CBR Brave defeated the Newcastle Northstars 9-3 in the first game of a double-header top-of-the-table clash at the Brave Cave (aka Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre) in Canberra on Saturday. The match brought all of the elements spectators had come to expect between these two teams – an intense game featuring fast, skilful hockey punctuated by moments of physicality.

The first period lived up to all expectations, with the puck moving swiftly from one end of the ice to the other. The play was skilful and tough, with no quarter given by either team.

The scoring was opened by the CBR Brave, with alternate captain Casey Kubara’s mid-range shot pinballing from the cross-bar to the back of Newcastle Goaltender James Downie and into the goal.

Barely a minute later the Brave’s lead was doubled, when a long-range shot by defenceman Mike Giorgi was redirected into the goal by Tyler Kubara.

The lead was 2-nil to the Brave at the first intermission.

The Brave began the second period on the penalty kill, with the visitors having a 5-on-3-man advantage. They managed to erase the first penalty, but the visitors were able to register the first of the period during the 5-on-4 advantage with an unassisted goal from import Francis Drolet. This cut the lead to 2-1.

The next goal would be crucial, and it was the Brave who would find the back of the net. 

Recently-arrived import Garret Cockerill scored his first goal for the team, after he lifted a rebound from the Northstars goaltender into the goal. Goaltender Downie strenuously protested goaltender interference in front of the net, but the Brave Cave went into raptures as Cockerill celebrated in front of his adopted home crowd.

Minutes later Cockerill added a second – a sublime one-time strike on a pin-point pass from the wing by defenceman Matt Price to make the score 4 goals to 1.

Moments of physicality brought penalties in the middle of the period, and at various points six players were sitting in the penalty box. The play moved from 4-men-on-4 to a 4-men-on-3 advantage for the Brave, and then back to 4-men-on-4 as penalties were called and the tension mounted on the ice. 

It was in the midst of one of these sections that the Northstars hit back, when an acute-angled shot by Patrick Nadin squeezed its way between Brave goaltender Alex Tetreault’s pad and the goalpost into the goal.

The score at the second intermission was a 4 goals to 2 lead to the CBR Brave, with both teams looking to have a strong final period to take away the competition points and bragging rights.

The final period began was frantic skating and chances for both teams. It was the Brave that scored first, when a two-man breakaway saw a Wehebe Darge cross-ice pass find Casey Kubara for a tap-in goal.

Barely two minutes later, the Brave added to their lead, with forward Andy Camenzind leading a breakaway and threading a centimetre-perfect pass through the defence to Tyler Kubara, who tapped the puck past the Newcastle goaltender.

A clash on the Brave blue line saw a number of penalties called and another period of 5-on-4 hockey. It was in the closing seconds of this power play that the Brave struck again, with a shot from the hash marks saved and Brave forward Mitch Henning pouncing on the rebound.

The Northstars hit back almost immediately, when a face off in the Newcastle attacking zone saw Daniel Berno rip a slapshot through the Brave goaltender from beyond the hash marks. This made the score 7 goals to 3.

This was not the end of the scoring for the game, with another breakaway by the Brave leading to a one-on-one chance for Brave forward Casey Kubara with the Newcastle goaltender. Kubara’s initial shot was saved, but he found a way to slot the rebound past the goaltender and into the goal to register his hat-trick.

The ninth and final goal for the Brave was fittingly scored by captain Kai Miettinen, who managed to score from behind the goal by bouncing his lofted shot off the back of Northstars goalie Downie.

In the final minutes of the game tensions grew and frustrations boiled over, leading to a scuffle in front of the Brave goal and the Penalty Box being full for the final seconds of the game.

The Brave eventually running out winners in the Hockey Fights Cancer game 9 goals to 3. The score did not really reflect how competitive and tight the action was in this game, with large parts showing off the resilience and skill of the two teams.

The second game of the double-header is being played today (Sunday) at the Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating Centre, with the puck being dropped at 4.30pm.

This is sure to be another tight and physical game, with the visiting Northstars looking to regain some momentum heading into the final month of the Australian Ice Hockey League regular season – and the CBR Brave looking to keep their winning streak rolling.

Match report by Scott Stevenson

CBR Brave 9 – Newcastle Northstars 3

Goals

– CBR Brave:  Casey Kubara (3); Tyler Kubara, Garret Cockerill (2); Mitch Henning, Kai Miettinen (1)

– Newcastle Northstars:  Francis Drolet, Patrick Nadin, Daniel Berno (1)

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