Everything you need to know for the AIHL Finals

The puck is about to drop on the 2025 AIHL Finals Series at the O'Brien Icehouse in Melbourne and one of 6 teams will skate away with the Goodall Cup on Sunday.

Here's what you need to know if you're coming along or watching at home.
 
Finals Schedule

Preliminary Final 1 – 3pm AEST, Friday August 29th

Perth Thunder (3^rd) vs Melbourne Mustangs (6^th)

Preliminary Final 2 – 7pm AEST, Friday August 29th

Newcastle Northstars (4^th) vs Brisbane Lightning (5^th)

Semi Final 1 – 2pm AEST, Saturday August 30th

Melbourne Ice (1^st) vs Winner of PF2

Semi Final 2 – 6pm AEST, Saturday August 30th

Canberra Brave (2^nd) vs Winner of PF1

Grand Final – 2pm AEST, Sunday 31^st August

Winner Semi-Final 1 vs Winner Semi-Final 2
 
Broadcast

If you cannot attend the AIHL Finals series, all 5 games are available to watch live via pay per view on AIHL TV, with the Semi-Finals and Grand Final to also be shown live on ESPN Australia, including Fetch, Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports, Disney+ and Sky Sport for viewers in New Zealand. Single game and 5-game finals series passes on AIHL TV are both available for purchase by clicking here.

AIHL TV subscribers who have purchased full and mid-season packages will already have access to the AIHL Finals series as part of their subscription.

ESPN is only available in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. International viewers will need to watch via AIHL TV.

Official AIHL Sponsor Urban Alley, located directly opposite the O’Brien Icehouse, will also be holding watch parties for all 5 games.

AIHL Finals Festival at the District Docklands

The 2025 AIHL Finals Festival is presented by official sponsor The District Docklands.

This is a free event (no tickets required), located directly opposite the O'Brien Icehouse from Friday 29th August to Sunday 31st August.

Enjoy food and drink specials, have your photo taken with the Goodall Cup, meet some of the players and win prizes in our Street Hockey Shootout and AIHL Trivia Challenge!

AIHL sponsor Urban Alley Brewery will also be holding live watch parties for all five games for fans who missed out on tickets.

For more information and details on times and activities, head over to The District Docklands website.

Rules

The AIHL regular season and the 2025 AIHL Finals Series play under IIHF rules. A copy of the 2024/25 IIHF Rule Book can be found by clicking here

For the AIHL Finals Series, Coaches’ Challenge (Rule 38) and Video Review (Rule 37) will both be implemented.

Overtime Procedures

Preliminary Finals and Semi-Finals

If the score remains tied after 60 minutes of regulation play, the two teams will play a single, ten-minute period of 5-on-5, sudden-death overtime.

If there is no score during overtime, then both teams will proceed to a 5-round penalty shootout. If the score remains tied after 5 rounds, the two teams will proceed to a sudden-death penalty shootout until there is a winner.

Grand Final

If the score remains tied after 60 minutes of regulation play, the two teams will play continuous periods of 20-minute, sudden death overtime until there is a winner.

2025 Individual Player Awards Presentation

Due to a change in broadcast scheduling for 2025, Individual Player Awards for the 2025 AIHL Season will be presented during the intermissions of the preliminary finals and the semi-finals, following the ice cut. The award winners will also be posted on social media and on the AIHL website.

The post-game presentation format on Sunday following the Goodall Cup Final will be slightly different this year, due to broadcast scheduling with ESPN. At the conclusion of the game following a short thank you speech, the AIHL Finals MVP Award will be presented, followed by the presentation of the Goodall Cup to the winning team.

Following the traditional team photo with the Goodall Cup, the individual player medals will be presented to the winning team on the ice. Fans are encouraged to remain in the venue for this presentation.

Parking

Limited street parking is available around the Docklands area. There are two main paid car parks attached to the District Shopping Complex. The West Car Park is located on Pearl River Road directly opposite the Icehouse and the East Car Park on Waterfront Way is located above the Woolworths Shopping Complex. Fans are encouraged to park in the East Car Park due to much higher capacity and easier access.

Fans are advised that there may be delays entering and exiting the car parks due to crowd numbers over the course of the weekend and are advised to arrive early if possible.

Public Transport

Southern Cross Train Station is approximately a 20-minute walk from the O’Brien Icehouse. Please check the Metro Trains Schedule for train times.

The 86, 70 and City Circle tram terminate at Pearl River Road and the stop is a 5-minute walk from the Icehouse. You can find more on the Yarra Trams website for tram schedules.

Scheduled Roadworks and Protest Activity

Fans are advised that there are scheduled roadworks on the Westgate Tunnel Project adjacent to the Icehouse over the weekend affecting drivers travelling from the western suburbs, with delays of up to 90 minutes expected. There is also expected to be protest activity in the Melbourne CBD on Sunday 31^st August, which may disrupt traffic flows around the Docklands area. Fans are advised to arrive early and plan ahead.

Conditions of Entry

The AIHL has a zero-tolerance policy on violence and anti-social behaviour. Any patron that engages in this behaviour during the finals series, will be immediately removed from the O’Brien Icehouse and subject to potential bans from future AIHL events.

Please refer to the O'Brien Icehouse website for further terms and conditions of entry.

The AIHL hopes to see you all there across the Finals Weekend!