AIHL Week 15 Wrap

James Lane

Week 15 delivered another reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in this league, and how dangerous it is to write anyone off too soon. Adelaide, left for dead in the early part of the season, picked up a statement double over Brisbane, while the Northstars experienced both sides of the hockey coin in a weekend split.

Adelaide Revival Continues

It might end up being too little, too late for a playoff miracle, but Adelaide Adrenaline are playing like a team that doesn’t care. Their 4–3 and 7–3 back-to-back wins over Brisbane Lightning not only gave them a rare double, it also marked their seventh win of the season.

Saturday’s clash was a tight affair, level at both intermissions before Adelaide edged it late. But Sunday was a different beast entirely. Coy Prevost was unstoppable, posting a monster six-point game (2 goals, 4 assists) as Adelaide took control early and never let Brisbane back in. The Adrenaline are still sitting seventh, but they’re finishing 2025 with a snarl.

Northstars Promising Despite Mixed Results

It was a weekend of wild swings for the Newcastle Northstars. On Saturday, they absolutely demolished the Mustangs 8–1 in a performance that looked like a finals warning shot. Kim Tallberg was electric, scoring twice and adding two assists. Wehebe Darge matched him on points with a goal and three assists, and the Mustangs only barely avoided a shutout with a late consolation.

On Sunday, they came out firing against the ladder-leading Ice, jumping to a 3–1 lead after one period. But Melbourne flipped the script with a 6-goal rally to win 7–5. Jamie Bourke and Mackenzie Carauna were the catalysts, each scoring twice. Bourke added one assist; Carauna, two.

The weekend split was enough for Newcastle to leapfrog Brisbane into fourth. While losing to the Ice after their early lead will sting, they willl encouraged by their performance against the dominant league leaders.

Can Anyone Catch the Ice?

Melbourne Ice still sit comfortably atop the ladder, now at 58 points. That's a whopping 18 ahead of second-placed Perth. With just four weeks of games left, it would take a near-total collapse to lose it from here.