Machine tops TC in OT

Published on February 13, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


WYANDOTTE - The Motor City Machine have won but seven games all season long, taking up near-permanent tenancy in the NAHL North Division cellar. Two of those seven victories, however, have come at the expense of the Traverse City North Stars, including a 3-2 overtime triumph at Yack Arena on Friday evening.

"It's a huge, huge disappointment, not that we lost to a team below us in the standings, but the way we're playing the game right now," said Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "It was a carbon- copy of our Friday and Sunday games last weekend (at Mahoning Valley). We simply don't want to play on the road. We leave our building and become a bunch of babies."

The Machine scored twice in a span of 2:33 in the first period to take a 2-0 lead before Traverse City evened things up with two of its own in the second period. Eric O'Hearn (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars) scored the first at 4:59 when Kyle Jean (Sault Ste. Marie, MI/ TC North Stars) intercepted a pass and found O'Hearn streaking toward the Machine crease. Chris Heineman (New Boston, MI/TC North Stars) bagged the equalizer with just eight seconds before the second intermission on assists from Kyle Bonis (Lindsay, ONT/TC North Stars) and Nate Urbaniak (Perrysburg, OH/TC North Stars). Neither team scored during the final 20 minutes of regulation, but Jake Friedman was able to send the home crowd home happy with the game-winner a scant 13 ticks into overtime.

"Did we come all the way down here just to play one period?" Palumbo lamented. "Looked that way to me. We're here in the middle of tight playoff race, and this is the performance we get? This is something they (the players) have to turn around - it's not something I can help them with. If they simply don't want it, I can't make them want it."

The Stars (25-11-6) missed out on a chance to pull closer to first- place Mahoning Valley after the Phantoms imploded in a 5-1 loss on Friday at Marquette. As it stands, Traverse City is six points behind Mahoning in the standings., and seven points up on idle third- place Alpena.

"Right now, we're not better than anybody in our division," Palumbo added. "We're all talk, no action. We have to be better and quick or this is going to get away from us pretty quickly."

The Stars and Machine (7-33-1) square off again on Saturday evening in suburban Detroit; Face-off is slated for 7:10 p.m.

We thank you, our media partners, for your continued interest in Traverse City North Stars hockey. If there is anything we can do to help facilitate any aspect of your coverage, please do not hesitate to contact us. You are a valued component of North Stars hockey.

For more information, call Lance-Michael Correia at (231) 632-5047, the Traverse City North Stars office at (231) 941-9200 or visit the team's Web site at: www.traversecitynorthstars.com.

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North American Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2009


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