AIHL Final: Northstars finish the job to claim championship

James Lane

The Newcastle Northstars are champions. After finishing the regular season on top of the ladder, Newcastle have completed the job, holding on for a tense 2–1 victory over the Canberra Brave in the AIHL championship game.

The Northstars made the perfect start, with Liam Ryan opening the scoring before Evgenii Skachkov struck late in the first period to give Newcastle a 2–0 advantage at the opening break.

At that stage, the league’s best team looked to be taking control. But Canberra weren’t going quietly. Jake Ratcliffe pulled one back in the second period, cutting the deficit to 2–1 and setting up a nervy final 20 minutes. Suddenly, every Newcastle attack carried extra weight and every Brave opportunity threatened to change the entire championship.

Instead, the game locked down.

Neither side could find another goal in the third period, leaving Newcastle clinging to their one-goal advantage as the clock wound down. And when the final whistle arrived, it was the Northstars celebrating.

Newcastle’s regular-season campaign had already established them as the team to beat, but the championship required them to survive the pressure of the playoffs and then a tense final against a Canberra side that had fought its way through the bracket.