Sting took their first road trip up the M1 Motorway yesterday to meet with the Newcastle North Stars for the second time this season; and they were greeted by a packed stadium of local fans who were there to support their team and enjoy some high quality ice hockey. The North Stars got away to strong start and the game was extremely close, up until the third period when the Sting found something extra and were able to walk away with the win, 10-4.
As always, this game between Sting and North Stars was intense; and for the most part, very clean and fair. However, the referee did not see things this way, and embarked on a personal mission of remaining as closely involved in the game as he possibly could. In fact, at times, it seemed as though it was actually Sting and North Stars versus the referee. This was obviously very disappointing for the players and the crowd, and forced the penalty box attendants to work over time. The final penalty minute count was 50 for Newcastle and 30 for Sting.
The first period got underway at a high pace; but unfortunately, this didn’t even last for two minutes. The North Stars were sent on the power play at 18.15, and with their very first shot on net, Sam Lammert took the lead after some good puck movement in the offensive zone. As play continued, the crowd was treated to an impressive demonstration of skill by both teams. In the final ECSL game of his career, Martin Snajdr was set up in front by Paul Smith and Marty Kolos to score his first goal of the night to make the score even at one all. Six minutes later, North Stars would regain the lead through an unassisted effort by Patrick Nadin. It was at this point that the drama began to unfold...
With less than two seconds remaining in the first period, Sting found themselves with a two man power play, and when play restarted in the second period, Silvan Maeder capitalised on the advantage with the help of Scott Connelly and Jaro Murgas. For the remainder of the second period, Sting would almost permanently be in penalty kill mode; but still managed to keep the North Stars at bay throughout a fluffy of chances thanks to stable net minding by fill-in goalie Jono Hughes - except for one tally by Antoine Aubin at 1:44 remaining in the period. However, despite the obvious frustration, Maeder would once again find the twine just 43 seconds before the break to level score at three each.
As the Sting returned to the ice for the final term, they appeared determined to give Snajdr a send-off that he would not soon forget. Momentum was with the Sting, until a minor upset by Adam Ray, who gave Newcastle the lead again on a fast transition, which caught the Sting defensemen out of position and floundering to recover. However, the team from Sydney were not perturbed and continued their charge, scoring three goals in two minutes, courtesy of Connelly and back-to-back goals by Murgas. At this point, it was the North Stars’ turn to suffer the wrath of an over-zealous official and would play just 53 more seconds without at least one player in the penalty box. It was an unfortunate situation for the local side, and frustration began to show. However the Sting’s focus remained unaffected, and they would go on to score four unanswered goals, which would all count in favour towards their power play statistics. The first, coming from Kenneth Jensen, who scored unassisted on a turnover at the North Stars’ blue line. To put the final punctuation on a stellar career in the ECSL, Snajdr scored his last ever goal with 32 seconds remaining in the game. After a rock solid performance for his team through two and half periods, rookie North Stars goalie Jason Polglase was clearly overcome, and unable to put a stop to the last two efforts by Paul Smith and Jarkko Jarvinen. So despite the final score line of 10-4, this game was a continuation of the exciting rivalry which exists between these two evenly matched franchises. It is hoped that the next game will involve more ice hockey, and less oratory by the resident providers of arbitration.
The Sting’s next game is a re-match of the third round 5-5 tie with the Rebels, and will take place on Sunday 25th May at Penrith with action starting at 7.30pm.
On behalf of Sting and our supporters, we wish Martin Snajdr the very best of luck with the next chapter of his journey as he leaves our shores. It wasn’t the first time, but it will be the last time, that the 2013 ECSL MVP and current league points leader for 2014 is awarded Woz’s Worker’s Hat. All the best Martin!
