Skycity Stampede won 5-3 over Dunedin Thunder in regulation, with the result effectively settled early. The Stampede built a two-goal lead in the first period and never surrendered it.
The game followed a clear arc: Skycity took the opening frame 2-0, then pushed the margin to 4-1 through the second period. Dunedin outscored the home side 2-1 in the third, trimming the final deficit but never threatening the lead.
The decisive number was the first-period cushion. By winning the opening 20 minutes 2-0, Skycity controlled the game state and forced Dunedin to chase the rest of the night.
