Northstars Claim Two Wins in Powerful Weekend On and Off the Ice
- intouch Magazine
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
It was a weekend of high emotion and high performance for the Newcastle Northstars, who secured back-to-back wins defeating the Melbourne Mustangs 7–4 on Saturday night, and edging out Perth Thunder 3–2 in overtime on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, over 800 people gathered at Speers Point Park for the Hunter leg of the Walk to Defeat MND. With Luke Doré and Vaughan Christie - two Northstars community members living with the disease - front of mind, the club rallied to help raise over $150,000 for research and awareness.
Saturday’s win saw Newcastle explode out of the gates with first-period goals from Kim Tallberg (2), Francis Drolet and captain Liam Manwarring. Additional goals from Wehebe Darge and Casey Kubara extended the lead, while Tallberg secured a hat-trick in the final period.
“We started really well and had a really good first period, and that changes the game,” said Manwarring. “It was a good game.”
The night also marked a successful debut for new goalie Horrance Cheung. “He played very well tonight,” Manwarring added.
“It’s good to have him and Charlie [Smart] working in tandem.”
Coach Kevin Noble praised the squad's performance, saying,“When you have your best guys being your best guys... you’re going to win a lot of hockey games,” he said. “The pace of play was really fast, and our finish was really good.”
Sunday’s game was tighter. After a scoreless first period, Perth struck twice before Newcastle responded through Tallberg and Kubara. The game went to overtime, where Yevgeni Skachkov sealed the win with just 50 seconds left.
“That’s a massive win,” said Manwarring. “With the day we had as a club, it means a lot. We stuck together, and that shows we’re made for playoffs.”
Noble credited the team’s grit, saying, “Some of the desperation in the plays was really strong,” he said. “In a night that’s about Luke, it was important to get the win for him. That’s the story.”
The Northstars are back home next weekend for another double-header on Saturday 28 June vs Melbourne Ice, followed by Sunday 29 June vs Canberra Brave.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.northstars.thundertix.com.
