Does it get any better?

After two of the most intense semifinals in New Zealand Ice Hockey League history, for the first time the finals series will be a belter of a southern derby.

Last weekend Queenstown’s SkyCity Stampede hosted the Canterbury Red Devils, and had the home supporters’ nerves frayed after Friday night’s 2-1 loss.

The hammer, thankfully, went down on Saturday, with the 10-time national champs disposing of the Cantabrians 7-1.

In Dunedin, the Thunder overcame a five-goal deficit on Saturday night, having lost their first game against the West Auckland Admirals 9-4, and secured a 10-4 overtime win.

In doing so, they booked tickets to their first finals series in 12 years, and will face the Stampede in Queenstown next Friday and Saturday and, if required, Sunday nights.

If you’re a betting person, you might slide $1 on the third game being needed.

Every time the two teams have met this season, they’ve had split weekends — Stampede coach Cam Frear notes his team’s won every Friday night game, and the Thunder has taken the ‘W’ every Saturday.

If that happens next weekend, it’ll be the first time since 2015 the third game’s been required — on that occasion, Stampede lost the first game to Canterbury, then won the following two to secure their first national title.

Of the upcoming battle, Frear says “in terms of a match-up, as well, it probably doesn’t get much better”.

“Dunedin are a pretty high-octane offence.

“They have a lot of offensively-skilled guys, so they never have trouble scoring goals.”

As far as the Stampede goes, though, Frear says he’s “super-relieved and pretty happy” with the turnaround last Saturday.

“Instead of playing not to lose, we played to win and, if it didn’t go our way, we were willing to live with it.

“You know, even after we lost the first game, people asked me if I yelled at the team, and it wasn’t really a need — it wasn’t an effort thing for us; it was just a bit of a mindset.”

They’ll be taking that mindset into next weekend’s finals series, while also leaning on their proven form in pressure situations, hoping to lift the Birgel Cup for the 11th time.

“It’s going to be … exciting.

“I think one of the things is you look at the two teams and it’s probably been a bit of a collision course all year … [and] if you’re going to be the best, you want to beat the best.”

While Max Macharg’s nursing an injury he sustained on Friday night, Frear’s confident he’ll be fighting fit again by finals, while Axel Ruski-Jones flew back from Sydney, where he’s just started uni, for last weekend’s games, and will do the same for next weekend.

“That level of commitment, you just don’t see it in many places … it’s pretty cool.”

Tickets for next Friday and Saturday nights games went on sale at noon yesterday, via store.icehockey.co.nz

tracey.roxburgh@scene.co.nz