Northstars secure 3 points against Adelaide at Home.

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On Sunday afternoon, the Newcastle Northstars secured 3 points at home in front of a sold-out crowd at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.
 
The Northstars defeated Adrenaline 11-2, launching fast in the first period with four goals from Riley Klugerman, Wehebe Darge, Daniel Berno and Francis Drolet to get the crowd on their feet and loud early.
 
Adrenaline scored early in the second period, but it didn’t last long, with Northstars’ Zane Jones, Josh Adkins and Daniel Berno extending the Northstars lead further.
 
The third period saw Klugerman, Drolet, Adkins and Jones all net their second goals to seal the Northstars 11 goals, with Adrenaline’s Brett Radford securing their second goal.
 
The capacity crowd lined up around the glass to celebrate the win, and head coach Kevin Noble smiled as he shared, “It was a good night, and what I liked about our game is that we were diligent in our approach to defence and keeping the puck out of our end. I thought we did that well.”
 
“Today we played more towards that 60minute style game, but now as we enter the second half of the year, we need to be diligent and dial into our attention to detail in terms of our neutral zone and our defensive zone, and getting into offensive opportunities are what will help make us successful and win”.
 
Captain Liam Manwarring reflected, “It’s nice to walk away with the points in front of a home crowd, but it was one of those games that were tough to keep up the momentum with our penalty minutes, which is something we will work on. But three points is three points, especially at home on a Sunday.”
 
“We changed a few things within the line-up, and I think it worked. Our penalty kill was really good tonight, which we’ve been working on. We are trying to be a strong defensive team and work our way out from there, and it’s something we’ll keep working on.”
 
“We did a good job of just keeping going, focusing on new linemates as we had a couple of different lines out tonight. On a one-game weekend for us, it’s a little bit easier for us, so we took advantage, and we love winning at home,” shared Francis Drolet.
 
“Every game starts to mean more, and as we progress towards the end of the season, these are the areas we need to be at our best,” continued Noble.
 
“Looking ahead to next weekend, both teams are in the mix trying to fight for a playoff spot, and they have guys on each team that are dangerous and threatening. We haven’t seen the Ice Dogs yet this year, and we have unfinished business with the Melbourne Ice. So we’ve got to be ready for both, but we will focus on the Ice Dogs and go from there”
 
“I don’t think we played a 60-minute game defensively. We had a couple of breakdowns, so we’ll focus on getting our sticks a little more in front of Charlie, who kept us in the game. We need to work defensively first because you know two goals is too many,” Drolet shared.
 
“We have a pretty big team in size and a big roster, too, so I think that will match them, and we’re in a good spot. The room feels good, and everyone’s bought into what we need to do, so I am excited about the doubleheader at home next weekend, as our home games have been so good this year. The crowd has been great, and we can’t wait to play in front of them again,” reflected Manwarring with a smile.