Grab Your Skates... Hockey’s Back For 2021!
The Newcastle Northstars will return to top-tier ice hockey in 2021, joining fellow AIHL teams the Sydney Ice Dogs and the CBR Brave for a COVID-safe competition to be known as the Mick McCormack Cup, presented by the AIHL.
Opening night sees our Northstars back on the ice and taking on Canberra Brave at home (Hunter Ice Skating Stadium, Warners Bay) on Sunday 9 May, and it looks set to be a fiery encounter between the long term rivals. This will be the first of sixteen games for the Northstars, with the final match of the season to be held 22 August in Canberra.
All up, there will be eight regular season home games played at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium for the Newcastle squad, consisting of three Saturday night games (start time 5pm) and five Sunday night games (start time 4pm).
Two exhibition matches against the Sydney Bears will also be played at home, the first on 5 June, followed by 7 August. Sydney Bears are otherwise unavailable to compete in the McCormack Cup due to circumstances beyond their control.
CBR Brave will play out of their regular home in Phillips, ACT, while the Ice Dogs will be based closer than usual, playing from Erina Ice World on the Central Coast.
Northstars GM Garry Doré believes the fierce rivalries between the three teams will fuel a gripping competition featuring the best of local talent.
“The McCormack Cup competition will feature the rivalries and action we’ve been missing since the pandemic affected us a year ago in March 2020,” said Doré.
“Newcastle has such a great core of local players and veterans that will make us very tough to beat.
“The McCormack Cup allows us to continue playing top-tier hockey in front of fans, keeps our players sharp and develops our talent for the expected return of a full AIHL season in 2022.”
The Newcastle Rescue Northstars are six times National Champions (winning the AIHL competition in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, and 2016) and have been Grand Finalists a further six times, making them Newcastle's most successful team at a National level.
In addition to professional Ice Hockey, Hunter Ice Skating Stadium also offers "Drop-In" Hockey, which is a more social form of play for experienced players, getting together weekly for an informal game of Hockey.
If you're interested in learning to play this fast and exciting team sport, you can go along to Ice Hockey School on Monday nights. Join skillied instructors from NSA Hockey on the ice from 5:45pm, where participants of all ability levels will learn the skills required to play ice hockey.
At each session, beginners will focus on the remedial skills such as skating, backward skating, crossovers, stopping and basic stick handling and puck control. Developing players who have mastered the basics will be invited to move to the "Play the Game" group to tackle more advanced techniques such as shooting, defending, attacking, passing drills and advanced techniques. Ice Hockey School is for all ages and skill levels, male and female. At the end of each ten-week section (based around school terms), players will be appraised on the skills they have acquired.
Players deemed to have "passed" Learn to Play will be invited to join a team in the local competition.
For Northstars tickets, visit www.northstars.hockey, and for more information about playing hockey, visit
