Beware of the sleeping giant, that was my first thought after the Canberra Brave won their fourth straight game during week 12 of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).
As defending champions, the sleep giant tag doesn’t fit completely, however the Brave have been resting at the bottom half of the top six for most of the season.
Brave sit in fifth position after 17 games played, only six points behind Perth Thunder in second place with a game in hand.
The wheels though are starting to turn for the Brave, the imports have arrived, and local stars have returned to the roster.
Jake Ratcliffe was a massive inclusion, Jesperi Viikilä is a promising addition, adding more import depth.
Furthermore, coupled with more recent signings Kale Costa and Nils Carnbäck, the Brave roster is starting to look formidable.
Tets is the key for back-to-back
The biggest key to the Brave defending their Goodall Cup crown, is Alex Tetreault in net.
Tetreault has looked phenomenal in the past two games, with save percentages above .900 in both games.
Against the Newcastle Northstars it was a .941 save percentage stopping 48 of 51, backing it up against the Central Coast Rhinos with .939 and saving 31 of 33 shots faced.
It was the type of performances we know Tetreault can produce, look back at the 5-0 shutout against the Melbourne Ice in the 2024 AIHL Final.
Tetreault can come up big in the moments that matter and has proven to be a winner.
If key stats for Tetreault continue to trend upwards it will be the most important factor in the Brave repeating.
New rink vibes are important
I don’t think it is a stretch to grasp onto AIS Arena having an impact in the Canberra Brave season.
While the move has been fantastic for the Brave and AIHL, adjusting to the new facility takes time.
Different ice, locker room, location and crowd interaction all play a role in the game day experience for players.
Brave have now played three weekends and five games at AIS Arena, and the familiarity of the rink might finally be coming into play.
No AIHL ice sheet is identical, for the Brave shifting from Phillips Ice Skating Centre into this fresh-faced ice rink was a big move.
Only now they might be finally starting to find their feet and make it feel like home.
Imports add that scoring punch
In the blink of an eye we will have two imports rocketing into the top 10 for points at the Brave, Jesperi Viikilä and Nils Carnbäck.
The Swedish (Carnbäck) and Finnish (Viikilä) forwards have been sensational since arriving in the nation’s capital, together they have put up 17 points combined from 8 games played between the two.
This scoring punch has added much needed firepower to the Brave offence, creating multiple threats across different lines.
Since the departure of Brandon McNally, the Brave have looked to restock their import slots by adding both Viikilä and Carnbäck.
If both Carnbäck and Viikilä continue this scoring run for the remainder of the season, the Brave are in a healthy position to back-to-back.
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