New Zealand have been denied an ice hockey Test series win over Australia, going down in a heartbreaking shootout to lose the third and deciding fixture in Queenstown.
The Mighty Roos held their nerve against the Ice Blacks after the scores were locked 3-3 at fulltime.
The game went into five minutes of three-on-three overtime which failed to produce a goal, forcing a shootout which Australia won 2-0 to secure the Trans-Tasman Challenge Trophy.
The Ice Blacks set the series alight with a 4-1 win in the opener, just their second defeat of the Mighty Roos in 30 years of matches.
Australia won the second match 2-0 and their series-clincher was their 16th win over New Zealand.
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The final Test also brought the curtain down the 16-day Winter Games, featuring a host of international class winter sport at various South Island venues.
Ice hockey hadn't featured at the Winter Games since 2011 but chief executive Arthur Klap is keen for it to remain on the schedule.
"It's something we had in our initial planning, but it has taken until now to make it come to fruition," he said.
"We all hope that this is something we can grow over the years."
The 2000-seat Queenstown Ice Arena was sold out for all three matches.
