Diggers outlast TC
January 1, 2008 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release
ALPENA - Sixty-five minutes of hockey wasn't enough on Monday night at Northern Lights Arena, as the Traverse City North Stars and host Alpena IceDiggers dueled to a 2-2 tie through four periods of action before the Diggers prevailed in a heart-stopping 10-round shootout, 3-2.
"We played well tonight - when we were 5-on-5," explained North Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo, whose team was assessed four consecutive minors in the third period and in a decidedly defensive posture for much of the stanza, including a pair of five-in-three advantages for Alpena. "Our penalty kill was outstanding, we played with the requisite effort and intensity, and we couldn't get over the proverbial 'hump.'"
The 10-frame post-overtime session lived up to the moniker 'shootout,' as the teams each lit the lamp in four of their first six tries. Traverse City goalkeep Chris Paliafito (Shelbyville, KY/ Indiana USHL) and Diggers counterpart Nick Graves slammed shut their respective nets thereafter, save for Jerrod Hartman's decisive tally.
The Stars bounced back from a 1-0 first intermission deficit with a pair of rapid-fire reprisals at 10:30 and 11:42. Ben Plocar (Elkhart Lake, WI/Springfield NAHL) issued the first - with TC on the power play - on assists from Nate Urbaniak (Perrysburg, OH/Toledo Jr B CSHL) and Harrison Niemann (Canton, MI/Omaha USHL), while Joe Greener (Camberley, ENG) put the Stars ahead on his eighth of the year. Plocar and Eric McLintock (Traverse City, MI/Soo Indians AAA) set up the score.
Russell Anderson, who levied Alpena's first period goal, knotted the game with 4:14 left in regulation.
"We had a chance to get two points and we got one," Palumbo said. "We played a strong game, and I was genuinely pleased with our effort. We have to try to close the gap between playing well and winning."
Paliafito made a career-high 40 saves for the North Stars (11-14-6), who will play host to Marquette on Saturday night at Centre ICE arena.
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North American Hockey League Stories from January 1, 2008
- Christian Named North Player Of The Week - Marquette Rangers
- Jr. Blues Drop Two Close Ones to North Iowa - Springfield Jr. Blues
- U.S. National Under-17 Team Falls to Germany, 4-2 - U.S. National Team
- Tornado brewing down South - NAHL
- Diggers outlast TC - Traverse City North Stars
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