Preview: Battle for Top Place - Stars vs Xtreme

A log jam. That’s what we’ve got.

Five games in and a single point separates first from last place.

Tonight, we will definitively know who heads into the Christmas break in first place. 

The Adelaide Xtreme (2-1, 4 points) will look to bounce back after taking their first loss of the year. They’ll face the Noarlunga Stars (1-1-1, 3 points) who are looking to keep the party vibes going after winning their first game. 

The Stars will be bouyed by a couple key inclusions with forwards Daniel Chen and Sam Hodic making their debut in the line ups. Read about them below. 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

The Xtreme scored three times on the first four shots of the game. The dug a big hole for the Stars, chucked them in the bottom of it, and asked them to climb out of it.

In the end, the Stars were buried 6-4 in a game that wasn’t really as close as the score line suggests.

Xander Wardlaw has two goals, Nathaniel Benson had three assists, and the Xtreme skated away to victory.

Stars’ goalie Glen Forbes-White struggled early in his first start back from injury. However, he was simply brilliant in his last time out – a 4-3 win over the Brewers. 

You can watch all the highlights here. 

THE SEASON SO FAR

Round 1 – Brewers 4 def Stars 3 (OT)

Round 2 – Xtreme 5 def Brewers 3

Round 3 – Xtreme 6 def Stars 4

Round 4 – Stars 4 def Brewers 3

Round 5 – Brewers 7 def Stars 6

Standings
1. Xtreme – 4 points
2. Brewers – 4 points 
3. Stars – 3 points

STAT LEADERS - Click here. 

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS GAME

Honestly, I have no idea. I expect a lot of desperation in this game from both teams. The Xtreme were the talk of the NHSL the first few weeks and they need to win to prove that talk was not cheap.

The Stars started slow but a win puts them in first place. They’ll be able to turn from zeros to heroes real quickly.

Both squads have some welcome additions and returns to the line-ups so you’d think the respective coaches have some work to do to figure out the best game plan. 

THINGS WE WE’RE WATCHING

1. The debut of Daniel Chen: He was selected in the early stages of the drafts for a reason – the newly turned 18-year-old can play. He put up 26 points in 20 games in his rookie season with the Jokers with a bulk of them coming in the last half of the year. Chen may be small but he plays big, uses the body, and has some solid skill. He can set up opponents or score a goal when required. He knows how to play with good players – something he’ll get an opportunity to do here. 
    
2. Sam Hodic: Sam Hodic also makes his debut for the Stars. The 25-year-old Melbourne-native had 14 points in the last AIHL season so we know he can play. How will Sami Mantere juggle what is now looking like a forward heavy line up?
    
3. Hobbled Xtreme Defense:   The Xtreme were missing David Huxley last week, who is expected to return. Graham Charbonneau and Jordan Geyer were also nursing injuries and are expected to be closer to 100% this game. Jai Sarcich also got hurt in the middle of the last game. The health of the defense will be important to a very structured Xtreme team. They allowed 7 goals vs the Brewers in their last game. They’ll collectively need to be better. 
    
4. Brother vs Brother: Tim Benson and Daniel Chen on the Stars play their older brothers Nathaniel Benson and Andrew Chen. That should add some spice to the equation. 
    
5. Line adjustments: Stars’ head coach Sami Mantere shuffled his top two lines around last game and got some scoring production. In fact, the top line combination of Jake Riley and Jan Koubek didn’t register a point. Will Mantere split up the pair now that Daniel Chen has entered the equation? How does he juggle his Top 6 forwards? Surely he’ll keep a bruising third line combination of Jarrad McDonnell – Tyson Boyd – Luke Harding together. McDonnell and Boyd each had 1+1 last game. Add Sam Hodic to the mix and it's a crowded house.
   
   Meanwhile, the same question can be asked for the Xtreme? Wardlaw and Benson may have combined for a couple goals last game but for the most point they were shut down.
    
6. Jake Hazel vs Andrew Chen – While it is easy to focus on the legendary longtime Adrenaline combination of Josh Harding (Stars) and David Huxley (Xtreme) going head to head, it’s also fun to look at two of the younger rising stars in the game. Jake Hazel showed he can be an elite shutdown defenseman last game. Andrew Chen has been solid all season long.
    

KEY INS

Stars – Defenseman Josh Harding makes a return to the line-up. He’ll help with their power play immensely. Luke Harding returns and will slot in to the third line. Daniel Chen adds a scoring touch to the Top 6, as does Sam Hodic. 

Xtreme – David Huxley returns and the value of that inclusion cannot be understated. He adds a calm presence at the back. Centreman Dean Peterson is a game time decision for the game after missing the last with an injury.
 

GOALTENDER MATCH UPS

Xtreme: Jeremy Friederich – Jeremy had a rare “off” game. He’ll be anxious to prove that he is still the top dog in the South Australian Ice Hockey. Scoring first is key for the Xtreme. In the last two years, Jeremy is 30-0 when his team scores the first goal. 

Stars: Glen Forbes White – Wow. What a game he had two weeks ago. Forbes-White stood on his head, stopping 42 pucks in a win over the Brewers. Every now and then you need your goalie to steal you a game and that’s just what Glen did.   

POTENTIAL LINE COMBINATIONS 
 
Xtreme

O. Martin – N. Benson – X. Wardlaw 
A. Esposito – J. MacDougall – N. Maley
J. Siemens – D. Peterson – A. Stapleton
B. Taylor-  J. Holland

D. Huxley – J. Geyer
A. Chen – G. Charbonneau
A. Widger – T. Tait
J. Sarcich

J. Friederich
C. Peacock

Brewers

J. Riley – S. Hodic - Z. Steele
Y. Levesque - J. Koubek - D. Chen
T. Boyd - R. Foll - J. McDonell
A. Foster - J. Harding - Q. Tombleson
K. Collier 

J. Hazel – T. Benson 
C. Smith – J. Harding 
M. Komazec – D. Madsen  

G. Forbes-White
S. Poole