Standing Room Only: Fans Fill the Rink for Final Home Game

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The Escadia Newcastle Northstars defeated Adelaide Adrenaline 6-4 at home on Saturday night, but were defeated 4-7 by Canberra Brave while away on Sunday.
 
The Northstars ended their last home game for the season in style, fighting back from 1-4 down to win 6-4 in front of a sellout crowd.
 
Newcastle were trailing until late in the second period when Hunter Ellen would get the team and the crowd on their feet. Scoring his first AIHL career goal at home triggered an avalanche of five unanswered goals to defeat Adelaide.
 
The last home game of the season is always special for Newcastle, with the annual family photo taken on the ice with everyone joining the players at centre ice.
 
Captain Liam Manwarring shared, “The start was terrible, but we’re a team that loves a challenge. We put ourselves in that hole and we dragged ourselves out of it.”
 
“It’s about the fans tonight. The last one of the year. Every year gets better and bigger, and everyone involved, all the volunteers and fans, do such a great job, and it’s so good to be a part of.”
 
Reflecting on Ellen’s first goal, Manwarring continued: “The room went crazy, the bench went crazy. He’s a dedicated kid, he works hard, and he listens to all our coaching staff. I’m surprised it took this long. It’s great because his game is such a different thing from scoring being on defence, and he’s played very well this year, and he’s been our best young guy this year.”
 
On Sunday, the Northstars were on the road to AIS Arena to face the Canberra Brave. Newcastle came out fast with a 4-1 lead. But fortunes were reversed on the Sunday, as  Canberra would score late in the second and dominate the third period to win 4-7.
 
Head Coach Kevin Noble reflected on the team’s efforts: “We’ve got to get to the net in hard areas, have a shooting mentality and take eyes away. From that creativity opens up and flows. I think when we’re playing with this clinical, direct, simplistic sort of approach, it allows your skill as our top-end guys to flourish and make plays that other guys can’t make in those situations.”
 
“Our speed through the neutral zone got better, we started playing faster, and we started playing with some urgency in our game.”
 
“Hockey is a game of multiple in a row, long travel, hard trips, and you have to be able to bring it. That’s just hockey.”
 
“Hockey is an everyday thing, it’s a grind, and it’s arduous. That’s what makes it so hard to play and so rewarding for the guys that can play it. There’s a level of compete and attrition that makes the sport beautiful.”
 
“It’s just another game. You get on the bus and go down to Canberra, and you have to be ready to go. Being their last home game, we expected the best from them.”
 
Newcastle has the weekend off before heading to Brisbane for their final games of the regular season to face the Lightning at home on the 23^rd and 24^th of August.