Newcastle Northstars and the Battle for AIHL Supremacy in 2026
The Newcastle Northstars are the 2026 AIHL Minor Premiers, capturing the H Newman Reid Trophy for the sixth time in club history https://www.northstarstablespa.com/ and their first since 2015. After completing a stellar 30-game regular season with a 21–8–1 record, the Northstars finished clear at the top of the ladder with 65 points. They have bypassed the Friday preliminary rounds and advanced directly to the AIHL Semifinals on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at Melbourne’s O’Brien Icehouse as they chase the ultimate prize: the Goodall Cup.
The 2026 Regular Season Finale
The battle for AIHL supremacy went down to the final weekend of the regular season, with Newcastle locked in a tight three-way tie with the Melbourne Mustangs and the Canberra Brave. The Northstars sealed the top spot through two dramatic, back-to-back comeback victories:
- Newcastle 3, Central Coast Rhinos 2: Trailing 2-0, Newcastle stormed back with goals from Calvin Bright and Yevgenii Skachkov before Aziz Baazi secured the game-winner.
- Newcastle 8, Sydney Bears 5: A high-scoring explosion on the final day cemented their position as the league’s top-seeded team.
Final 2026 AIHL Regular Season Standings
The top six teams secured spots in the 2026 Goodall Cup playoffs, while the remaining four teams were eliminated from postseason contention:
| Pos | Team | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | PTS | Postseason Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle Northstars | 30 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 65 | Bypassed to Semifinals |
| 2 | Melbourne Mustangs | 30 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 61 | Bypassed to Semifinals |
| 3 | Canberra Brave | 30 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 61 | Preliminary Finals |
| 4 | Perth Thunder | 30 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 48 | Preliminary Finals |
| 5 | Sydney Ice Dogs | 30 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 46 | Preliminary Finals |
| 6 | Sydney Bears | 30 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 46 | Preliminary Finals |
| 7 | Melbourne Ice | 30 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 44 | Eliminated |
| 8 | Central Coast Rhinos | 30 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 30 | Eliminated |
| 9 | Brisbane Lightning | 30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 27 | Eliminated |
| 10 | Adelaide Adrenaline | 30 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 14 | Eliminated |
Statistical Dominance
Newcastle’s offensive powerhouse duo fueled their regular-season championship. Evgenii Skachkov and Santeri Haarala finished first and second on the 2026 AIHL scoring leaderboard, tied at 84 points each. During the final weekend, Skachkov also etched his name into the record books, becoming only the third player in AIHL history to score 40 goals in a single season.
The Road to the Goodall Cup (August 28–30, 2026)
The battle for supremacy concludes this weekend with a single-elimination knockout format at the O’Brien Icehouse in Melbourne:
- Friday, August 28 (Preliminary Finals):
- Game 1: Canberra Brave vs. Sydney Bears
- Game 2: Perth Thunder vs. Sydney Ice Dogs
- Saturday, August 29 (Semifinals):
- 2:00 PM: Newcastle Northstars vs. Winner of PF2 (Thunder/Ice Dogs)
- 6:00 PM: Melbourne Mustangs vs. Winner of PF1 (Brave/Bears)
- Sunday, August 30 (Grand Final):
- 2:00 PM: The remaining two teams play for the ultimate AIHL supremacy and the historic Goodall Cup.
Fans can stream the entire finals series live and on-demand via AIHL.TV or watch the broadcast on ESPN.
