Taming the Goodall: Matt Ezzy

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Matt Ezzy is a man that knows a thing or two about flying high; after all, the former Newcastle North Star has his name inscribed on the Goodall Cup three times. Add to that record, several further finals experiences and it’s clear the sky was the limit for the Lismore-born goalie.
 
Although no longer on the ice as a player, Ezzy is still flying high these days as a First Officer for Air North, a charter operation for mining and oil companies, based out of Darwin. Unfortunately with no rink nearby, his ice hockey days seem largely confined to the memory bank, but he vividly recalls moments from all three championship years.
 
Matt showed exactly what hockey players are made of in 2005, playing through the pain on the way to the final; helping the North Stars avenge their grand final loss the previous year, at the hands of the Western Sydney Ice Dogs.
 
“I hurt my right shoulder whilst playing in Canada, and again in Croatia at the World Championships and had issues all season,” Ezzy said. “I ended up dislocating it with a minute or so left in the second period against the Ice Dogs (in the semi-final); had it put back in and played the third.”
 
Recalling a restless night of medication and blocks of ice on his shoulder, he backed it up in the final against Adelaide the next night, helping the North Stars earn their second crown after 2003. In an incredible performance, Ezzy had a finals save percentage of 0.952%. He also found himself awarded Lake Macquarie’s Sportsperson of the Year award, which he still describes as ‘a great honour.’
 
2006 could’ve proved to be the undoing of the North Stars, with head coach Rob Barnes departing early in the season and numerous personnel changes meaning the team didn’t immediately gel under new coach, Don Champagne.
 
“There was a conversation late in the season between [general manager] Garry Dore and the senior players on the team,” he recalls. Trevor Sherban, an Edmonton-born alumnus of the professional West Coast Hockey League simply said “Stop worrying, Garry – we’re gonna make finals and win it from there.”
That’s exactly what the team did, scraping into the Finals by a point ahead of the Sydney Bears and the dominating their opposition with a 6-1 win over Melbourne Ice and a 4-0 win over Adelaide the following day, a display that Matt remembers fondly as “one of the most dominant showings in a finals series I’ve ever been part of.”
 
Incredibly, Ezzy’s own record from that weekend saw a 0.980% save percentage.
 
The former Australian international goalie recalls yet another “season of personnel changes and injuries” in 2008. However, it seems this level of adversity always lends itself to North Stars’ success; with the team eventually coming together, anchored by a remarkable 67 points in 15 games from import player, Micky Gilchrist. This season culminated with home ice advantage for the finals and a Goodall Cup won at the Hunter Ice Skating Stadium.
 
The way Ezzy recalls these successful Goodall Cup seasons, it’s clear he fondly remembers his time in the Australian Ice Hockey League. In fact, he still remains in contact with several of his former teams mates at Newcastle.
 
With his new home in the Northern Territory, he obviously isn’t able to get to as many games as he’d like, but has managed to see a few games at the Medibank Icehouse in the past year, courtesy of flight simulator training being in Melbourne.
 
Ezzy definitely goes down as a success story, a local youngster that achieved great heights in the AIHL, voted Goalkeeper of the Year on numerous occasions, representing Australia in numerous World Championships and having his name inscribed three times on Australian ice hockey’s grand prize.
 
He’ll certainly be hoping his former team can do him proud come Sunday night at the Medibank Icehouse.