Newcastle North Stars The Newcastle North Stars are a semi - professional ice hockey team in the Australian Ice Hockey League . The team plays its home games at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium ( nicknamed ' HISS ' ) in Warners Bay , a suburb of Lake Macquarie located about 15 kilometres South - West of Newcastle , New South Wales . The North Stars are four times winners of the AIHL and with it , the historic Goodall Cup . The Championship seasons were in 2003 , 2005 , 2006 and 2008 . History . 1977 - 2001 ( Pre - AIHL ) . Ice hockey started in the city of Newcastle in the 1970s , at the Wharf Road rink under Newcastle West ' s ' The Store ' complex . Originally the Newcastle Red Wings , the Red Wings were part of national leagues of the time . Due to instability there were several variations of these leagues . The Red Wings became the North Stars in 1981 and were leading the national ' Super League ' at the time when the Newcastle ice rink went into liquidation . Some players then retired , while others went on to play for teams in Sydney or join inline hockey teams that started in the 1990s in Newcastle . A Newcastle North Stars in - line hockey team was formed including former members of the defunct Wharf Road team . In 2000 the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium ( a . k . a . HISS ) opened at 230 Macquarie Road , Warners Bay . The Lake Macquarie suburb , only 15 km from the city , proved an ideal location for the new rink . The rink opened with former North Stars player / coach Garry Doré as General Manager . A local committee was established and the Newcastle Northstars Ice Hockey Club was registered in 2001 . The team mostly consisted of Canadian expatriates along with four talented local - born players contested the New South Wales Senior B championship . The Senior B North Stars went on to win the state Senior B Championship for 2001 . Later in 2001 the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium hosted the Goodall Cup tournament . The Goodall Cup is Australia ' s senior men ' s national tournament , contested since 1909 . Utilising the experience from running the tournament and gaining assistance from existing AIHL teams , rink General Manager Garry Doré began building a team ready for the Australian Ice Hockey League . Canadian expatriate Don Champagne was recruited to be coach , and local hockey enthusiast Peter Lambert was recruited as Team Manager . 2002 - 2006 . The North Stars entered the AIHL in the 2002 expansion , when the league swelled from three teams to six . 2002 was a year of harsh lessons for the North Stars who upset the eventual champions the Sydney Bears twice , but suffered several harsh defeats . Top scorer for the North Stars in 2002 was imported Canadian Brett Hillier ( Estevan Bruins ) . In 2003 the North Stars recruited the services of highly - qualified Coaching Director Robert Barnes , a former European All - Star and coach of several national and professional teams throughout Europe . Barnes had been forced to retire as a coach due to a serious on - ice injury , but was able to provide support to the team by coaching the local coaching staff in a Coaching Director role . Rob Barnes in turn helped recruit several young stars . Canadian import Ray Sheffield , sponsored by HISS as a rink manager , was promoted to team captain , a title that he retains to this day . Although the North Stars had a somewhat streaky season , they finished in 2nd place and defeated the Sydney Bears 7 - 4 in the semi - final . Minor Premiers the Adelaide Avalanche were eliminated by the Western Sydney Ice Dogs . In the final , the North Stars defeated the Ice Dogs 4 goals to 1 and won their first ever Goodall Cup . It was also the first time the AIHL had awarded the Goodall Cup through a tournament - style playoff series . Top - scorer and Most Valuable Player for the North Stars in 2003 was Daryl Bat ( York Lions ) . The North Stars finished the 2004 regular season in first place and as such were awarded the VIP Cup as minor premiers . Suffering only one loss in the regular season , Newcastle finished well ahead of the pack . The North Stars defeated the Avalanche in double - overtime in the AIHL semi - final held in Erina , but were defeated by the Western Sydney Ice Dogs in the final by a score of 3 goals to 1 . Top Scorer in 2004 was imported Canadian Sean Starke ( now with the EIHL Manchester Phoenix ) , and Most Valuable Player was his elder bother Robert Starke , who since become an Australian resident while studying at university . In 2005 the North Stars raised the level of imports yet again with several professional players , including Jordan Landry ( ECHL team Fresno Falcons ) , Don Nichols ( Dutch elite league Heerenveen Flyers ) and Nolan Graham ( CHL team Lubbock Cotton Kings ) . The North Stars finished their regular season in second place , and went on to defeat the Western Sydney Ice Dogs in the semi final . The North Stars then defeated the Adelaide Avalanche 3 goals to 1 in the AIHL Final played at their home rink in Warners Bay . The North Stars were awarded their second Goodall Cup since entering the league in 2002 . Top scorer for the North Stars in 2005 was Francis Walker ( Aurora Tigers & Lakehead University Wolves ) , and Most Valuable Player was awarded to defenceman Don Nichols ( Heereneveen Flyers ) . 2006 was a year of change for the North Stars , with Coaching Director Rob Barnes leaving for Canada in June , and two key players from 2005 , Jordan Landry and Francis Walker , departing early in the season . Due to a star line - up of imported talent , the North Stars were able to replace the two vacant positions during the season without falling out of finals contention . The newly imported players ( all North Stars ) included Jesse Pyatt ( elder brother of NHL player Taylor Pyatt ) Trevor Sherban , Marcel Kars , Gary Zinck and Ryan Crane . The North Stars finished the regular season in fourth place , and defeated the minor premiers the Melbourne Ice in the semi final held in Adelaide , South Australia , by 6 goals to 1 . The following day the North Stars won their third Goodall Cup in four years when they comprehensively defeated the Adelaide Avalanche 4 goals to nil in the AIHL Final . Top scoring player for 2006 was Marcel Kars ( HK Bolzano Junior Foxes , Italy ) and Most Valuable Player was awarded to Jesse Pyatt ( Guelph University Grphyons ) . Since the season end in September 2006 Jesse Pyatt ( Reading Royals , ECHL ) and goalie Matt Ezzy ( HK Crvena Zvezda , Serbia ) began professional careers . Matt Ezzy ( Goal ) and Ray Sheffield ( Equipment Manager ) travelled with the Mighty Roos ( Australian Senior Men ' s team ) to Korea to participate in the IIHF World Championships Division II Group B tournament from the 2nd of April 2007 , where they collected Silver . 2007 . The Inski North Stars began their 2007 season in the second round , with their first game on the 21st of April against the Canberra Knights in Canberra with a shoot - out win , the first ever shoot - out win for the North Stars . The North Stars had a patchy start to the season , losing both early - season games against the Western Sydney Ice Dogs , as well as a disappointing loss to the Bears in Penrith after coming back to lead the game on Saturday the 5th of May . Early season instability is not unusual for some of the teams in the AIHL , especially those who are able to recruit professional hockey players . The Ice Dogs , North Stars and Blue Tongues especially struggle to find consistency early in the season . In order to stabilise the team , North Stars General Manager Garry Doré recruited two family friends from a British Columbian Senior A league to act as fill - ins before the gun players could arrive . The two player called in from Smithers BC are brothers Ian and Eric Smith . Local student Kai Curry - Lindhal is a Belgian - born Swede who has also been available to relieve places in the team where necessary . Other imported players for 2007 include Mark Wires ( Central Hockey League , Bowling Green University ) , Conrad Martin ( East Coast Hockey League , Mercyhurst University ) , Brad Wanchulak ( Adelaide Avalanche , Dutch National League , Central Hockey League , Notre Dame University ) , Trevor Hawkins ( Nepean Raiders Junior A , Concordia University Stingers ) and 2004 North Star Mike McKenna ( York University ) . From early May , the North Stars had a big turn - around in performance . By month ' s end the North Stars were equal 2nd in the AIHL on points . Early in June , starting goalie Matt Ezzy suffered a groin strain injury that saw him sit out the remainder of the month , and 17 year old Midget goalie Tom Gouldstone started the next three games . Gouldstone had a lively introduction to AIHL , with two games going to shootout ( 1 win , 1 loss ) and an outright win against the Avalanche in Adelaide . In June , Mark Wires returned to Canada , with Conrad Martin returning home in July . The North Stars recruited former Adelaide Avalanche player Darcy Corcoran from British Columbia , Canada , to fill the void along with the retention of the two Smith brothers , Eric and Ian . On the 18th of August in Melbourne , the North Stars qualified for the 2007 Finals Series ( Penrith NSW ) with a 1 - 0 defeat of the Melbourne Ice . On the 19th of August in Adelaide , North Stars forward Brad Wanchulak broke the AIHL scoring record by registering 67 points in a season . Wanchulak registered 2 more assists on the final game of the season for a final point tally of 69 . The North Stars qualified for their 5th consecutive finals tournament and defeated the Melbourne Ice in the 2nd semi final by a margin of 6 goals to 3 . Darcy Corcoran top - scored with an impressive 5 goals and 1 assist . On Sunday the 2nd of September , the North Stars faced the home team , the Penrith Bears , in the Goodall Cup Final . After falling behind 2 - 0 early in the third period , the North Stars fought back , with a goal from Brad Wanchulak , and then Darcy Corcoran in a late - period power play . The game went to overtime tied 2 goals each , but a penalty to the North Stars against the run of play gave the Bears the opportunity to set up blue - liner Rob Pasminka , who hammered home the game - winning goal . Several North Stars players progressed into professional contracts , and some plan to return for future seasons . In the 2007 - 2008 Northern Hemisphere season , Conrad Martin moved up into the American Hockey League ( AHL ) on a PTO , while Mark Wires joined former North Stars Ryan Crane and Sean Starke in UK ' s Elite Ice Hockey League . Mike McKenna captured a spot in Sweden ' s HockeyAllsvenskan league ( 1st grade close in level to the AHL ) , while Darcy Corcoran won a spot with former North Star Henry Acres in Sweden in the 3rd highest league . 2008 . The Australian Ice Hockey League launched on Saturday the 19th of April . The North Stars played at home on opening night , and defeated the Gold Coast Blue Tongues despite not having any available import players . The Inski North Stars set a record loss - streak with five consecutive losses in April - May ( two of those in a shoot out ) before recording a shoot - out win against the Canberra Knights on the 17th of May in Canberra . From that point the North Stars improved their position from 6th - place team to 4th - place by the end of May . On 22 June the North Stars had two key players injured . Starting goaltender Matt Ezzy and top - scoring forward Colin Nicholson were unavailable for over 4 – 6 weeks . The North Stars performed poorly in late June and early July , but recovered to record six consecutive outright wins ( one game worth double points ) to finish the season in fourth place , 1 point shy of 2nd / 3rd placed Melbourne Ice and Western Sydney Ice Dogs . The North Stars underwent a considerable change of personnel in 2008 , with several experienced local players being unavailable at the start of the 2008 season . Pier Martin started the season but withdrew after a few weeks , around the same time that Allen Campbell returned to the team . Rookie Matt Price established himself as a top - 4 defenceman after returning home to Newcastle from college in Canada . Captain Ray Sheffield suffered a broken foot bone , forcing him to miss most of May . The North Stars utilised resident University student Matt Vickers early in the season , along with 2006 Melbourne Ice player Gabriel Andre , who played 18 games of 25 total in the season . Other import for the North Stars included college player Grant Buckley in defence , B . J . Pelkey ( SPHL ) , Colin Nicholson ( ECHL ) , Mark Carberry ( College ) , and Mickey Gilchrist ( NCAA College ) into the forwards . The Inski Newcastle North Stars became National Champions for the fourth time after winning the Goodall Cup for 2008 . The North Stars defeated the Ice Dogs 4 - 1 in the cup final , after eliminating the Bears in the semi final with a score of 7 - 5 . Mickey Gilchrist was awarded the AIHL Finals MVP award . In the off - season , Australian representatives Matt Ezzy and Casey Minson were signed to European national league teams . Minson to Ankara in Turkey , and Ezzy to Utrecht in the Netherlands . Accolades . The North Stars have been recognised as Newcastle ' s Outstanding Senior Sports team three out of four times since the introduction of the awards , for their 2003 , 2004 and 2006 seasons by the Newcastle City Council . The North Stars are finalists again for 2008 , to be announced at the gala event on the 6th March 2009 . North Stars goalie Matt Ezzy was voted " Sportsperson of the Year " by the Lake Macquarie City Council for his 2005 season in February 2006 , and was a finalist for the same award in 2007 . North Stars defenceman and assistant captain Rob Starke is a finalist for Senior Sportsperson of the year , 2007 . The Award winners for 2008 are : Most Valuable Player : Mickey Gilchrist and Colin Nicholson ( dual - winners ) Coaches Award : B . J . Pelkey Best Defensive Player : Rob Starke Most Improved Player : Matt Price Most Dedicated Player : Matthew Vaughan Best Aussie Player : Casey Minson Top scorer award for 2008 : Mickey Gilchrist Rivalries . The North Stars ' primary rivals are the Western Sydney Ice Dogs . The first ever AIHL game for the North Stars was a loss to the Ice Dogs , who joined the league in 2002 along with the North Stars . The North Stars defeated the Ice Dogs in the 2003 and 2008 finals to win the Goodall Cup ( both by a margin of 4 - 1 ) , lost the Cup to the Ice Dogs in the 2004 final , and then defeated the Ice Dogs in the semi - final in 2005 . The North Stars have also established a healthy rivalry with the Adelaide Avalanche , the team they faced ( and defeated ) in both the 2005 and 2006 Goodall Cup championship games . Locally , the North Stars also share a rivalry with the Central Coast Rhinos , due to the close proximity between the Central Coast and Newcastle . The two teams play for a local trophy called the ' Impart Cup ' . The North Stars won the Impart cup in 2005 with 2 wins , 1 tie and 1 loss . In 2006 the North Stars kept the Impart Cup with 2 wins and 2 losses , but with a much larger goal differential , in 2007 with a record of 3 wins and 1 shootout loss , and for the fourth consecutive year in 2008 with a 3 - 1 outright win differential . Honoured Members . Terry George ' s number 21 is the only North Stars jersey to be retired . Terry George was a player and volunteer for the original North Stars team in the NSW Superleague , and lost his battle with cancer in the 1990s . No Newcastle North Stars players have been awarded the Hudson Trophy , however Glen Foll ( North Stars 2005 ) was awarded the Hudson Trophy while playing for the Adelaide Avalanche in 2004 .