photo: © AIHL/Phil Taylor
The Melbourne Ice defeated the Canberra Brave, 7-3, last Sunday night in the Australian Ice Hockey League finals to win the 2025 Goodall Cup. The game was played at the O’Brien Icehouse in Melbourne. Although the score looks one-sided, the game took on high drama late in the second period. After racing out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes, the Ice showed some vulnerability in the middle period as the Brave roared back to tie the game. A goal late in the second by Tyrone Bronte got the Ice back on track, however, and they sealed the win with three unanswered goals in the third.
The Ice were led by Michigander David Booth, the 40-year-old former NHLer who signed with the team in late May. Despite playing only half a season, he led the Ice in scoring during the regular season, collecting 34 goals and 64 points in just 14 games. That included a five-goal, eight-point outing—and perhaps the best goal of the year—on 3 August against Brisbane.
Booth also finished tied for fourth in league scoring with teammate Joakim Erdugan, who played in all 28 games for the Ice this season. In the final game, Booth had an empty-net goal and an assist, and Erdugan also had a goal and assist.
Japanese goalie Tatsunoshin Ishida was another star all season for the Ice, leading the league with 16 wins, a GAA of 3.37, and a .908 save percentage. He also won both playoff games for the Ice.
Other top players on the Ice include Nathan Cachia, a 30-year-old Canadian who also played for Australia at the Men’s World Championship, Division II-A this past season. As well, Samuel Bartlett, just 20, played at the IIHF’s World U20 Championship, II-B this past year and was also on the Ice. He made his debut with the team three years ago.
The Goodall Cup is the third oldest trophy in the hockey world, contested annually starting in 1911 when New South Wales won the first edition of the cup. Only the Stanley Cup (1893) and the Allan Cup (1909) are older.
This is the fifth Goodall Cup win for the Ice, who previously won it in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2017.
The Ice finished in first place during the regular season with a 20-2-2-4 record and 68 points, miles ahead of the second-place Brave, who had 51 points.
Lots of AIHL players have shown up at IIHF tournaments
The Australian Ice Hockey League is made up of eight teams, each playing a 28-game regular season. The top two teams automatically qualify for the playoff semi-finals while #3 played #6 and #4 plays #5 in the first round. This year, the Perth Thunder (#3) beat the Melbourne Mustangs (#6), 5-2, and the Newcastle Northstars (#4) eliminated the Brisbane Lightning (#5), 6-1, in the two quarter-finals games played Friday night.
The Adelaide Adrenaline and Central Coast Rhinos did not qualify for the playoffs.
In the Saturday semi-finals, the top-ranked Ice advanced to the finals with a 6-4 win over the Northstars, and in the later game the second-ranked Brave beat the Thunder, 6-1.
The AIHL is closely connected to the men’s national teams, particularly the senior and U20 teams. Virtually all of the players who represented Australia at the 2025 Men’s Worlds II-A in Belgrade, Serbia, for instance, played in the league during this past season. The Brave, for instance, runners-up to the Ice for the Goodall Cup, had three players in WM-II-A, notably Tommy Steven, Cameron Todd, and Kai Miettinen. Miettinen is one of three players from the national team with Finnish roots, including goalie Aleksi Toivonen (who plays for Perth in the AIHL) and third-year coach Matti Luoma.
Although Perth lost in the semis, they had four players on the national team, including Kieren Webster. He led the team with three goals, including two against Israel that prevented the Aussies from being demoted.
Over and above the connection between the AIHL and senior team, the league also fosters development among its junior stars. About two-thirds of the U20 team that played in WM20-II-B this past season also played in the AIHL, including Brayden Maybee, who scored the winning goal in a crucial 5-4 win over Iceland. Maybee co-led the team with five goals and played for Perth in the AIHL.
Ivan Kuleshov, who plays for the Rhinos, led the team at the WM20 with eight points in five games, while Julian Friedrich of the Adrenaline, also had a great tournament, finishing with six points.
Although Australia is geographically a long way from many other IIHF nations, their homegrown development has been getting better and better, and their ability to attract players from North America and Europe not only help make the AIHL more exciting, it helps develop local talent for long-term success. Yes, the Ice won the Goodall Cup, but the league itself flourished and established itself further for its respectable level of play.