Howarth quits

Todd Howarth's rein at the helm of the Thunder Bay North Stars is over.

On Sunday the Superior International Junior Hockey League franchise announced Howarth had informed team officials he was stepping down for personal reasons.

Howarth goes out on a three-game winning streak, his last game coming Saturday night, an 11-1 win over the Iron Range Ironheads.

"The ownership group of the North Stars wish to thank Todd for his many years of service to the team and to the organization," team president David Dubinsky said in a release.

"He leaves the Stars and the Superior International Junior Hockey League as the longest-serving coach and the coach with the best record in SIJHL history."

No replacement for Howarth has been named, though the club said an interim replacement will be named in "due course."

The Stars have struggled for much of the current season and sit in third place in the SIJHL standings with a 22-15-5 record.

The only coach the Stars have ever known in their 11-year history, Howarth led the Stars to three-straight SIJHL titles from 2004 to 2006, winning the provincial title in 2006 and taking the then Fort William North Stars to the Royal Bank Cup.

Howarth also won league titles in 2009 and 2010 and lost in the final in 2007 and 2008.

The Stars are 383-136-16-23 since helping found the league in 2001-02, and are set to host the Dudley Hewitt Cup in April.