Stars shining bright after sweep

Published on October 6, 2008 under North American Hockey League (NAHL) News Release

Slow out of the gates in recent years, the Traverse City North Stars are doing their best to buck that trend this season, jumping out to a 6-2 start thanks in part to a two-game sweep of the Alpena IceDiggers last weekend.

"Last season a slow start really hurt our ability to challenge for a playoff spot in March," said North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo. "So those wins are big; it keeps us in a good position in our (North) division, which is again proving to be as tough as they come."

Kyle Bonis and Marc Thompson (game-winner) struck for the North Stars' goals and netminder C.J. Motte turned aside 21 shots as Traverse City downed Alpena on Friday, 2-1.

The next night, Bonis' overtime tally lifted the North Stars to a 5-4 triumph. Chris Salomone rang up two goals for TC, and Nate Urbaniak chipped in with three assists. Between the pipes, Brandon Stephenson stopped 18 shots.

"It was a pretty solid effort all weekend," Palumbo said. "We got to play every single skater on our roster, and I've yet to find a weak link - that's a good sign."

Bonis, 19, named the team's captain last week, has returned in top form. The second-year forward from Lindsay, Ontario, has found an early knack for coming up big in critical moments.

"Kyle just finds a way to score goals," said Palumbo. "They're important, timely goals, usually. He's obviously got the talent, but he's also an intense leader and the guys pick up on that and sort of feed off that."

The third-year Urbaniak, a 20-year-old from Perrysburg, Ohio, is also starting to find his groove offensively.

"He and Kyle form a really good one-two punch," said Palumbo.

Only 16 year old, Motte, from Port Huron, Mich., has risen to the occasion, delivering a clutch performance on Friday to pick up his third win of the young season.

"He was definitely a key in that win," said Palumbo. "He's proven he can play at this level and make a huge impact. We knew he was good coming in, but C.J. has been even better than we expected even sooner than we expected."

Second-year forwards Kyle Jean, a Lake Superior State recruit, and Eric O'Hearn are also establishing themselves as versatile contributors.

"They've really stepped up this year and taken on big roles with our team," said Palumbo. "They're logging minutes on the penalty kill and the power play and they're also providing us another line with an ability to create offense at any time."

Pleased with the North Stars' start - particularly his team's balanced attack up and down the lineup - Palumbo's focus now is tightening the screws defensively.

"Timely goals and timely saves - that's the formula we're winning with right now," said the coach. "It's still early in the season, but we like the determination and grit we've been playing with.

"I think the big thing is that everyone has contributed. It seems that every night someone has stepped up for us."

With a 2-0 record at home this season, the North Stars have a chance to improve on that mark over the next month. The team's next eight games are slated for Traverse City's Center ICE arena commencing this weekend against the U.S. Under-17 Team.

"You always want to take advantage of your home games and I think this upcoming stretch could provide us with a great opportunity," said Palumbo.

STANDINGS/LEADERS
Central Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Alexandria 8 4-3-1 9 .563 27 21
North Iowa 7 4-3-0 8 .571 22 24
Bismarck 8 3-4-1 7 .438 17 24
Owatonna 7 2-5-0 4 .286 27 29
Albert Lea 6 0-5-1 1 .083 9 26

North Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Traverse City 8 6-2-0 12 .750 26 21
Mahoning Valley 6 5-0-1 11 .917 24 14
USNTDP 8 4-3-1 9 .563 35 26
Motor City 8 3-5-0 6 .375 14 23
Alpena 6 2-3-1 5 .417 18 23
Marquette 6 2-4-0 4 .333 20 24

South Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
St. Louis 8 6-1-1 13 .813 31 18
Topeka 6 6-0-0 12 1.000 28 10
Wichita Falls 6 4-2-0 8 .667 22 19
Springfield 6 2-3-1 5 .417 21 25

West Division
TEAM GP W-L-OTL PTS PCT GF GA
Alaska 4 3-1-0 6 .750 17 13
Kenai River 6 3-3-0 6 .500 17 35
Fairbanks 6 2-3-1 5 .417 26 24
Wenatchee 4 1-2-1 3 .375 7 9

LEADING SCORERS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G A PTS
Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 8 3 12 15
Delaurell, Kyle WIC F 6 5 7 12
Gorczyca, Grant STL F 8 6 5 11
Block, Austin FBX F 6 4 7 11
George, Jordan TPK F 6 4 7 11
Hagaman, Alec TPK F 6 6 3 9
Gallagher, James MAR F 6 4 5 9
Sheehan, Brendan STL F 8 3 6 9
Bourbonais, Clinton STL F 8 2 7 9
Jameson, Shawn WIC D 6 1 8 9

LEADING GOALTENDERS
PLAYER TEAM GPI MINS W-L-OTL GAA SPCT
Tibbett, Jordan MVY 3 180:00 3-0-0 1.00 .964
Rocker, Lyle TPK 3 185:00 3-0-0 1.30 .941
Bosner, David BIS 7 408:33 3-2-1 1.91 .940
Dugas, Mathieu WNE 2 122:54 0-1-1 1.95 .937
Merriam, Bryce TPK 3 180:00 3-0-0 2.00 .929

GOALS
PLAYER TEAM P GP G Greco, Kyle STL F 8 7
(four players tied with 6)

ASSISTS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP A
Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 8 12
Jameson, Shawn WIC D 6 8

PLUS/MINUS
PLAYER TEAM POS GP +/-
Freismuth, Jerry ALX F 8 +8
(five players tied at +7)

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sherwood North Player of the Week: Kyle Bonis - Traverse City North Stars
Traverse City forward Kyle Bonis struck for two goals and an assist as the North Stars skated to a two-game sweep over Alpena. On Friday, the Lindsay, Ontario, native notched a goal in a 2-1 victory. The next night, the 19-year-old potted the overtime winner and an assist as the North Stars bested the IceDiggers, 5-4. Bonis was also a plus-1.

"Kyle was named our captain last week and not just for his ability to score," said North Stars head coach Anthony Palumbo. "He's a competitive, hard-working player that leads by the tremendous example he sets."

HONORABLE MENTION: Mahoning Valley forward Jordy Trottier

Sherwood South Player of the Week: Kyle Greco - St. Louis Bandits
St. Louis forward Kyle Greco came through with three goals and an assist as the Bandits celebrated a two-game sweep over Wichita Falls. On Saturday, Greco, from Delafield, Wis., netted two goals and assisted on Soren Jonzzon's game-winner in a 5-3 win. The next day, the 19-year-old scored again as the Bandits bested the Wildcats, 7-4. He was also a plus-4 on the weekend.

"Kyle had a great weekend for us against a good Wichita Falls team," said Bandits head coach Jeff Brown. "He's just one of those guys who knows how to score, and we hope it continues."

Sherwood Central Player of the Week: Jerry Freismuth - Alexandria Blizzard
Alexandria forward Jerry Freismuth rang up a goal and five assists as the Blizzard picked up a pair of victories. On Friday, the Grosse Point Woods, Mich., product tallied a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win over Owatonna. The next night, the 19-year-old connected for four assists, including one on Derek Kaiser's game-winning goal, as Alexandria dropped Albert Lea, 8-2. Freismuth was also plus-4 on the weekend.

"Jerry has started the season very well for us, picking up right where he left off last season," said Blizzard head coach Brad Willner. "He's one of the top forwards in the league and is our leader both on and off the ice."

HONORABLE MENTION: Bismarck forward Will Aide and North Iowa defenseman Jon Crouse

Sherwood West Player of the Week: Drew Darwitz - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Fairbanks defenseman Drew Darwitz recorded five assists as the Ice Dogs picked up three points in two games against Kenai River. On Friday, the Cottage Grove, Minn., native helped on three goals, including Steve Zierke's game-winner, as the Ice Dogs blitzed the Brown Bears, 9-1. The next night, the 19-year-old chipped in two more assists in a 5-4 shootout loss. Darwitz was also a plus-3 for the weekend.

"We're expecting Drew to be a leader on the blue line this season and so far he's proven he's up to the challenge," said Ice Dogs head coach Josh Hauge.

GDI Goalie of the Week: Thomas Callaghan - North Iowa Outlaws
North Iowa goaltender Thomas Callaghan led the Outlaws to a two-game sweep over Bismarck, turning aside 58 of 61 shots. On Friday, the Wilmington, Pa., native made 30 saves in a 3-1 Outlaws win. The next night, the 19-year-old who played last season with Texas stopped 28 shots as North Iowa downed the Bobcats, 5-2.

"Thomas provides us with a veteran presence in net and has been getting the attention of quite a number of scouts," said Outlaws head coach Jeff Crouse.

HONORABLE MENTION: Mahoning Valley's Jordan Tibbett and Traverse City's C.J. Motte

AROUND THE NAHL
ALASKA AVALANCHE: The 3-1 Avalanche begins its post-NAHL Showcase Tournament schedule this weekend with a pair of games at Kenai River.

ALBERT LEA THUNDER: Niko Kapetanovic and Danny Wood each struck for a goal and an assist in two losses for the winless Thunder.

ALEXANDRIA BLIZZARD: Goaltenders Ryan Leets (25 saves) and Dylan Woodring (25 saves) both picked up a win between the pipes for the Blizzard last weekend.

ALPENA ICEDIGGERS: Jimmy McCusker and Josh Nicol each rang up two goals as the IceDiggers dropped a pair of games to Traverse City.

BISMARCK BOBCATS: Despite two losses, Will Aide's character continues to impress. "The intangibles he brings to our team can't be measured on the scoresheet alone," said Bobcats head coach Byron Pool. "He has a tremendous amount of energy and grit."

FAIRBANKS ICE DOGS: Steve Zierke picked up two goals and three assists in two games against Kenai River, including the game-winning marker in Friday's 9-1 triumph.

KENAI RIVER BROWN BEARS: Nevada native Kyle Clay banked two goals in regulation and the winning goal in Saturday's shootout in two games against Fairbanks.

MAHONING VALLEY PHANTOMS: Jordy Trottier struck for a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in the Phantoms' 5-3 win over Motor City on Saturday. "Jordy worked very hard all weekend to create scoring chances and he was rewarded," said Phantoms assistant coach Curtis Carr.

MARQUETTE RANGERS: Idle last week, Marquette travels to Alpena for a pair of games against the IceDiggers this coming weekend.

MOTOR CITY MACHINE: Jared Williams (goal, assist) and Ryan Misiak (two assists) were the Machine's only multiple scorers as Motor City dropped a pair of games to Mahoning Valley.

NORTH IOWA OUTLAWS: The Outlaws are benefiting from the veteran leadership of third-year defenseman Jon Crouse. "With the amount of turnover we had from last season, having a returner like Jon is very important to the development of our team," said Outlaws head coach Jeff Crouse.

OWATONNA EXPRESS: Dmitry Lugin, from Moscow, and Marian Fiala, from Slovakia, accounted for the Express' goals in its 4-2 loss to Alexandria on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES: With last weekend off, the Jr. Blues head to Alexandria for two games this weekend, marking a rematch of last year's Central Division playoff finals.

ST. LOUIS BANDITS: Grant Gorczyca racked up a goal and three assists, including one on Dan Olszewski's game-winner on Sunday, in the Bandits' two-game sweep over Wichita Falls.

TOPEKA ROADRUNNERS: Idle last week, the 6-0 RoadRunners take their perfect record up to Fairbanks this weekend for a pair of games, a rematch of last year's South Division playoff finals.

TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS: Marc Thompson scored the game-winning goal in TC's 2-1 win over Alpena on Friday and assisted on Eric O'Hearn's game-tying goal the next night.

TEAM USA: The U.S. teams were idle from NAHL competition for a second straight week. The Under-17 Team travels to Traverse City for a pair of games this weekend.

WENATCHEE WILD: The Wild has another weekend off before playing its first home game at the brand-new Town Toyota Center on Thursday, October 16 against Topeka.

WICHITA FALLS WILDCATS: With a goal and three assists, defenseman Shawn Jameson was the Wildcats' top point-getter as they fell twice in St. Louis last weekend.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Friday, October 10
USNTDP @ Traverse City, 7:05 pm
Owatonna @ North Iowa, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm
Topeka @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Marquette @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm
Bismarck @ Albert Lea, 7:00 pm

Saturday, October 11
USNTDP @ Traverse City, 7:05 pm
Motor City @ St. Louis, 7:15 pm
Bismarck @ Owatonna, 7:00 pm
Albert Lea @ North Iowa, 7:30 pm
Alaska @ Kenai River, 7:30 pm
Topeka @ Fairbanks, 7:30 pm
Marquette @ Alpena, 7:00 pm
Springfield @ Alexandria, 7:00 pm

Sunday, October 12
Motor City @ St. Louis, 2:00 pm

(all times local)

North American Hockey League Stories from October 6, 2008

• Stars shining bright after sweep - NAHL
• Callaghan Named NAHL Goaltender of the Week - North Iowa Outlaws
• Dominance Over Bismarck Continues for Outlaws - North Iowa Outlaws

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.