North Stars Explode in Second for 5-2 Victory

Published on September 28, 2011 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


TRAVERSE CITY - After a 10-day layoff following the North American Hockey League Showcase, Traverse City North Stars head coach Chad Fournier suspected his club might have accrued some rust, and a 1-0 deficit after the first period of Wednesday's home opener against the Port Huron Fighting Falcons at Centre ICE Arena confirmed it.

However, Traverse City's four-goal cloudburst in the second period, and subsequent 5-2 triumph, verified another of Fournier's hunches.

"We can be a very good team when we get back to playing our system, our way," he explained following the first home victory of his head coaching stint. "We had been away from game action for well over a week since the Showcase, and thought that we might take a while to get back into the flow. We weren't really able to get the puck out of our own zone in the first (period), but started to move the puck a lot better as the game wore on."

The Fighting Falcons put a damper on the Stars' seventh home-opener just 1:05 into the affair - although there was a delay in the jubilation. Kody Polin seemed to have broken the seal early, roofing a shot that precipitated a Port Huron celebration and subsequent illumination of the goal light. However, the officials allowed play to continue until the next whistle, when they conferred with the goal judge and awarded Port Huron the opening salvo. Traverse City struggled to sustain offensive zone pressure throughout the stanza.

"We came in after the first period, and (assistant coach) Bob (Spence) said, 'we're going to be fine,'" Fournier said. "There might have been some nerves that we had to get out of the way, but we got the breakout going, and got right back into the game."

It didn't take the hosts long to wrest the lead from Port Huron. Robert Wiener (Williamston, MI/TC North Stars) discharged a power play blast from the blue line just 33 ticks into the second period to even things up, and Will Badner (Cadillac, MI/Motor City NAHL) racked the first of his two markers at 2:09, and the North Stars would not trail again.

Kyle Schempp (Saginaw, MI/Compuware U18), who drew assists on both early-period scores, potted one of his own with 4:47 left before the second intermission. Following Port Huron's immediate retort 16 seconds later - a shorthanded effort - Nathan Harris (Fowlerville, MI/ Lansing Capitals U18) cleaned up a loose puck at the edge of the goal mouth to give Traverse City a 4-2 edge at the break. Badner issued an insurance policy with 6:21 left in the game.

"Basically, we stopped having to run around in our own end," Fournier added. "And once again we got solid goaltending from Kyle (Laslo). He gave up a shorthanded goal that he'd probably like to have back, but the team picked him up, and he got right back on track."

Schempp and Michal Toman (Slovakia/TC North Stars NAHL) each reached 'playmaker' strata - three assists in a game - while Kyle Loridon (Howell, MI/Lansing Capitals U18), Eric Rivard (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL), and Dean Burggrabe (Marquette, MI/Compuware U18) added one apiece.

Laslo (Fenton, MI/Osoyoos KIJHL) stopped 31 of 33 shots, including all 13 in the final frame. He boasts a 1.74 goals-against average and stout .940 save percentage, and has started all five of the North Stars' games this season.

The North Stars (4-0-1) will don special purple jerseys on Saturday when the rival Michigan Warriors come to town for the first 'Purple for a Purpose' event at Centre ICE Arena. The team will auction off those jerseys and numerous silent auction items donated by area businesses during Saturday's game. All proceeds benefit the Women's Resource Center of Traverse City. Saturday's game gets underway at 7:05 p.m., with the series finale between the Stars and Warriors on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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North American Hockey League Stories from September 28, 2011


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