Southern was thumped 6 - 0 by Northland in the playoff for seventh last year .
The Dunedin - based team has not won an NHL match since 2007 , when Southern beat Auckland 2 - 1 to avoid finishing last .
Southern was thumped 6 - 0 by Northland in the playoff for seventh last year and the Dunedin - based team has not won an NHL match since 2007 , when it beat Auckland 2 - 1 to avoid finishing last .