Stars fall by one - again

Published on January 19, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


BOARDMAN, Oh. - In the North American Hockey League - and the North Division specifically - the difference between winning and losing can come down to a single shift, a single bounce, a single break. No one is more well-aware of this fact than the Traverse City North Stars and head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo.

The Stars dropped a 3-2 decision to host Mahoning Valley on Saturday in the second round of action at the Phantoms Hockey Showcase in suburban Youngstown. It was Traverse City's sixth straight loss by a single goal and 12th of the 2007-08 campaign.

"We were good - no, we were ridiculously good," Palumbo surmised. "I mean, this is the unluckiest run I've ever had as a player or a coach. I mean, I haven't said a bad word to our team in a month because there's nothing to get upset about. We've been playing very good hockey and it just isn't translating into victories."

Harrison Niemann (Canton, MI/Omaha USHL) got the North Stars out front first, registering a power play goal - Niemann's team-high 14th marker of the season - just 7:23 into the contest. The Phantoms evened things up a mere 1:14 later, and grabbed a one-goal edge 43 ticks into the second period. Mahoning took a 3-1 lead on a shorthanded effort at 8:05 of the final stanza before Clinton Bourbonais (Whitmore Lake, MI/Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep) logged his sixth of the year with 8:49 to play to make it a one-goal spread - again.

"And we had four chances to tie it late in the third - and I mean four glorious chances," Palumbo added. "We played hard, we played a stellar defensive game, and the only beef I could think of was that our power play let us down a little tonight. We had nine power plays and ended up with one goal out of those opportunities. We have to convert at a higher rate."

Kory Kaunisto (Sault Ste. Marie/Waterloo USHL) and Nate Urbaniak (Perrysburg, Oh./Toledo Jr. B CSHL) drew assists on the Niemann goal, while Niemann and Kyle Jean (Sault Ste. Marie, MI/Marquette NAHL) set up the Bourbonais lamplighter.

Chris Paliafito (Shelbyville, Ky./Indiana USHL) worked the TC pipes, stopping 21 shots as the North Stars (11-16-8) outshot their fireworks foes, 30-26. The Stars went 1-for-9 on the power play, while holding Mahoning to a 1-for-5 effort with the man advantage.

Traverse City goes up against St. Louis in Sunday's third round action before closing out the Showcase on Monday against Mahoning Valley. The team will head to Marquette on Thursday before welcoming the U.S. National Team Development Program's Under-17 squad to Centre ICE arena next Friday and Saturday. The U-17 series will mark the end of a run that will have featured seven games in nine days.

"There's still four points out there for us to play for (at the Showcase)," Palumbo said. "And we get to play an angry St. Louis team after they lost to Alpena tonight, so it isn't going to get any easier. But I'll take this kind of performance from our kids on any night."

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2008


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