The Canberra Brave are back in form riding a three-game winning streak, but have a point to prove on Saturday when they take on the Sydney Bears in the capital.
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The defending champions didn't have the best of starts to the Australian Ice Hockey League season, and the last time they faced the Bears they copped a tough 8-2 defeat.
The Sydney side have since continued their performance to command first position in the league standings, while the Brave keep climbing.
Brave legend Matt Harvey said the Canberrans are out for revenge when they meet the Bears again at Phillip Ice Skating Centre this weekend, this time with a full-strength squad.
"The team is gelling better now pretty much everyone is together, so we're trying out different line combinations," he told The Canberra Times.
"We'll have a huge test, because we only had one import last time we played the Bears.
"Now that we have our full team, it'll be a good comparison of how we were then, and how we are now with some key players back.
"It's definitely going to be a different game."
The Brave claimed a thrilling 4-1 win against the Sydney Ice Dogs at the Macquarie Ice Rink last Saturday to extend their winning streak.
New Brave imports Austin Albrecht and Carson Vance added some firepower, as did returning Australian representative Andy Camenzind.
Canadian Felix Plouffe, Casey Kubara, Albrecht and Joey Hughes all found the back of the net for the Brave, though the shot count could have seen a much bigger result.
"We played really well defensively and offensively we had a lot more shots than the other team, like 70 to 25," Harvey said of the win.
"We're just trying to find that last bit of chemistry with our lines when we go forward."
Harvey believes the 2023 Brave squad have all the makings to win back-to-back Goodall Cup championships, and for the ex-captain nearing the end of his career, he couldn't envisage a better finale.
"We definitely can win it, it's just about fine tuning," Harvey said. "This year is a much harder league to win with 10 teams instead of eight, and there's more of an even spread.
"But it'd be huge for me to win it as I get older with limited chances now."
AIHL Brave Schedule
Canberra Brave v Sydney Bears - Phillip Ice Skating Centre, Saturday 5:15pm
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Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
