Arguably the most breathtaking of those was Sunday's semi-final between the Canberra Chill and HC Melbourne, which was decided by the only goal of the game, scored in a penalty shootout.

"It was a very tough match, as expected," Crookwell local and Chill player Jess Smith said.

"I think Melbourne went in quite confident, we were the underdogs and we came out a little harder than them so they were a bit taken off their feet.

"They stuck it to us in the second half, we both had our opportunities but neither of us could convert."

The back-and-forth stalemate continued until the end of the match, which sent the teams into a shootout.

HC Melbourne's goalkeeper, Rachael Lynch, pulled off some "amazing" saves, Smith said, and Canberra's keeper, Sakiyo Asano, was very nearly as good.

"Melbourne's keeper [Lynch] is Australia's keeper, so she's outstanding," she said.

"They made some amazing saves in the shootouts. I think Madi Radcliffe scored hers on a retake so she had two goes."

To lose such a nailbiting encounter broke the hearts of the Chill players, but Smith said the team quickly united once in the changerooms.

"Obviously we were disappointed, not getting the win but coming so close," she said.

"After having a bit of a chat and cooling down, we had a few drinks to celebrate how far we did come."

Canberra's 2019 season is certainly one to celebrate. Having finished third in the final edition of the Australian Hockey League, hopes were high for the Chill women.

After a bright start to their campaign, the Chill struggled to continue their form.

In a new-look competition, it was hard to know exactly what to expect, but Smith said the team is pleased with its efforts.

"Obviously you want to go through and get as far as you can, and with the Hockeyroos out for most of the games, and Canberra being a small territory against the bigger states, I think we did really well," she said.

HC Melbourne will play the Brisbane Blaze in the women's grand final this Saturday, November 16, from 4pm. It will be preceded by the men's final between NSW Pride and Brisbane at 2pm.