Stars double up Diggers

Published on November 11, 2005 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


TRAVERSE CITY - Josh Sorenson has found a home in Traverse City, and the North Stars are just plain ... happy at home.

Sorenson scored a pair of goals on Friday and the North Stars upped their home mark to 6-1 at Centre ICE arena with a 4-2 victory over their cross-state rivals from Alpena. After Travis Paeth opened the scoring at 5:53 of the first period, Sorenson made it 2-0 with 1:10 to go before the second intermission and the Stars were off and running.

Zeke Costello and Danny Dries assisted on the opening salvo, while Costello and Steven Oleksy drew helpers on Sorenson's first tally. It was the first game in nearly a month for Dries, who is recovering from the effects of an injured knee.

"It was nice to have Danny back, no question," said Stars head coach Scott Gardiner. "But this was one of those total team efforts. We didn't have just one or two guys stand out."

Sorenson collected his second goal of the evening 8:32 into the final stanza on assists from Matthew Larke and Dries, but Justin Stadler answered for the guests just 10 seconds later and again at 10:22 to make it a one-goal affair. The contest could potentially have eroded into a more contentious affair near the mid-point of the third period, but Gardiner said his team circled the proverbial wagons for a focused stretch drive.

"Alpena can draw us into playing a style of play that we don't like to play," he explained. "But I have to give our guys credit - they were able to regroup midway through the period and get it going again.

"The key for us is to stay with out game plan and not just change our style of play all of a sudden. Tonight, we were able to get back to the game plan and it ... got us through."

Larke's power play score with 5:06 remaining in the contest salted away the victory for the North Stars, who claimed a sixth straight conquest at Centre ICE.

"We worked harder tonight and had the better forecheck," said Juliano, who celebrated his 19th birthday in style with an assist on Larke's cincher. "Coach told us to stop playing at their level and try to rise above some of the penalties and stuff, and to get back to the level we had been playing at."

Jeremy Kaleniecki sopped up 23 IceDiggers shots for Traverse City, now 9-7-2 after a third consecutive triumph. The North Stars surged ahead of Mahoning Valley and into third place in the North Division race with 20 points. Johnny Morrow saved 25 of 29 for the Diggers, who fall to 4-13-3.

The teams square off again tonight at Northern Lights Arena in Alpena in the back end of a home-and-home set. The game is scheduled for an audio Webcast by IceDiggers broadcaster John Pines, which can be accessed on the North Stars Web site (traverseccitynorthstars.com) and is simulcast on WATZ in Alpena.

We thank you, our media partners, for your continued interest in Traverse City North Stars hockey. If there is anything we can do to help facilitate any aspect of your coverage, please do not hesitate to contact us. You are a valued component of North Stars hockey.

For more information, call Lance-Michael Correia at (231) 632-5047, the Traverse City North Stars office at (231) 941-9200 or visit the team's Web site at: www.traversecitynorthstars.com.

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North American Hockey League Stories from November 11, 2005


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