Rosy Recovery: North Stars Storm Back For 5-4 Win

Published on October 16, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


TRAVERSE CITY - For a little over 20 minutes on Friday, it looked as if the Traverse City North Stars had taken their pink jerseys a bit too seriously.

Down 3-0 just over a minute into the second period, the North Stars roared back with five straight goals over a span of 24:37 to claim a 5-4 conquest over Janesville on 'Turn the Rink Pink' night at Centre ICE arena. The contest was played on a pink ice surface in front of more than 1,100 fans, with Traverse City players in rose-hue sweaters for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

"In my three years here, that first period was the worst period of hockey I'd seen," said Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo, who donned his own pink jersey during the period before casting it aside during a first intermission locker room 'discussion'. "The fact that we were getting outshot by a 13-3 margin at that point was pretty indicative of how badly they outplayed us. They didn't look like a team that just got done with a seven-hour bus ride - they had jump, played physical hockey, and we sat there and watched 'em play."

After an even-strength marker gave the visiting Jets (5-7-0) a three- goal cushion a mere 1:25 into the second period, Andy Huff (Howell, MI/Honeybaked U18) started the comeback less than two minutes later, and Garrett Thompson (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars) at 9:27. Huff logged his second tally of the game with 6:23 left in the second period to knot the affair, and Doug Clifford (Woodhaven, MI/Mahoning Valley NAHL) gave the hosts a one-goal bulge heading into the second intermission with a power play lamplighter a scant 1:23 after Huff's equalizer.

Kelin Ainsworth (Thunder Bay, ONT/Ft. William SIJHL) turned in what eventually became the game-winning goal eight minutes into the final stanza, completing a 180-degree turnaround for Palumbo's club.

"Our guys have a lot of pride in what they do, and no one wants to get embarrassed," he explained. "We took the forecheck to another level, got the momentum on our side, and our power play did some damage as well. Of course I'd prefer that we didn't have to dig ourselves out of a hole like that every night, but we showed good competitive spirit coming back from a pretty poor showing in the first (period)."

Dan Radke (Orinda, CA/TC North Stars/Lake Superior State) recorded his first career 'playmaker' (three assists), and now has points in eight of his last 10 outings, while Huff now leads the NAHL with 10 goals.

"Andy shoots the puck hard and accurate," Palumbo pointed out. "Plus, he always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and he's out there with two good players as well. He's been extremely productive from the moment he got here."

Ainsworth and Clifford also drew assists on Friday, while Kyle Jean (Sault Ste. Marie, MI/TC North Stars/Lake Superior State), Eric McLintock (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars), and Trevor Campbell (Kansas City, MO/Lansing Capitals U18) contributed an assist apiece. Nick Shkreli (Romeo, MI/Mahoning Valley NAHL) set up Clifford's second period to notch an assist in his first game of the season after sitting out the first month of the season with an upper-body injury suffered late last season.

TC netminder Drew Strandberg (Thunder Bay, ONT/Thunder Bay SIJHL) stopped 20 of 24 shots to improve to 6-2 on the season.

"Maybe some of the extracurricular aspects to tonight's event may have provided a bit of a distraction initially," Palumbo said of the American Cancer Society benefit game. "I still am looking for us to come out the gates playing with the same kind of energy and intensity that we seem to play with later in games. We'll get another chance to try it that way on Saturday."

The North Stars, who improved to 8-3-1 and remain a point behind Marquette in the NAHL North Division standings, host the Jets again on Saturday night in a 7 p.m. series finale.

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North American Hockey League Stories from October 16, 2009


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