The Dunedin Thunder defenceman is a keen surfer and he spends a chunk of his day wrestling with the breaks. He loves it. But he also loves pressing forward and slotting goals. And he is awfully good at it. He has banged in six of them in four New Zealand Ice Hockey League games this season and also has six assists. The 23-year-old Canadian is the top scorer in the league with 12 points. The decision to come back for a second stint in Dunedin
was a no-brainer, he said. ‘‘You know, it’s not a bad life waking up, going surfing, going to practice and starting all over again the next day,’’ Stegmann said. ‘‘I’m a big fan of New Zealand and of the landscapes and everything that comes with it. Hockey is a lot of fun here as well.’’ The Thunder have made a decent start to the NZIHL season. They have posted two wins from four games. One of those wins came against their regional rivals, the Stampede,
who have dominated the league over the past decade. ‘‘I think it is a more competitive league this year. The imports are a lot better . and I also think the coaches of every team have stepped their game up,’’ he said. The Thunder play the West Auckland Admirals in back-to-back games this round. Game 1 gets under way in Auckland tonight. The Admirals beat the Canterbury Red Devils in both games in the opening round but had a bye last weekend. Stegmann said he
expected they would present a stern challenge and the Thunder were focused on lifting their defensive effort. ‘‘I think our offensive capabilities have never been in doubt. I think we’ve got a lot of skill on our team that can drive plays and score goals. ‘‘What we’ve been missing a little during the first two weekends is probably a better defensive effort. ‘‘I’m guilty of that sometimes. I like to play offence a lot. ‘‘We’ve just got to always remember that offence wins games and
defence wins championships. ‘‘We’re trying to dial our game back a little bit and be more responsible defensively. ‘‘I think that will help us a great deal this weekend.’’
Dunedin Thunder, Stegmann, NZIHL, New Zealand Ice Hockey League, West Auckland Admirals, Stampede, Canterbury Red Devils, surfing, defence