The second game of a double-header top-of-the-table clash between the CBR Brave and the Newcastle Northstars was as physical as the first – with all of the speed and skills the large crowd in attendance have come to expect from the Australian Ice Hockey League.
After a hard-fought win Saturday, the Brave were looking to press their advantage and increase their points lead on the AIHL Ladder, while the Northstars were looking to regain some momentum after a disappointing loss.
The First Period took up where Saturday’s game left off, with a fast pace set early and all of the physicality and skill of the game on display.
The Brave opened their account in the fourth minute of the game, when Brave Defenceman Garret Cockerill’s hard work on the Blue Line lead to a pass to Toby Kubara who slotted a short-range shot past Northstars’ Goaltender James Downie.
The Brave doubled their lead in the minutes before the First Intermission, when Cockerill took control of the puck in the Brave’s Defensive zone and skated the length of the ice to beat the Goaltender.
The Northstars were looking to score first in the Second Period to kick-start their comeback, and an early penalty to the Brave gave them the opportunity they needed. The Brave were within seconds of killing the man-advantage when Northstars Mackenzie Gallagher pounced on a rebound from Brave Goaltender Alex Tetreault and found the back of the net.
This only seemed to spur on the Brave to lift their game and they restored the two-goal advantage when a long range shot resulted in a goal-line scramble and Brave Forward Wehebe Darge found Mario Trabucco for the score.
The lead was increased in the eighth minute when smart puck movement in front of goal found veteran Brave Forward Andy Camenzind, who was able to beat the Northstars Goaltender.
The middle of the second period saw three quick penalties – the first of which put the Brave onto the Power Play, followed closely by a penalty on the Brave which resulted in 4-on-4 play. When the Brave then took a double-minor penalty, this put Newcastle onto a 4-man-on-3 Power Play.
The Brave killed the first Northstars Power Play and were able to turn the Newcastle 5-man-on-4 advantage into an attacking opportunity of their own. Sustained defensive pressure from the Brave Penalty Kill and hard work from Centre Joey Hughes in the Brave attacking zone found Garret Cockerill on the blue line, who made no mistake with his strike on goal.
The final score of the Second Period was a clinical strike from Andy Camenzind, who pounced on a pass from an attacking zone face-off and made the lead 5 goals to 1 at the Second Intermission.
The start of the Third Period saw the Brave look to increase their lead, and the Northstars attempting to limit any more damage on the scoreboard.
Against the run of play, it was the Northstars who were to score first. In the seventh minute of the Period, hard work in the Northstars attacking zone saw Patrick Nadin redirect a shot over the Brave Goaltender and make the score 6 goals to 2.
The Brave pressed their advantage to increase their lead and hard work by Brave Defenceman Nick Christensen saw Forward Casey Kubara put a pass across the goal face to find Wehebe Darge for the tap-in goal.
In the sixteenth minute of the period the Brave scored for the final time, with a steal by Import Mario Trabucco at the blue line kicking off a series of smart shorts passes and a finishing strike by Trabucco.
The final score was a comprehensive 8 goals to 2 victory for the Home team.
The Brave have one scheduled game left in the AIHL Regular Season – a mid-August date at the Brave Cave with the Sydney Ice Dogs – before the AIHL Finals in Melbourne in early September.
Written by: Scott Stevenson
