Stars look to rebound at home against Wisconsin Wilderness

In sports, almost no one likes being picked last.

But in the Superior International Junior Hockey League playoffs, being picked first brings shame.

The Wisconsin Wilderness, by virtue of their mini-series 1-2 win over Fort Frances in the postseason’s opening round, got to choose who they’d play in the semifinal.

They chose the Thunder Bay North Stars, looking to continue a streak of seven straight final appearances, and that has given players like Mitch Forbes added motivation in the series.

The only trouble is the Stars lost the first two games on the road and are looking to rebound in Game 3 on Thursday night at Fort William Gardens.

“When a team picks you like that, for sure the fires go up,” said Forbes, who has nine points in seven playoff games.

“But then again, you’d rather a team pick you than just play someone by default, because that means they think you’re weak and you want to show them that you’re not. If they beat us in four games straight, that means they made a smart pick. But we want to show them that they made the wrong decision and we’re here for real.”

The Stars, who fell 5-2 in the opener last Friday and 4-2 with an empty-netter the following night, know they’re in a hole and guys like Forbes don’t like to lose.

Getting back to the final in his last season in a North Stars uniform is the only goal on his mind, said Forbes.

“It’s a big deal for me. I came in second my first year, then we won the league two years in a row,” he said before practice Monday night. “We came in second two years in the Dudley (Hewitt Cup) and I didn’t come into this year thinking anything less than the last couple of years.

“It’s just a big thing to pass on to the young guys. I’m kind of the last of the old guys and when I was a kid they all showed me how to play. I want to take them to where the old guys took me.”
It won’t be easy with 18 newcomers in the lineup, about 50 per cent more turnover than the average year.

Forbes said it’s easy to get a jump on the season with a veteran-laden lineup. It’s just taken them a little longer than expected in 2010-11.

“I think now everyone’s kind of buying in. It was a little late, but it’s a perfect time to be buying in at the playoffs. Everyone seems pretty happy with what we are doing,” Forbes said. “I think It’s just a matter of execution.”

Included on the list of the pleased is North Stars coach Todd Howarth, known for demanding – and getting – the most from his players.

The longtime coach said the best-of-seven series standing does not really indicate how well his team has played.

It’s only a matter of time before they break out, though he admitted the clock is ticking rapidly toward hockey midnight.

“That’s the best we’ve played in a long time and I was really happy. The guys were really happy with the way they played. We could have come home two games up on (Wisconsin). We had some new stuff to get ready last week to go there, and it seemed to work. So we’re pretty excited at the opportunity to get them back home,” Howarth said.

“We’re in a hole, but we’re right there with them,” he said.

Game time Thursday and Friday night is 7:30 p.m. at Fort William Gardens.