Australian Ice Hockey League - Powered By esportsdesk.com

HELLYER LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	PTS
Ice	4	4	0	12
Thunder	6	4	2	12
Bears	4	3	1	9
Mustangs	2	1	1	3
Ice Dogs	5	1	4	3

RURAK LADDER

Team	GP	W	L	OTW	OTL	PTS
Northstars	4	3	0	1	0	11
Lightning	6	3	3	0	0	9
Adrenaline	3	1	1	0	1	4
Brave	6	1	5	0	0	3
Rhinos	4	0	4	0	0	0

SCORING LEADERS

Jeremiah
Addison (PER)

Player	Points
Aiden Wagner (NNS)	18
Wehebe Darge (NNS)	15
francis Drolet (NNS)	15
Zane Jones (PER)	13

GOALIE LEADERS

N Novysedlak (BRE)

1.000

Goalie	SV%
Rhys Pelliccione (PER)	.950
Tatsunoshin Ishida (MIC)	.933
Leo Bertein (PER)	.905
Charles Smart (NNS)	.903

Bales returns to North Stars with permanent residency

Thursday, June 19, 2014 - Submitted by Craig Tonks

Three games after returning to the Newcastle North Stars, Brian Bales has instantly made his presence felt. Scoring eight points through one goal and seven assists, the Alaskan-born forward has rocketed up to fifth on the North Stars scoring charts already and helping his team return to top four. And the scariest thing for opposition teams – Bales is now a permanent resident meaning he no longer has to take up an import spot on the roster.

With the familiar 42 on his back, Bales has a huge legacy in the AIHL. Bales hit the AIHL scene in 2010, breaking the record for point scoring in his first season, finishing with 87 points from 33 goals and 54 assists in only 25 games. That was 3.5 points per game, an incredible statistic when the team generated 5.5 goals per game and led the North Stars to the top of the ladder. In his AIHL career, Bales has scored an amazing 214 points (91 goals, 123 assists) in 81 matches.

However, the prolific scorer affectionately known by teammates as ‘Brucey’, took the 2013 season off. While the North Stars returned to the Goodall Cup final, the popular player was often behind the North Stars benches with many fans speculating a return. It wasn’t to be in 2013. Following the season off, Bales said it’s good to be back on the ice.

“I've only been back on the ice for a few weeks but the timing and speed is starting to come back,” Bales said.

Overall life is great for the 29-year-old Bales. After coming to the AIHL to ply his trade, Bales fell in love with Australia. He also happened to fall in love with one of its inhabitants and decided to stay to raise a family. Returning to the ice, his natural ability is clear but he his priorities have changed with all that has happened in the last few years.

“When I first came to Australia, hockey really was my life,” Bales said. “Now I have a young family and a career, so hockey is now more about enjoyment.”

It has been clear that Bales is enjoying his hockey. Playing with the likes of Chris Wilson, who is up to seventh on the AIHL’s leading scorers and has add seven goals including a last-start hat-trick since Bales has returned, and Cody Danberg, who has doubled his point scoring to 16 points in the last three weeks. Bales said he’s also keen to work with Australian representative forward Adam Geric and the rest of the Australian players on the team because he has seen a huge shift in the past couple of years.

“Since I first came and played here, the skill level of the local players is something that has really increased,” Bales said. “Word of the league has spread so much, there are some great imports coming here now, but the gap between the locals and imports has closed significantly.”

North Stars coach Garry Doré spoke about Bales on the weekend after the North Star 7-4 victory over the Melbourne Ice. After a frustrating start to the season, Doré said that they might have found the final piece to the puzzle.

“Brian Bales is just a class act,” Doré told theaihl.com after the game. “He’s of the same calibre as Cody Danberg and Chris Wilson and amplifies what they’re all about. He got four assists tonight and he’s setting up a lot of goals for us.”

The return of Bales has added an extra dimension to the North Stars attack. In the three games he has played in, the North Stars have scored 16 goals; in the first nine games, they scored 20. It’s clear that to win the Goodall Cup you need all pieces of the puzzle and perhaps the North Stars have just found the final piece of the 2014 puzzle.

SOCIALISE WITH US

Tweets

INSTAGRAM

Instagram is unavailable right now