The Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy

AWIHL Finals · 2026

2026 AWIHL Finals Series

O’Brien Icehouse, Melbourne

Finals Stats
Perth InfernoBrisbane LightningMelbourne IceAdelaide Rush

Finals Preview

The matches below are projected based on today’s standings and won’t be finalised until the end of the final round. Seeds and matchups here will keep shifting as the ladder positions change.

FinalsSeeding not yet final

The regular season is still being played out - the seeds above are projected from today's ladder and will lock in once it finishes.

Knockout Bracket

Projected seeding, as it stands today · tap any team to trace their road to the Cup.
Preliminary Final 1Fri 28 Aug, 2026 · 3:00 PM AEST
3 Melbourne Ice
·? TBD
Preliminary Final 2Fri 28 Aug, 2026 · 7:00 PM AEST
4 Adelaide Rush
·? TBD
Semi-Final 2Sat 29 Aug, 2026 · 6:00 PM AEST
2 Brisbane Lightning
·? Winner PF1
Semi-Final 1Sat 29 Aug, 2026 · 2:00 PM AEST
1 Perth Inferno
·? Winner PF2
Joan McKowen Memorial TrophySun 30 Aug, 2026 · 2:00 PM AEST
·? Winner SF1
·? Winner SF2
The Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy
Champion
To be decided

Championship Odds

We simulate the rest of the season and the whole finals bracket 3,000 times, each game decided by a weighted coin flip that favors the better team without guaranteeing them the win, then count how often each team ends up as champion.
Finals use the same Elo, with one change. Home-ice advantage (normally +35) mostly disappears, because every finals game is played at O’Brien Icehouse, a rink every other team already visits during the regular season. Melbourne Ice and Melbourne Mustangs still get half that bump when they're the ones playing there against an outside opponent, since it genuinely is their home ice. Probabilities are shown per single game: a 65% favourite is still one bad night from elimination.