Northstars defeat top of the table Lightning

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The Northstars faced a character-building game at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium defeating the league leaders Brisbane Lightning 8-5.
 
At the end of the first period, the score sat equally at 2-2. The second period saw seven goals scored, with Brisbane leading 3-5 early in the period, but the Northstars fought back to go to the break leading 6-5. In the final period of the game, the Northstars goals remained unanswered with Riley Klugerman the sole goal scorer, resulting in the Northstars 8-5 victory over the Lightning.
 
Associate Coach David Ferrari reflected, “There was a lot of adversity, and we’re still short-handed, missing some guys. So that combined with us getting on the back foot down by two with all the emotion in the game, to fight through that and win convincingly was really character building”.
 
“Brisbane really dug the best out of us, they came here to play, and they really showed up”.
 
“We have great leadership on the team, and we hand it over to them, and they got the job done. Credit to Brisbane. That’s the best and toughest test we’ve had this year, and it drew the best from us.”
 
“We can tidy up defensively. Giving up five goals isn’t something we want to be doing. We will stick with the process and keep working on those areas.”
 
“We’re still finding our identity a little bit, and I thought our character to come back tonight showed the type of effort and commitment we have across the board. Everybody had some of their best outings tonight, but we’ll keep working and clean up some areas and come back better,” said Head Coach Kevin Noble.
 
“Everyone chipped in tonight, and everyone played hard. No one backed down, and it was good to see us come back from two goals down. When behind, we stick to our game plan, and tonight was really a character win for the boys,” said Alternate Captain Patrick Nadin with a smile on his face.
 
A gusty effort from Daniel Berno saw him contribute to the scoresheet in period two, sharing “All the guys on our team are professionals. We did what we had to do, kept our composure, came together as a team, and got the job done.”
 
“Everyone put their body on the line, picked their shots, blocked shots, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. That is a big win for us.”
 
Newest Northstar Tanner Butler spoke with a big grin, “That felt great, it was a big team effort, and it always is playing the first-place team. We have to come ready to play. I didn’t know what to expect from them, but it was a big team effort to get the win.”
 
“Whenever you come back from two goals down, it’s huge for the team and a momentum booster. The crowd was great, they’re loud, and it helps us so much, especially when they start chanting ‘Let’s go Northstars’. It always gets us amped up.”
 
The Northstars will play at home next weekend against Adelaide Adrenaline on Sunday 4^th June at 4.00 pm. Tickets are available at northstars.thundertix.com