Stars bury Diggers in OT
September 30, 2007 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release
TRAVERSE CITY - If turnabout is fair play, then the Traverse City North Stars dished out a heaping helping of equity on Saturday night at Centre ICE arena. One night after Alpena stunned the Stars in an overtime thriller at Northern Lights Arena, Matt Hughes delighted the Traverse City faithful on opening night with a game-bagger just over two minutes into OT.
"We didn't have one guy who didn't give his all tonight, that's what I took away from it," said Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo, whose team has a penchant for going beyond the 60th minute and now sits at 3-0-3 on the young season. "We got up early, then we let 'em back into it - just like we did on Friday in their building. But what we did tonight was find a way to get that bounce, that goal, that we needed to get."
The hosts jumped out to a 1-0 edge on Hughes' first tally of the contest, a power play effort at 13:56 set up by defensemen Ben Plocar and Jameson Raymond. Plocar got into the act with a man-up marker of his own seven-plus minutes into the second, with Hughes and Clinton Bourbonais drawing assists on the play.
The IceDiggers (3-3-0) stormed back in the third period to knot the affair, including a power play equalizer with 8:08 to play in regulation.
"We had played two periods of very good hockey to that point," Palumbo assessed. "But in this league, and especially in this division - you can't take a period off, let alone a game off."
Tyler Stephens and Harrison Niemann were credited with assists on Hughes' cincher - on a rare fourth stanza power play.
Partially obscured amidst Hughes' heroics was the continued steady presence - and first junior victory - of goalkeep Brandon Stephenson, who made 21 stops in 23 chances in his third consecutive overtime outing. Stehpenson presently boasts a miserly 1.46 goals- against average and .944 save percentage early in the 2007-08 campaign. Nate Pellegrino was considerably busier in the Alpena cage, contending with 36 shots while rebuking 33 of them.
The North Stars hit the road again this Friday, visiting the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-17 squad in Ann Arbor before returning to Centre ICE to reprise their rivalry with the Marquette Rangers on Saturday night and a Sunday matinee.
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North American Hockey League Stories from September 30, 2007
- Jets Score Early and Often, Win 5-1 - Fargo-Moorhead Jets
- Stars bury Diggers in OT - Traverse City North Stars
- Blizzard Fall 5-1 at Fargo - Alexandria Blizzard
- Brown Bears Swept Aside: Outlaws Atop the Standings - North Iowa Outlaws
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