IN THE PICTURE: Nick Sharp has been consistent for the Orange Wanderers.
IN beating Orange Wanderers 8-3 in Lithgow on Saturday, runaway men's Premier League Hockey minor premiers Panthers brought up a number of stats that would make for happy reading for the Lithgow club's coaching staff.
It was the side's 19th win from 19 games, also the 16th time the team has racked up a bonus point in scoring five goals or more in a match.
The eight winners brought up a total of 105 goals for Panthers who now sit on 92 competition points - 31 points ahead of its nearest rival Bathurst St Pat's - with one round remaining in the 2012 minor premiership.
They're enviable numbers.
Stats that have served the other five sides in the men's PLH competition with a message of 'catch us if you can' from Panthers.
But it was the message from the Wanderers dressing sheds after Saturday's five-goal loss that'll make the rest of the competition stand-up and take notice ahead of what looms as a one-sided finals series in a fortnight's time.
"The score was no indication of the game," Wanderers mentor Andrew Reddan fired.
"We played all over them. The first 20 minutes of the match we missed five shots on goal; two of them hit the post and the others wouldn't have missed by more than 100 (millimetres). We should have been up 8-0.
"We just couldn't finish. There's no way in the world Panthers are a six-goal better side than us. They shouldn't be unbeaten. They're beatable. Very beatable."
After Orange's period of dominance frustratingly added no score-board pressure on the undefeated Panthers, the home side shot out to a 3-1 lead at half-time.
Both sides traded goals in the second stanza but it was Lithgow who produced the goods, converting six short corner chances throughout the duration of the contest to bury the Orange club and bring up the victory.
For Wanderers, the loss would no doubt have left an empty feeling given the way the boys started the match.
But Reddan was remaining up-beat.
He said the camaraderie amongst the Wanderers group ensured the club will not only come out firing against Bathurst Souths in the final regular season round in 2012 next Saturday, but build on the efforts of this winter in 2013.
"They've been geared up for a while now. As I said before, we trained in the snow the other night, all of the boys are still turning up and we want to finish on a high next weekend," Reddan enthused.
"Things look bright for next season."