Northstars back in the win column

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The Newcastle Northstars defeated the Sydney Ice Dogs 4-3 in regulation time on Saturday evening at Macquarie Ice Rink.
 
A quiet first period for both teams saw the momentum build in period two. Sydney Ice Dogs opened the scoring, but Daniel Berno responded 32 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1. 
 
Assistant Coach David Ferrari shared, “I don’t think it was entertaining, but it was definitely better. There were a lot of uneventful shifts piled on top of each other, which is what we were aiming for.”
 
 
With 3 minutes remaining in the second period, Francis Drolet found the back of the net to secure Northstars’ second goal and give them a 2-1 lead at the break. 
 
The Ice Dogs came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the third, scoring two goals to put the home team ahead 2-3.
 
Daniel Berno would be the night's hero, scoring two unanswered goals to secure the 4-3 victory for the Northstars and give us our first win after a tough weekend at home last week.
 
“Berno got us going with that first goal, and then got himself two more at the end of the game, shifting the team's momentum.” Dave Ferrari praised Berno for helping turn the tide for the Northstars.
 
“It’s nice to go ahead and put that together, it puts a little confidence on the team and for myself and I felt like I was due,” Shared Berno. “The team has put in a lot of work. We’ve buckled down really hard this week and battled a lot. We drilled into our heads that we must get out there and perform every minute.”
 
“Obviously, things happen during games,” Berno continued, “but when you overcome it, it’s nice to know you put the extra work into practice.”
 
“The guys follow him,” Ferrari began about Berno’s hattrick, “he’s a guy who really cares and being on a losing streak doesn’t sit well with him, so he steps up and the guys follow.”
 
Ferarri continued, “We defended better as a team, Charlie played well and with the new guys on defence it brings a different element in the way we defend. Again, probably a little less entertaining but it was a better defensive game and our special teams are continuing to click and work together.
 
“If we can keep working on the special teams, and being good defensively, it’s the recipe that’s going to have us get success at the end of the year.”
 
The Northstars will return to Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Saturday 18^th , March and welcome Brisbane Lightning to Newcastle.
Tickets available at https://northstars.thundertix.com/