This round felt very matter-of-fact. The teams came out, played hockey and went home. There weren’t any big storylines but a few notable moments, so let’s get into those…
The Results
Saturday:
Perth Inferno win 6-4 over the visiting Sydney Sirens
Melbourne Ice win 5-1 over the visiting Brisbane Lightning
Sunday:
Perth Inferno win 5-2 over the Sydney Sirens
Melbourne Ice win 6-4 over Brisbane Lightning
How we got there
The final scores are deceptive of the actual games. For those who watched, you will have seen what I saw: four reasonably close games, with the game-winning goals coming late in the third.
In the match-up between Inferno and Sirens:
Saturday: Sirens opened the scoring, two quick goals from Perth to take the lead, Sirens equalise in response and Edney put the Sirens ahead and extends the lead with an assist on Shelby’s goal giving them a 2 goal lead – and that was just period one. Period two and three Sasha King closed the door and kept the Sirens out while Perth secured 3 goals to take the win. Overall, and EXCELLENT game to watch.
Sunday: Sydney was in the games the whole way physically, and with the energy on the ice, they didn’t let up despite trailing the whole game. These games can be the most fun to watch because at any moment, the goals can happen.
In the match-up between Ice and Lightning:
Saturday: was not the most thrilling game. And that’s not mistakes or problems on either team, it was just very simple and didn’t have the elements of excitement that other games can bring. Melbourne Ice are a strong team year in and year out and momentum fell in their favour for this game. It felt like a day of travel impacted the Lightning’s energy levels and they just couldn’t get the puck to bounce in their advantage.
Sunday: A whole different Lightning team came out on Sunday with more energy, pressure and oomf to their game. It felt like they were operating in another gear both when they had the lead and when they had to chase the game. Momentum flowed both ways rather than for one team, and it was more enjoyable to watch.
I love a hattrick
Hat-tricks feel rare and deserve to be celebrated! This round Perth Inferno’s Michelle Clark-Crumpton secured hers on Saturday against the Sirens, with two goals in period one and her third in period Two.
Clark-Crumpton is a name I am very used to seeing on the score sheet and I am sure she’s happy to get her first of the season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she secures more.
Empty Nets…. Let’s Review
In the third period, the Sirens trailed 2-4 and pulled goaltender Nayoka Wellard for the extra man advantage. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off in this instance, with Sara Sammons securing the final goal of the game into the empty net.
I hear many people who say they hate this and that it’s stupid, that they don’t understand why they bother. So here’s what I’ve learnt…
I have had the opportunity to discuss this topic with Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) coaches in the 2025 season, where they’ve explained that when you’re behind, you’re still losing.
Sometimes you come up against an opponent where 5v5 hockey isn’t enough, and you need to put that extra man on, in order to compete to try and get that goal and get back in the game.
When you’re down and pull the goalie, you’re already losing, so whether you lose by one goal or two, you’re still going to lose, so this tactic is one option for Coaches and occasionally you’ll see the time where it pays off and shifts momentum or leads to OT.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this tactic, share in the social media comments!
What’s next…
We have a six-game weekend next week with all teams competing.
The Lightning travel south to face the Rush at home.
The Sirens travel south to face the Ice at home.
The Inferno travel east to face the Ducks at home.
Catch all the action live on AWIHL.TV
Photo by Ashley Hayes
