St. Louis Rocks North Stars, 4-1

Published on May 5, 2010 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


WENATCHEE, Wash. - The Traverse City North Stars led Wednesday's contest against St. Louis for exactly 1:02. For the rest of the NAHL Robertson Cup second-day affair, the Bandits and zebras were in control.

The three-time defending Robertson Cup champions were afforded a whopping 11 power play opportunities, and converted four times in a 4-1 victory over the North Stars at the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, Wa.

"We weren't ready to play," admitted Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "We were flat after a big win, and St. Louis came out fired up after a big loss. It was a major letdown. They (St. Louis) played well and we didn't."

Kelin Ainsworth (Thunder Bay, ONT/Ft. William SIJHL/Lake Superior St.) provided Traverse City with its short-lived advantage, registering the only even-strength goal of the afternoon 11:25 into the first period. Tim Opie (Troy, MI/TC North Stars) and Doug Clifford (Woodhaven, MI/Mahoning Valley NAHL) assisted.

From there, St. Louis racking up the next four goals - including a rejoinder to Ainsworth's marker a little more than a minute later. The Bandits opened (1:04 in) and closed (2:08 to go) the second period with man-advantage scores, and asserted an insurance marker with 4:50 remaining in the game to secure the victory.

"I think you can say our backs are against the wall at this point," Palumbo said. "You probably have to have wins in three of the four round-robin games to get to (the championship game) Sunday."

The North Stars will look to rebound on Thursday, when they face Bismarck on the third day of Robertson Cup round-robin action. The Bobcats clobbered St. Louis on Tuesday by an 8-5 margin, and had their off-day on Wednesday.

"They're rested, they beat the team that just beat us, and they're possibly the most dangerous team in the tournament," Palumbo said. "If we don't come out with the same jump we had on Wednesday, it'll be pretty tough to get it done."

Once again, Chris Paliafito (Shelbyville, KY/Owatonna NAHL/Sacred Heart Univ.) relieved Drew Strandberg (Thunder Bay, ONT/Thunder Bay SIJHL) in net for the North Stars, working the final period after Strandberg succumbed to a nagging leg issue. The tandem combined for 35 saves as the Bandits outshot TC by a 39-21 chasm.

The Stars and Bobcats will face-off in Wednesday's evening game, closing out the third day of the five-day round-robin with a 7:05 p.m. PT/10:05 p.m. ET showdown. Traverse City will close out their go- round on Friday against Fairbanks, seeking one of the two Robertson Cup final berths. The title contest in set for Sunday.

NAHL Robertson Cup

WHAT: North American Hockey League championship tournament

WHEN: May 4-9

WHERE: Town Toyota Center - Wenatchee, Wash.

WHO: Five teams - Traverse City North Stars (North Div.), Fairbanks IceDogs (West), Bismarck Bobcats (Central), St. Louis Bandits (South), Wenatchee Wild (Host team)

FORMAT: Four-game round-robin; Top two advance

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Sunday, May 9

ON THE WEB: robertsoncup.com

GAME-BY-GAME CAPSULES

North Stars vs. Bismarck Bobcats (39-11-8): Thursday, 7:05 pm PT/ 10:05 ET

ALL-TIME SERIES: Traverse City, 3-1

SEASON SERIES: Traverse City, 1-0

LAST MEETING: Sean Burke scored once and assisted on another, and Drew Strandberg stopped 27 shots in a 4-2 win at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Mn. on Sept. 19, 2009

TOP SCORER: Jason Fabian recorded 24 goals and 34 assists in 57 regular season games; Dominic Panetta is tops in the NAHL with 11 assists and 16 points in the postseason

IN NET: Ryan Faragher went 23-6-7 during the year (2.17 GAA/.921 SV%) and Jake Williams won four of the Bobcats' six playoff outings

North Stars vs. Fairbanks IceDogs (32-22-4): Friday, 2:35 pm PT/5:35 ET

ALL-TIME SERIES: 1-1

SEASON SERIES: Teams did not meet

LAST MEETING: Kyle Bonis racked the game-winner at 18:03 of the second period to lift the Stars to a 4-2 win in front of an NAHL Showcase audience in suburban Minneapolis on Sept. 20, 2008. CJ Motte stopped 35 of 37 shots for Traverse City

TOP SCORER: Michael Joula was second in the league during the regular season with 22 goals and 55 assists; Matt Millis scored just six goals during 2009-10, but leads the IceDogs with four goals in six playoff games

IN NET: Mike Taffe was 20-6-1, and Joe Phillippi 7-6-2 during the year and 3-2 in the playoffs

2010 ROBERTSON CUP SCHEDULE

Catch all the games LIVE on the b2 Network webcast at traversecitynorthstars.com

Tuesday, May 4

Bismarck 8, St. Louis 5

TRAVERSE CITY 5, Wenatchee 4

Wednesday, May 5

St. Louis 4, TRAVERSE CITY 1

Fairbanks vs. Wenatchee, (n)

Thursday, May 6

Fairbanks vs. St. Louis, 2:05 p.m. PT/5:05 p.m. ET

TRAVERSE CITY vs. Bismarck, 7:05 p.m. PT/10:05 p.m. ET

Friday, May 7

Fairbanks vs. TRAVERSE CITY, 2:35 p.m. PT/5:35 p.m. ET

Bismarck vs. Wenatchee, 7:05 p.m. PT/10:05 ET

Saturday, May 8

Fairbanks vs. Bismarck, 2:35 p.m./5:35 p.m. ET

St. Louis vs. Wenatchee, 7:05 p.m. PT/10:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, May 9

Championship Game, 5:05 p.m. PT/8:05 p.m. ET

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North American Hockey League Stories from May 5, 2010


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