By Kris Smith
In the club’s 12th season, they finished ninth in the Elite League with 44 points from 52 fixtures but the Stars were two points behind Braehead Clan, who occupied the final playoff berth.
In the 10 team league, the Stars won 37 per cent of their Elite League matches that season but still finished behind all of their Scottish rivals.
Although, they were only four points separating the Scottish sides, as Edinburgh Capitals and Fife Flyers, both had 48 and occupied sixth and seventh place.
Also, Dundee had a negative goal difference of -61 in that campaign after scoring 156 goals and conceding 217 times across the Elite League, playoffs and Challenge Cup.
However, for the first time since they joined the EIHL, the Stars did not qualify for the post-season and they again missed out on the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup.
Although, in that season, they split their series with their biggest rivals, Fife after winning five times and losing the same amount of games but they were outscored 29-36 across the 10 matches.
Meanwhile, against the Clan, the Stars also split their series with five wins each and were outscored 30-32 but against the Capitals, they won six out of 10 meetings and were still outscored 30-34.
Also, the team’s biggest win that season was also their biggest shutout in the 2012-2013 season, as they claimed a 5-0 win over Hull Stingrays at the Dundee Ice Arena in March.
They highest scoring game of that campaign also came against Hull at the DIA, with the Stars taking the extra point after an 8-7 overtime victory.
In the 2012-2013 season, Finnish forward, Sami Ryhanen led the team in assists and points in the Elite League with 60 assists and 86 points from 51 league matches.
The Stars top goalscorer in the league that season was Ryhanen’s line mate, Mike Wirll, who netted 31 goals in 52 appearances.
Meanwhile, player-coach, Jeff Hutchins spent the most time in the penalty box during league fixtures, after collecting 176 penalty minutes in 45 games.
Whereas, in the Challenge Cup, Wirll and Ryhanen were tied as the top point scorers, as both accumulated 15 points from 10 cup ties.
Canadian winger, Wirll had the most goals with seven and Finnish center, Rhynanen had the most assists, with 10.
Although, the most penalised player in Challenge Cup matches that season was American forward, Bill Bagron, who iced on nine occasions and accumulated 31 penalty minutes.
There were also a few players that made their way into the Stars record books and despite being with the club for just one season, Ryhanen’s productive year has put him 24th on the Stars all-time points list.
The Fin is the highest ranked single season player and also sits third on the Stars all-time points in a single season chart, while also holding second in the most assists in a season category as well.
Wirll is also in the Stars history books, as his 31 goals in the 2012-2013 campaign places him in sixth position on the most goals in a season table and the Canadian also sits in 12th for the most points in a season.
Finally, player-coach, Hutchins recorded the fourth most penalty minutes in a season that year, with 176 minutes spent in the sin bin.
Next-up in our ‘Look Back’ series, we catch-up with a former Star from the 2012-2013 season and see how his life has changed since leaving the Stars.
If you want to be a part of the historic 20th Dundee Stars season then you can buy your season tickets by contacting [email protected]
