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North Stars Outshine Warriors

November 27, 2010 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Michigan Warriors News Release


TRAVERSE CITY, MI- Kelin Ainsworth scored in the third round of the shootout as the Traverse City North Stars defeated the Michigan Warriors 4 ‚¬"3 in front of 757 fans on Friday at the Center Ice Arena.

Chris Leibinger scored the first goal of the game for the North Stars on a pass from Michael Szmatula.

His first gave the North Stars a 1 ‚¬"0 lead.

The North Stars (13-8-1) extended their lead at the 5:59 mark of the second period on a goal from Christopher Waterstreet.

3 minutes later at the 8:59 mark, the Warriors (13-7-2) cut the deficit to 2-1 on a goal from forward Chris Eckler. Forward Joe Sanchez picked up the helper on Eckler's second of the year.

"Chris has really proven himself since being acquired from Wichita Falls," Warriors General Manager and coach Moe Mantha said. "He has five points in three games and he has shown that he wants to be a leader on our team."

An unassisted goal at the 4:45 mark of the third period from Connor Schmidt regained the North Stars 2 goal lead.

The Warriors capitalized on a North Stars penalty at the 6:28 mark of the period on a power-play goal from forward Tyler Perpich. Defensemen Ryan Trenz and forward Andrew Kolb picked up the helpers on the goal.

Patrick Gregory tied the game at the 14:22 mark of the period. Forwards Joe Sanchez and Chris Eckler

"Patrick has been working hard in practice," Mantha said. "He has great attitude, lots of skill and he got rewarded tonight."

After a scoreless overtime period, Ainsworth's goal turned out to be the winning goal in the third round of the shootout.

"The team came back from a two goal deficit against a good team and this weekend will be a true test for our team," Mantha said, foreshadowing Saturday's rematch in Traverse City.

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