Newcastle Northstars clinch spot in AIHL finals

Credit: Jess Fuller

The Escadia Newcastle Northstars have officially secured their place in the 2026 AIHL Finals after a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Perth Thunder at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Sunday night.

In a physical contest featuring momentum swings at both ends of the ice, the Northstars overcame an early one-goal deficit to claim three valuable competition points and maintain top spot on the AIHL ladder. The win also sees Newcastle become one of the first teams to secure a place in this year's Finals.

Despite missing suspended forward Santeri Haarala, Newcastle produced a resilient team performance. Yevgenii Skachkov levelled the scores late in the second period before Francis Drolet gave the Northstars the lead just 11 seconds into the third. Riley Klugerman and Calvin Bright also found the back of the net as Newcastle held off a late Perth fightback to seal the victory.

Head Coach Kevin Noble said locking in a finals berth was a significant achievement, but one the group wasn't getting ahead of itself over.

"You make playoffs, you have a chance to win the final trophy, obviously. So to do that, it's huge," Noble said.

"Our group isn't celebrating making the playoffs tonight. It's sort of thinking, okay, you know, the job's not done."

Noble also had a word of caution for what lies ahead, with plenty still to play for across the competition before finals get underway.

"You can't let the standings fool you this time of year. Everybody's looking for points. They're trying to punch their tickets, so they'll be desperate. We'll have our hands full," he said.

For captain Liam Manwarring, ticking off the club's first objective of the season carries plenty of weight given how tightly contested the competition has been.

"Making the playoffs was our first team goal, so it's special to tick that off, especially in such a tight season. It's a credit to the players, the fans and everyone involved," Manwarring said.

"It's very special to clinch the playoffs."

The result continues an impressive 2026 campaign for the Northstars, who have already achieved the earliest complete home sell-out in club history, with every remaining game at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium sold out.

Newcastle now turns its attention to the final weekend of the regular season with a home-and-away series against the Sydney Ice Dogs before beginning its AIHL Finals campaign later this month.