On Thursday, Dec.3, they played Fergus Falls on home ice. The Stars knew they had to skate hard and play tough to beat Fergus, losing 3-2.
In the first period, Fergus scored within five minutes of the period, but to get the crowd going, Melissa Jungles, for the Stars, scored an unassisted goal. This was a great thing for the Stars. With three minutes left in the period, Fergus scored another goal to make the score 2-1 at the end of the first period.
Before the Stars stepped out on the ice for the second period, they had a pep talk by the coaches Val VanBeusekom and Jim Caron. They stepped out on the ice all pumped up and ready to go. Fergus was playing a little rough thus getting penalties for slashing, inter-ference, and high sticking.
The Stars didn’t want to play that level so they picked up the pace and were able to score a goal. The goal was scored by Melissa Sieben. In this period, the Stars skated really hard and they played as a team. Unfortunately, no other goals were scored and the score at the end of the second period was tied at 2 to 2.
The Stars knew they had to play tough and smart. This was a crucial time for the Stars and they really wanted to win. Both teams were competing hard and the game was getting down to its final minutes. The buzzer rang and the Stars knew this meant “sudden death overtime,” which means that the first team to score wins. The teams get eight minutes to try and score in. Unfort-unately, Fergus Falls was the first team to score and that was the end of the game. The final score was Stars, 2, Fergus, 3. “It is sometimes better to lose and play great than to win and play bad,” Coach VanBeusekom said.
Eastview
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Stars traveled to Apple Valley, but the team they played was named Eastview. The Stars knew there was no way they were going to travel two hours for a loss.
In the first period, the Stars knew they had to play and skate hard if they wanted a win. They skated hard and had great passes and for a reward Sieben scored a great goal that was assisted by Kari Turkowski and Natalie Rinn. That was definitely teamwork.
For some action, both teams had a chance to take advantage of their opponent. Eastview was called with a penalty and some minutes later, Courtney Karsch for the Stars was called with a high stick penalty as well. To get the Stars a little nervous, Eastview scored two more goals to end the first period. This wasn’t going to stop the Stars though. They were even more determined and knew they had to play their positions, skate hard and play as a team to score.
The second period was an even match for both teams. To tie up the score was a great shot by Turkowski. Her goal was unassisted. Turkowski was really excited and so was the rest of the team. By now things were getting a little rough out on the ice and more penalties called. Such as, Eastview was called with a slashing, roughing, and holding penalties. The Stars were called with a tripping and a high stick. But, with only a few minutes remaining in the period, Eastview scored another goal to get the Stars more riled up.
In the locker room, the Stars were talking about what they could do to win the game. They were determined and really wanted to win the game.
The third period was a serious period. Within six seconds of the period, Turkowski scored another goal to fire up the Stars. During this period, the Stars skated hard, were back checking harder and were playing as a team.
The period ended with a tied score of 3 to 3.
This meant another sudden death overtime. But this time it was the Stars that were cheering and screaming at the end of the game.
Turkowski scored the winning goal with assistance by Sieben. The Stars jumped over the boards and raced to each other and ended up in a big pile. The Stars played a great game and the players and coaches were proud of their accomplishment.