Opening Week recap: Rhinos run rampant in upset as Thunder complete sweep

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The first weekend of AIHL action for 2025 is in the books, with fans treated to a number of surprise results as the parity of the league continues to entice.

While the weekend saw more of the dominance we expect from the league’s veterans, new imports and budding young talents emerged as players to watch with elite performances of their own.

Here are the key moments from the six games of Week 1 of the AIHL season.



Two veteran hat-tricks lead the way for Mustangs in perfect start over Rhinos

The Melbourne Mustangs opened the 2025 season with a bang, crushing Central Coast 10-1 on Saturday evening.

The O’Brien Icehouse came to life as Ty Wishart hit the scoreboard four minutes into the first period, his first point of five (3 goals, 2 assists) for the game. While Rhinos goaltender Anand Oberoi staved off the Mustangs forwards for a few more minutes, the Mustangs built momentum into the first intermission.

Scott Timmins electrified the home crowd with a hat-trick of goals of his own, involved in six of Melbourne’s 10 goals in total. Melbourne ultimately won this game in the second period, scoring five goals to enter the final third up 8-1.

The Rhinos held their own in patches, with Mustangs' goaltender Anthony Kimlin required to make 35 saves on the night, finishing with an impressive save percentage of .972. However, Melbourne’s powerful top line had done far too much damage early on for Central Coast to get close.

For a further in-depth recap of the Mustangs win, click here.



Rhinos shock Ice in 17-goal thriller

The Central Coast Rhinos bounced back from their Saturday night loss by stunning 2024 grand finalists Melbourne Ice in a 9-8 overtime win on Sunday afternoon.

18-year-old phenom Ivan Kuleshov was the OT hero, deking out Ice goaltender Mackenzie Hill to roof the puck for the upset win. The breakaway stemmed from Rhinos' goaltender Anand Oberoi making several clutch saves during three-on-three action, as he claimed a well-earned win and an assist on the game-winner.

All signs pointed to another demolition at the Rhinos' expense coming into the game, with Central Coast conceding an early goal. However, they would counter with four consecutive goals in the first period, three of which occurred in a five-minute span.

The Rhinos blue line managed dump-out pucks from the Ice brilliantly – something they struggled with against the Mustangs – hemming Melbourne into their zone with extended puck possession. As a result, the Ice’s defence tired rapidly, putting young goaltender Tom Forrest into difficult positions. The Rhinos capitalised on these high danger chances, leading by as much as 7-4 early in the third period.

The Rhinos have also clearly been demanding physicality from their young squad, with both games against the Melbourne sides getting heated on the ice. 17-year-old Declan Downie set things off with a big hit on Melbourne’s Ellesse Carini, but it was deemed to be illegal, leading to words being exchanged and a couple of scuffles throughout the first and second periods as Central Coast frustrated an Ice team with high expectations.

However, the Ice aren’t the rebuilding side they once were and unsurprisingly dug in their heels and fought back into the game. After pulling Forrest at 6-3, Mackenzie Hill was huge in keeping the Ice in the contest, saving 17 shots from 20 attempts by the end of the night. He played a significant role in helping Melbourne retake the lead, as did skaters Christian Pansino (3 goals) and import Kolton Shindle (1 goal, 2 assists), demonstrating their invaluable experience in tough moments.

Yet, it would be the composure of the Rhinos that will leave many impressed, refusing to roll over after Saturday’s debacle. Head coach Ron Kuprowsky fired up the Rhinos in a late timeout while down 8-7, and from there the team settled. The Rhinos absorbed surge after surge and then, after being rewarded with a late penalty, scored on the powerplay through Tyler Kubara with just 45 seconds remaining to force OT.

It will go down as one of the most famous wins in the Rhinos history and potentially become a pivotal moment in their young season.



Lightning and Brave share the spoils in tense weekend

The Brisbane Lightning have shocked 2024 champions Canberra Brave by taking four of the available six points in their weekend series. They began their season with a stunning 6-5 victory on Saturday night and managed to force overtime to secure an extra point in their 4-3 loss on Sunday.

The Lightning shocked the Brave on Saturday by jumping out to a 6-2 lead early in the third period. The offense came mainly from Carson Miller, whose two goals and three assists led the game, turning Brisbane’s offense into a must-watch spectacle.

Canberra found their rhythm late however and gave the Lightning a scare with three consecutive goals – one shorthanded and two on the powerplay. Captain Kai Miettinen (3 goals) and Italian national Brandon McNally (1 goal, 3 assists) had their fingerprints all over this game, instrumental in mounting pressure onto Brisbane’s young defensive core, which includes AIHL rookies Luka Ouimette and Alex May. Despite his youth, 20-year-old goaltender Matus Trnka stood tall when it mattered most for the Lightning, keeping out several final minute shots as Brisbane hung on for a statement win.

Brisbane will be more than happy with their strong showing on Sunday too despite the eventual loss in overtime, outshooting the Brave 38-32. Both teams will walk away from this mini-series impressed with their goaltenders, Canberra’s Alex Tetreault saving 35 shots from 38 attempts on Sunday, and Trnka leaving this weekend with a 0.864 save percentage, fifth-best in the league.

The Lightning flashed immense potential as Canberra’s championship pedigree took hold in their overtime win, but ultimately both sides will take positives home from Opening Week.



7-goal weekend for Thunder import leads Perth to wins over Northstars

The Perth Thunder are ladder leaders after dominating Newcastle in both games over this weekend, 7-4 and 6-1, respectively.

Saturday’s rout of the Northstars was largely in thanks to a huge five-goal outing from import Yu Hikosaka, the Japanese star putting together a game for the ages.

His first came from a beautiful cross-seam pass from Benjamin Berard, finishing with a one-timer. The second was a crafty tip in front which put the Thunder up 4-0. However, his most impressive goal was certainly his third. With Newcastle hunting and the game suddenly in the balance at 4-3, Hikosaka provided a moment of individual brilliance, toe-dragging the puck around Casey Kubara before snapping the puck into the top left corner. It was a game-changing moment that ultimately spurred some much-needed momentum for the Thunder entering the final third.

Newcastle failed to produce many danger chances for the remainder of the match, the Thunder defence allowing just 20 shots on goal, the lowest for a team this weekend. Defenceman Jamie Woodman was particularly elite for Perth with two assists and many crucial defensive zone recoveries.

The momentum continued into the rematch on Sunday, for both Hikosaka and the Thunder. Hikosaka tallied another two goals but this time had some more help, forward Jordy Kyros a standout with four points in the 6-1 win. Additionally, goaltender Aleksi Toivonen was a brick wall in the pipes, finishing with a 29/30 save effort to prevent Newcastle from finding any way back into the contest.

Next week the Thunder travel to Canberra to take on the defending champions as Newcastle look to rebound against Central Coast with their first game at home for 2025.