Captain Liam Manwarring knows the Newcastle Northstars will miss Pat Nadin first up but look forward to his return for the remainder of the Australian Ice Hockey League finals series.
Nadin will be sidelined for Friday night's major semi against top-ranked Canberra in Melbourne (8:30pm) as part of a two-game suspension, however, he's available to play across the rest of the weekend.
The preliminary final is scheduled for O'Brien Icehouse on Saturday (5pm) followed by the 2022 decider at the same venue on Sunday (2pm).
Nadin, a homegrown product, copped the ban recently after a checking incident in the second last round of the regular season.
"It'll be a pretty big return for Pat Nadin. Obviously a very good local player and he turns up in championship games so it will be good to have him back for do-or-die clashes," Manwarring said.
Manwarring, also a local player, was appointed skipper earlier this year.
The Northstars have "DC" stickers on all helmets in honour of Don Champagne.
