Coaches Report

The last time the Newcastle North Stars and Gold Coast Bluetongues meet the final score was a 10-3 shellacking in favour of the Stars. This weekend was a partially different story.

Saturday's game was locked scoreless for most of the first period until Grant Buckley put his first goal of the night past Tongues goaltender Simo Mustonen, converting on a Pelkey pass to the slot.

In the second, Buckley scored again, racing from the penalty box to send a Matt Price pass through traffic and past Mustonen.

From that point, the game started to slip from the Bluetongues grasp, 4 penalties in the second and a Colin Nicholson goal on the shorthand gave the Stars a three goal lead by the time of the second intermission.

Colin Nicholson scored two more in the third, knotching a hat trick and sending Simo Mustonen to the bench. Local product CJ Anderson replaced him and shutting out the final 10 minutes of the game for the Bluetongues.

At the other end, Australian Goaltender Matt Ezzy was perfect for the North Stars stopping 37 shots, including a near miss by import Gaeten Royer which brought much of the crowd to its feet in frustration.

With minutes left in the game however, the Bluetongues suffered a blow to their playoff aspirations this season, with team captain Billy Crumm going down with a knee injury, that will keep him out for some time.

The final score 5-0 saw fans leaving disappointed, a contrast to last Saturday's mood after the 9-1 victory over the Bears.

Sunday was a new day and brought a new game and another chance for Bluetongues victory.

With Chris Kerr rejoining the team after suffering bruised ribs, it took the Tongues 10 minutes to score on Matt Ezzy, with Gaetan Royer scoring unassisted.

Mickey Gilchrist and Casey Minson scored for the Northstars in the first period, and with 5 minutes left in the second the score was again heavily in the North Stars favour, Gilchrist's second goal making it 3-1.

However, the Bluetongues weren't giving up this time, Ross Howell bring the Tongues within 1 in the final minute of the period. The goal fired the Tongues up, the next two goals going their way, taking a 4-3 lead with 5 minutes left in the period.

It wasn't the final goal however, Mikey Gilchrist leveling the score with two minutes left to send it to the Bluetongues first home shoot out of the season.

Gilchrist scored again on the first shot of the shoot out, slipping the puck over Mustonen's pads on the backhand. From that point the shoot out remained scoreless, both goalies making spectuacular saves at each end.

Ezzy's final save, stoning Gaeten Royer gave the North Stars their second victory of the weekend, and sent the Bluetongues home without much needed points.

Next weekend, the Bluetongues will return to the ice facing off against the Central Coast Rhinos. So come out this weekend and see the competition's hottest team, Newcastle try to battle for supremacy in th Blue Tongue "Lizard Pit".

P.S. If nothing else come out and give Newcastle goalie Matt Ezzy heaps!