FRANCIS Drolet has made the most of Newcastle's line changes to record his season-best points haul for the Northstars.
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The Australian Ice Hockey League import, enjoying his third campaign at the club and fresh from a title with Italian outfit Varese, scored twice and provided four assists in a dominant 11-2 victory against Adelaide Adrenaline on Sunday.
Drolet's six points pushed him to 28 overall so far in 2023, alongside Newcastle teammate Zane Jones (28) and behind only Josh Adkins (29) and Daniel Berno (32).
The Northstars now have a 10-4 record, featuring nine wins from their last 10 appearances, with Drolet emphasising key elements out of the most recent result at Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.
"We did a good job of just keeping going, focusing on new linemates as we had a couple of different lines out there tonight [Sunday]," Drolet told club media in a post-match interview.
"On a one-game weekend for us, it's a little bit easier for us, so we took advantage and we love winning at home."
Drolet was one of five players to land goal-scoring doubles, joined by the likes of Berno, Adkins, Jones and Riley Klugerman.
Newcastle coach Kevin Noble was fairly pleased with the performance.
"It was a good night. What I liked about our game is that we were diligent in our approach to defense and keeping the puck out of our end. I thought we did that really well," Noble told club media.
"We played more towards that 60-minute style game, but now as we enter the second half of the year we need to be really diligent and dial into our attention to detail.
"In terms of our neutral zone and our defensive zone and getting into offensive opportunities are what will help make us successful and win.
"Every game starts to mean more and as we progress towards the end of the season, these are the areas that we need to be at our best."
The Northstars host Sydney Ice Dogs on Saturday (5pm) and Melbourne Ice on Sunday (3pm).
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Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
