Selected photos from the Game 1 of the IHSA B Grade Grand Final best-of-3 series played between the Adelaide Blackhawks and the Adelaide Tigers on 7/09/2024 at the Ice Arena, Adelaide, South Australia. The Blackhawks B grade team had had a dominating year with a recent win over the Tigers, but the Tigers always turn it on when the finals are on.
Early in the 1st period at 16:39, Tigers Will Dobud would score, unassisted, to give the Tigers the early lead. The Tigers would put another on the board with 10mins remaining in the period with Nathan Price scoring off assists from Connor Oxlad and Jamie Lewis. Dobud would head to the penalty box a short time later at 8:38 for holding giving the Blackhawks a chance to get on the board but it wasn’t to be. Then at 4:34 remaining a penalty was dished out to both opponents in a tussle, Tigers Oxlad for interference and Blackhawks Criag Brunato for holding. Shots on goal for the period were in favour of the Tigers 8-5.
The 2rd period didn’t start the way the Blackhawks wanted as goaltender Ruston had come well out of his crease and dived on the puck only to find that defender Brunato had fouled his Tigers opponent and a penalty shot was the result. Ruston however stood firm and deflected the shot away. However his joy was shortlived as mere seconds later on the restart Tigers Price scored again with an assist from Lewis, much to the disgust of Blackhawks goaltender Justin Ruston who argued with referee Mitch Brown it was goaltender interference. At the same time his team mate had been given an interference penalty. It look like that from my spot, but referee Brown wasn’t having a bar of it and so the Tigers were in a commanding 3-0 lead. This spurred on the Blackhawks who started to put some plays and passes together. Eventually the breakthrough would come at 11:34 as Brodie Julian got one past Tigers goaltender Jay Rahaley, with the assists coming from hard working Joshua Weber and Mark Page. Tigers Josh Letheby got a slashing penalty at 8:59 but there was no change in the score. Then at 6:44 a fat rebound fell the ever lurking Blackhawks Michael Harris’s way and he found a wide open space to Rahaley’s left side to reduce the margin to 1 goal. The assist came from Julian. Josh Letheby would get another penalty at 3:53 for high-sticking, but this was matched with Blackhawks James Manna getting an interference penalty late in the period. The tight period had resulted in the Blackhawks clawing back with 6 shots on goal to 4.
In the 3rd period neither team could find a way through early as both goaltenders were able to stop any attempts. A double penalty of hooking to Tigers Josh Letheby and interference to Blackhawks Brunato had both teams still at even strength. Then at 13:36, the Blackhawks bench went mental as Weber scored past Rahaley after an assist from Harris to tie up the scores and perhaps steal the win, but there was a lot of hockey left in the period. But the Tigers were hell bent on not allowing that, and at 8:40 veteran Brenton Letheby combined with son Josh Letheby for the Tigers 4th goal. The Blackhawks would need to muster the same aggression as the 2nd period to answer quick smart. It wouldn’t be as Connor Oxlad posted the Tigers 5th goal at 4:48 with the 2 Lethebys getting the assists. The Blackhawks were now on the ropes with time rapidly running out, and having to pull goal tender Ruston to put the extra attacker on. Shots on the empty net fell wide and so the 5-3 score remained. The Tigers had dominated the shots on goal 11-4.
Game 2 also went the way of the Tigers to the tune of 3-0 and so they took out the B Grade championship, again.
