Northstars Derby Victory

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The Northstars were victorious at home against the Central Coast Rhinos, travelling up the M1 for this matchup.
 
A Northstars favourite, Francis Drolet, scored a hat-trick, including the opening goal of the game and landing two others early in the third period. On the Rhinos performance, Drolet shared, “They are improving as a team, and we can’t take them lightly. If we do, they’ll score.”
 
“I don’t think we played the full 60 minutes and had to deal with so many penalties. We want to work on our PK, but not that much (he laughed). There were also moments when things got away, so we still have stuff to work on.”
 
 “I don’t think about my personal stats. I just really like scoring in front of the home crowd and getting the boys fired up on the bench. It helps the team relax, and then we make better plays.”
 
Halfway into the second period, newest import Tanner Butler scored his first goal for the team and in the Australian Ice Hockey League, “It feels so good. Obviously, coming into a new team, all the Aussies have made me feel welcome, so it made it a little bit easier to step onto the ice and get that first goal out of my way.”
 
“The crowd were unbelievable. The fans are rowdy, and it’s always fun to play in front of a crowd like that.”
 
Head coach Kevin Noble shared, “As I said to the guys, I am happy with the three points, and at the end of the day, the goal is to win.”
 
“I loved parts of our game tonight, but there were still some things that need to be cleaned up and some lapses in detail we need to work on.”
 
Moving forward, the Northstars will be looking to “clean up our D zone and to continue being more clinical on finishing around the net. Focusing on more detail in the neutral zone structure and forecheck, we can anticipate more plays and opportunities.”
 
Tim Stanger scored the game's final goal in the final minutes, landing him a birthday goal, “We had to work hard tonight. They came out flying, that took us back, and we lifted to match.”
 
“It felt good to get a goal in front of my family, and I loved every minute of it. It was 100% one of my best games.”
 
“Next weekend is a big weekend at home against Brisbane, who are gritty and know how to compete. They’re going to bring two competitive and solid hockey games, and we’ll have a lot on our hands,” stated Noble.
 
The Northstars will face Saint John’s University Johnnies, their NCAA Division 3 team, tomorrow night. Noble stated, “They’re going to have a lot of pace to their game, and they’re going to have a lot of structure and skill. I expect them to be very good, and we will have to play our absolute best, and it will be a great test.”