AIHL Preliminary Finals Wrap

James Lane

The opening night of the AIHL Playoffs delivered plenty of action, but served up two predictable results, as both higher seeds took care of business in the Preliminary Finals to book their places in Saturday’s semis.

Thunder vs Mustangs

In the first matchup, the Perth Thunder rode a strong third-period surge to down the Melbourne Mustangs 5–2. Tied at 1–1 after the opening frame and narrowly ahead 3–2 through two periods, the Thunder found another gear late, closing out the contest with a decisive 2–0 final period. Jordan Kyros proved the playmaker of the night, tallying three assists to help set up Perth’s march into the next round.

Northstars vs Lightning

The evening’s second clash was more one-sided, with the Newcastle Northstars dispatching the Brisbane Lightning 6–1. The Lightning briefly looked competitive, keeping it close at 1–2 after the first period, but Newcastle broke the game open with a dominant 3–0 second period before cruising home. Casey Kubara, Evgenii Skachkov, and Kim Tallberg each had standout performances, recording a goal and two assists apiece. The defeat marks a disappointing end to the season for Brisbane, who had been challenging for the top spots on the ladder through much of the first half of the campaign.

With the results, the semi final stage is now set. Newcastle will take on the minor premiers, the Melbourne Ice, while Perth faces a tough test against the second-seeded Canberra Brave. Both games are slated for Saturday, with a spot in Sunday’s Goodall Cup Final on the line.