AIHL Final Round: Newcastle finish on top as Adelaide sign off in style

James Lane

The AIHL regular season is over, and it could hardly have finished with a more dramatic final weekend. Newcastle Northstars secured top spot, while Melbourne Mustangs and Canberra Brave finished level on 61 points behind them. Adelaide, meanwhile, finally gave their supporters something to celebrate with a convincing final-day victory over Perth.

Central Coast Rhinos 2 – 3 Newcastle Northstars

Newcastle started the weekend with a narrow victory that proved important in the final standings.

The opening period passed without a goal, before the Rhinos moved ahead after the second. The Northstars left their comeback late, but eventually found the goals they needed to steal a 3–2 win and keep control of first place.

Brisbane Lightning 10 – 13 Sydney Ice Dogs

Twenty-three goals. In Brisbane.

This was an absolute shootout, with the Ice Dogs eventually emerging from the chaos with a three-goal victory.

Natan Vertes was the star of the afternoon for Sydney, producing a remarkable six goals and two assists in one of the biggest individual performances of the regular season.

Melbourne Ice 4 – 3 Canberra Brave (SO)

The Ice and Brave needed a shootout to settle a tightly contested encounter.

Melbourne led 2–1 after the opening period and held that advantage through the second before Canberra finally found the equaliser in the third. Neither side could break the deadlock in overtime.

The shootout quickly went Melbourne’s way. Casey Kubara and Spencer Cox both missed for Canberra, allowing the Ice to claim the extra point.

Adelaide Adrenaline 1 – 5 Perth Thunder

There was little joy for Adelaide in their penultimate game of the season.

Perth took control and comfortably secured the victory, leaving the Adrenaline with one final chance to finish their difficult campaign on a positive note.

Melbourne Mustangs 5 – 4 Canberra Brave (OT)

The battle between two of the league’s top three produced a fitting finale.

Melbourne looked to be cruising after racing into a 3–0 lead in the opening period. Canberra responded with a 3–0 second to completely erase the deficit, before the teams traded another goal apiece in the third.

With the scores level, overtime decided it.

Philippe Caron stepped up to score the winner, giving Melbourne a huge victory and confirming their finish on 61 points.

Brisbane Lightning 5 – 8 Sydney Ice Dogs

The Ice Dogs completed a high-scoring weekend with another victory over Brisbane.

The Lightning led after both the first and second periods, but Sydney saved its best for last. A four-goal third period turned the game around and completed an impressive comeback.

Sydney Bears 5 – 8 Newcastle Northstars

Newcastle had to produce a remarkable comeback of their own to finish the regular season with another win.

The Bears stunned the league leaders by racing into a 3–0 first-period lead, and they still held a 5–3 advantage heading into the final frame.

Then Newcastle exploded.

Five unanswered goals in the third period completely flipped the contest and secured the Northstars another victory, sending them into the playoffs as the regular-season champions.

Adelaide Adrenaline 6 – 1 Perth Thunder

And finally, Adelaide got their moment.

After a season of frustration, the Adrenaline finished their regular season in style with a comprehensive 6–1 victory over Perth.

It won’t change their position at the bottom of the ladder, but after such a difficult campaign, ending with a six-goal performance and a convincing win gives Adelaide something to take away from the season.

Final standings

Newcastle finish top on 65 points, four clear of Melbourne Mustangs and Canberra Brave, who both end on 61.

Perth Thunder finish fourth on 48, followed by the Ice Dogs and Bears on 46. Melbourne Ice finish seventh on 44, with Central Coast, Brisbane and Adelaide completing the ladder.

But those numbers now matter a little less.

The finals are here

The playoff picture is set.

The first finals weekend will see Sydney Bears face Canberra Brave, while Perth Thunder take on Sydney Ice Dogs.

Newcastle and Melbourne Mustangs, as the top two sides, will wait on the other side for the winners.