Adelaide showed promising signs of resilience during the double-header against Newcastle despite the offensive pressure they faced.
Saturday’s Game 1 saw Adelaide determined to secure points this weekend but could they match Newcastle’s intensity? Newcastle opened the scoring with back-to-back goals to get the 2-0 lead but it was Joey MacDougall that put Adelaide on the board with a minute left in the first period.
Josh Adkins tied the game in the second period however, levelling things up at 2-2 with a gritty finish. Despite things being tied up at 2-2 in the second period, Newcastle piled on the pressure and after the 60 minutes were up, it was the Northstars on top with an 11-3 win.
Sunday’s Game 2 showed Adelaide hit the ice hoping to bounce back from the night before! Their drive paid off early when Captain Joey MacDougall scored his second goal of the weekend and Adelaide’s first goal of the night. Just five minutes into the game, Adelaide were in the lead. The lead was short-lived, with Newcastle tying things up and making it 1-1.
To add excitement to the buzzing Adelaide crowd, Josh Adkins fired back to regain the lead yet again, but it was an exact repeat of before, with Newcastle responding just a minute later to take things 2-2.
That was as good as things would get for the Adrenaline, despite things being 2-2 once again, Newcastle were once again firing on all cylinders, earning a 3-goal advantage headed into the final frame.
The bright spark for the home team in the third period was Darcy Flanagan's tally, offering a lifeline to keep them in the game, but it was Newcastle continuing their fine form, adding two more goals to the scoresheet and taking the 3 points once again.
Next up the Adrenaline travel to Canberra, where the two teams will be a part of the first game at the newly installed ice rink at the AIS!