AIHL Week 7 Wrap: First Win For Adelaide as Canberra's New Arena Breaks Records

James Lane

Week 7 of the AIHL season saw the Melbourne Mustangs climb into second place after a thrilling double-header, while a record-breaking night in Canberra saw the Adelaide Adrenaline finally notch their first win of the season.

Mustangs Go 2/2

The weekend opened with a fiery Melbourne derby, the Ice and Mustangs needing overtime to separate them on Friday night. It was the Mustangs who emerged 3–2 winners in the extra period, and closing the gap on the league leaders.

The Mustangs followed it up on Saturday with a 6–2 demolition of the Central Coast Rhinos, with six different players finding the net. Scott Timmins and Mike Giorgi each tallied three assists in a performance that underlined the Mustangs’ depth and cohesion. The two wins lift them to 19 points, level with the idle Perth Thunder, and into second on the ladder.

Rhinos Double Melbourne Misery

The Rhinos, meanwhile, backed up after facing the Mustangs with a Sunday afternoon clash against the Ice. While they started well to head into the first break at 1–1, Melbourne pulled away with two unanswered second-period goals to secure a 3–1 win. The result keeps the Ice perched atop the standings on 26 points, maintaining a seven-point cushion despite the Friday loss.

Records Broken as Canberra Open Exciting New Chapter

Saturday night marked a landmark moment for the AIHL as the Canberra Brave hosted their first-ever game at the transformed AIS Arena. A record-high crowd of well over 2,900 packed the stands to set a new league attendance record, but they would've left disappointed as their team handed Adelaide their first win of the season, falling 3-2 to the Adrenaline.

Thanfully for Canberra fans, it didn’t take long for the Brave to find a response. In Sunday’s rematch, they exploded for a 7–1 win, headlined by a hat trick from Dominic Canic, as they celebrated a scintillating first win at the AIS. The split takes Canberra level on 13 points with Newcastle, who did not play this round, though the Brave have played one more game.

With the Thunder, Lightning and Northstars all on byes this week, there’s minimal movement outside the top two, but all eyes will be on the logjam from third to sixth as the second half of the season takes shape.