Northstars continue to hold the top spot

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The Newcastle Northstars remain on top of the Rurak conference ladder after splitting points over the weekend.
 
On Saturday night, the team travelled to Canberra, where they were defeated 3-7 by the Brave.
 
Northstars defenceman Ethan Hawes reflected on the matchup against Canberra, sharing, “Credit to Canberra, they played a really good game and played well structurally, and we lost a lot of one-on-one battles that you can’t get away with in a small rink like that. Canberra were ready to play, and they capitalised on our mistakes, and that’s what it came down to.”
 
Associate coach Dave Ferrari shared his thoughts on the game in Canberra “They just capitalised late in both the first and second periods. I mean, I thought we had a great start to the game, hung in there with them, actually missed some really key scoring chances, and just couldn't quite bury, which would have given us or let us build on that lead. The score doesn’t really reflect the game, but we’re actually really happy with it.”
 
The team bounced back in front of a sold-out home crowd to win 3-2 over the Brisbane Lightning Sunday night.
 
On Sunday night, the Northstars celebrated the life of Alicia Keddie, who sadly passed away at age 37 from cancer. The applause from the crowd and stick taps from the players on the ice was a beautiful tribute to a fan who loved the Northstars. We send our condolences to all of Alicia’s friends and family.
 
Following this heart-warming tribute, the Northstars played a robust and fast game against Brisbane Lightning.
 
“It all starts from the back. Mitzy had a great game, and that helps a lot,” began Northstars Alternate Captain Francis Drolet, reflecting on the Sunday night matchup, “It’s nice to get the win, and the boys showed up; most of the game, it was five on 5, and everyone had to play a big role.”
 
“We have a lot of confidence within the group,” shared Hawes, “we have guys stepping up and realising they can compete at this level, and they’re just growing so much confidence.”
 
Ferrari shared his view " The powerplay has been carrying us a little, and our depth is being tested. We’re so depleted, and our rookies are getting a lot of big minutes. Our veterans are teaching and leading the way while trying to contribute themselves. It's just a true team-depth effort, and it feels like they’re all clicking.”
 
Focusing on the youngest players on the team Hawes shared “Guys like Maliq, Mac, and Hunter are playing really well, and there is an aura of confidence in the room that everyone’s feeding off, and it’s lifting the group as a whole.”
 
“It’s fun to see that they’re learning and seeing them contribute to the team” shared Drolet on the young players “it gives us a little boost that we’re going somewhere as a team.”
 
With a tight challenge in the Rurak conference for a playoff spot Hawes shared the team's perspective “We’re aware of where we are in the standings at the moment, and our plan is to get the job done every night to keep our spot-on top.”
 
The strengths of the team can be seen in the rookies stepping up. At the same time, the Northstars have been injured, but there are strengths particularly in the special teams for the powerplay and penalty kill.
 
“It’s easy to say our powerplay’s been great because they’re scoring all the goals,” started Hawes, “but our penalty kill has been phenomenal. They work so hard for us, and I think that’s what makes our group great: we work hard in the not-pretty areas.”
 
As the Northstars continue growing from strength to strength with the rookies getting more ice time and our veterans healing and returning from injury, the run home to playoffs looks good for the Northstars.
 
Newcastle will travel to Adelaide for a doubleheader on the 6^th and 7^th of July. The challenge ahead is to come home with another 6 points to hold and secure their spot at the top of the Rurak conference ladder.
 
They will return home on Saturday, 13th July, to play Adelaide Adrenaline. Don’t miss your chance at tickets. Book now at northstars.thundertix.com