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Newcastle Northstars

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Newcastle Northstars
CityNewcastle, NSW
LeagueAustralian Ice Hockey League
ConferenceRurak
Founded1977 (47 years ago) (1977)
Operated1981–present
Home arenaHunter Ice Skating Stadium
ColoursRoyal blue, red, white     
MascotMarty the Moose
General managerGarry Doré
Head coachKevin Noble
CaptainLiam Manwarring
AffiliateNewcastle Northstars Ice Hockey Club
Websitenorthstars.theaihl.com
Franchise history
1977–1981Newcastle Red Wings
1981–2017Newcastle North Stars
2017–presentNewcastle Northstars
Championships
Conference titles2 (2012, 2024)
H Newman Reid Trophies5 (2004, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015)
Goodall Cups6 (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016)
Current season

The Newcastle Northstars (formally Newcastle North Stars) is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Northstars are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), joining as an expansion team in 2002. The team is based at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie, 15 kilometres south-west of Newcastle. The Northstars are affiliated with the ice hockey club of the same name. The team have won six Goodall Cups and five H Newman Reid Trophies, making them the most successful team in AIHL history.

History

[edit]

1977–2001 (Pre-AIHL)

[edit]
Team photo of Newcastle North Stars team from 1981 (courtesy David Turik)

Ice hockey started in the city of Newcastle in 1960 at the old boxing stadium where Marketown is now situated. Originally the Newcastle Red Wings, the Red Wings were part of national leagues of the time. Due to instability there were several variations of these leagues. The Red Wings became the North Stars in 1978 and were leading the national 'Super League' at the time when the Newcastle ice rink went into liquidation in late 1982.[1] Some players then retired, while others went on to play for teams in Sydney or join inline hockey teams that started in the 1990s in Newcastle. A Newcastle North Stars in-line hockey team was formed including former members of the defunct Wharf Road team.[1]

In 2000 the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium (a.k.a. HISS) opened at 230 Macquarie Road, Warners Bay. The Lake Macquarie suburb, only 15 km from the city, proved an ideal location for the new rink.[2] The rink opened with former North Stars player/coach Garry Doré as general manager.[1]

A local committee was established and the Newcastle Northstars Ice Hockey Club was registered in 2001. The team mostly consisted of Canadian expatriates along with four talented local-born players contested the New South Wales Senior B championship. The Senior B North Stars went on to win the state Senior B Championship for 2001.

Later in 2001 the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium hosted the Goodall Cup tournament. The Goodall Cup is Australia's senior men's national tournament, contested since 1909. Utilising the experience from running the tournament and gaining assistance from existing AIHL teams, rink general manager Garry Doré began building a team ready for the Australian Ice Hockey League. Canadian expatriate Don Champagne was recruited to be coach,[3] and local hockey enthusiast Peter Lambert was recruited as Team Manager.[4]

2002–2006

[edit]

The Newcastle Northstars entered the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) as the North Stars in 2002. They were a part of the league's expansion that saw the league double in size from three teams to six. The Northstars joined the league along with the Melbourne Ice and Western Sydney Ice Dogs.[5]

Don Champagne was appointed the inaugural Northstars AIHL head coach while Bill Jones was named foundation captain. Due to a lack of local talent in the first season, the league allowed the Northstars to find players in Sydney and evenly split their roster between locals and imports. Newcastle assembled a roster for 2002 with nine Canadians expats and eight locals.[6]

The 2002 season produced highs and lows for the Novocastrians. Newcastle's first ever match in the AIHL was at home at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium on 4 May 2002 against the Western Sydney Ice Dogs. The Northstars lost the match 3–7.[7] Newcastle's first AIHL victory and shutout came on 19 May 2002 when they defeated the Canberra Knights 4–0.[8] The Northstars finished the season in fourth place with six wins and ten losses. Canadian forward, Brett Hillier, finished the season as the Northstars top points scorers with 34 points.

In 2003, Newcastle appointed their first coaching director. Former Denmark and Canadian national team coach, Rob Barnes was appointed to the position by the Northstars.[6] Barnes made an immediate impact in Newcastle with the Northstars finishing second in the league table in the 2003 season. The Northstars then won their very first AIHL era trophy in 2003.[9] The Novocastrians defeated the Ice Dogs 4–1 in the AIHL final to claim the Goodall Cup.[10]

The Northstars backed up this success in 2004 by finishing top of the league table having only lost one match all season and claimed the team's first premiership and V.I.P. Cup.[11] Success continued in 2005 and 2006 with the Northstars claiming back-to-back Goodall Cups with victories over rivals Adelaide Avalanche in the final in both seasons.[12][13]

2007–2016

[edit]

The decade between 2007 and 2016 saw the Northstars continue their strong position within the league, establishing a winning tradition within the team culture. Newcastle throughout this period of time, claimed league premiers and the H Newman Reid Trophy, four times by finishing top of the league standings in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015. The team reached the Goodall Cup final eight times, claiming three Goodall Cups in 2008,[14] 2015[15] and 2016.[16] The Northstars also found success for the first time in the NSW Wilson Cup, lifting the trophy in 2015.[17] The Northstars set a few team records in 2015 with their highest ever points total in a season (63), highest goals scored in a season (152) and highest goals difference ( 69). Canadian import, Geordie Wudrick also set league records for highest points in a season, 91 points at a rate of 3.25 per game and most goals in a season, 44 goals.[18] At the conclusion of the 2016 season, for the time, the team had become the most successful franchise in AIHL history.[19]

2017–present

[edit]

April 2017, prior to the start of the 2017 season, the team announced a minor change to their name. They changed their name from the North Stars to the Northstars. The re-brand was completed to align to the team with the New South Wales registered club, the Newcastle Northstars Ice Hockey Club.[20]

2017 marked a shift in fortunes for the team. After only missing out on finals twice in the previous fifteen years, the Northstars not only failed to qualify for finals but finished their lowest ever position in the league, seventh. Ten wins from twenty eight matches with a negative twenty seven goal difference did not make for good reading.[21] Head coach, Andrew Petrie, decided to step down from his position at the conclusion of the season.[22]

2018 saw an improvement in the Northstars with thirteen wins in the season and a fifth-place finish under the leadership of stand-in coaching trio, Joey Theriault, Ray Sheffield and Garry Doré.[23] However, it was still not good enough to see them qualify for the finals weekend in Melbourne and for the first time in the team's history they failed to qualify for finals back-to-back.[24]

2019, the Northstars hired a new head coach in former Northstars player, John Kennedy Jnr.[25] This was the American Aussie's first head coaching positioning since retiring as a player. The team recruited well with a number of quality imports joining from overseas. Leading the way for the team in 2019 was Canadian import Sammy Banga who finished third top points scorer in the league with sixty-six points. The Northstars saw great improvement over the previous two seasons under the guidance of John Kennedy. They finished the season runners-up in the league standings and qualified for the finals which were played in Newcastle for the first time in seven years.[26] Unfortunately for the Northstars, they were defeated 2-3 by the Perth Thunder in the semi-finals in front of a boisterous home crowd.[27]

Season-by-season results

[edit]
Newcastle Northstars all-time record
Season Regular season Finals Wilson Cup Top points scorer
P W T L OW OL GF GA GD Pts Finish P W L GF GA Result Preliminary Final Semi Final Goodall Cup Final Name Points
2002 20 6 – 14 – – 79 121 -42 12 4th – – Canada Brett Hillier 34
20031 20 14 – 6 – – 107 79 28 30 2nd 2 2 – 11 5 Champion – Won 7-4 (Bears) Won 4-1 (Ice Dogs) – Ukraine Pavel Shtefan 19
2004 20 15 2 1 2 – 93 50 43 51 1st 2 1 1 4 5 Runner-up – Won 3-2 (2OT) (Avalanche) Lost 1-3 (Ice Dogs) – Canada Sean Starke 38
2005 26 14 2 5 1 4 121 80 41 50 2nd 2 2 – 8 3 Champion – Won 5-2 (Ice Dogs) Won 3-1 (Avalanche) – Canada Francis Walker 54
2006 28 16 – 11 – 1 138 89 49 49 4th 2 2 – 10 1 Champion – Won 6-1 (Ice) Won 4-0 (Avalanche) – Netherlands Marcel Kars 66
2007 28 13 – 6 4 5 106 87 19 52 3rd 2 1 1 8 6 Runner-up – Won 6-3 (Ice) Lost 2-3 (OT) (Bears) Group Canada Brad Wanchulak 69
2008 28 15 – 7 2 4 150 97 53 53 4th 2 2 – 11 6 Champion – Won 7-5 (Bears) Won 4-1 (Ice Dogs) Group Canada Mickey Gilchrist 67
2009 24 17 – 5 2 – 122 85 37 55 1st 2 1 1 7 6 Runner-up – Won 5-3 (Blue Tongues) Lost 2-3 (OT) (Adrenaline) Group Canada Éric Lafrenière 56
2010 24 14 – 2 7 1 131 74 57 57 1st 1 – 1 6 7 Semi-finalist – Lost 6-7 (Adrenaline) – – United States Brian Bales 81
2011 28 18 – 6 1 3 132 106 26 59 2nd 2 1 1 7 5 Runner-up – Won 5-2 (Ice Dogs) Lost 2-3 (Ice) – United States Peter Cartwright 75
2012 24 16 – 6 2 – 120 78 42 52 1st 2 1 1 8 8 Runner-up – Won 5-4 (Adrenaline) Lost 3-4 (Ice) – Canada Jeremy Boyer 58
2013 28 17 – 7 3 1 132 75 57 58 2nd 2 1 1 9 7 Runner-up – Won 6-1 (Thunder) Lost 3-6 (Ice Dogs) – Canada Jeff Martens 67
2014 28 11 – 15 – 2 87 106 -19 35 6th – Runner-up Canada Chris Wilson 49
2015 28 19 – 4 1 4 152 83 69 63 1st 2 2 – 7 5 Champion – Won 4-3 (Brave) Won 3-2 (Ice) Winner Canada Geordie Wudrick 91
2016 28 15 – 7 1 5 105 74 31 52 3rd 2 2 – 5 3 Champion – Won 3-2 (OT) (Thunder) Won 3-2 (Brave) Group United States Connor McLaughlin 61
2017 28 7 – 15 3 3 97 124 -27 30 7th – – Canada Joe Harcharik 44
2018 28 9 – 11 4 4 106 119 -13 39 5th – – Canada Joe Harcharik 37
2019 28 16 – 9 3 0 127 89 38 54 2nd 1 0 1 2 3 Semi-finalist – Lost 2-3 (Thunder) – – Canada Sammy Banga 66
2020 2020 and 2021 AIHL seasons were cancelled and not contested
2021
2022 20 15 – 3 – 2 112 74 38 47 2nd 3 1 2 7 12 Runner-up Lost 1-6 (Brave) Won 4-3 (OT) (Bears)2 Lost 2-3 (Brave) – Canada Francis Drolet 45
2023 26 18 – 7 1 – 162 112 50 56 3rd 1 0 1 1 4 Prelim-finalist Lost 1-4 (Thunder) – – – Canada Daniel Berno 58
2024 30 13 – 7 3 7 124 108 16 52 4th 1 0 1 3 4 Semi-finalist – Lost 3-4 (Ice) – – Canada Francis Drolet 62
2025 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Totals 542 298 4 154 40 46 2503 1910 593 31 19 12 114 90
1 2003 AIHL season statistics are unofficial. The AIHL has not published official statistics on www.theaihl.com. Data has been collected from web archives of the Newcastle Northstars and Ice Hockey Australia game reports.
2 In 2022, the preliminary Final was the second game of the Finals format rather than the first, as it was in following seasons. The Northstars qualified for the preliminary-final after losing the major semi-final and played the winner of the minor semi-final for a spot in the grand final.
Champions Runners-up Third place

Championships

[edit]
The Goodall Cup on top of the then champions, Newcastle Northstars, sweater ahead of the 2004 AIHL Finals weekend
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (6): 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-Up (7): 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022
1st place, gold medalist(s) Premiers (4): 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-Up (4): 2011, 2013, 2019, 2022
1st place, gold medalist(s) Premiers (1): 2004
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-Up (2): 2003, 2005
1st place, gold medalist(s) Winners (1): 2015
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-Up (1): 2014
  • Rurak Conference
1st place, gold medalist(s) Winners (1): 2024
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-Up (1): 2023
  • Bauer Conference
1st place, gold medalist(s) Winners (1): 2012
* This list also includes Premierships prior to the first trophy, V.I.P. Cup, for Premiers in 2004.

Players

[edit]

Current roster

[edit]

Team roster for the 2024 AIHL season.[28][29][30]

Newcastle Northstars roster - 2024 AIHL season
Active Roster Inactive Roster Coaching staff
Goaltenders
  • 70 Japan Mitsuaki Inoue (I)
  • 75 Australia Matt Montgomery
  • 31 Australia Charles Smart
  • 98 Australia Ethan Spelde

Defencemen

  • 77 Australia Ethan Hawes
  •  7 Canada Kyler Matthews (I)
  • 33 Australia Sean Oultram
  • 28 Australia Drew Robson
  • 11 Australia Tim Stanger
  • 43 Australia Patrick Ward
  • 42 Canada Alexander Yuill (I)
 Forwards
  • 10 Canada Daniel Berno (I) (A)
  •  9 Australia Wehebe Darge
  • 17 Canada Francis Drolet (I)
  • 96 Australia Hunter Ellen
  • 86 Australia Mackenzie Gallagher
  • 16 Australia Hayden Klugerman
  • 12 Australia Riley Klugerman
  • 13 Australia Samuel Lammert
  • 27 Australia Liam Manwarring (C)
  • 91 Australia Patrick Nadin (A)
  •  8 Australia Hamish Powell
  • 25 Australia Jayden Ryan
  •  3 Australia Josh Secomb
  • 71 Australia Shane Southwood
  • 15 Australia Beau Taylor
  • 23 Australia Maliq West
  • -- Canada Tanner Butler (D) (NP)
  • -- Canada Mathieu Desautels (D) (REL)
  • -- Australia Matthew Price (D) (TFR)
  • -- Canada Aiden Wagner (D) (REL)
 Head Coach
  • Canada Kevin Noble

Coaches

  • Australia Amelia Matheson (AC)
  • Australia David Ferrari (AC)
  • Australia Ray Sheffield (CO)
  • Australia Craig Tonks (EM)
  • Australia Josh Secomb (TR)
  • Australia Bruce Hounslow (TM)
  • Australia Justin Cudmore (TM)


Legend
(C) Captain
(A) Alternate Captain
(I) Import player

Statistics
Average age: 28.1
Average height: 181.3 cm
Average weight: 82.9 kg
Locals: 22
Imports: 5

Last updated on: 15 September 2024
Elite Prospects IHNA

Important rosters

[edit]
Newcastle Northstars inaugural 2002 AIHL roster
Locals
Australia Adam McGuinness Australia Aaron Dodds Australia Elliot Mann Australia Jamie Roach
Australia Nick Windle Australia Nigel Chandler Australia Matt Lerch Australia Blake Powell
Canadians
Canada Bill Jones Canada Michael Schlamp Canada Brett Hillier Canada Cody Crawford
Canada Justin Way Canada Ken Kozak Canada Rob Spiers Canada Ryan Braaksma
Canada Sean Gurniak
Coaching staff
Australia Don Champagne (Head coach)


Newcastle Northstars 2015 Goodall Cup championship roster
Goaltenders
Canada #30 Davis Australia #31 Quinton-Jones Australia #33 Broekman
Defencemen
Australia #3 Lindsay Australia #4 Starke Australia #5 Kennedy Australia #7 Cole-Clark
Australia #16 Chalker Australia #23 Wetini Czech Republic #24 Safar Australia #25 Ferrari
Forwards
Australia #8 Powell Canada #12 Swiston (A) Australia #15 Taylor Australia #20 Malloy
United States #27 Moffatt Australia #42 Bales Australia #58 Sheard Australia #71 Southwood
Canada #88 Wudrick Australia #91 Nadin
Coaching staff
Australia Andrew Petrie (Head coach)
Canada Joey Theriault (Assistant)

Player records

[edit]

The following are the top five all-time leaders in five different statistical categories: matches played;[31] goals;[32] assists;[33] points;[34] penalty minutes[35]

As of 2024 season
All-time Appearances
# Name Pos GP
1 Australia Mat Lindsay D 273
2 Australia Robert Starke D 267
3 Australia Tim Stanger F 259
4 Australia Ray Sheffield F 250
5 Australia Hamish Powell F 244
All-time Goals
# Name Pos G
1 Australia Brian Bales F 101
2 Australia Beau Taylor F 90
3 Canada Francis Drolet F 82
4 United States Peter Cartwright F 72
5 Canada Daniel Berno D 67
All-time Assists
# Name Pos A
1 Australia Robert Starke D 242
2 Australia Brian Bales F 141
3 Canada Francis Drolet F 132
4 Australia Robert Malloy F 117
5 Australia Beau Taylor F 109
All-time Points
# Name Pos Pts
1 Australia Robert Starke D 300
2 Australia Brian Bales F 242
3 Canada Francis Drolet F 214
4 Australia Beau Taylor F 199
5 Australia Robert Malloy F 166
All-time Penalties
# Name Pos PIM
1 Australia Sean Oultram D 479
2 Australia David Ferrari D 454
3 Australia Robert Starke D 437
4 Australia Hamish Powell D 417
5 Australia John Kennedy D 328

Staff

[edit]

Staff roster for the 2024 AIHL season[29]

Northstars staff
Role Name
Head coach Canada Kevin Noble
Assistant coach Australia Amelia Matheson
Assistant coach Australia David Ferrari
Coach Australia Ray Sheffield
Trainer Australia Josh Secomb
Team manager Australia Craig Tonks
Medic Australia Bruce Hounslow
Medic Australia Justin Cudmore
General manager Australia Garry Doré
Governor Australia Garry Doré

Team identity

[edit]

Rivalries

[edit]

Sydney Ice Dogs

[edit]

The Proski Newcastle North Stars' primary rivals are the Sydney Ice Dogs (Formally West Sydney Ice Dogs). The first ever AIHL game for the Proski North Stars was a loss to the Ice Dogs, who joined the league in 2002 along with the North Stars. The two teams have a rich history in the AIHL Finals of facing off in big matches in pursuit of the Goodall Cup. The North Stars defeated the Ice Dogs in the 2003 and 2008 finals to win the Goodall Cup (both by a margin of 4–1). The North Stars lost the Cup to the Ice Dogs in the 2004 final, while also defeating the Ice Dogs in the semi-final in 2005.

Adelaide

[edit]

Over the years the Northstars developed a healthy competitive rivalry with Adelaide franchises, the Adelaide Avalanche and Adelaide Adrenaline. The Northstars and Adelaide have a knack of facing off in big finals matches with both teams sharing in the winning spoils at different times.

The Northstars and Avalanche met in the Goodall Cup deciders in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, the two teams fought for the regular season title with the Avalanche finishing first but the Northstars used their home crowd advantage in the final to secure a 3–1 victory.[36] In 2006, the Northstars only snuck into the finals by finishing fourth but in the finals the dominated the Melbourne Ice in the semi's before meeting the Avalanche in the final. The Northstars played the perfect match, shutting out Adelaide and securing the cup with a 4–0 victory.[37]

In 2009 the North Stars were defeated by the Adrenaline in overtime in the Goodall Cup final, 3–2 in overtime.[38] In 2010 the Adrenaline knocked out the Northstars in the semi-final, holding off a third period comeback by the Northstars to win 7–6.[39]

CBR Brave

[edit]
Fan made poster

Since the induction of the CBR Brave into the AIHL in 2014, the Northstars have built a heated rivalry with the team from Canberra.[40] The two sides have fought each other for league titles, faced-off in hotly contested finals matches, seen players and coaches switch teams and seen a player's career ended. Both sets of fans have a history of banter with walk out music, placards and clothing being used to ramp up the rivalry.

In the 2015 AIHL semi-finals the two teams met in Melbourne. The Brave took a 3–0 lead thanks to two short-handed goals deep into the second period. The Northstars then kicked into life and fought back to win the match 4-3 thanks to a third period hat trick to league MVP Geordie Wudrick.

The Brave then ‘poached’ Wudrick and Jan Safar for the 2016 season, causing a massive stir around the league.[41][42] Northstar's head coach, Andrew Petrie, took the issue up with the local media and labelled the Brave disrespectful and a team trying to buy the league title. He also went on to label the city of Canberra a place ‘in the middle of nowhere’.[43][44]

The four 2016 regular season matches saw the two teams rack up 178 penalty minutes and end Brave import Art Bidlevskii's career. The defenceman was accidentally struck in the throat.[45] The two teams met in the AIHL final with the Northstars triumphing over the Brave 2–1 to clinch their sixth Goodall Cup.[46]

In 2017, Newcastle legend, Rob Starke switched to the Brave to take up the head coaching position following his playing retirement.[47] He took with him another long-time Northstars favourite, Brian Bales.

In 2019, the two teams fought for the H Newman Reid trophy for finishing premiers on top of the regular season table. The Northstars and Brave were one and two for much of the season but in the end the Brave claimed the trophy and the Northstars finished second.[48]

Honoured members

[edit]

Accolades

[edit]

The Newcastle Northstars have been recognised by the Newcastle City Council as Newcastle's most outstanding senior sports team on three occasions in 2003, 2004 and 2006. They were also a finalist in 2008.[49]

North Stars goalie Matt Ezzy was voted "Sportsperson of the Year" by the Lake Macquarie City Council for his 2005 season in February 2006, and was a finalist for the same award in 2007. North Stars defenceman and assistant captain Rob Starke was also a finalist for Senior Sportsperson of the year, 2007.[50]

North Stars coach Don Champagne was voted "Sports Official of the Year 2010" at the 2011 Newcastle City Sports Awards.[51]

S.M. Hudson Trophy

[edit]

The Hudson Trophy is awarded by Ice Hockey Australia for sportsman of the year. It was first awarded in 1964 and is open for nominations by Australian ice hockey organisations and teams. Glenn Foll, who captained the Australian national team between 1990 and 2006, is the only player who has played for the Northstars and won the Hudson Trophy. Foll played for Newcastle during the 2005 AIHL season. He won the award in 2003 while playing for rivals Adelaide Avalanche.[52][53]

Retired numbers

[edit]

Throughout the history of the Newcastle Northstars, three jersey numbers have been retired in honour of former club legends. The retired jersey number banners hang on the player's bench side of the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.

Retired number History
Australia Terry George – # 21 (1980-1981, Defenseman)
Terry was a foundation player for the Northstars when they changed identity from the Red Wings and joined the newly established New South Wales Superleague. The Northstars were leading the league when the rink went into liquidation forcing the team to pull out of the league and for the players to either retire or find Sydney teams to join. Terry continued to give back to Newcastle and was a long-time volunteer at the Northstars. Terry George died of cancer in the late 1990s and the Northstars honoured him by retiring his number 21 jersey and creating a shield in his name that is given annually to a club-member who exemplifies in the role of volunteer.[54]
Australia Ray Sheffield – # 19 (2002-2014, Forward)
Ray was an inaugural member of the Northstars team that entered the AIHL in 2002. He became captain of the team in 2003 and led the Northstars to their first national championship that year. Sheffield went on to become the Newcastle’s and the league’s longest running captain during his thirteen year, 292 match, career at the Northstars. Ray won four Goodall Cups as a player for Newcastle before winning a fifth as assistant coach of the team in 2016. Sheffield was honoured with the retirement of his number 19 jersey at a pre-match ceremony in May 2015.[55][56]
Australia Robert Starke – # 4 (2004-2015, Defenseman)
Canadian born Robert ‘Rob’ Starke was a key member of the player leadership group throughout his time at the Northstars. He captained the team during two seasons and won four Goodall Cups and H Newman Reid Trophies. When he retired, Rob held the record for highest scoring defenseman in the AIHL as well as Northstars records for most assists and points. The Northstars held a ceremony in June 2016 to retire Rob’s number 4 jersey.[57]

Club award winners

[edit]

Since 2003, each season the Northstars hold an annual awards night to present that season's team awards.[58] There are six awards given out at the awards nights including most valuable player, best defensive player, most improved player, most dedicated player, Tony Huntley Award for best Australian player and the coach's award.

Season MVP BDP MIP MDP THA CA
2003 Daryl Bat Trevor Battaglia Fred Stevenson Andrew Ogilvie & Mike Blackwell - Rick West
2008 Mickey Gilchrist & Colin Nicholson Robert Starke Matt Price Matthew Vaughan Casey Minson B.J. Pelkey
2009 - - - - - -
2010 - - - - - -
2011 Peter Cartwright Scott Thauwald Tim Stanger Matt Ezzy Matt Price Robert Starke
2012 Olivier Martin - - - - -
2013 Olivier Martin John Kennedy Jayson Chalker Adam Geric Beau Taylor Pier-Olivier Cotnoir
2014 John Kennedy Robert Starke Matt Wetini Ray Sheffield Matt Wetini Joey Theriault
2015 Geordie Wudrick Dayne Davis Jayson Chalker Robert Starke Mathew Lindsay Robert Malloy
2016 Connor McLaughlin John Kennedy Patrick Nadin Dayne Davis & Robert Malloy Mathew Lindsay Matt Wetini
2017 Joe Harcharik Robert Malloy Liam Manwarring Charlie Smart Mathew Lindsay David Ferrari
2018 Nick Rivait Nick Rivait Shane Southwood Robert Malloy Patrick Nadin Joe Harcharik
2019 Sammy Banga Dayne Davis Richard Tesarik Robert Malloy Charlie Smart Josh Secomb
2022 Francis Drolet Ethan Hawes Mackenzie Gallagher Paddy Ward Liam Manwarring Tim Stanger
2023 Francis Drolet Tanner Butler Riley Klugerman Charlie Smart Wehebe Darge Daniel Berno
2024 Francis Drolet Alexander Yuill Hunter Ellen Drew Robson Ethan Hawes Daniel Berno

References: [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69]

Team leaders

[edit]

Team captains

[edit]

The Northstars have had five different captains in the team's known history.[70]

No. Name Term
1 Canada Bill Jones 2002
2 Australia Ray Sheffield 2003–09
3 Australia Robert Starke 2010
4 Australia Ray Sheffield 2011–13
5 Australia Robert Starke 2014
6 Australia Robert Malloy 2015–21
7 Australia Liam Manwarring 2022–Present

References:[71][72]

Further information on team captains in ice hockey: Captain (ice hockey)

Head coaches

[edit]

The Northstars have had five different head coaches in the team's history.[73] In 2018, the Northstars had no head coach, instead the team chose a new coaching structure of three associate coaches to share the coaching responsibilities. Joey Theriault, Ray Sheffield and Garry Doré took up these roles in 2018.[74]

No. Name Term
1 Australia Don Champagne 2000–11
2 Australia Garry Doré 2012–14
3 Australia Andrew Petrie 2015–17
4 Australia John Kennedy (player-coach) 2019
5 Canada Kevin Noble 2022–Present

References:[75][76][77][78]

Further information on head coaches in ice hockey: Coach (ice hockey)

General managers

[edit]

The Northstars have had one general manager (GM) in the team's history.[73]

No. Name Term
1 Australia Garry Doré 2002–Present

References:[79]

Further information on general managers in ice hockey: General manager (ice hockey)

Team managers

[edit]

The Northstars have had seven different team managers in the team's history.[73]

No. Name Term
1 Australia Peter Lambert 2002
2 Australia Peter Antcliff 2003
3 Australia Peter Lambert 2004
4 Australia Tony Johnston 2005–06
5 Australia Christian Martin 2007–08
6 Australia Marcus Chapman 2009–12
7 Australia Christian Martin 2013–15
8 Australia Don Champagne 2016–18
9 Australia Craig Tonks 2016–Present

References:[80]

Coaching directors

[edit]

The Northstars have had one coaching director in the team's history.[73]

No. Name Term
1 Canada Rob Barnes 2003–09

References:[81][82][83]

Broadcasting

[edit]

Current:

  • AIHL.TV (2023–present) – Worldwide paid subscription-based online video broadcasting published by the AIHL in partnership with the Clutch.TV platform using local production companies at each team’s rink. The service went live in April 2023, and would cover every AIHL regular season and finals games live and on demand.[84]
  • Sportradar (2022–present) – International online video broadcasting in North America and Europe as part of a league-wide 3-year deal signed in March 2022 in the lead up to the 2022 AIHL season.[85]

Former:

  • Kayo Sports (2022) – Domestic online video broadcasting in Australia as part of the league wide deal struck in the lead up to the 2022 AIHL season to show every AIHL game live.[86]
  • Fox Sports (2013–19) – Part of the entire AIHL domestic TV broadcasting deal with Fox Sports to show one game a round, normally on Thursday's at 4:30 pm or after NHL games during NHL season.[87]

Northstars trivia

[edit]

Trivia that relates to the Newcastle Northstars club or current and past players of the Northstars.

  • The North Stars set an AIHL record for most goals scored in a game by one team – and also for the greatest winning margin in a game – when they defeated the Canberra Knights by a score of 21–2 at the HISS on 6 August 2006. Centre Marcel Kars recorded 8 goals and 4 assists in the game.[88]
  • Goaltender Ken Kozak played for the North Stars in 2002. He was in goal for the Australian national team when they defeated New Zealand 58–0 in Perth in 1987, a world record score for an international ice hockey game.[89]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Watts, Ellie-Marie (3 April 2012). "Champion Garry Dore to lead Newcastle North Stars". Newcastle Star. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  2. ^ "Hunter Ice Skating Stadium Warners Bay". www.eurohockey.com. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Ross. "Champagne, Don (1950 - )". Legends of Australian Ice. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Meet Peter Lambert". Newcastle Northstars. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  5. ^ "History of the Australian Ice Hockey League". Australian Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b Carpenter, Ross. "Barnes, Robert (1955 - )". Legends of Australian Ice.
  7. ^ "Western Sydney Ice Dogs vs Newcastle North Stars boxscore". Australian Ice Hockey League. 4 May 2002. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Canberra Knights vs Newcastle North Stars boxscore". Australian Ice Hockey League. 19 May 2002. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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