North Stars blank USA for fifth straight win

Published on October 12, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


The last time Brandon Stephenson faced the U.S. National Development Program Under-17 squad, he authored the first home shutout in Traverse City North Stars history, blanking the U-17s by a 4-0 margin last March 4 at Centre ICE arena. On Saturday, Stephenson gobbled up all 29 shots he faced, reprising his role as the stonewalling backstop in a 3-0 win over Team USA. The victory gave the hosts a series sweep for the second consecutive weekend.

The triumph also marks the fifth straight for Traverse City, moves the club to 8-2 on the season, and pushes the Stars' lead in the North American Hockey League North Division to five points over idle Mahoning Valley.

"The thing that seems to be coming to the surface is our depth, I think," assessed TC head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "We had a lot of guys chip in this weekend, and when you have that kind of depth and get the goaltending that we're getting, that's a recipe for success."

Garrett Thompson (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars) got the North Stars going near the close of the first period (18:31), and Jarrod LaBelle (Bay City, MI/TC North Stars) made it 2-0 a mere 1:56 into the second stanza. Nate Urbaniak (Perrysburg, OH/TC North Stars) put the proverbial cherry on top with a bar-down wrister that found the top right corner. Stephenson and the Traverse City defense did the rest, putting the clamps on Team USA (4-5-1).

"It's not hard to recognize when you're playing against a team that's as loaded with talent as they are," Stephenson said following the game. "I think it makes everybody try to raise their game a bit."

Stars captain Kyle Bonis (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars) assisted on both Thompson's and Urbaniak's goals, the latter of which was set up by Phil Wendecker (Westland, MI/TC North Stars).

The nice part about getting out to a quick start is that you won't necessarily find yourself in desperation mode come February and March," Palumbo added. "What we can't do is start taking every night, every win for granted. We can't forget what we did to get off to a good start. There's still a lot of room for improvement."

Traverse City continues its month-long homestand next weekend, playing host to Motor City in a Friday-Saturday series. The Machine (3-6) moved to metro Detroit this season from Southern Minnesota, and will be making their first-ever Centre ICE arena appearance.

CRUSHED ICE: The North Stars penalty kill was Scrooge-stingy once again on Saturday, dispatching all eight of Team USA's power play chances after thwarting 10 of 11 on Friday. Traverse City is now second in the NAHL in kill efficiency at 89.71%. ... TC's well-oiled power play went 0-for-3 on Saturday, but is still second in the league at 20.69%, trailing only Mahoning's otherworldly 32.65%. ... Stephenson's second career TC shutout lowered his goals-against average to 2.36, while he pushed his save percentage to the .900 mark. ... LaBelle (G, 2A) had three points on the weekend, and was named one the games' 'three stars' on each night. ... Traverse City's 8-2-0 start marks the club's best start, but the team has never had a losing record after 10 games in club history. TC was 5-2-3 last year through 10 outings, 5-4-1 in 2006-07, and 4-4-2 in its inaugural season of 2005-06. ... After Saturday's NAHL games, the Stars had the most wins (8) and points (16) in the league, but had also played the most games (10). Traverse City is fourth in winning pct. (.800).

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North American Hockey League Stories from October 12, 2008


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