Rookies Help North Stars to a 4-2 Victory

Rookies Pat Micheletti and Shawn Chambers scored their first NHL goals to lift the Minnesota North Stars beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2, Monday night.

The North Stars’ victory, their first in their last nine games (1-7-1), gives them a 17-35-9 record for 43 points, worst in the NHL. The North Stars are 23-4-4 in their last 31 games against Toronto, including 4-0-3 this season. They trail the Maple Leafs by three points for fourth place in the Norris Division.

With the score tied, 2-2, in the second period, Brian MacLellan put the North Stars ahead with a power-play goal at 7:02, with a shot that trickled through a pile of players past Leafs’ goalie Ken Wregget. Chambers made it 4-2 at 14:51 on the power-play.

Micheletti scored at 7:29 of the opening period. Kurt Giles set up Micheletti by pulling a rebound out from behind the net.

Dave Gagner put in a rebound with 3:00 left in the period to give the North Stars a 2-0 lead.

That lead was erased in the opening four minutes of the second period off goals by the Maple Leafs’ Vincent Damphousse and Ed Olczyk. Damphouss scored at 2:23 when he broke in alone off North Stars goalie Don Beaupre.

Olczyk tied the score at 3:55 with his 32nd goal on a pass from Mark Osborne.