Selected photos from the Australian Ice Hockey League game between the Adelaide Adrenaline and the Brisbane Lightning played on 6/07/2025 at the Ice Arena, Adelaide, South Australia.  The Lightning had scored a decisive win the night before after the Adrenaline had tied the score and gone ahead briefly.  The Adrenaline would see the return of the valuable Romans Nekludovs.  Matus Trnka would be the starting goaltender again for the Lightning with Jakob Doornbos lending support.

An early hooking penalty was an unwelcome return for Nekludovs at 18:57 but his penalty kill unit saw off the penalty.  The Adrenaline were matching the tall Lightning side and eventually Josh Adkins would make the breakthrough to open the scoring for the Adrenaline at 12:25 (assists Nathaniel Benson and Zach Boyle).  A hooking penalty to Adrenaline’s Darcy Flanagan at 11:37 was all that big Batu Gendunov needed to post the Lightning’s first goal (assists Tanner Hopps and Aaron Wanat).  The Adrenaline would go ahead at 7:23 when Coy Prevost found a way past Matus Trnka (assists Daniel Chen and Ryan Foll).  Two penalties to Benson and Hopps did not result in a change to the score.  Shots on goal for the period were 10 to Adrenaline and 9 to the Lightning.

The Adrenaline were playing with renewed vigour and tying up the Lightning goal scoring machine.  The period was extremely tight with neither team finding a breakthrough and many penalties were dishing out: Adrenaline’s Benson (roughing) Luka Loria (unsportsmanlike conduct), Coy Prevost (cross-checking), Lightning’s Mikko Rippon (roughing), Sam Hodic (roughing), Marcus Hosen (roughing and boarding).  The Adrenaline almost hung on to their one goal lead, except some desperate play by the Lightning saw Alex Campbell score a late goal with a minute to play in the period (assists Gendunov and Carson Miller).  Shots on goal for the period were Adrenaline 10, Lightning 6).

With the score at 2-all the third period was going to be epic, and hopefully not marred by penalties.  The Lightning would score the go-ahead goal at 10:30 through Saturday night’s hero Tanner Hopps (assists Thomas Kiliwnik and Alex Campbell).  There was plenty of time to mount a challenge and with the home crowd spurring on the Adrenaline anything was possible and the Lightning’s defence would need to be on their game.  The Lightning did hang on, and with the Adrenaline forced to pull their goaltender Cale Dolan with time running out, it was a long shot from Sacha Rapchuk that sealed the deal (assists Wanat and Alex Campbell).  The Adrenaline had shown they could match it with a quality side in the Lightning and not be intimidated with their big players.  Shots on goal for the game, Adrenaline 35, Lightning 26.

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