Welcome once again to the end of season reflections, and the second one this particular week. We're just past the halfway point with this latest review and it features a team that a lot of people seem to have a very soft spot for too. Number five in the series, it's Marc LeFebvre's Dundee Stars.
Season in summary: Dundee had a bit of topsy-turvy season again but started to really find some form in the final couple of months of the campaign. They continued to make strides in the play-offs, dispatching the much more fancied Clan quite easily it has to said in the quarter final before taking on the Devils in the first semi-final. Stars led that 2-0 after the first period and despite being outshot: it took an empty netter to see them off.
Performance of the Season: It's always difficult to pick out a stand out showing for a team you don't watch that much all season, and Dundee are no exception to the rule here. However, we're picking the 4-0 home shutting out of the Steelers as our stand out showing in the Stars' season. Inspired by a brace from Vinny Scarsella and some exceptional goaltending from former NHL draft pick Joe Fallon; it's hard to argue another game was close to matching it.
Low point of the Season: We're going for one of the few times that the Stars were shut out in the campaign; that being the 6-0 road loss at Belfast. Clearly shortbenched, the Stars were slain good and proper by Derrick Walser's men. Stars had only 17 shots on goal that night and found themselves five goals behind by the end of two periods. It certainly was not the best way to start 2017; but it certainly acted as a reality check.
Player of the Season: I could have gone for Scarsella who had a remarkable 70 plus point season but I've chosen a player that really impressed in his EIHL debut campaign. That player is Felix-Antoine Poulin. The 26 year old French-Canadian was picked up by LeFebvre from ECHL side Alaska Aces and certainly did not disappoint with a remarkable 21 goals in regular season games. Even better when you realise that Poulin is a defenceman! At the moment, he remains unsigned for the 2017-18 season but is racking up the points in the AIHL this summer.
Anything else? Question marks were raised after the play-offs whether or not the Stars were going to be part of the Elite League structure due to apparent financial concerns. However these seem to have been resolved and 2017-18 will see them compete in their eighth season at the top table. LeFebvre will again be re-shaping his squad as Fallon has gone back to the ECHL and he's also seen Justin Faryna and highly rated GB defenceman Craig Moore move south to league champions Cardiff. The pick up of Travis Fullerton to replace Fallon and the acquisition of Taylor Dickin are good building blocks to start with. It'll be interesting to see who else follows...
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