By Kris Smith
The Stars hit their main goal of qualifying for the playoffs and were powered to their top-eight finish by the attacking trio of Spencer Naas, Ryan Valentini and Brendan Harms.
The three North Americans combined for a total of 153 points between them and they scored 72 of the team’s 169 regular season goals, but Valentini would finish tied for second in point-scoring after he hit the 60-point marker on the last day of the season and finished just six points behind Sheffield’s Mitchell Balmas.
American-born forward, Spencer Naas posted 59 points this season, whilst bagging the league-leading 32 goals to claim the top scorer award and speaking about the success he has found in Dundee, he said: “It feels amazing.
“It was definitely not something I had thought about going into the season, but I will say with a couple months left I had my eye on it.
“Maybe I am just competitive by nature but I definitely wanted to finish at the top of the goals chart and I was hoping Ryan would get the most points, but we were close.
“There are a lot of great players in this league, so to be able to finish on top is a tremendous honour and one I will always cherish.”
Naas and his linemates were also quick to praise each other for how well they have bonded and quickly found some chemistry early in the season, adding: “It has been amazing, when I think about our line we are three different styles of players and that is why it has worked so well.
“Brendan is so good from the corner to the front of the net, playing defence and doing all the little things right.
“Ryan is so skilled and maybe one of the most skilled players I have ever played with, he is so fast, has a great shot and sees the ice really well.
“Then I just try to fill in really and maybe be a blend of each of their styles, so I think that is why we have worked so well because we are three different players and that has led to the chemistry.”
Sharing his own praise for his teammates, Valentini added: “It has been a lot of fun, playing with these guys has been a treat.
“We all have different aspects of our games that complement each other really well and we are really good friends off the ice too, so that has all contributed to making it work.
“I think we have been a big part of our team’s success but obviously a lot of credit goes to everyone throughout the line-up but these two guys and myself, we have bonded over it and it has been a lot of fun.”
Canadian winger, Harms then completed the trio of compliments to his linemates, saying: “It has been great.
“To start the season we were playing on different lines, then me and Spencer got to play together and then we got united with Ryan and you could feel the chemistry right away, I think we scored on our first shift together and that always helps.
“We all bring something different and complement each other really well, we also communicate a lot too which helps and we are good friends off the ice.
“We have a really good group as a team, that are all really close but definitely us as a line as well.
“It has been really fun to watch them and play with these guys this year and we have all become good friends.”
The Stars and their high-scoring trio are not done yet however and this weekend they face Cardiff Devils in a two-legged Quarter-Final tie, starting in Wales on Saturday.
Talking about their excitement to get stuck into playoff hockey, Naas said: “We are super hungry going into this weekend.
“At this point we feel like we are kind of playing with the house’s money because we made the playoffs and had that amazing win in Fife on Sunday to qualify, so with where Cardiff are as the number two seeds, we feel like we are coming in a bit under the radar.
“It is two games and 120 minutes of hockey, so if we play at our best then we are in with a chance and we are really excited to get going.”
