NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX – The final home weekend of the regular season is upon us and the Brahmas are looking to finish strong against the Sugar Land Imperials.
THE OPPOSITION: Thanks to a strong second half of the season, the Imperials have locked themselves into the four seed for the south division playoffs. While the top three seeds settle themselves out between Atlanta, Point Mallard and the Brahmas, Sugar Land will stay the course and await the task of facing the top dog.
A pivotal part of the massive second half has been forward Luca Valenza. #12 has an impressive 18 points in the team’s past 10 games. While his numbers are eye-popping, Valenza does not even lead the team in points. Swedish forward Jonathan Adnell has 55 points in 41 games for the Imperials this season and has been a force on the power play as of late. #28 has a team-leading 20 points on the power play this year and six of them have come in the last ten games. Beware when he’s on the ice with a man advantage.
Speaking of hot, Kevin Mackey has been a brick wall for the Imperials for roughly the last three months. In his last 10 starts, the Maryland native is 8-2-0. He’s currently in the midst of a five game win streak and is going to be a difficult task for the Brahmas to crack this weekend.
THE BRAHMAS: After a tough road trip and a few week’s off, last weekend’s polishing of Euless was just what the doctor ordered. With the two wins the Brahmas completed the perfect 12-0-0 against the cross-town rival, however it’s now back to the big boys.
Nick Nitta proved to be the game-changing defenseman he was expected to be in his debut, recording four points in two games. He’ll be looked to again this weekend for production from the back end against the tougher competition.
Another player who will be relied upon for success this weekend is forward Ryan Dunner. After a bit of a cold stretch, Dunner is getting back in his groove with six points in his last four games. Furthermore, the New Jersey native has feasted on the Imperials this season, recording 15 point in eight head-to-head matchups.
Brandon Perrone and Tyler Myers will both likely see action again this weekend after solid performances against Euless. After yet another clean sheet, Myers is tied for third in the NA3HL with five shutouts. Perrone is fifth in both shutouts and goals against average.
PUCK DROP: The three game series gets underway on Friday with a 7:35 start. Saturday is another evening start with the action opening at 7:00 and then Sunday’s finale is scheduled for a 12 Noon beginning! All three are free to attend at NYTEX Sports Centre.