Stars stumble late, 3-2

Ironmen score twice in final 4:43

BOX SCORE  |  PHOTOS

TRAVERSE CITY – For more than 55 minutes on Saturday night at Centre ICE Arena, the Traverse City North Stars had a rare three-game sweep within their sights.

Leading 2-1 late in the third period of the season finale, the North Stars conceded a pair of goals spaced just 2:04 apart – the first coming with 4:43 to play – and dropped a 3-2 decision to Jamestown.

“We got outworked tonight,” Stars head coach Chad Fournier said. “And we didn’t keep it simple enough – too much trying to make the extra move and extra pass. We played a desperate team; They played like it and we didn’t.”

Traverse City had overtaken the Ironmen after the visitors scored the game’s first goal just 2:03 into the contest with a first period goal by captain Jared Van Wormer (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL)and a wraparound tally from Mitchell Snider (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL)late in the second. After 40 minutes of action, the Stars had outshot Jamestown by a 29-13 count.

Coupled with Kalamazoo’s 5-3 win over Michigan on Saturday afternoon, Traverse City is now six points behind the second-place K-Wings with five games to play.

“It’ll be pretty tough (to catch Kalamazoo),” Fournier said. “We’d pretty much have to win out and even then we’d need some help.”

Snider and Eric Rivard (Traverse City, MI/TC North Stars NAHL)set up Van Wormer’s 18^th of the season, while defensemen Kyle Froese (Traverse City, MI/TC Central HS) and Robert Wiener (Williamston, MI/TC North Stars NAHL)assisted on Snider’s wraparound tally with 3:16 to go in the second frame.

Zach Nagelvoort (Holland, MI/Kalamazoo NAHL)stopped 24 shots before going to the bench for an extra attacker for the final 1:28.

The North Stars (30-19-6) will visit interdivisional foe Chicago on Friday and Saturday before returning to Centre ICE from March 30-April 1 for the final regular season series.