Double win in the capital for Newcastle Northstars

Credit: Paul Furness

The Escadia Newcastle Northstars have secured six points in Canberra this weekend, defeating the Brave 6-1 on Saturday and 4-3 on Sunday.

The opening round at the AIS Arena for Canberra Brave, the Northstars played in the first full bowl arena in Australia for the Australian Ice Hockey League. On Saturday night, each of the six goals were scored by different players, emphasising the depth of the 2026 squad. Goal scorers across the two days were: Yevgeni Skachkov (2), Akihide Watanabe (2), Liam Ryan, Patrick Nadin, Santieri Haarala, Riley Klugerman (2), and Francis Drolet.

On the back of a big win Saturday, Alternate Captain Francis Drolet reflected on coming into Sunday's game.

"We knew they weren't going to come out and play a soft game at home after a big game yesterday, so it wasn't going to be easy, and of course, it gives us confidence when we can close games like that, with a big goal from Skachkov (to secure the win)."

Drolet also credited the team's approach to testing Canberra's goaltender. "(Tetreault) is a good goalie, so taking away his eyes adds difficulty for him, giving us better odds of scoring."

The alternate captain was equally pleased with the statement the team had made on the road.

"It's always nice to beat Canberra, especially in their own rink. Feels good as a group that we can show we can win big games back-to-back. Shows character. Good coaching and good execution from the players. Trnka making big saves again, always keeps us in the games and gives us confidence."

Looking ahead, Drolet was bullish on the team's prospects. "The vibes are high, and if we show up to play big games, we are hard to beat."

Head Coach Kevin Noble was similarly satisfied with the weekend result.

"Anytime you go on the road, and you come away with a weekend sweep, you'll take that every time. It's not an easy place to play. It's tight quarters in that rink. It's a good atmosphere for fans and a cool venue, but it's a tough rink for the players on both sides of the puck."

Noble highlighted the character his side showed across the two games. "It was a physical game, that tested character and will. It was tough and our guys showed a tremendous amount of character this weekend."

The coach reserved special praise for goaltender Matus Trnka. "This year Matus (Trnka) is playing exceptional hockey. He is the best goalie in the league and there would be nobody that could tell me otherwise. When you have a goalie behind you that's playing as well as Matus is, with the commitment he has and the amount of work he puts into his game, you play with less stress as a team in front of him."

"You build from the back-end out, and if your back-end is good, the rest often takes care of itself and you have an opportunity to win. This year we have that, and we're only getting better," Noble added.

The Northstars remain on the road next weekend when they play Brisbane Lightning in Boondall on the 23rd and 24th May. They return home to Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Saturday 30th May against Brisbane Lightning. Tickets are already sold out — the game is streamed live on AIHL.TV. Noble had a word of warning ahead of the trip north.

"It doesn't get any easier next weekend, it's a hard place to play and a hard place to go. It's going to be another tough weekend and the guys are looking good."