Week 15 recap: Adrenaline keep season alive, Northstars split series

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There were only four games across the AIHL as the season passes the three-quarter mark, but each fixture delivered a wild result to further shake up the intensifying playoff race.

Here are the key moments from this weekend.



Adelaide spark playoff hopes as Lightning drop fourth straight

The Adrenaline are now suddenly in reaching distance of a shock playoff berth after sweeping the Brisbane Lightning 4-3 on Saturday and then 7-3 on Sunday.

Saturday’s game unraveled almost totally in the final third, with five of the game’s seven goals being scored in the final 20 minutes of the match.

Adelaide had dominated puck possession for most of the contest, launching 14 more shots on goal through the first 40 minutes to Brisbane (24-10), but the Lightning took a 3-2 lead with just five minutes remaining.

A sensational comeback was on the cards, however, as the Lightning’s ill-discipline gifted Adelaide a powerplay moments after taking the lead, which Julian Friedrich punished them for.

With under three minutes remaining, Nathaniel Benson dropped the puck behind him for a charging Coy Prevost, who dangled between two Brisbane defenders and slid the puck past goaltender Matus Trnka for a slick game-winning goal, stunning the home Lightning crowd.

The thrilling last-gasp victory held Adelaide in good stead for Sunday’s rematch, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission before extending the margin to 4-1 by the time 40 minutes had passed. Coy Prevost, who has become a human highlight reel for the Adrenaline this season, was instrumental in almost every score, recording six points (2G, 4A) in the 7-3 win.

Adelaide’s margin of error for the remainder of this season is minimal, but with eight games to play and just eight points separating them from the sixth-seeded Melbourne Mustangs, anything is possible for them – including a first playoff appearance since 2012.

Melbourne host goal-fest as Newcastle split weekend

The Northstars have walked away with three of a possible six points in an enthralling weekend at the O’Brien Icehouse.

Wehebe Darge came to life in Saturday’s opener against the Mustangs, recording his first multi-assist game since April with three set-ups in the Northstars 8-1 win.

After a tense opening period, Newcastle held a 2-0 advantage, but Darge truly opened the floodgates with a powerplay goal midway through the second. He played a pivotal role in creating many of Newcastle’s 23 shots on net for the frame and was the primary playmaker on the fourth goal of the frame, giving the Northstars a comfortable 6-0 lead entering the final intermission.

Kim Tallberg also played out of his skin with another four-point effort as Newcastle solidified their position inside the top four, trailing the third-seeded Canberra Brave by just one point.

However, the Northstars couldn’t channel their inner Brave and hand the Melbourne Ice a third consecutive loss on Sunday, losing 7-5 in a thriller.

Newcastle took control in the early stages as Tallberg netted the first of the match just 32 seconds in. Patrick Nadin followed suit just a few minutes later and while Melbourne’s Jamie Bourke would halve the deficit almost immediately, Tallberg once again proved threatening with beautiful snipe off a pass from Brian Funes.

That provided the Northstars with an early 3-1 lead, but as many teams have learned this season, no lead is safe against this Ice squad.

Bourke opened the second period’s scoring with a shorthanded goal, providing a serious bout of momentum for Melbourne as the crowd’s energy ricocheted throughout the Icehouse. Kolton Shindle got into rhythm in the middle frame too, the Canadian import levelling the scores twice with a pair of goals to create a 4-4 match entering the final third.

It didn’t take long for the Ice to hit the front, Mackenzie Caruana scoring his 17^th goal of the season merely two minutes in. The Northstars had lost all their offensive mojo, failing to capitalise on a late powerplay to go 0 for 6 for the match, and conceded a second short-handed goal in the process late to fall short, 7-5.

The win will provide Melbourne with a well of confidence as the playoffs loom, with a rematch against Newcastle in the semi-finals appearing more than likely.