AIHL Semi Finals Wrap

James Lane

The Australian Ice Hockey League finals will once again come down to the Melbourne Ice and Canberra Brave, after both sides punched their tickets to Sunday’s decider with semi-final victories in Melbourne on Saturday.

Ice Hold On Against Newcastle

In the first of the day’s matchups, the top-seeded Ice outlasted the Newcastle Northstars 6–4 in a high-scoring contest that was effectively decided early. Melbourne jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the opening period and never relinquished that cushion, with the second frame producing a wild 3–3 split and the third ending 1–1. Newcastle pushed but couldn’t erase the early hole.

The Ice were led by a trio of strong performances: Tyrone Bronte (one goal, three assists), Mackenzie Carauna (one goal, two assists), and veteran forward David Booth (one goal, two assists). For Newcastle, Kim Tallberg was outstanding despite the loss, registering a goal and two helpers.

Brave Dominant Over Perth

The evening clash saw the defending champion Brave assert themselves late, running away with a 6–1 win over the Perth Thunder. After a scoreless first period, Canberra held a narrow 2–1 advantage through two before breaking the game wide open with a dominant 4–0 third.

Matthew Clark bagged a hat-trick to headline the Brave’s attack, while Jake Ratcliffe (one goal, three assists) and Nils Carnbäck (three assists) provided crucial support.

Grand Final Rematch Locked In

That sets the stage for a tantalising Grand Final at 2pm Sunday: Ice versus Brave, the top two seeds, and a rematch of last year’s title decider, which Canberra won. It also marks the fourth consecutive season the Brave have reached the championship game.

Melbourne enter with the superior regular-season record, finishing first with 68 points from 22 wins (two in overtime) against just six losses (four in overtime). The Brave, meanwhile, closed the campaign second on 51 points with 18 wins, though all 10 of their defeats came in regulation. Importantly, Canberra gathered momentum late in the season and appear to be peaking at the right time, setting up another chapter in what has become the AIHL’s modern rivalry.