NORTHSTARS coach Garry Dore has been involved in ice hockey too long to take anything for granted.
And the experienced boss has made his troops aware of the danger Adelaide Adrenaline and Melbourne Ice present in a home double-header at Warners Bay this weekend.
The Northstars sit second on the ladder approaching the midpoint of the Australian Ice Hockey League season. Adelaide are bottom and Melbourne are one rung above.
“Both teams are probably not positioned where they should be,” Dore said.
“Adelaide beat us in a shoot out down there. Melbourne Ice have won two in a row and have a classy team.
“It is all about intensity for us. We need to come out firing. If we win both games this weekend that puts us in a really nice position going into the second half of the season.”
Adrenaline’s Swedish goalie Sebastian Andersson was the star in a shoot-out win over the Northstars in Adelaide on May 19.
“Their goalie absolutely stoned us in Adelaide,” Dore said. “He had a great game. We can’t just shoot at him, we have to shoot through him.”
The Northstars have won three straight and Dore is confident his attack, led by Canadian import Sammy Banga, can get the job done.
In four games Banga has three goals and five assists.
“He has made a big difference,” Dore said. “It is about doing all the little things now. He does everything right and has been leading the charge. We are really excited about him.”
Saturday’s game starts at 5pm. They meet Melbourne Ice on Sunday at 4pm.
