Adelaide vs Perth

Adelaide had momentum after Benson's power-play equaliser early in the second period. But Hrehorcak's go-ahead goal at 7:57 of the second — just over two minutes after an Adelaide penalty expired — restored Perth's control and prevented the hosts from building on their equaliser. The Thunder outshot Adelaide 16–9 in the second period and never let the game slip again.

• Peter Hrehorcak (Perth) — 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points. The Slovak forward was involved in every decisive offensive sequence and was the clear player of the match.
• Henri Auvinen (Perth) — 2 assists, setting up both the Tenosalmi shorthanded goal and Breault's power-play marker in the third period.
• Felix Plouffe (Perth) — 2 primary assists, extending his season tally to 49 assists in 27 games, second-most in the AIHL.
• Nathaniel Benson (Adelaide) — Scored Adelaide's lone goal on the power play, one of the few bright spots for the hosts.

Perth outshot Adelaide 46–21 overall (16–7, 16–9, 14–5 by period), reflecting a lopsided territorial advantage. Adelaide managed just 5 shots in the third period. Perth scored two shorthanded goals in the final frame, underscoring a penalty kill that created offence rather than merely surviving. The Thunder's 18.3% power-play efficiency (per AIHL Forecaster season data) showed in Breault's man-advantage tally, while Adelaide's 14.3% conversion rate told its own story — they needed a power play to score at all.

Perth improved to 47 points from 29 games (13–10–5–3), maintaining their grip on fifth place with one game remaining — Sunday's return fixture against Adelaide at the same venue. They sit one point ahead of sixth-placed Melbourne Ice (42 pts, 29 games), with a maximum of 51 points still attainable. Adelaide remain anchored in last place at 11 points from 29 games (2–22–2–4), already eliminated from finals contention. The two sides meet again on Sunday 23 August at 4:15 PM ACST at IceArena Adelaide.

Perth were the sharper team from start to finish, outclassing a depleted Adelaide side missing 12 regulars. Hrehorcak's dominance was the difference, but the broader story is Perth's depth: four different goal scorers, two shorthanded tallies, and 46 shots on goal. Adelaide competed gamely early but simply lacked the firepower to keep pace.