AIHL Week 17 Power Rankings

James Lane

1. Melbourne Ice (Last week: 1)

   Didn’t hit the ice this week, didn’t need to. At 61 points, Melbourne remain the class of the league and will head into the final fortnight as the team everyone is chasing.

   
   

2. Canberra Brave (Last week: 3)

   Two games, two wins, and an absolutely wild comeback against Newcastle. The Brave edged the Rhinos 4–3 before detonating for five unanswered goals in the third period to stun the Northstars 7–4. Nils Carnback was electric with 2G, 3A in that game, and Canberra leapfrog into second place.

   
   

3. Perth Thunder (Last week: 2)

   Idle this week, but the Brave’s surge knocks them back a spot. Still just three points off second with two weeks left to sort it out.

   
   

4. Newcastle Northstars (Last week: 4)

   A mixed weekend. Newcastle took care of Adelaide 6–4 after clawing back from a slow start, but the Sunday collapse to the Brave was crushing. Still firmly in fourth, but with the Mustangs far enough back, playoff focus can shift to fine-tuning.

   
   

5. Melbourne Mustangs (Last week: 5)

   No games, no change. Their hold on fifth is safe, but they’ll be watching Lightning closely in case things tighten.

   
   

6. Adelaide Adrenaline (Last week: 6)

   Nearly stole one in Newcastle, then delivered a monster 8–5 win over the Rhinos with Josh Adkins and Romans Nekludovs leading the charge. This team’s offence can fire, but it might be too little, too late in the standings.

   
   

7. Brisbane Lightning (Last week: 7)

   Sat out the week but stay in striking distance of the Mustangs if results break their way down the stretch.

   
   

8. Central Coast Rhinos (Last week: 8)

   Two close-but-not-quite performances: a 4–3 loss to the Brave and an 8–5 defeat to Adelaide. Dmitri Kuleshov’s 1G, 3A was a bright spot, but the gap to the rest remains significant.