Matt Harvey skates in warm-up before his 150th AIHL game - Photo credit: David Tate
Caribou Canberra Brave were defeated this weekend at home at the Brave Cave by Newcastle Northstars, 2–6.
Conference topping Newcastle traveled to Canberra to take on the Brave on a lovely sunny Canberra autumn afternoon. A tailgate party hosted by Caribou Kingston and Phat Boy Burgers with melt in the mouth slow-cooked brisket kicked off the afternoon festivities in the courtyard in front of the Brave Cave.
Inside the rink, a large crowd gathered for what is always an eagerly anticipated match-up, the Battle of Nowhere derby. There was a healthy contingent of Northstars fans who had made the trip from Newcastle for the game. They are normally one of the highest represented away contingents in the league.
The Brave roster was similar to last weekend’s home opener. The biggest differences coming with the return of Matt Harvey after a week off and Lachlan White making his debut for the team as an emergency backup goaltender (EBUG). Bringing with him a pair of distinct red pads and a contingent of fans with a home-made sign reading “Heck Yeah Whitey #35”.
Lachlan White warming up in front of a fan sign made for him. Photo credit: Paul Furness
First period began in similar fashion to last weekend’s games against the Lightning, frantic and scrapy. Both teams tried playing with high forechecks to get quick turnovers high up the ice. Both goaltenders, Alex Tétreault (Brave) and Charlie Smart (Stars), were called into action early and often with a barrage of shots coming in as the game became end-to-end.
Ex-Brave player, Wehebe Darge, made the first breakthrough of the game after eight and a half minutes to give the visitors a one-nil lead. The period continued to be a closely fought affair with neither team really getting on top. The first period ended with the Northstars one goal to the good.
The second period followed a similar pattern to the first. Both teams had great chances to score but the goalies stood on their heads. No one was still able to establish dominance in play. Beau Taylor shot the Stars into a 2-0 lead, but it did not take long for Brave captain, Kai Miettinen, to fire one back for the home side. What a cracker of a goal it was too. However, just as quickly Newcastle to re-establish a two-goal lead, with American import Aiden Wagner firing a wicked shot into the net just over a minute later. The second period ended with Newcastle in the lead 3-1.
The third period started brightly for the Caribou Canberra Brave. Kai Miettinen was putting in a real captains knock and scored another scintillating goal to make it a 1 goal game again. The contest became increasingly scrapy and the physicality picked up in the third stanza with both teams tiring.
Unfortunately for the Brave, they did not have the legs too keep up with the Stars, and Newcastle took advantage of this in the final 10 minutes of the game. The visitors posted three goals within five-minute period. Canadian import Frances Drolet lead the insurgency with two of the goals off the back of lovely interplay with Wehebe Darge and Daniel Berno. Hamish Powell, with his first goal of the season, then finished the game off with the final flow, five minutes from time.
The final siren rung with a 6-2 scoreline to the Newcastle Northstars. Their first victory over the Brave in Canberra since 2017.
The big takeaway for the Brave from the game comes down to how hard it is to stay competitive over sixty minutes of game time against strong opposition when you have a shortened game-day roster. The Northstars were missing two key players for the game. The Brave on the other hand, were missing twelve players through a mixture of international duty and having not arrived from overseas yet.
Despite the loss, it was wonderful to see former caption and foundation Brave player, Matt Harvey, notch up his personal milestone of 150 AIHL and Brave games. Matt has really epitomised what it means to be a Canberra Brave player over his years with the team. He’s had as far away an experience as he could have compared to his ‘A Hockey Nightmare’ book storyline he wrote in 2013.
“It was a great accolade to share with everyone at the cave. I'm forever grateful to be playing this game still and using this milestone to spark some motivation for remainder of the season. All things aside time to get down to business. Thanks to my family and partner Bianca for letting me still play with the chaos of a young family.”
– Matt Harvey’s reaction to achieving his milestone.
After the game I caught up with Lachlan White and asked him about his experience being called up to the big-time in Australian national hockey:
“I just loved it. It was so much fun. The roar of the crowd as we walked into the rink and chants throughout the game gave me chills, absolutely incredible. I will never forget this night. A big thank you to the lads, the management, the staff, the fans, my family and my friends for showing up, supporting and giving it their all. Looking forward to seeing and cheering with you all, no matter where I’m standing at the rink. I would definitely want to do this again if the chance arises.”
– Lachlan White
Matt Havey celebrating 150 AIHL games. Photo credit: David Tate
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Game Summary:
Saturday
Final Score: Brave 2 – 6 Newcastle Northstars
Brave scorers: Kai Miettinen (x2)
Northstars scorers: Wehebe Darge, Beau Taylor, Aiden Wagner, Francis Drolet (x2), Hamish Powell
Next Caribou Canberra Brave games:
4-5 May 2024, Vs Melbourne Ice @ Phillip Ice Skating Centre, Puck drop 5:15 pm (Sat) and 4:45 pm (Sun)
Want to see the Brave live in action, buy tickets for home games now at
https://shop.cbrbrave.com.au/tickets/
Can’t make it to the rink, watch the Brave live and on demand on AIHL.TV
https://www.aihl.tv/