PREVIEW: Adrenaline set to collide with Stars in season opener

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Looking to put disappointing 2014 campaigns behind them, the Newcastle North Stars will host the Adelaide Adrenaline in a season opener this weekend at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.

Both the Adrenaline and the North Stars failed to qualify for the 2014 Goodall Cup playoffs but having made numerous off-season changes, each side will be pushing for a strong start to get their respective quests for glory underway.

The North Stars are coming off a strong pre-season having secured the first silverware of the year with a victory in the Wilson Cup final against the Sydney Bears at the weekend.

North Stars Captain Ray Sheffield praised off-season changes for their Wilson Cup success and feels the team is ready to go.

“We’re playing a new system this year, defensively, so I just wanted to make sure we did everything right and we did," he says.

The changes continue for the North Stars as they add three imports to their roster this week in the lead up to the season opener and the team is hopeful the new players from North America and the Czech Republic can fit in quickly with their new system.

The North Stars have also added two former Sydney Ice Dogs players to their roster with former Ice Dogs Captain Robert Malloy and young gun Shane Southwood joining the hunt as Newcastle search for an answer to the offensive struggles that plagued them much of last season.

Looking for a different answer to a similar problem, the Adrenaline too will be adding scoring talent to their roster with Canadian import Tyler Grove arriving this week and Englishman Jonathan Boxill set to arrive next week.

Speedy winger Grove is hoping his nose for the net will help the Adrenaline who are looking to boost their goal scoring depth this season.

“I’m hoping to put some pucks in the net, from what I’ve heard they’ve had some troubles last year scoring some goals, I think my biggest role here will be to produce offensively and do my best up front for the team," says Grove.

The Adrenaline also welcomed back some more familiar faces this week from the Division 2 Ice Hockey World Championships in Iceland, with Captain Greg Oddy, Wehebe Darge and David Huxley returning to the line-up.

Unfortunately defenceman Josh Harding will be unavailable after sustaining a broken hand whilst playing at the tournament.

The back end too has been strengthened for the Adrenaline with the addition of 18 year-old goaltender Charlie Smart.

Smart was awarded goaltender of the tournament at the recent U20 Division 2 Ice Hockey World Championships and Adrenaline Captain Greg Oddy predicts he will have a massive and immediate impact.

“Charlie is one of the top tenders in the country, I've heard some great things about him. I’m looking forward to seeing him in action and I’m sure he will be a big part of this club for many years to come”, Oddy said.

This weekend’s season opener looms as one, in which both sides will be feeling out each other’s play styles as they attempt to understand the roles their new roster additions will take on what should be a tightly fought contest.

Newcastle will be hoping their Wilson Cup winning form can translate into early regular season success, while the Adrenaline will be hoping their new additions, both in offence and in the net can adapt around their stable core and bring them home an early road victory.

Game start 25^th April, 5PM Local Time at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.