Mustangs v Ice & Ice Dogs Preview

The final Melbourne derby of 2016 is sure to be another fierce battle. The Mustangs will be desperate to finally get a win over their local rivals, while the Ice will look to wrap up first place and affirm their status as the team to beat going into the AIHL Finals.

The Ice return from a crazy weekend in Canberra full of goals and penalties, and head into the derby following only their second regulation loss of the season. Their record against the Mustangs speaks for itself, and it will take a flawless performance to knock them off.

It took until the final six minutes of the previous derby to separate the teams, so if the Mustangs can get into a similar contest this week, they will need to take advantage of any opportunity to score as there are very few weaknesses on this Ice team.

If the Mustangs are to reverse the trend against the teams they face this week, they will have to put in committed effort for the entire 50 minutes. The Ice and Ice Dogs may be at either end of the AIHL standings, but both have shown that one brief concentration lapse from the Mustangs is enough for them to take control and claim the points.

The Ice are undoubtedly the AIHL benchmark of 2016 and lead the league in most statistics, however if the Mustangs can rise to the challenge and play their best hockey, then no team is unbeatable. The rebuilding Ice Dogs, despite struggling for parts of the season, have been competitive against the Mustangs, but hopefully with some confidence following the derby and a big crowd to farewell the season, the Mustangs can complete their home ice campaign on a winning note.