MARQUETTE -- After nine shootout rounds, the Traverse City North Stars emerged a point closer to first place Friday.
Jarrod LaBelle scored the game-winner for Traverse City, which improves to 26-12-6 on the season.
TC picked up a point on first-place Mahoning Valley, which dropped a 3-2 shootout loss to Motor City on Friday. The Stars are nine points back in the North Division standings.
Heading into the third period tied at 1-1, both teams struck twice.
Nathan Urbaniak put TC up 2-1 off a Sean Burke assist 4:47 into the stanza before Ryan McGrath knotted it back up 3:13 later.
Just 1:15 later, Cody Walsh gave the North Stars a 3-2 lead off an Eric O'Hearn assist before James Gallagher sent the game into overtime with a goal 1:44 before the end of regulation.
Colin Smith scored short-handed for the Rangers 8:29 into the game.
Kyle Jean evened things up with a marker off a Phil Wendecker assist with 19 ticks left in the first.
Both goaltenders stepped it up in the shootout.
After each let in a goal on their first attempt -- to TC's Dane Radke and Marquette's Garrett Ladd -- the next seven shooters for each team were stoned by the pair of netminders.
Then LaBelle finally lit the lamp and C.J. Motte stopped Marquette's Mike Lennon to seal the decision.
Motte finished with 31 saves and the Rangers' Mike Jarboe had 33.
The North Stars held Marquette scoreless on seven power plays.
Print this story
E-mail this story
