Northstars continue winning streak on the road

---

 
On the weekend, the Northstars secured another 3 points on the ladder against the Sydney Ice Dogs with lone unanswered goals in the first and second period, and three in the third with a single goal from the Ice Dogs, resulting in their 5-1 victory.
 
This game clinched the Northstars' spot in the playoff’s series, with all upcoming games still to determine final ladder positions. In such a competitive season, we will eagerly watch games every week to see the final standings ahead of the first round of finals on August 19 in Newcastle and August 20 in Melbourne. 
 
On August 19th, a play-in final will be at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium. The winner of this game will then move through to the semi-final on the following weekend in Melbourne. 
 
The Northstars now look ahead to their road trip to Adelaide, where they will play against the Adrenaline on July 15th and 16th.
I spoke with Head Coach Kevin Noble about the weekend, finals, and their upcoming game:
 
Head Coach Kevin Noble shared, “(Sydney is) a tough place to play, and when we go to Sydney, we’re always fortunate to get three points against them.”
 
“With the penalties sitting at seven to one, we spent a lot of time short-handed, but we played well and were the better team, so I believe we deserved the win.”
 
“We work on our Penalty Kill a lot, and we talk about it, and even our powerplay was good – and it’s special teams that win a hockey game, and that is what we did.”
 
“We were able to kill off penalties and capitalise on power plays, but we need to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. As much as that is proving difficult, we need to work on the reasons within our control.”
 
“Road trips are a great opportunity for the guys to hang out and spend time together away from home. With commitments outside of hockey, they don’t get to spend much time together when we’re at home, so on the road, they get closer and bond and enjoy each other's company.”
 
“We should match up very well going down to Adelaide on the weekend but when you’re on the road in another team’s arena anything can happen, and you have to find a way to bring your best.”
 
“For us, it’s not about the wins and losses now, we’re into the playoffs and it’s about making sure we’re in the right place and doing what we need to do to win the grand final, and we know that we have the team that can be there in the end.”
 
“We have a lot of work to do as we approach finals, but over the last month there’s been a ton of progress in our game both systematically and in terms of consistency.”
 
“In response to Zane, we are disappointed in the suspension decision. The Club made the decision to appeal this decision after we were informed by the league late Friday afternoon that a request for review was issued by the management and organization of the likely last-place Hellyer conference finishers, Melbourne Ice.  We look forward to Zane being back on the ice." 
 
The Northstars head to Adelaide next weekend for two games against the Adrenaline.