An elated North Stars side claimed the Wilson Cup at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Saturday after defeating the Sydney Bears 4-3. It was the first time the North Stars had won the cup since the tournament was founded in 2007.

“More important than the result tonight was the way we played and the fact that we had five guys on the ice all working with each other was really impressive form my perspective,’’ North Stars coach Andrew Petrie said. 

“The Wilson Cup is a fantastic opportunity for us to gauge how effective the things we’ve been working on are being. I was really encouraged that they [team] were trying to work all the systems we had in place and in patches were working really well and effectively.”

It was not until the dying minutes of the second period and the North Stars leading 3-0 that the Bears were finally able to chip the puck behind Newcastle goaltender Dayne Davis.

Thanks to a final Brian Bales goal with two minutes to spare in the second, the North Stars lead the Bears 4-1 heading into the final period. The Bears hit the ice with renewed vigour, racking up a second goal with nine minutes to go.

With just two minutes left, the Bears goaltender was pulled for an extra forward. The move paid off with the Bears scoring with six seconds left in the game. However, it was not enough to defeat the North Stars.

The North Stars will now look to games against the Adelaide Adrenaline and CBR Brave in this weekend’s league season opener at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium. Imports Geordie Wudrick, Jan Safar and Luke Moffat were all due to arrive in time for Saturday’s game.

Both games start at 5pm. Tickets are available from the stadium or phone 49544499.