There was elation mixed with sadness at the AIS Arena on Sunday as the Canberra Brave played its last home game of the season en route to the Australian Ice Hockey League finals.
With another record-setting year of sellouts at Bruce in the bag, the Brave farewelled its fans with a dominant 9-4 win over the Brisbane Lightning.
Captain Kai Miettinen and Bray Crowder had a double, with other goals to Cam Todd, Jake Ratcliffe, Jacob Carey, Tommy Steven, and Dom Canic.
The Brave backed up on Sunday in Canberra after a confidence-boosting 6-3 away victory over Goodall Cup contenders Newcastle Northstars on Saturday.
There is one more round of the regular season to go before finals begin on August 28.
Brave fans squeezed into the AIS Arena and made a loud case to the AIHL for the capital to host finals next season, after Bruce was snubbed in favour of the smaller O'Brien Icehouse venue in Melbourne.
The limited venue size in Melbourne and an unprecedented surge in ice hockey's popularity in Australia has made it extremely hard for fans from all teams to get their hands on finals tickets.
Incidents of scalping and scammers amid the rush for finals tickets has also caused frustration among the ice hockey community.
Such is the demand, to help avoid disappointment the AIHL teamed up with Hoyts cinemas to show the grand final on Sunday August 30 across multiple locations, including Belconnen.
Before the puck was dropped on Sunday there were some Brave fans online urging fellow Canberran supporters to chant "We want the Cup" at the end of the third period to send a message to the AIHL about next season.
The door is still ajar for Canberra's AIS Arena to be greenlit for AIHL finals action next year, as it remains locked in as the Brave's home for 2027, and owner Stephen Campbell has intentions to put in another finals hosting bid.
For the past two years Brave games at the AIS Arena - Canberra's biggest indoor venue - have been the hottest tickets in town.
It was thought the fan support and potential for record AIHL finals crowds would make Canberra the preferred finals destination this year, but in January the league decided Melbourne would retain finals hosting rights for at least one more year.
Some player complaints did emerge about the quality of the drop-in ice rink at the AIS Arena, but Brave boss Campbell said it had been improved with better equipment since acquired to maintain the sheet.
The Brave intend to remain at the AIS Arena for at least next season, with Campbell hopeful that the team can play future AIHL games at the new convention centre in the city, which is set offer a greater capacity of at least 8000 people.
"Canberra Brave finishes our 2026 home regular season on a high," Campbell said on Sunday.
"The game marks our 25th-consecutive sellout crowd, including 15 sold-out fixtures this season.
"We're incredibly proud of this achievement and deeply grateful for the unwavering support of Canberra fans.
"None of this would be possible without the exceptional work of our volunteers, including our ice tech team, game day crew, merchandise team and the outstanding production team.
"Hockey is only going to get bigger and we see Canberra as the epicentre of this growth and look forward to the opportunity of discussing the next logical path for Brave, moving into the proposed Convention Centre.
"Until then we'll be back at our beloved home, the AIS Arena, for another fantastic season in 2027."
The Brave are among six teams that have qualified for a shot at the Goodall Cup, and Canberra will be hungry for redemption after losing to Melbourne Ice in the grand final last year.
