Jr. Stars Season Ends In Atlanta

Mar 20, 2017

Another NA3HL season for the  Jr. Stars has come to an end. After finishing third in the South Division the Stars (23-19-4-0) traveled to Atlanta to face the second place Capitals (36-10-0-1) in a best-of three series. It took just two games to find a winner as Atlanta swept the series to move on to the division finals.

After going 1-2-1-0 against the Capitals during the regular season the Stars had hopes of advancing despite playing on the road. Atlanta squashed those hopes winning Game 1 handily 11-4 on March 17.

The Jr. Stars did fight throughout Game 1 despite the lopsided score. A quick goal in the opening minute of the second period gave the Capitals a 4-1 lead. That led to an 8-1 advantage by second intermission. Third period goals by Nick Sheridan and Triston Wilson made the score 8-3, but the short-bench made the comeback unlikely.

In Game 2 the Stars dressed just 14 healthy skaters who were overwhelmed early in the game. Atlanta scored four goals in the first period on their way to a 7-2 victory.

Dalton Caesar and Bryce Harrison scored for the Stars, who were outshot 40-21 in the game. Euless goaltender Maxwell Kerner made 33 saves in a losing effort.

While the season ended suddenly in the playoffs the Jr. Stars enjoyed their best-ever season in a brief four year history. 2016-17 included winning 23 games just one season removed from a 9-36-2-0 finish for a 30-point improvement in the standings.