Canberra Brave defeated Sydney Bears 4-3 in the AIHL on Thursday evening. The home side secured all three points at home, extending their superiority in the standings. Both teams have now completed 30 matches this season.
Canberra Brave sit third in the table with 20 victories and 10 defeats. Sydney Bears occupy fifth place following 15 wins, one draw and 14 losses. Neither side carries any points on the board, which reflects the current scoring structure of the league.
The Brave arrived in reasonable form, having won four of their previous five outings. Their last defeat came 4-5 against Melbourne Mastodons on August 23. Sydney Bears showed mixed results in their recent fixtures, including a heavy 5-8 loss to Newcastle on the same date.
The Bears had tasted success earlier in the month, beating Perth 10-5 on August 15 and Melbourne Ice 6-2 on August 2. However, their most recent outing against Newcastle did not end favourably. The result keeps Canberra ahead in the standings while Sydney remain in the lower half.
The final scoreline suggests a closely contested match between two sides with contrasting records this season. Canberra's winning margin of one goal maintains their position above Sydney Bears, who continue to chase a higher standing in the AIHL table.