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Closing Statement: Stars Rush Alaska, 5-2

September 18, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


BLAINE, Minn. - The Traverse City North Stars closed out the NAHL Showcase with a bang on Saturday at Schawn Super Rink, handing Alaska a 5-2 setback to close out the four-day event with in suburban Minneapolis a 3-1 record. Alec Shields scored twice and assisted on a third tally to lead the charge for the North Stars.

Traverse City rebounded from its first loss of the season on Friday, outshooting the Avalanche by a 35-21 margin, and finishing its season- opening road trip with four victories in five tries.

"There's a pretty big difference, at least psychologically, between coming out of it (Showcase) 3-1 rather than 2-2," said Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "We had to win this game, period. After how we played at times on Friday, this was an important game to come away from with positive results."

Mitchell Snider (Traverse City, MI/Alpena NAHL) banged home a rebound created from a Chris Leibinger (Saginaw, MI/Saginaw Heritage HS) blast, giving the Stars their first lead with 8:18 to play in the first period. Shields (Pittsburgh, PA/TC North Stars) made it 2-0 with a power play goal 5:16 into the second stanza, but Alaska responded with consecutive goals less than a minute apart. The tying goal came with the Avs shorthanded, as Seth Johnson swiped a pass near the blue line and broke free at 11:21.

It didn't take Traverse City long to regain the lead, however, with Ryan Amin (Canton, MI/TC North Stars) potting a power play marker 37 seconds later, and Taylor Burden (Carmel, IN/TC North Stars) restoring the two-goal bulge less than two minutes after that. Amin added an empty-netter with 1:06 to play to cap the scoring.

Tyler Marble (Howell, MI/TC North Stars) made 19 saves to earn his fourth victory of the season, while Travis White (Sterling Hts., MI/ TC North Stars) dished out a trio of assists.

"After four games in four days, neither team was particularly sharp," Palumbo offered. "But we worked hard enough, the power play was good, the penalty kill was good, and we were able to get it going."

Leibinger and Eric Fragoso (Novi, MI/Detroit Catholic Central HS) assisted on Snider's goal, Amin and Trevor Campbell (Kansas City, MO/ TC North Stars) set up Shields' first, White and Steven Behm (Grand Rapids, MI/Texas NAHL) were credited with helpers on Amin's fifth of the year and Shields' empty-netter, while White and Shields aided Burden's power play lamplighter.

The Stars went 2-for-8 on the power play, and rebuffed each of Alaska's three man-up chances. TC comes away from the Showcase with a 23 percent efficiency on the power play through five outings, and has surrendered just one power play goal in 32 such situations.

Traverse City (4-1-0) will step away from NAHL action for a few weeks before visiting Port Huron on Oct. 8-9, squaring off against the U.S. National Team Development Program for a two-game exhibition series in Ann Arbor on Sept. 24-25.The Stars' home opener is slated for Oct. 15 at Centre ICE Arena against Springfield (Ill.).

2010 NAHL Showcase Schwan Super Rink - Blaine, Mn.

WEDNESDAY: Traverse City 1, Corpus Christi 0

THURSDAY: Traverse City 4, Austin 0

FRIDAY: Wenatchee 5, Traverse City 2

SATURDAY: Traverse City 5, Alaska 2



North American Hockey League Stories from September 18, 2010


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