In the race to the finals, assistant coach Brett Nelson Bond highlighted how important the win was for his side.

"It was a must-win game for us, and everyone played great. It's good to see with our big game against Adelaide next week."

Last week's game saw a come from behind win for the Bears through a gauntlet of scuffles and brawls, this time the Bears drew first blood, scoring the first goal of the night for the early lead.

With memories of the previous encounter in mind, the referees took a hard line against any potential aggression or player offence, by the end of the night the Bears had suffered 17 penalties throughout the game, the Dogs also suffering 10 penalties. Wanting to extend their lead, the Bears went into the second period leading and did extend their lead with another three goals.

The Dogs were finally able to respond with a goal to get them back in the game, the Bears practically facilitating this goal, being constantly at a disadvantage with sometimes only three players on the ice after suffering penalties.

It was the Dogs' last chance to get back in the final period, and they seemed to seize the opportunity with a goal by Derek Campbell, the Bears only took three shots at goals this period, with forward Vlad Stransky scoring his second goal of the night to put the result beyond doubt.

This week, the Sydney Bears will face the Adelaide Adrenaline at the Penrith Ice Palace in what shapes as a key match-up leading into the finals. First puck drops at 5pm this Sunday, August 8.