Haarala's 0.6-Second Winner | Northstars Stun Ice Dogs in Thriller
- intouch Magazine
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Escadia Newcastle Northstars have bounced back from Saturday night's heartbreaking defeat to the Sydney Ice Dogs, securing a dramatic 4-3 victory at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium after Santeri Haarala scored with just 0.6 seconds remaining.
Newcastle entered Sunday's clash looking to respond after surrendering a three-goal lead in Saturday's 5-4 loss at Macquarie Ice Rink.
The Northstars made the perfect start on home ice, with defenceman Brian Funes scoring early to give Newcastle the advantage. Sydney fought back to level the contest in the second period, with both Matus Trnka and Ryan Burroughs standing tall between the pipes.
A five-on-three power play gave Newcastle its opportunity in the third, with Wehebe Darge scoring his second of the night to restore the Northstars' lead. Sydney answered again to level the scores at 3-3, setting up a tense finish.
With just 0.6 seconds remaining, Haarala fired the puck past Burroughs to send the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium crowd into celebration and seal a stunning 4-3 victory.
"It was just awesome," says Santeri Haarala.
The win provided the perfect response to Saturday's result and capped off a memorable weekend for Newcastle, which also celebrated Francis Drolet's 150th AIHL appearance.
"Francis Drolet is the heart and soul. He's a natural leader. He does things for us that no one even knows about behind the scenes," says Captain Liam Manwarring.
Manwarring also reflected on the toughness of the competition as the season progresses, and paid tribute to the home crowd.
"I've learned that as the season gets deeper, things get much tougher in this league," says Manwarring.
"Huge shout out to the fans. That was the loudest I've ever heard," he says.
Head Coach Kevin Noble described the win as a potentially pivotal moment in the Northstars' season.
"Truthfully, probably a season saving, three points in some fashion. I think you'll look back and be like, well, it's really fortunate. We got those points because we're going to need them," says Noble.
"We're going to need all hands-on deck, and the good news about our group is that they've always risen up to their competition level," he says.
The Northstars face Canberra Brave on Saturday 15 August and Perth Thunder on Sunday 16 August.
