The Newcastle Northstars sit atop the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) following back-to-back victories in the nation’s capital at the weekend.
It comes after the local outfit secured all six points against the Canberra Brave, via 6-1 and 4-3 triumphs respectively.
In the opening clash on Saturday, each of the goals were scored by different players, emphasising the depth within the squad.
Yevgeni Skachkov, Akihide Watanabe, Liam Ryan, Patrick Nadin, Santieri Haarala and Riley Klugerman all found their way past the hosts’ goalie.
The Sunday showdown, however, went down to the wire.
But, Skachkov, Watanabe, Klugerman and Francis Drolet stood tall when it counted.
“Any time you go on the road, and you come away with a weekend sweep, you’ll take it every day,” head coach Kevin Noble said.
“It’s not an easy place to play; it’s tight quarters in that rink.
“AIS Arena is good atmosphere for fans and a cool venue.
“However, it’s a tough rink for the players on both sides of the puck.
“And, although it was difficult, the guys showed a tremendous amount of character.”
Noble also extolled the virtues of Newcastle No. 32 Matus Trnka.
“He’s playing exceptional hockey this year,” he said.
“He is the best goalie in the league and there wouldn’t be anyone who could tell me otherwise.
“When you have someone behind you that’s playing as well as Matus is, with the commitment he has and the amount of work he puts into his game, you play with less stress as a team in front of him.
“You build from the back end out and, if your back end is good, the rest often takes care of itself.”
The Northstars now face Brisbane Lightning in Boondall on 23 and 24 May.
They return home to Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Saturday 30 May against the same opponent.
That fixture is already sold out.
“It doesn’t get any easier next weekend,” Noble said.
“It is a hard place to play and a hard place to go.
“It’s going to be another tough weekend… but the guys are looking good.”
For more sports stories:
- The hardest battle local league star Chad O’Donnell ever tackled
- Warners Bay teen breaks Ian Thorpe’s swimming record
- GALLERY… Milligan ‘extremely proud’ of his Box Office Jets
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
