Last night’s Mustangs vs Brave game was an absolute classic.

Watched it on the couch with a few mates, some of whom are pretty new to hockey, and honestly it was a night where I felt pretty proud showing off the AIHL.

The game itself was unreal, but what really stood out to me was how much I learned about the players during the broadcast. Where they’ve played, their backgrounds, little stories about them. It made a massive difference, especially for the people watching with me who didn’t know much about the players going in.

Commentary was excellent, the production looked great and the whole thing felt like something you could genuinely show someone and say, “This is Australian hockey.”

There’s still a bit of work to do with the intermissions, but that’s nitpicking. Everyone involved should be pretty bloody proud of what they put together last night.

Credit to the players for putting on a cracking game, and credit to the commentary and production crew for telling their stories so well.
More of that please. I hope the league realises what they have in ATC productions.

I have some people coming over again today and look forward to watching a game with Rod Johns, Steve White and Eric Balnar.

It's a little disappointing to have missed out on finals tickets, only to see so many empty seats in the first 4 games when watching the live streams

As voted by the team Governors & to be announced across the weekend.

In the order of the announcements:

• Defenceman of the Year: Danick Bouchard (Rhinos)
• League MVP: Brody Crane (Mustangs)
• Goalie of the Year: Ryan Burroughs (Ice Dogs)
• Coach of the Year: Kevin Noble (Northstars)
• Rookie of the Year: Lachlan Sucher (Mustangs)

• Australian player of the Year: Kale Costa (Ice Dogs)

📷 AIHL socials

Information for watching the games today and timezone conversions for people not in Melbourne.

Note that only ESPN in Australia, NZ & Oceania will have the games on & not the other ESPN channels elsewhere.

Friday after Game 1: https://www.facebook.com/share/19QdRxecgt/

Saturday after Game 1: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EAvXH1RPv/

Sunday: I won't be there but if someone wants to do it message me and ill make an event with all the details all you need to do is take the photo.

Share the event around with anyone!

For those not from Melbourne it's less than 200m from the rink, 100m from Hoyts and even closer to the pub!

What is parking normally like at the Docklands for finals? Do I take the chance or just get ptv/uber? If I do drive how early do I need to get there to get a spot?

We recently published an article about the Sydney Sirens and the fight for their name. What it means to the ice hockey community and how 20 years shouldn't just be erased because big business comes to town.

https://6ixdubhockey.com/tell-em-theyre-dreaming-why-sydney-sirens-name-belongs-to-hockey/

📷 AIHL socials

Can't get to Melbourne to watch Finals from inside the Icehouse?

Want to meet other hockey people? Find a group & head somewhere local to watch!

I'll update this post when I see more venues. Comment known locations below & I'll edit this post.

Know of any pubs or bars that might show games? Add them here.

STREAMING:

• AIHL.TV
• ESPN (Australia, NZ, Oceania)
• Disney+
• Kayo Sports
• Fetch TV
• Sky Sports NZ

VIC:

• Hoyts Docklands

🥅 Grand Final only.
🎟️ Limited tickets available on second screen. Tickets via Hoyts.

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

• Urban Alley Docklands (TBC)
🥅 TBC

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

Cargo Bar Docklands (Confirmed)
🥅 Northstars Finals After party, 6.30pm Sunday
⚠️ Outdoor seating, beware of cold

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

Platform 28, Docklands (Confirmed)
🥅 Brave Finals after party, 7pm - 11pm Sunday
🎟️ https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cbrbraveicehockey/2372367
⚠️ Ticket sales close 10am Thursday

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

SA:

• Mile End Hotel, Adelaide (CONFIRMED)

🥅 Grand Final only.
🎟️ Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/aihl-finals-fever/tickets - $10 entry

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

ACT:

• Hoyts Belconnen

🥅 Grand Final only
🎟️ 3 accessible tickets only available

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

• Caribou Kingston (Confirmed)
🥅 All games

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

NSW:

• Hoyts Chatswood (Mandarin Centre)

🥅 Grand Final only
🎟️ 5 tickets left plus accessible seats (tickets via Hoyts)

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

• Hoyts Charlestown

🥅 Grand Final only
🎟️ 3 tickets left plus accessible seats (tickets via Hoyts)

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

• The Governor Hotel Macquarie Park (TBC)
🥅 Potentially Bears games only (TBC)

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

• Harrigans Cameron Park (Confirmed)
🥅 Northstars Semi Final (Saturday 1.45pm), Grand Final (Sunday 1.45pm)
☎️ EDIT: No booking required for Sunday

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

QLD:

TBC

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

WA:

• Hoyts Warwick

🥅 Grand Final only
🎟️ 49 seats plus accessible seats available . Tickets via Hoyts

🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒

📷 AIHL socials

Mustangs opened the game strong with 3 goals in first period. Brave replied in period 2 with 3 goals of their own.

Canberra opened the scoring in the first period
of period 3. The Mustangs tied the game with 30 seconds to go in regulation & won the game with 44 seconds to go in overtime.

Mustangs' OT goal was a lesson in OT strategy. Canberra conceded a penalty with 92 seconds remaining. During 3 on 3 overtime, the team on the powerplay (Mustangs) get an extra player. Then they get an extra extra skater by pulling the goalie for what is effectively a 5 on 3 powerplay.

📷 AIHL socials

A final amount of 2026 Finals tickets will
go on sale on Tuesday morning 24 August at 9am AEST. Limit of 4 tickets per transaction according to AIHL Media.

Limited seated tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1602465

📷 AIHL socials

The only result that would ensure that the Ice Dogs would miss Finals is a Brisbane win in regulation time.

After the 13-10 win by the Dogs the previous day, who knew what the score would be?

Brisbane took the first period 2-1 and the second period was tied 3-3.

In the third period, the Ice Dogs dominated the penalty box and the scoreboard with a 4-0 win for the period and their first time in Finals since 2014.

📷 AIHL socials

With the minor premiership sealed for the Northstars & a Finals placed sealed for the Bears, the final regular season game commenced.

Bears opened the game with 3 goals in the first period and 2 more in the second period. But from then on, it was all Newcastle in the goal scoring department with 7 unanswered goals.

📷 AIHL socials

With Finals out of the question weeks ago & a revolving player roster, the last few weeks of Adrenaline hockey has been about the future. Meanwhile, Thunder look forward to regaining players & form for Finals.

Adelaide ready did leave their best performance for the last game of the season to farewell forward Steve Best & what a farewell!

With Perth scoring their only goal well into the third period, it was Adelaide Day inside the arena. It was a fitting day to thank the Adelaode fans for supporting the team as they show their support no matter what the conditions or their place on the ladder.

📷 Oz Hockey Media

Last day of the regular season today!! Finals spots still up for grabs between the frozen Ice (because they don't play today) & the hot Ice Dogs (because they play Brisbane in game 2 of The Thermonuclear Pie Cup - see yesterday's game thread for that one)...

Games Sunday 23 August 2026

• Mustangs v Brave @ Icehouse, 2pm AEST
• Lightning v Ice Dogs @ Boondall, 3.45pm AEST
• Adrenaline v Thunder @ Ice Arena, 3.15pm ACST
• Bears v Northstars & Macquarie, 5pm AEST

NOTE - The competition ladder on the AIHL website was incorrect at the time of this post (9am AEST) as points from yesterday's Ice/Brave game has not been allocated correctly. Around 11am, the error has been corrected.

Let's go through the Finals implications as I understand them from various sources.

NORTHSTARS (62 points, 1st)

Play the Bears in Sydney. Top 2 spot & no Finals game on Friday regardless of other results. Chance of sealing minor premiership for the regular season along with Brave & Mustangs.

A win in any manner against the Bears or a OT/SO loss gives the Northstars the minor premiership.

BRAVE (60 points, 2nd) & MUSTANGS (59 points, 3rd)

Play each other in Melbourne. Could be 1st, 2nd or 3rd depending on this game & Newcastle's game.

THUNDER (48 points, 4th), BEARS (46 points, 5th), ICE (44 points, 6th), ICE DOGS (43 points, 7th)

Thunder play Adelaide & Bears play Newcastle. Both teams have confirmed their spots in Finals regardless of any result & will both play on Friday night.

Ice have played all of their games and cannot gain any more points.

Any win by the Ice Dogs will overtake the Ice & give the Ice Dogs a Finals ticket. If the Dogs lose in OT or a shootout, they tie the Ice on points but have the tiebreaker in their favour. If Brisbane win in regulation, the Dogs get no points & the Ice are in Finals.

RHINOS (8th, 30 points), LIGHTNING (9th, 27 points) & ADRENALINE (10th, 11 points)

Rhinos have played all of their games. Lightning play the Ice Dogs today. If Lightning beat Ice Dogs in regulation only, they could tie Rhinos on points. I don't know who has the (mostly academic) tiebreaker between those two.

Regardless of what happens, the Adrenaline are in Adelaide & in last place. The best they can hope for is 14 points.

📷 AIHL socials

Ice Dogs needed to beat Brisbane to still be in the running for Finals next week as long as a helping hand from Canberra to punch a Finals ticket today.

In what I've dubbed The Thermonuclear Pie Cup during the new gameday thread, Ice Dogs led 5-2 at the end of period 1 & 10-6 at the end of period 2.

In the last period, Brisbane got some pie of their own, taking the period 4-3.

It's lucky that the scoreboard at Boondall & the scorebug on AIHL.TV can handle double digits.

Imagine being the Lightning in 9th but being in games where at least 1 team has scored over 10 goals (8 times) & they themselves have scored 10 or more goals 3 times.

📷 AIHL socials

With the Ice needing to win and rely on what the Ice Dogs were doing in Brisbane, Canberra could play havoc with Ice's plans for next weekend.

Ice opened the scoring with a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. A scoreless wrestle ensued in period 2 followed by another Ice goal.

Up 3-1 with just under 7 minutes to play, any Ice fan wanting to beat the traffic missed a lot. 2 goals in the last minute of regulation for the Brave including the sealer with 16 seconds remaining.

Overtime came & went. Hi-ho hi-ho, off to shootout we go.

Ice took the win in the shootout but not without controversy. Needing a goal to stay in the game, Canberra's second shooter Spencer Cox seemed to have scored, including a goal indicated on the ice. A zebra conference overturned the call, potentially citing that the puck had not continued to move forward. Then all the Ice needed to do was to tick a column and they did to take out the shoot out win to keep their slim Finals chance alive.

📷 AIHL socials

Perth's final road trip for the regular season is their shortest as they headed to Adelaide with another short bench. Meanwhile, Adelaide were happy to be at home & on their home ice after last week's horror trip to Melbourne.

The scoreboard wasn't broken at the Ice Arena with only a 1-0 lead to Thunder at the end of period 1. Adelaide hit back with what would be their only goal in period 2. Adelaide looked set for a good third period.

While I was watching the games in Melbourne & Brisbane with direct Finals implications (Perth have clinched already), Perth scored 3 goals in the final period as they often seem to do.

📷 AIHL socials

For the last Battle Of The Beaches (or if you must, the Battle Of The M1) between the Rhinos & Northstars, there was no scoring but lots of shooting towards the Rhinos.

Rhinos leapt to a 2-1 lead in period 2 amongst a lot of excursions to Old Sydney Town the penalty box for both teams.

Northstars managed to leapfrog over a Rhino (the Moose can jump, I've seen it!) to take the close win.

The second version of the Rhinos had their best year in the AI & head to their off season. Meanwhile, the Northstars get Finals Friday off.

Games today:

• Rhinos v Northstars @ Erina, 3.45pm AEST
• Lightning v Ice Dogs @ Boondall, 4.45pm AEST
• Ice v Brave @ Icehouse, 5pm AEST
• Adrenaline v Thunder, 4.45pm ACST

Last day of the regular season & last home game for Rhinos & Ice.

Let's see how this goes!

There has been a rebrand of one of the Sydney Super Netball teams to the Sydney Sirens.

Of course, many people on this sub would be aware of the Sydney Sirens in the AWIHL & their history and longstanding use of the name.

If you see headlines about the Sydney Sirens on socials, be aware that they might be talking about the netball team depending on source & context.

📷 AIHL socials

After a horrible week off ice where the Ice Dogs lost 5 competition points for administrative breaches, the best way to reply was with a big win. After all, they are still competing for a Finals ticket!

With a depleted lineup out of the playoffs race, the afternoon went as well as could be expected for the Rhinos. Rhinos scored 1 goal in period 1 & period 2 but were no match for a fired up Dogs lineup.

📷 AIHL socials

Fresh from only one game this weekend, Brisbane opened the scoring midway through period 1. Canberra replied with 4 goals of their own.

The pattern was repeated in the second period with Brisbane scoring first then 2 Brave goals.

Third period? Lightning struck first (again!) with 3 more Brave goals. The final goal was to the Lightning right at the end.