Northstars overpower Adrenaline as imports debut with force

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The Escadia Newcastle Northstars put on a strong display on Sunday night, defeating the Adelaide Adrenaline 6 goals to 1 at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.
 
The crowd were treated to a goal scoring frenzy with the Northstars’ lineup looking stronger and more filled out. With three imports landing earlier in the week, their debut boosted the team into match winning form.
 
Yevgeni Skachkov, Kim Tallberg, and Karel Kubat all made their marks on the game. Captain Liam Manwarring shared, “It’s good to finally have a full room of guys, they’ve [all our imports] arrived and fit straight in. All four are really professional. It’s good for our young guys and our whole room, and the way they played the game showed tonight.”
 
The imports left a mark on the game. Veteran import Francis Drolet finished with two goals and one assist, Skachkov helped with two assists, and Tallberg scored two goals and added one assist. This all heavily contributed to the 6-1 defeat of Adelaide.
 
In period one, despite being down a player, Drolet and Tallberg both scored short-handed to give the home side a 2-0 lead. In the second period, Darge and Liam Ryan (one of Newcastle’s dual Australian/Canadian citizens) extended the lead to 4-0.
 
“The penalty kill was good, not just because of the shorthanded goals, but something we talked about before the game was our PK and structure and really trying to get better there,” Head Coach Kevin Noble shared.
 
“Our penalty kill was obviously a huge factor in the game,” continued Noble. “If you win special team battles, you usually win the game. Our PK was excellent, and it was more urgent and more aggressive. In the second period, we spent six minutes on the penalty kill; it took us out of rhythm a bit, but I felt like the hockey gods were on our side, as we still got a lot of good looks.”
 
Nathaniel Benson scored for Adelaide Adrenaline early in the third, getting on the board, but Drolet and Tallberg would score again to secure the victory. Both the Northstar goals in the third period would come while on a powerplay.
 
Manwarring reflected on the team’s performance: “We’ve worked really hard this week on special teams; I thought the highlight of tonight was our penalty kill. It was aggressive. Everyone bought into the systems. We watched some video during the week and practised it and it really paid off.”
 
“It’s only just the start, and it’s going to get better and better. It’s their first game, and we haven’t even found our full chemistry yet. I’m excited,” shared Manwarring.
 
“This was the first night of our current group,” shared Noble. “Things will change and [we will] adjust line combinations and structure as we go. But this was the first night of us really together, so it’s kind of like the first day at school. Everybody’s getting to know each other.”


The Northstars are away next weekend in Adelaide on the 24^th and 25^th May.
 
Newcastle return home on Saturday, June 7^th vs Canberra Brave and Sunday, June 8^th vs Melbourne Ice.