AIHL Week 13 Wrap

James Lane

The AIHL ladder took another big shake-up in Week 13 as the Perth Thunder surged into second, the Mustangs continued their dramatic slide, and both the Brave and Northstars cashed in to rise in the standings.

Thunder Go Second With Pair of 8-Goal Wins

Perth didn’t just beat the Rhinos, they obliterated them. The Thunder racked up 8-2 and 8-0 victories over the weekend, outshooting and outclassing the Central Coast in every department.

Saturday saw You Hikosaka go ballistic with four goals, while Ville Tenosalmi chipped in two of his own. On Sunday, they didn’t even need repeat scorers, such was their spread. Jake Hamilton and Ben Breault both ended with a goal and three assists apiece in a game that was essentially over by the second intermission. Perth now sits second on the table with 37 points, leapfrogging the Lightning. It seems the trend of constant change at number 2 continues.

Northstars Continue Surge

Newcastle took care of business impressively in back-to-back games against the Lightning, notching 7-3 and 8-4 wins that vault them into fifth. Evgenii Skachkov was key in both games with five total points, including a three-assist performance on Sunday. Karel Kubat grabbed two goals and an assist in the first encounter, while Kim Tallberg struck twice in the second and added an assist.

Casey Kubara also stood out, tallying a goal and three assists Sunday as the Northstars climbed to fifth, just a point behind Canberra and right in the thick of the playoff picture.

Mustangs Continue Worrying Trend, Canberra Go Fourth

The Brave and Mustangs split their first two periods Sunday, but it was Canberra who showed the killer instinct late, exploding for five unanswered goals in the third to close out an 8-4 win. That came off the back of a Saturday shutout, where the Brave cruised 4-0.

Kale Costa, Jake Ratcliffe, and Cameron Todd each recorded a pair of goals on Sunday. Costa and Todd added an assist apiece as well. Canberra’s sweep lifts them to fourth and officially pushes the Mustangs out, in what would've been an almost unthinkable drop just a short time ago.

Just two weeks ago, the Mustangs were third. Now they’ve slipped to sixth, with their once-reliable offence drying up and their goaltending under siege.

Lightning Fail to Hold Second

Well, at least some things remain predictable. Fresh after rising to second place last week, the Lightning now find themselves dropping back to third. It seems almost impossible for anyone to hold the spot for two consecutive weeks. Brisbane’s offence wasn’t entirely silent, with Tanner Hopps continuing to be a bright spot. He scored twice and assisted once in Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Newcastle, then followed up with three assists on Sunday. Alex Campbell added a two-goal, one-assist effort. But their defence continues to be the issue, leaking 15 goals in two nights.

Both Ends of the Table Hold Steady Despite Chaos Between

The Ice and Adrenaline were idle, and their spots remain unchanged. Melbourne still sits comfortably on top with 55 points, and despite Thunder’s momentum, the gap is a full 18 points. Adelaide, meanwhile, remain rooted to seventh, though still ahead of the struggling Rhinos.