The North Stars lost three games in the preseason tournament and were forced to forfeit another due to an officiating clash. The outcome is not what Newcastle fans have come to expect from the usually dominant team.

Coach for the North Stars, Joey Theriault, said this was due to Newcastle only having a few of its regular players available for the Wilson Cup while the Sydney Ice Dogs and Sydney Bears each had all but AIHL season ready sides.

“We were playing with 30 per cent of our guys,” Theriault said. “Once we have all our North Stars we’re going to a competitive team this year.”

The Bears proved too strong for the North Stars on Saturday, downing the home side 5-3. Theriault said the “young kids” in Saturday’s team proved themselves on the ice.

“They were battling and pushing themselves to the limit,” he said. “Pat Nadin got one, we got Matt Wetini on the board, we got Jayson Chalker up there with two [assists].”

It was the North Stars who put the first points on the board in Saturday’s game. Matt Taylor, who last played for the North Stars in 2014, scored in the opening seconds. However the Bears were quick to take revenge and even the game.

With five minutes left in the first period Wetini made his mark, scoring to put the North Stars in the lead again. It was short-lived, with ex-Ice Dogs player Billy Cliff scoring for the Bears with two minutes remaining.

There was plenty of fast-paced hockey in the second period, but did not culminate in any goals until the final two minutes. An on-the-fly shot by Hamish Powell across the Bears’ net landed at the end of Nadin’s stick. The set up was a success, with Nadin scoring and leveling the game 3-3.

The tie was soon broken by the Bears. A Sydney win was confirmed after a goal with just three seconds left in the game.

The Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs will play for the Wilson Cup, which the North Stars won last year, in Penrith on April 16. The North Stars’ next games will be played in Perth against the Thunder in the 2016 AIHL opening weekend – April 23 and 24.