THE Newcastle North Stars are again being called “league leaders” after becoming the first team to cement their place in the 2015 Australian Ice Hockey League finals.
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After winning both of their games last weekend, the North Stars reached the number of points – 51 – needed to make them a definite in the finals series.
Not only are the North Stars now sitting comfortably at the top of the table seven points clear of second-place Perth Thunder, they are buoyed by the knowledge that they are the first team confirmed for the finals, to be held in Melbourne at the end of August.
The news comes as sweet reward to the North Stars who played two gritty games against Sydney teams the Bears and Ice Dogs last weekend.
In Penrith on Saturday the North Stars faced a fierce Bears side.
“The Bears had to win to keep their mathematical hopes in a play-offs spot alive,” North Stars coach Andrew Petrie said.
“They came at us hard.”
The North Stars held on to win 3-2.
Petrie praised his defensive core, including goaltender Dayne Davis, for their “phenomenal” performances against the Bears.
It was a different kind of game against the Ice Dogs at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on Sunday.
Having had their only points won during the season stripped by the AIHL commission due to playing offences, the Ice Dogs put on a lacklustre yet penalty-laden performance against the North Stars on Sunday.
“It’s pretty hard to bring a level of intensity against a team who hasn’t won all year and I think that showed,” Petrie said.
“It looked like a slightly advanced practice as opposed to a game.”
The North Stars won the game 9-1.
This weekend the North Stars will travel to South Australia where they will face Adelaide Adrenaline, sitting in fifth placed and vying for one of the three remaining finals spots, in a double-header clash.