AIHL Week 11 Wrap

James Lane

Week 11 of the AIHL season saw the Melbourne Ice continue their dominant run, while the Perth Thunder made a big statement in the playoff race. It was a tough weekend for the Brisbane Lightning, who slipped down the standings, while the Mustangs and Brave kept things interesting in the fight for finals spots.

Ice Stay Hot, Booth on Fire

The Melbourne Ice further cemented their place at the top of the table, backing up Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Newcastle Northstars with a thumping 10-4 victory against the Central Coast Rhinos on Sunday.

David Booth was the standout across both games, racking up an impressive five goals and six assists for the weekend, including a hat-trick and four assists in Sunday’s blowout. The Ice did most of the damage early, with a 4-2 first period against the Northstars setting the tone. Against the Rhinos, they ran away with it in the third, scoring five unanswered goals.

Thunder Turn Up the Heat

Perth Thunder jumped into second place after a high-scoring weekend against the Lightning. Saturday’s 11-2 demolition left no doubts, with Kieren Webster netting a hat-trick and Robert Lachowicz and Ben Breault both adding two each.

Sunday was a much tighter affair, but the Thunder still found a way to win, edging the Lightning 5-4 in overtime. Brisbane had fought back from a 3-1 first-period deficit, but just fell short in the end, despite showing a much improved fight compared to Saturday.

Mustangs Climb After Double Over Adrenaline

The Melbourne Mustangs jumped to third on the ladder after completing a weekend sweep of the Adelaide Adrenaline. After a comfortable 4-0 shutout on Saturday, they kept their foot on the gas in Sunday’s 8-4 win.

In Sunday's match, Scott Timmins was the architect with a massive six-points (one goal, five assists), while Nathan Dunkley chipped in two goals and three assists. The Adrenaline battled in patches but couldn’t match the Mustangs’ firepower, particularly during a decisive second period where Melbourne outscored them 4-1.

Brave Battle to Twin Wins

The Canberra Brave had to do it the hard way, but they emerged from the weekend with two crucial wins to keep their playoff hopes very much alive.

Saturday’s 9-6 victory over the Rhinos saw them overturn a 3-1 first-period deficit with a dominant five-goal second period. They backed it up on Sunday with a narrow 4-3 win over the Northstars, thanks to a fast start that gave them just enough breathing room to hold off a late Newcastle push.

Northstars, Lightning Lose Ground

It was a frustrating weekend for both Newcastle and Brisbane, with both sides being leapfrogged by their rivals. Despite recent week sseeingthem surge, the Northstars fell to the league-dominating Ice 6-3 in a respectable result, before falling 4-3 to the Brave. Overall, neither result is too concerning, but 2/2 losses does see them get replaced in fifth by Canberra. The Lightning, meanwhile, were second this time last week, but now will be more likely lo look behind them than in front. They never looked competitive on Saturday, on despite a tremendous improvement a day later, they still couldn't overcome Perth away. The Lightning now find themselves just five points ahead of the Brave in an increasingly tight mid-table battle.