After a big night of Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) action last night, one team was eliminated from securing the minor premiership, and others edged closer to Finals qualification. Here’s a quick snapshot of what happened, and significance of today’s games.

Hellyer Conference – Mustangs stay alive, Bears still chasing H Newman Reid Trophy in loss

The Melbourne Ice defeated the Perth Thunder 5-1 at O’Brien Icehouse on Saturday, helping cross-town rivals Melbourne Mustangs. If Perth had secured a single point, it would have clinched a Goodall Cup Finals berth.

Melbourne’s win stopped a five game skid for the club. Tatsunoshin Ishida looked back to form with 36 saves on 37 shots for a save percentage of .973.

The victory not only helped the Ice’s city rivals, but also mathematically eliminated the Thunder from contending for the H Newman Reid trophy. However, contrary to a previous version of this article, the H Newman Reid trophy is still up for grabs.

A previous version stated the Sydney Bears held the tiebreaker over the Melbourne Ice. That was incorrect. The Sydney Bears need either a single point, or for the Melbourne Ice to drop a single point, in order to secure the minor premiership.

Meanwhile, last year’s minor premiers, the Canberra Brave, defeated the Bears 6-4 at Macquarie. Entering July, the Bears were undefeated at home.

Last night’s loss was the third defeat in four games at Macquarie this month. Additionally, after losing 6-3 to the Thunder last week, it’s the first time this season the Bears have lost two games in a row.

Today’s game between the Melbourne Mustangs and Perth Thunder at O’Brien Icehouse is huge for both teams. The Mustangs lead the season series 2-1 and need all of the points to keep its Finals dream alive.

Meanwhile, the Thunder will be aiming to dust off last night’s loss to the Ice, and even the season series against the Mustangs. Any points for the Thunder will secure its seventh consecutive Goodall Cup Finals appearance.

Rurak Conference – Brisbane Lightning strike, Adelaide Adrenaline and Central Coast Rhinos falter

The league’s Saturday afternoon game at Erina Ice Arena between the Central Coast Rhinos and Brisbane Lightning was a tight affair. Batu Gendunov scored the only goal of the game with 7:15 remaining in the third.

Out of 30 shots on goal, it was the only one that got past Rhinos netminder Anand Oberoi. Curtis Meger stopped all 16 pucks directed on his net to earn the shutout, his first of the season.

The win put the Lightning seven points clear of the Adrenaline. Adelaide needed a win at home against the Ice Dogs to keep its fate in its hands.

However, an Alex MacDonald hat-trick, his second in three games, helped secure a 5-2 victory for the Ice Dogs. Now, Adelaide must rely on other results to qualify for Finals.

The Rhinos are now 13 points back of the third and final playoff spot with just five games remaining – a maximum of 15 points. Looking ahead the Rhinos need to be perfect and get a lot of help from conference rivals.

Significance of today’s games

The Perth Thunder versus Melbourne Mustangs game looms large on the schedule, for the reasons listed above. A Thunder win and they are in, a Mustangs win keeps the Finals dream alive for another week.

However, the other two matches can also affect the Finals picture. First, the Rhinos play the Northstars, and need a win to keep its Finals hopes alive. Any loss eliminates the Rhinos.

Additionally, the Canberra Brave are just two points behind the conference leading Northstars. Fans in the capital will be cheering for another Anand Oberoi masterclass in Newcastle to keep the Northstars within reach.

Finally, the day’s final game between the Brisbane Lightning and Sydney Ice Dogs can see the Lightning eliminate the Rhinos from Finals with a win. A Lightning win also opens up a massive 10-point lead over the fourth-placed Adrenaline in the standings.

While Adelaide’s Finals hopes will still be alive after this weekend if the Lightning win, it would need to win out, which includes two games at Boondall against the Lightning, and two games in Canberra against the Brave.

You can watch all of the action on AIHL TV. Click here for more AIHL news.