Week 18 Recap: Brave stave off Ice comeback

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The penultimate weekend of the 2025 season has set up a thrilling final round of matches, with several wild results leaving the door ajar for plenty of shuffling to occur inside the top six.

Here’s how things stand; if Adelaide win against the Melbourne Ice twice in regulation in Week 19 and either the Lightning lose both games to Newcastle in regulation, or the Mustangs lose both games to Perth in regulation, the Adrenaline will clinch the final playoff spot.

The all-important top two seeds, which guarantee a spot in the semi-finals, aren’t locked in either. If Newcastle secures all six available points against Brisbane next weekend, and Canberra lose to Central Coast, they’ll jump the Brave into second place.

But how did we get here? Here are the key moments from the six games this weekend.



Adelaide sweep Perth in crucial weekend series

The Adrenaline have found themselves just five points shy of a first playoff berth since 2012 after defeating the Thunder in back-to-back contests this weekend, winning 5-2 on Saturday, then 4-3 on Sunday.

Adelaide’s opening 20 minutes continue to define their march toward the final weekend in August, as they outscored the Thunder 7-1 cumulatively over the two opening periods, landing a heavy enough blow to keep Perth out of the matches.

Josh Adkins led the way on Saturday, involved in all five goals as he finished with a hattrick and two assists.

On Sunday, the Thunder put together a valiant comeback effort after trailing 4-0 at the first intermission, ultimately outshooting the Adrenaline by 12, but a supreme effort by Cale Dolan in net for Adelaide ensured they held on in the tense final minutes of play, ending with a .919 save percentage.



Canberra split weekend in Melbourne

The Mustangs destiny remains in their own hands as they clinched a crucial win over Canberra on Saturday, beating out the reigning champions in a 7-6 barnburner.

Melbourne held the advantage for the entirety of the match, though it wasn’t without a fight from Canberra, who crawled out of a two-goal deficit twice, tying the game at 2-2 after 20 minutes and then 4-4 early in the final period.

However, two goals separated by just ten seconds killed Canberra’s momentum sharply in the final frame, with Trevor Lord scoring his first of the season to put Melbourne up 5-4, followed by Nathan Dunkley to double the lead.

It was Brody Lindal who dominated this affair overall for the Mustangs, assisting on all three of Melbourne’s final period goals to set up the proud win. He’d finish the game with five points, the most he’s tallied this season.

The loss set up a must-win game for the Brave on Sunday as they looked to secure a top two seed entering the playoffs.

The Melbourne Ice have looked unbeatable for much of this season and even more so after they signed former NHL talent David Booth. However, the tenacious playstyle of Canberra may be their Achilles heel, as they lost a third consecutive game against the Brave on Sunday, 4-3 in overtime, leaving many fans to wonder what a playoff matchup – or Grand Final clash – could look like between the two sides.

It was a hotly contested first period between the sides, with Dominic Canic opening the scoring for the Brave, quickly followed by a Jamie Bourke goal for the Ice. However, the ice truly opened up following the first intermission, with ill-discipline from both sides leading to multiple powerplay opportunities.

In the second period, it was Canberra who reaped the benefits, outshooting Melbourne 18-11 and scoring twice to jump out to a 3-1 lead. While they didn’t capitalise on three separate powerplay opportunities, the extended puck possession and game control those provided meant the Ice were skating on dreary legs. That was evident on Canic’s second goal of the match with his snipe going past Tatsu Ishida just 25 seconds after Ellesse Carini’s tripping penalty had expired.

However, as is now well known, the Ice possess an innate ability to dig deep and fight back into games they have seemingly lost control in. Frustrating the Brave with quick passing and increased physicality in the final frame led to a powerplay following Sebastian Bergholt’s early goal, giving Melbourne a prime opportunity to tie the game.

Similarly to Canberra’s second period, the Ice were unable to capitalise, but the game was now on their terms as they set up countless high danger chances, ultimately outshooting Canberra 21-6 for the period.

In the end, Mackenzie Caruana would get loose on the rush and score to tie the game, setting up a pivotal overtime with a lot at stake.

But it wouldn’t take long for the game to conclude, with Canberra’s Jesperi Viikila ripping the first shot of the extra period past Ishida just eight seconds in. The win means, barring a collapse against Central Coast this Sunday, Canberra have joined the Ice in securing a spot in the semi-finals, with a replay of the 2024 Grand Final looming as an incredibly exciting possibility.



Lightning, Rhinos trade wins as playoff race enters final stretch

The offensive firepower of the Brisbane Lightning came to the foray on Saturday as they torched Central Coast 8-2. Tanner Hopps firmly established himself as the league’s most threatening skater in the offensive zone, registering a ridiculous six points as his potent pairing with Carson Miller (four points) continues to excel.

However, the Rhinos would hit back on Sunday, elevating their offensive production to create a shoot-out thriller. The barnburner featured several lead changes and ties but even an extra period wasn’t enough to separate the teams, who concluded the 65 minutes at 6-6.

It was Dannick Bouchard who became the hero for Central Coast, sniping the puck behind Matus Trnka twice to win the shoot-out. It’s the Rhinos fourth OT/SO win of the season – the most of any AIHL club in 2025.

While the four points for the weekend provide Brisbane with some breathing room on the ever-improving Adrenaline in the standings, they face a tough task to conclude their 2025 regular season and secure a place in the 2025 playoffs; the Newcastle Northstars.