into the Derby following games against the Sydney Bears last weekend, but while the Ice continued their march towards another first place finish, the Mustangs faltered and allowed the gap between fourth and fifth to widen. After two recent wins over the Bears, the Mustangs were unable to keep their streak going and went down 3-1 despite getting 50% more shots on goal. 

Converting their shots is going to be even more difficult this weekend as the Mustangs face the best defence in the AIHL. The Ice have only conceded 49 goals, thanks to some exceptional work in front of the net by Troy Davenport. He leads all goaltending statistics with a remarkable 1.77 goals against average and 0.931 save percentage and held the Mustangs scoreless with a 23 save shutout in the first derby of the season.

Having said that, the Ice are not relying on defence alone to maintain their position at the top of the AIHL standings. They are also the number one team in goals scored by quite a margin. The ever reliable Jason Baclig leads the Ice in scoring and he has been well supported by the return of Joey Hughes and the addition of Danish import Lasse Lassen. It was Hughes and Lassen who set up victory for the Ice in the previous encounter, scoring a combined five goals in the first two periods.

The Ice have been the benchmark all season and their 4-1 victory over the Sydney Bears last weekend clinched a finals berth with more than a month to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Mustangs are in a position where they need other results to go their way if they are to join them. It is impossible to deny the consistency of the longer established team in Melbourne who, apart from one notable exception in 2014, have been the better performed side. The Ice will be looking to again assert their dominance and it will take a united team effort for the Mustangs to secure a much-needed win.  Every player will need to be committed to their roles in both offence and defence as they will need to make the most of their opportunities to score and limit the time and space the Ice have with the puck.

The Mustangs certainly have their work cut out if they are to be successful this week, but it starts with belief in themselves. If they can approach the game with confidence in their ability and start off strongly, they will have the support of a large home crowd to help get them over the line.