Blue Tongues Steamroll Bears

The Blue Tongues were finally officially welcomed to the Gold Coast today in their first home game of the season. A full house were there to watch the ceremonial puck drop from Lord Mayor Ron Clarke before the Blue Tongues took on league leaders The Bears, based in Sydney.

Having only suffered one loss so far this season, The Bears were anticipated to be a high scoring team, boasting the highest goals for in the entire league. However, from the first drop of the puck, the Blue Tongues made it clear with clean, hard checking that this was their sheet of ice and no one was going to ruin their fairytale stat to the home game run.

Forward Ben Spillane opened the scoring for the Blue Tongues, and with a reduction in penalties from previous games, Gold Coast ended the first at 2-0. With penalties on both sides, the second period became a battle of the special teams, with the Blue Tongues penalty killing team coming out on top. Forwards, import Gaetan Royer and local product Jack Connor, added to the tally, and it seemed that not even the loss of fellow forward Robert Orosz to a knee injury, giving the Blue Tongues a 4 minute powerplay to take out the period, could stop Gold Coast in their tracks. At the end the second, the Blue Tongues were leading 6-0.

The Bears' luck didn't change all that much in the third, with Gaetan Royer scoring his hatrick. Frustration was clear on The Bears, however they managed to finally slide one past Blue Tongues’ goaltender, Simo Mustonen, who had been outstanding in net all night. With six minutes left in the third, Mustonen pulled himself once more and allowed backup CJ Anderson some ice time to finish the game to a 9-1 Blue Tongues victory.

Announced at the end of the game were third star Ben Spillane with 2 goals, second star goaltender Simo Mustonen and first star Gaetan Royer, netting four goals in total.

Join the Blue Tongues tomorrow as they once again take on The Bears at their home rink Iceland Bundall at 3.30pm Sunday, 15 June 2008.