Jordan Murphy and Jamie Campbell – 2023

How I fell in love with the sport and the team – by Jordan Murphy

Before I became an avid Perth Thunder fan, I was heavily focused on my first-ever full-time job. When I was sacked, I was lost, and I didn’t know what to do from there.

One day, out of sheer boredom, I looked up what to do for cheap around Perth, and in some twist of fate, a post came up talking about Perth Thunder playing a game during the upcoming weekend.

I heard of them before in passing, as I live only a few minutes away from Perth Ice Arena, but have only ever been inside once prior as a teenager. While also being a fan of the Mighty Ducks movies (who isn’t?), I decided to go to a Saturday game, which was a teddy bear toss game against Canberra Brave. I did my research beforehand and bought a ticket online and went in to see crowds of enthusiastic people waiting for the game to start.

I didn’t have any team merch, so I ended up buying an Andrew Bellant jersey from the wonderful team running the merch stall and took my place along the glass, thinking I’d have a good view of the players as they were warming up.

I had a feeling I’d choose a player to keep an eye out for the most, and the first player to catch my eye was Jordy Kyros. He stood out to me a lot and ended up becoming one of my favourite players to watch from then on.

Jordan Murphy with Jordy Kyros – 2025

Unfortunately, the game ended in a 7-4 loss, but I was in awe and inspired by the energy and tenacity of the players. When Connor Jean scored and the teddy bears started to fly, I knew I had found something I could get behind and was smiling nonstop for the rest of the night.

Also, hearing the boys would come out after games to chat to the fans made me stick around, and one of the first players I had a chat with was Jamie Campbell, one of the nicest guys to talk to, and I was able to share my thoughts on the game. Also had a chat with Reece Lukowiak and had a photo taken with both of them.

From then on, I was inspired to finally start learning to ice skate (took a couple of years before I started, though) and to also learn to play the sport myself. I actively try to go watch as many games as I can, be it Perth Thunder, summer league and even the local state divisions.

I’ve met so many amazing people, from players to fellow fans who also share the same enthusiasm for the sport. Everyone looks out for each other, and I’m glad I’m in it for the long haul.

-Jordan

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Thank you for sharing that inspiring story with us, Jordan. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey in the world of ice hockey.

Whether they win a game or lose, Perth Thunder never fails to win the hearts of their fans and soon-to-be fans.

Do you (fan, player, rookie, parent, partner, anybody) have a story to tell about your journey with Perth Thunder? No matter how big or small it is, please DM me on Facebook or send me an email.

If you’re not comfortable with writing it yourself the way Jordan did so heartwarmingly, just send me a bunch of bullet points and I’ll weave them together for you.

Theavdhoogt@gmail.com

Thank you for banging the glass with me! I hope you enjoyed it.