The defending champion was handed a shock loss and stripped of its coveted challenge shield by University Blue last week and faced Kings in a last-round match that acted as a semifinal.
Albany had struggled to find crucial connections in that previous match and sorely missed the spark that gave it an ability to win in tense situations.
That spark returned with a vengeance for Albany as its passes found the receiver once again, and it was rewarded with an early lead when Jack Gilbert converted a penalty corner.
Midfielder Dave Ross added to this tally two minutes later when his hard work earlier in the match was rewarded with a goal.
Albany's midfield stood out throughout the match and worked hard to create opportunities.
Ross got stuck into his work from the opening whistle and made his tackles count and Luke Cracroft-Wilson followed suit and put his body on the line to win the ball for his team.
Kings striker Rhuebyn Prattley looked like a man on a mission and fought hard to create numerous chances to claw back the deficit, but he could not get through Albany's strong defence to close the gap before halftime.
Kings' attack looked much stronger in the second half and made Albany's defence work, but it continued to hold firm.
However, after 20 minutes of persistence, Morgan McLean scored for Kings to reduce the deficit and gave his side a sniff of a chance.
The two sides traded unsuccessful penalty corner attempts late in the match, but the defence held firm and the match ended 2-1 to Albany to give the defending champion a shot at its fourth consecutive title against University Blue next week.
Albany player-coach Nick Elder said a better collective effort, better ball control and not as many turnovers were the difference for his side compared with the challenge shield match.
He also hailed the defensive efforts of Josh Smith and Johnny Thorn, which helped save some crucial goals.
Kings player-coach James Nation said although he was pleased with the way his side played over the season, the loss reflected their season as a whole.
''One mistake is all it takes against a team like that. It takes one or two things, but we were just not clinical enough. We were always almost there.''
In the other premier 1 match, University Blue beat University Black 5-0 in the final battle of the students. In premier 2 results, Taieri Tuataras beat University Seals 6-2 and KETOB A claimed a 7-1 win over Taieri B.
KETOB and the Tuataras will face off in the premier 2 final next Saturday.
