Stars land trio on All-North Team

Published on April 3, 2009 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Traverse City North Stars News Release


TRAVERSE CITY - A trio of Traverse City North Stars were honored by the North American Hockey League on Friday, earning spots on the All- North Division team. Winger Kyle Bonis, defenseman Travis White, and goalie C.J. Motte comprise one-half of the North venerates, as voted on by league coaches and general managers.

"It's a tremendous honor for these guys, and for the entire team," said Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "They've put in the work and their performances are a testament to that. Any one of these guys would trade a deep playoff run this year for the awards, but it's nice that they were recognized for their efforts."

Bonis (Lindsay, ONT/TC North Stars) set a team record with 30 goals this season, and is the club's all-time leader with 55 career regular season markers. He led TC with 27 assists, and led the NAHL with eight game-winning goals.

Traded to Traverse City from St. Louis last summer, White (Sterling Hts., MI/St. Louis NAHL) became one of the anchors of the North Stars' blue-line corps, and contributed four goals and 13 assists - including seven power play helpers - en route to all-division accolades.

Motte (St. Clair, MI/Honeybaked AAA) was a high-impact rookie, re- writing the TC record book in the process. Motte went 22-9-2 with three shutout victories, a 2.30 goals-against average, and .918 save percentage. All four of those totals were tops in the club's four- year history.

The honors come on the heels of the North Stars' finest regular season to date, with a 34-17-7 mark, and first postseason berth since 2006. Traverse City opens the 2009 Robertson Cup Playoffs on Friday evening at Mahoning Valley, with Game 2 of the best-of-5 set slated for Sunday afternoon. The series will move to Centre ICE arena on Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10. If a decisive fifth game is necessary, the teams will reconvene in Youngstown on April 12.

NAHL POSTSEASON ALL-STAR TEAMS

All-North Division Team

Forward: Kyle Bonis, Traverse City North Stars

Forward: Chad Pietila, Marquette Rangers

Forward: Brandon Saad, Mahoning Valley Phantoms

Defenseman: Cullen Lundholm, Mahoning Valley Phantoms

Defenseman: Travis White, Traverse City North Stars

Goaltender: CJ Motte, Traverse City North Stars

All-Central Division Team

Forward: Brandon Brodhag, North Iowa Outlaws

Forward: Jerry Freismuth, Alexandria Blizzard

Forward: Jack Paul, North Iowa Outlaws

Defenseman: John Clark, Bismarck Bobcats

Defenseman: Tim Smith, Owatonna Express

Goaltender: David Bosner, Bismarck Bobcats

All-South Division Team

Forward: Jon Gaffney, Springfield Jr. Blues

Forward: Jordan George, Topeka RoadRunners

Forward: Andrew Hamburg, St. Louis Bandits

Defenseman: Eric Artman, Topeka RoadRunners

Defenseman: Tyler Elbrecht, St. Louis Bandits

Goaltender: Keith Kinkaid, St. Louis Bandits

All-West Division Team

Forward: Austin Block, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Forward: Ryan Lemke, Kenai River Brown Bears

Forward: Mike Voran, Wenatchee Wild

Defenseman: Drew Darwitz, Fairbanks Ice Dogs

Defenseman: Sean McNeely, Alaska Avalanche

Goaltender: Mathieu Dugas, Wenatchee Wild

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North American Hockey League Stories from April 3, 2009


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