The Sydney Bears are back in playoff contention after beating their cross-town rivals the Ice Dogs 5-2 and taking the "Battle of Sydney" series 3 games to 1.

The Ice Dogs lead the shot count on the night 27-24 in a game full of minor penalties for both teams.

A flurry of penalties early on in the first period saw more reserved play than expected, yet still the Ice Dogs controlled possession in the offensive zone.

An injury to Ice Dogs goaltender Jimmy Herbert proved crucial to proceedings.

The Bears were the first to score with a breakaway opportunity which saw Michal Lauko brilliantly take the puck to the slot, before deking out back up goalie James Esson for a 1-0 first period score on a short-handed goal.

The second period started with a bang as Bears Murray Wand scored a bomb from the blue-line, firing past a screened James Esson.

The Ice Dogs hit back immediately when a Nick Boucher initial save wasn’t cleared, leaving Brenton Tripp to score high glove side and put his team back in the game.

Within two minutes the Bears exerted their dominance on the powerplay through Eric Begin, scoring a trademark slap shot through a crowded goalmouth.

The Ice Dogs had their chances on the powerplay but Nick Boucher produced numerous quality saves to keep the Bears ahead whilst being short-handed.

The Bears finished the period on a high after Daniel Shaw provided a great cross-ice pass for Vladan Stransky to score from the slot.

The Ice Dogs scored a good breakaway goal at the start of the third period, with Derek Campbell showing a fantastic burst of speed to get one-on-one with Boucher, before firing the puck in on the backhand.

With seven minutes to go, Stransky scored  his 2nd goal to put the Bears in finals contention once again.

Bears forward Brett Nelson-Bond praised both teams after the game.

“It was a must win game for us, and everyone played great. We now need to get ready for our next big game against the Adrenaline next week.”

The Habitat Furniture Man of the Match went to Vladan Stransky after scoring 4 points (2 goals and 2 assists) on the night. 

The Bears next home game is this Sunday night against the Adelaide Adrenaline, puck drops 5pm at the Penrith Ice Palace.