Solid double for Thunder
One more doubleheader awaits — the always tricky road trip to play the Stampede in Queenstown — before the playoffs.
The Thunder beat the Red Devils 6-2 in the first of two games at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.
Jack Lewis scored the home side's opener after 11min, and Ian Audas and Cole Beckstead — with a short-handed goal — made it 3-0 halfway through the second period.
Fabian Hast pulled one back for the Red Devils but Luke Stegmann got the Thunder back to 4-1 heading into the final period.
A sharp Haydn Boul gave the Cantabrians some hope before Audas scored on the power play.
There were a flurry of penalties late in the game before both Tristan Darling and Hast copped game misconduct penalties for fighting, and the pair were immediately suspended for game two.
When the dust settled on the brouhaha, Beckstead scored a second short-handed goal with just 3sec left on the clock.
Beckstead and Christopher Eaden each added two assists for the Thunder, who had 44 shots to their opponents' 23.
The Thunder won game two 5-2.
Audas opened the scoring after just 2min 56sec on the power play, and while Boul quickly equalised, Adam Stitlely fired the Thunder back in front.
Dima Maistrenok-Zubkovskii and Beckstead traded goals in the second period before Beckstead got a second early in the third and Audas sealed the win with a short-hander close to the finish.
It was another niggly game with a bunch of penalties that culminated in Canterbury forward Garth Te Rangi-Henare being marched for abusing an official.
The Thunder move to third in the table with a record of eight wins, one overtime win and five losses.
In the first of two games between the teams at the top of the table, the Stampede came from 2-1 down to beat the Botany Swarm 4-2 in Auckland on Saturday night.
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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Solid double for Thunder
The Dunedin Thunder completed the home stretch of their New Zealand Ice Hockey League campaign with a pair of solid wins over the Canterbury Red Devils at the weekend. One more doubleheader awaits — the always tricky road trip to play the Stampede in Queenstown — before the playoffs. The Thunder beat the Red Devils 6-2 in the first of two games at the Dunedin Ice Stadium. Jack Lewis scored the home side's opener after 11min, and Ian Audas and Cole Beckstead — with a short-handed goal — made it 3-0 halfway through the second period. Fabian Hast pulled one back for the Red Devils but Luke Stegmann got the Thunder back to 4-1 heading into the final period. A sharp Haydn Boul gave the Cantabrians some hope before Audas scored on the power play. There were a flurry of penalties late in the game before both Tristan Darling and Hast copped game misconduct penalties for fighting, and the pair were immediately suspended for game two. When the dust settled on the brouhaha, Beckstead scored a second short-handed goal with just 3sec left on the clock. Beckstead and Christopher Eaden each added two assists for the Thunder, who had 44 shots to their opponents' 23. The Thunder won game two 5-2. Audas opened the scoring after just 2min 56sec on the power play, and while Boul quickly equalised, Adam Stitlely fired the Thunder back in front. Dima Maistrenok-Zubkovskii and Beckstead traded goals in the second period before Beckstead got a second early in the third and Audas sealed the win with a short-hander close to the finish. It was another niggly game with a bunch of penalties that culminated in Canterbury forward Garth Te Rangi-Henare being marched for abusing an official. The Thunder move to third in the table with a record of eight wins, one overtime win and five losses. In the first of two games between the teams at the top of the table, the Stampede came from 2-1 down to beat the Botany Swarm 4-2 in Auckland on Saturday night.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Thunder veterans bring up milestones
Milestone men. The Dunedin Thunder have more than one reason to celebrate after Chris Eaden and Joe Orr respectively brought up their 250th and 200th New Zealand Ice Hockey League games recently. The veteran duo brought up their milestones during recent away games, but the Thunder will honour them during their home double-header against the Canterbury Red Devils — their former team — this weekend. While Eaden was not one for recognising game achievements, ice hockey had given him a lot through the years. "It's more of the grind and hockey's just such a great outlet and just keeps you on your toes," Eaden said. "Every year you have a chance to win, give or take, so it's just a cool opportunity. "You kind of just get sucked back into the sport every year." Eaden is one of the most decorated players in the league after skating on to the scene with the Red Devils in 2007. He won four national titles and a three-time league MVP recipient in 2009, 2012 and 2022 and racked up 246 goals and 211 assists. Nationally, Eaden's worn the black jersey for the under-18s, under-20s — where he was named best forward at the under-20 world championships — and now the Ice Blacks, including being part of the world championship team in Dunedin earlier this year. Eaden, who also had a stint with the Sydney Bears, joined the Thunder this year, a transition he called a "breath of fresh air". "It's kind on reinvigorated the sport for me a little bit. "It was kind of like dwindling out and I thought 'hey look, this is a new opportunity, test myself' . . . and I've actually just loved every minute of it. "The team, the management, the family side of stuff has just been so welcoming ... that I couldn't probably ask for better. "I've thoroughly enjoyed the people — it's made the whole thing awesome." Orr has been a staple of the Thunder line up through his early years and returned home this season. He played three seasons with Williston State College, in the United States, and spent the past three seasons with the Red Devils before rejoining the Thunder this year. After 14 years in the national league, Orr — who is also an Ice Black — has become a cult hero, with 67 goals and 55 assists across his tenure. The Thunder opened their double-header against the Red Devils in Dunedin last night. They play them again tonight, and Eaden said the Thunder needed to "stay out of the dog fight". "We have everything to lose," Eaden said. "Winning is the best scenario, but at the same time it's just staying out of the penalty box so to speak and keeping cool heads." The Thunder sit fourth on 20 points, well clear of the Red Devils who are fifth with three points. The Southern Stampede (24 points) are on the road to the table leaders Botany Swarm (28 points) this weekend. The Stampede then host the Thunder next weekend before the playoffs. The playoff series this year will consists of 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 seeding match-ups in the semifinals from August 2-3. The winner of the semifinals then advance to a three game finals series from August 15-17.
Otago Daily Times
10-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Amston freezes out doubters
When you ask SkyCity Stampede defenceman Stefan Amston how he honestly rates his team's chances coming to the skinny end of the New Zealand Ice Hockey League season, he doesn't pull any punches. "I really feel we've played as bad as we could, and it can only get better." So far this season, the nine-time national champions have only had two back-to-back wins — both times against fifth-placed Canterbury Red Devils. Yet, the Stampede are still second on the table, with just two rounds left in the regular season, including this weekend's Battle of the Titans in Auckland, against top-of-the-table Botany Swarm. Amston, 31, Queenstown council's facilities and fleet manager, is in his 10th season for the Stampede, initially intending to play just one. He and his sister, former Wakatipu Wild women's ice hockey player Kimberley Helmersson, were both born in Christchurch, though his dad's from Sweden and his mum's from the UK. His parents met backpacking in Australia, went back to Sweden, and applied for residency to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. "Whoever replied first they went to — which was NZ." When Amston was about 6 the family relocated to Sweden — he'd already had his first crack at skating by then, but wasn't a fan. "There is a video of me crying, profusely, on skates when I'm, like, 3, and [I] pretty much say, 'take them off'," he laughs. In Sweden, though, he frothed for it, and played for about 16 years, including for a Division 1 pro team the year before he moved to Queenstown, at 21, just three months after meeting his now-wife, Felicia. "The intention was always to move back at some stage, and it just got expedited when I met her. "I thought she took a right gamble on me, but it worked out." As to why they picked Queenstown, it came down to Amston's desire to play that 'one' season of hockey. Wanting to play for the best team, he Googled who won the 2015 NZIHL championship, "and it just happened to be the Stampede". "So I emailed Ross Burns — he actually declined me to come and play until I told him I was a NZ citizen," he laughs. "I came down here, really loved it, and just stuck around." Despite the rocky road to the finals so far, Amston believes the Stampede has a great chance of lifting the Birgel Cup for the 10th time. He notes between injuries, illness, the birth of some future Stampede players, work and personal commitments, "I don't think we've actually played with a full team a single weekend". "We still have a great chance. "I'd be surprised if we weren't the top contender this year as well and, hopefully, we'll show that this weekend — that we can actually play quite well, and we do deserve to be the no.1 seed."
