Northstars ride Smart play in net to win

Newcastle Northstars goaltender Charlie Smart returned to Adelaide and haunted his former team on Saturday night, recording 48 saves in a 3-2 shootout win for the Northstars.

In a high-octane affair, Smart made the most saves in a single game in his AIHL career, beating his previous best of 42 in 2015 and 2016, while he recorded his first win on the 2017 season.

Matt Murphy was certainly kept busy at the opposite end, stopping 35 Northstars shots to force the shootout, while Steven Kuhn was the Robin to Charlie Smart's Batman, scoring two goals before sealing the win in the shootout.

The Adrenaline got off to the ideal start, as goals to Ales Kratoska and Cameron Critchlow saw them skate to a 2-0 lead a little over ten minutes in to the contest.

Kuhn and the Northstars managed to claw one back before first intermission, and scored his second in the final minute of the second period to knot the scores at 2-2.

Having relinquished their great start, the Adrenaline piled on the pressure in the third period, but Smart was faultless, saving all 21 shots fired at his net to force a shootout, before salvaging the win.

The Northstars head to Perth on Sunday for a match-up against the Thunder, while the Adrenaline will rest for the All-Star break before heading to Canberra to play the Brave on June 10.

Photos by Frank Kutsche