Australia beat New Zealand 4-3 in a shootout in front of a sold-out crowd at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.
The pulse-pounding showdown between the transtasman rivals was another highlight at the division 2, group B world championships, as New Zealand fought back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime.
The opening period was a high-tempo, physical battle as both teams tested each other but could not find the net.
New Zealand goal-tender Grace Harrison and Australian counterpart Sasha King stood tall as the raucous crowd fuelled every block, poke-check and line change.
In the second period, the Ice Ferns broke the deadlock.
Jaime Jones opened the scoring with a brilliant wrist shot, assisted by Katya Blong and Jasmine Horner-Pascoe, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
But the joy was short-lived.
Australia responded with clinical precision, notching three goals in the space of two minutes in a brutal reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in ice hockey.
Heading into the final period, the Australians held a 3-1 lead.
With the home crowd chanting at full volume, New Zealand clawed one back early in the third.
Blong found the back of the net off a feed from Jones to make it 3-2.
Then, with under two minutes on the clock and every fan on their feet, Horner-Pascoe delivered again, tying the game 3-3 with assists from Anjali Mulari and the ever-present Jones.
Overtime came and went with both teams throwing everything at each other, but neither could break the deadlock.
In the shootout, Australia’s Christina Julien was the lone scorer, sliding the puck past Harrison to secure the win and a vital extra point for the Aussies.
Despite the shootout loss, the Ice Fernz earned a critical point and remained very much in medal contention heading into yesterday’s final round.
The Ice Fernz were playing Turkey last night.
— APL
