Petrie steered the Northstars to two Goodall Cups before this year’s finish in second last. The club announced the end of Petrie’s reign on Monday.

“The Northstars and Petrie came to a collective decision to end the head coach assignment, citing time constraints of the coaching role and a belief that in the current climate of the AIHL that a three-year term is ideal,” the statement read.

“The Northstars will move to a new coaching structure for the 2018 season, with the intent to relieve some of the time commitments off what has been the traditional head coaching role.”

Petrie said Northstars general manager Garry Doré wanted to introduce a coaching arrangement “where the decision-making and responsibility base is spread over two or maybe three people, and that’s not a structure that I work well in”.

“If I'm going to be responsible for the results, I want to be responsible for the decisions,” Petrie said.

“Garry and I have always understood what we bring to the table. It was a handshake agreement three years ago that if it’s a hockey decision, I make it, and all the general management stuff is Garry’s.

“We operated well under that umbrella. Last year, while I take responsibility on my shoulders as head coach, it was just one of those disastrous years where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.”

Petrie, who was appointed coach of the Australian junior team (19 years and under) in July, said the decision to part ways with the Northstars “couldn’t have been more amicable”.

“Garry made the decision to go to a new structure knowing full well it wasn’t a structure I would operate well in and that was the basis of my decision,” he said.

“The final discussion literally took 90 seconds. He said ‘I want to do this and I know it’s not something you are comfortable with’ and I said ‘That’s right’. He said ‘I guess that’s it then’, and I said ‘Yep, that’s it’. Then he asked what coffee I wanted, and we chatted about life.”

He thanked Doré for his handling of the situation and said “he’s a good bloke and runs a good show”.

“I hold great affection for the Northstars organisation, all the players, fans and the support staff there and I leave on very good terms,” he said. “I still take my kids up there to skate and there’s handshakes and smiles all round, so it’s a good outcome.”

In the club’s statement, Doré praised the commitment and effort of Petrie.

“We are so thankful and grateful for his enormous contribution and leadership," Doré said. “We are proud to have worked with Andrew and are confident that he will have great success with the Australian national junior team. We wish him further success in whatever pathway he takes in ice hockey."

It said “no decision has been announced at this time on a coaching replacement”.