Saturday 28th June, Avondale, Auckland

Final		1	2	3	T
	West Auckland Admirals	0	1	2	3
	Botany Swarm	2	3	0	5

Josh Hay tallied the Swarm’s second hatrick of the season as the defending champs took advantage of an undisciplined second period from the Admirals to defeat them in their home opener 5-3. 

The Admirals came out to a loud home crowd on Saturday night and applied plenty of early pressure, when Jeff Bonazzo was brought down on the breakaway and awarded a plenty shot the Admirals had a chance to capitalise 5 minutes into the game. However as he did in the opening game a week ago, Swarm goalie Zak Nothling stoned Bonazzo to change the momentum of the game. 

5 minutes later, after some lone aggressive fore checking by Josh Hay causing a turnover behind the net, allowed him walk in all alone on Rick Parry. Hay waited for him to go down and fired the puck over him. Before the period was out the Swarm were in the familiar territory with the 2-0 lead as Hay added his second on the powerplay. 

Boanzzo finally got the better of Nothling when he wristed a shot over the glove early in the second on the powerplay to cut the lead to one. With the scores close the game started to heat up, the action opened up with end to end chances and some of the biggest hits seen in the NZIHL. However this led to undisciplined play from the Admirals and to 24 minutes of penalties accessed to them in the last 11 minutes of the second period.  During this time it was all Swarm dominated as they scored 3 goals, 2 of them on the powerplay to take a 5-1 lead into the third. Josh Hay recorded his hatrick with 10 seconds to go in the period after taking advantage after Parry mishandled the puck in front of the goal.

Luke Christie replaced Rick Parry in the Admirals net for the start of the third and while he kept the Swarm scoreless for the period he was never really tested as the Swarm concentrated on holding their lead. Freddie Gigmalm and Steven Huish, who scored on the breakaway late in the 3^rd made the scored 5-3. But the lead was never really threatened.  Notes: Lukas Birgel was assessed with the game misconduct in the first period for high sticking. The Admirals totalled 59 penalty minutes during the game.

For photos click here http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzihf/sets/72157605870939205/

Shots: Botany Swarm 39, West Auckland Admirals 31

BSW - Botany Swarm
WAA - West Auckland Admirals

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