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North Stars double up Port Huron

November 25, 2011 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


TRAVERSE CITY - The Traverse City North Stars cleaned their holiday plates on Friday evening at Centre ICE Arena, knocking off first-place Port Huron by a 4-2 count.

Sean Murphy scored the host Stars' first two goals, and Traverse City crafted a three-goal lead before closing out an unblemished Thanksgiving week - following TC's 4-3 triumph against Michigan on Wednesday.

The Stars wore special U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City jerseys for the contest as part of the ‘North Stars Never Forget' event, which benefited Operation American Soldier and Michigan National Guardsmen currently deployed in Afghanistan.

"It was a good week," said North Stars head coach Chad Fournier. "It can be tough playing over the holidays like this. We had a few guys who drove home and back for Thanksgiving between the games, so it was good to get this one."

Murphy (Cary, NC/Tri-City USHL) delivered the seal-buster a mere 1:24 into the affair, and restored the Stars' lead just 2:02 into the second after the Fighting Falcons bagged an equalizer late in the first frame. Kyle Froese (Traverse City, MI/TC Central HS) assisted on Murphy's first tally, while Alexander Taulien (Crystal Lake, IL/TC North Stars NAHL) and Will Badner (Cadillac, MI/Motor City NAHL) set up the latter.

Badner and captain Jared Van Wormer (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL) helped the Stars open up a 4-1 lead in the first six minutes of the final period, and a concerted defensive effort by Traverse City held the Falcons to just four shots on goal over the final 20 minutes.

"They (Port Huron) came out and kind of set the tempo after the first five minutes of the first period," Fournier assessed. "I think we did the same in the second, and we were able to control the pace for much of the rest of the game. We got more physical, and showed that we can play with another of the top teams in the league."

Taulien recorded his second assist of the night on Badner's team-best ninth goal of the season, while Mitchell Snider (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL) set a career-high with his ninth assist of 2011-12 on Van Wormer's insurance marker. Kyle Laslo (Fenton, MI/Osoyoos KIJHL) was yoked once again in the TC net, stopping 19 of the 21 shots he faced to claim his 11th victory of the campaign.

The North Stars (11-5-4) leapfrogged Michigan into sole possession of third place in the North Division, trailing the Falcons by eight points for the top slot. Traverse City, however, has seven games in-hand - having played just 20 games to Port Huron's 27.

"We're still chasing right now," Fournier added. "We got two good home wins against division rivals this week. Now we need to string together a few more."

The North Stars and Fighting Falcons will reprise their rivalry next Friday at Centre ICE Arena in a one-game visit. The Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings will make their first-ever appearance in TC the following night. Both games are slated for a 7 p.m. face-off.



North American Hockey League Stories from November 25, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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