Newcastle Northstars mid-season report card – Current rating: On Track for Season Goals
The Newcastle Northstars sit atop the Rurak conference as we reach the midway point of the season.
Starting the season with a full line up created a stronger start for the Northstars. With imports Francis Drolet, Aiden Wagner and Matthieu Desaultes available from game one, it created a contrast to previous years when Newcastle would often start the season waiting for imports to arrive and depleted with players in the National team.
Head Coach Kevin Noble shared, “Anytime you’re in first place in your conference, there’s a lot to feel good about, especially in a very competitive league. I’m pleased where we’re sitting and we are on track to meet our goals and expectations at year-end to finish first in our conference and put ourselves in the best chance to be successful in the playoffs.”
At the time of writing, Northstars have suffered a number of injuries in the midway point of the season with some crucial members of the team out for a number of weeks, giving rookies and younger team members more ice time and a chance to step up.
Room for Improvement
While the Northstars have shown great teamwork and adaptability to changes in their line-up and injuries, they have identified a weakness in their performance during the second period. This is an area they are actively working on to improve.
Looking at the season so far, the Northstars period goal differential currently sits at: Period 1 GDF 0.938 | Period 2 GDF -0.438 | Period 3 GDF 0.500, highlighting that period 2 is their weakest.
The Northstars have welcomed Mitsuaki Inoui in the last fortnight to bolster the goalie line-up and develop local talent, and in that time, we have seen Charlie Smart record a .953 and a .962 from two games played vs Perth.
Newcastle with 27 points are 9 points ahead of Lightning and Brave who trail on the ladder each with 18 points.
On the road for the majority of the second half of the season, some key games to win will include the road trips to both Brisbane and Adelaide, and bringing home full points for those same-conference match ups.
Key Performers so far
Francis Drolet
Available from the start of the season, Drolet contributed three goals in the opening match against Canberra Brave, which resulted in a 7-3 victory.
Drolet was added to the leadership group for 2024, and his performance on the ice emphasises why. His calm nature, along with his natural game intuition, finds the centreman always where he needs to be for his linemates and, more often than not, in the best position to collect a pass or rebound for a good shooting opportunity.
Drolet sits atop the Northstars’ stats with 11 goals, 24 assists – and 35 points overall, and sits in 4th in the AIHL points leaders.
Daniel Berno
Daniel Berno’s cool-headed nature has been what the Northstars have needed this season, often opening the scoring for Newcastle, scoring the game-winning goals or dominating the score sheet, including a hattrick in a 4-3 victory over the Sydney Ice Dogs.
He will help lift the team and the momentum while also starting the home crowd chants, giving the Northstars the push they need to overcome their opponent.
Speaking to Berno about his timing to score, he shared, “That’s what I’m here for, to score goals and as many as possible.”
Berno sits second in the Northstars’ stats with 13 goals, 14 assists – and 27 points overall.
Aiden Wagner
Aiden Wagner joined the Northstars for the first part of the season while the organisation waited for their other imports to become available, and he cemented his place in the hearts of the fans and the league quickly.
His ability to control the puck and fly through the opposition to create opportunities at the net helped get the Northstars season underway strong with points in every game.
Playing very offensively for a defenceman, Wagner remains in third place (at the time of writing) for Northstars’ stats with 7 goals, 19 assists, and 26 points overall.
In spite of finishing his time in the league, he remained in the top five points leaders through week seven of the season, replaced by Joey Hughes in week 8.
Best Wins So Far (yes, 3)
At this point in the season, the Northstars have a 3-0 series with Canberra Brave.
The first match-up at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium (HISS) saw the Northstars win 7-3 in front of a capacity crowd.
Game two of the series saw the Northstars travel to the Brave Cave and break the 2547-day curse with a 6-2 victory on April 27.
Game three was a 4-2 victory to Newcastle at home at HISS in front of another sold-out crowd, and game four will be played in Canberra on June 29th.
These same-conference wins were crucial points for the Northstars, with the Brave becoming more highly competitive and chasing down their position on the Rurak table.
Expectations for the remainder of the season
The Northstars’ main goal will be to stay at the top of the Rurak conference and go into the playoffs in the strongest position possible. With players recovering from injury, many players have had to step up and fill those gaps for the team.
Noble shared his thoughts following the weekend against Canberra Brave and Sydney Bears on the 26th May stating, “The first half we’ve had an exceptional buy-in and a lot of good hockey. We’ve been pretty consistent for the most part, and certainly some standouts.”
“Guys that have had exceptional starts to the season, and as a coach, I’m pleased with where we’re at, and I think there’s a lot of progress, and we need to get better in a lot of areas to be ready for playoffs. But it’s hard to look and say that we aren’t pleased with where we’re at.”
“I’m certainly enjoying this year’s hockey, and I’m looking forward to the rest of it. As a team, we’ve played really well structurally, and I think our guys believe they can be comfortable in the close games and that we will be successful in those scenarios.”
At the time of writing, the Northstars have faced the Perth Thunder three times with close games and Melbourne Ice in the last 2 weeks, resulting in four losses. Talking to the team they are retaining their focus and looking ahead to the upcoming weekend vs Sydney Bears and Central Coast Rhinos with optimism.
For more stories, news and analysis from the AIHL, please check out Hockey Hype Australia’s AIHL News section.
For AIHL stats and standings, please visit AIHL official and Elite Prospects.
Leave a Reply