The Escadia Newcastle Northstars defeated the Melbourne Mustangs 8-1 on Saturday night and went down 5-7 to the Melbourne Ice on Sunday.
On Saturday night, the Northstars controlled the game with seven goals across the three periods before the Mustangs scored a sole consolation goal late in the third.
Momentum was in favour of Newcastle for the duration of the game, with limited shots and opportunities for the Mustangs. The Mustangs struggled all game and couldn’t break through the depth of Newcastle’s lines.
The momentum carried through to Sunday with the Northstars coming out strong against Melbourne Ice who have had a dominant season. A 3-1 lead at the end of the first period had fans on the edge of their seats. Second period saw the Ice fight back and equalise at 4-4 going into the second break.
Melbourne showcased their depth and skill scoring three goals to Northstars one goal in the third period to seal the victory.
Head Coach Kevin Noble shared, “Again, it was another game that was a gutsy effort. Going down there for the weekend and beating the Mustangs the way we did, it was a character win and our fifth in a row.”
“There were three massive parts of our team that weren’t available. [We were] without Kubat, Hawes and Annesley on Sunday night, and there’s no way to sugarcoat the minutes lost in those guys. It’s not a points thing, but a minutes played thing, and I think we just ran out of gas.”
“Our pace was good, the way we started both games and our pace through the neutral zone against the Mustangs and in our first period against the Ice. If we can play like that for close to a full 60, we’re going to be a hard team to compete with.”
“I think that our group found what makes us successful, and we played that way pretty well.”
The Northstars are on the road again next weekend and will play the Central Coast Rhinos at Erina Ice Arena. Puck drops at 3.30pm.
ADRENALINE
NORTHSTARS
BRAVE
ICE
MUSTANGS
THUNDER
LIGHTNING
RHINOS
