It’s the last weekend of games before the AIHL All-Star weekend, and things are just starting to heat up in the standings.

Sunday is certain to provide some interesting action, and we take a look at how it'll affect the standings.

Sydney Bears (6th, 2-3-2-2 12pts) @ Melbourne Mustangs (8th, 2-4-0-1 7pts), 4pm O'Brien Group Arena
Season Series: Bears 0-1-0-0 Mustangs 1-0-0-0

These two teams meet again after a high-scoring affair on Saturday where the Mustangs took bragging rights.
The Mustangs will certainly be pleased to arrest a two-game skid, and while six goals conceded is somewhat of a concern, you're going to win a lot of games when your offence puts seven pucks in the net. Jamie Bourke has certainly rediscovered his scoring touch with another hat trick, and the home team will be hoping for more of the same on Sunday
The Bears have been Jekyll-and-Hyde this season, and despite some solid performances against highly-fancied opposition, their 12 standings points only see them in sixth spot. Standing on the outside looking in won't be a comfortable place for the Bears, and they won't want to meekly concede another chance to gain some points against a lower-ranked opponent.

Players to Watch
Bears: Anthony Kimlin
This one is simple: I wouldn't expect a netminder of Kimlin's quality to give up seven goals on back-to-back nights. If the Bears are to record a win they feel they should, Kimlin simply needs to do what he does best, make timely saves under pressure.

Mustangs: Anton Kokkonen
Kokkonen managed four assists on Saturday night, showing up as a key cog in the Mustangs offence. The Mustangs will again need to keep Kimlin guessing, and creative offensive play from forwards like Kokkonen will go a long way to possibly posting another seven-goal night.

Newcastle Northstars (4th, 3-5-1-2 13pts) @ Perth Thunder (3rd, 3-1-1-2 13pts) 4.30pm Perth Ice Arena (By Lucas Miles)
Season Series: Northstars 0-2-0-0 Thunder 2-0-0-0

The Northstars squad has been trialled in the opening weeks of the season, after losing some key components to their Goodall cup defending squad. With just two regulation wins so far this season, the team will be hunting for important points this weekend as they take on the 2^nd place thunder for the third time this year after the Thunder beat the squad 4-1 last Saturday in Newcastle. Sunday’s game however saw the Thunder take an 8-4 beating from the Bears, after conceding five goals in the final 20 minutes of play. So you can expect both teams to be chasing important points this weekend. The Northstars will be coming off of a game in Adelaide on Saturday, whilst the Thunder will have an extra day to prepare.

Players to Watch
Northstars: Joe Harcharik
After an impressive season in Sydney last year tallying 52 points in 28 games playing for the Bears, Harcharik clearly had his sights set on a Goodall cup in 2017 as he made his way over to Newcastle in the off season. This year has seen him get off to an impressive pace with the Northstars, scoring goals in his last two games (heading in to week six) and sitting in sixth place amongst the league’s scoring leaders. Harcharik has recorded 32 goals and 33 assists in just 36 games in the AIHL, so expect him to look to be a difference maker come Sunday. 

Thunder: Peter Di Salvo
After an eye opening stint in the ECHL with the Allen Americans where he posted up ridiculous numbers in a short five game period, the Oakville native has been outstanding back between the pipes for the Thunder recording just 18 goals on 242 shots.
Di Salvo has been proving once again the importance of having stellar goaltending, and what it brings to the team in the hopes of becoming a cup contender. Last year the Thunder's goaltending made them one of the toughest teams to score on. This season bolstered by an ever-improving defensive core, so far the team has shown that the Thunder are on track for another shot at the Cup. After a tough high-scoring loss last weekend against the Bears, following a 4-1 victory against the Northstars on Saturday where he made 34 saves, look for Di Salvo to be eager to bounce back against the Northstars again on Sunday.

Syndney Ice Dogs (5th, 4-4-0-0 12pts) @ CBR Brave (2nd, 3-1-2-1 14pts) 5pm Phillip Swimming & Ice Skating Centre
Season Series: Ice Dogs 0-1-0-0 Brave 1-0-0-0

Another rematch from Saturday's fixtures, the Ice Dogs and Brave face off in the intimidating surrounds of the Brave Cave in Canberra.
The Ice Dogs will be pleased with the effort against one of theleague's pace-setter's on Saturday, but will know that being satisfied with effort isn't enough as they push to be involved in the AIHL Finals once again.
The Brave recorded a win after a bye in week five, and will want to keep the momentum on their season going. In a season where it looks as if all points in the standings will be crucial, the Brave have another chance to bank three more points, head in to the All-Star break on top of the standings, and separate themselves from the chasing pack.

Players to Watch
Ice Dogs: Tomas Manco
Manco found himself on the score sheet on home ice in week four against the Adelaide Adrenaline, and the Ice Dogs will need something of a different look from their offence to put more than one goal past a stingy Brave defence. It may be that a defenceman (aside from Rory Rawlyk) needs to step on to the score sheet, and Manco may just be that guy.

Brave: Casey Kubara
After a breakout season in 2016 earned him rookie of the year honours, Kubara had got off to a comparatively slow start in 2017, with just four points and one goal in his first six games. Kubara found the back of the net yesterday against the Ice Dogs, and could be the key to the Canberra offence in Sunday's clash.

With a number of crucial clashes, we take a look at Saturday’s action.

Newcastle Northstars (7th, 2-5-1-2, 10pts) @ Adelaide Adrenaline (6th, 3-5-1-0, 11pts), Ice ArenA 4.30pm
Season Series: Northstars 0-1-0-0 Adrenaline 1-0-0-0

Photo by Katrina Chenoweth

The Newcastle Northstars begin a daunting weekend road trip in Adelaide to face an Adrenaline team with renewed purpose after a strong weekend in week five.
The Northstars have tallied just ten points in ten games this season, a total that sees them sitting second bottom in the standings. Coach Andrew Petrie wouldn’t want his team to become too familiar with those surroundings, and the defending champions will be looking to avenge the 4-3 loss to Adelaide in week one.
Conversely, the Adrenaline head in to this game on somewhat of a high, having got their season back on track with two wins last weekend, gaining five of a possible six points out of games against the Bears and Mustangs on the road. Memories of the 9-5 loss to the Mustangs in week four dissipated quickly as Cameron Critchlow and Matt Murphy made sure the Adrenaline’s hopes of finishing top four were restored.

Players to Watch
Northstars: Steven Kuhn
With Adrenaline goaltender Matt Murphy proving difficult to beat throughout his first weekend in the AIHL, it’ll be up to Kuhn to be a key playmaker in this fixture. 13 of Kuhn’s 15 points on the season so far are assists, and of those 13 assists, 10 of them have been primary assists, including five on the power play. Kuhn will be a key player in moving the puck around the offensive zone, hoping to find a way to get the puck past Murphy.

Adrenaline: Darren Corstens
Corstens was the Northstars killer last time Newcastle travelled to Adelaide, scoring twice in a 4-3 Adrenaline win. Corstens is still running at a point-per-game pace on the season, well above his career average, and the next time he hits the score sheet it will be his 100^th AIHL point. Corstens will be hoping he can keep recreating the magic he’s shown early in the season.

Sydney Bears (4th, 2-2-2-2, 12pts) @ Melbourne Mustangs (8th, 1-4-0-1, 4pts), O’Brien Group Arena, 5pm
Season Series: Yet to Play

Photo by Richard Costello

The Melbourne Mustangs have had a forgettable start to the season, and week five probably established a low point on their year, while the Bears have proven incredibly difficult to beat. The Mustangs gave up 16 goals in their two games last weekend against the Ice and Adrenaline, just one week after two promising performances looked to have them on the up. Jack Hayes relieved Nicholas Novysedlak in both games as Novysedlak allowed 14 goals on 47 shots across the weekend, one he’d no doubt rather forget. The Mustangs will need both a better defensive effort and more solid goaltending if they’re to stand a chance against the Bears.
Meanwhile, the Sydneysiders have had a promising start to the year, grabbing points in six of their eight games played so far to sit inside the top four at the quarter marker of the season. Anthony Kimlin’s .920 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average has kept his team in most games this season, but the Bears will be buoyed by their offensive explosion in an 8-4 win over the Thunder last weekend.

Players to Watch
Bears: Tyerell Clare
The young defenceman scored his first AIHL goal last weekend in his 54^th game, and has started to play a key role in a stingy Bears defence. Typically skating on the second defence pair, Clare has shown recently he isn’t afraid to move the puck, and has been rewarded with not only three points in his last three games, but greater ice time by coach Ron Kuprowsky. In a two-game road series, Clare’s ability to absorb ice time and play responsibly could be key for the Bears.

Mustangs: Pat O’Kane
A veteran of five AIHL seasons now, O’Kane has been an offensive leader throughout his time with the Mustangs, but with his team six points clear at the bottom of the standings, he’ll want to take his game to another level. One of the intangibles you often hear about across the sporting spectrum is leadership, and O’Kane has plenty of that, which he will want to display with the team at it’s lowest ebb and a 2017 season that’s fast sliding off the rails.

CBR Brave (5th, 2-1-2-1, 11pts) vs Sydney Ice Dogs (3rd, 4-3-0-0, 12pts), Macquarie Ice Rink, 5pm
Season Series: Yet to Play

After a week off, the CBR Brave will look to regain their place in the top four by defeating the Sydney Ice Dogs, who have easily been the surprise packet of the 2017 season so far, with four regulation wins having them sitting pretty in third place.
The Brave have played just the six games this season, and four of those have been one-goal games, including three shootouts, while the others have been two-goal games. The Brave certainly have the offensive weapons to pile up the goals, but haven’t been able to restrict teams defensively to have any comfortable wins. That said, they have played the Northstars in three thrilling affairs, and it’s a small sample size, so they’ll see this game against the Ice Dogs as a chance to reaffirm their championship credentials.
The Ice Dogs seem to have rediscovered their winning ways, and have recruited shrewdly for their 2017 campaign. Damian Ketlo has been tremendous in net, while Rory Rawlyk has led their offence since arriving in Australia, as a defenceman. Another week of working with the forwards and developing chemistry will work wonders for Rawlyk, and the Ice Dogs pose a serious threat offensively, as well as being tough to crack in net.

Players to Watch
Brave: Stephen Blunden
Blunden has at times been a polarizing figure in his time in the AIHL, but his start to the 2017 season has been tremendous by anyone’s standards. Blunden has 14 points in six games so far, continuing on the high standards he’s set in his four years in Canberra. Blunden is an elite scorer who averages nearly three points per game, and he holds the key to solving Ketlo in net at the other end.

Ice Dogs: Strat Allen
Allen had a lean start to 2017, failing to register a point in three games, but four points in his last two games suggests Allen could be back in some form. The Ice Dogs have leaned heavily on Rory Rawlyk and David Upton to generate offence, and if Allen can discover some form as a finisher, it’ll give the Ice Dogs yet another offensive weapon.