For the first time since Sept. 26, the Battlefords North Stars won a game with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Weyburn Red Wings. Owen Nelson scored the shootout winner.
“That was a huge one for us tonight. Our guys fought hard the whole way, and I’m just really glad that they were able to get rewarded for it tonight,” said North Stars assistant coach Owen Lamb after the game.
The North Stars got things started early on the penalty kill after Adam Savage Keller fanned on a shot in the slot.
Braydon Franks picked up the puck and brought it the other way on a two-on-one. He found Grady Hodgins, who went backhand for his first SJHL goal to put the North Stars up 1-0 at the 1:28 mark.
“It was a beautiful play and an awesome game from him. We were playing short all night, so a lot of minutes for those young guys and I thought they excelled,” Lamb said.
They were playing short because near the end of the first period, Finlay Klippenstein laid a big hit on Hayden Iron Shirt. Dion Schraeder immediately went after Klippenstein, and they dropped the gloves. After they traded blows, the North Stars lost their top scorer for the remainder of the game.
After one: 1-0 North Stars, shots 11-7 Red Wings
Just as the North Stars scored early in the first period, the Red Wings responded with an early second-period goal.
Chase Kettles stopped an initial point shot on a Weyburn power play, but Jase McNichol scored on the rebound to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:25 into the period.
The Red Wings quickly got back on the board when Callas Pierce hit Kiran Fedun with a cross-crease pass, and Fedun made no mistake, giving the Red Wings a 2-1 lead at 2:04.
Michiel Leenders got it back for the North Stars exactly two minutes later at 4:04, beating Ridley Ringor with a deke on the left side of the zone before beating Nate Stevens on the blocker side to tie things at 2-2.
At 6:14, Cole Hines took the puck away from Trennen Redlick before scoring top shelf to give the North Stars a 3-2 lead.
Each team had a power-play opportunity during the rest of the second period, but neither capitalized before the intermission, and the North Stars took the lead into the third. The Red Wings carried their power play into the final frame.
After two: 3-2 North Stars, shots 10-6 Red Wings, 21-13 Red Wings total
Once again, the Red Wings tied things up early in the period. Iron Shirt missed a point-blank chance in front, but Pierce tapped it in for Weyburn’s second power-play goal of the game, tying it 3-3 just 28 seconds into the period.
Weyburn took the lead almost halfway into the period with Fedun’s second goal of the game.
After Jaxson Doyle’s shot missed the net, Fedun picked it up off the side wall and scored on a wraparound to make it a 4-3 Weyburn lead at 9:29.
Will Kirwan tied the game for the North Stars at the 13:35 mark of the period. Kirwan floated a shot from the point that made it through traffic and past Stevens to tie it 4-4 and eventually send the game to overtime.
After three: Tied 4-4, shots 14-11 Red Wings, 35-24 Red Wings total
The overtime period was virtually all North Stars.
First, Michiel Leenders got a breakaway just over 30 seconds into overtime, but Stevens sprawled across the crease to stop his backhand shot.
Just over half a minute after that, Cole Hines found Linken Fisher in front, but Fisher’s backhand attempt was also stopped by Stevens to keep the game alive.
Later in the period, Kirwan had a chance in tight, but Stevens stopped a third backhand deke from a lefty shooter. Kirwan grabbed the rebound but put it over the net.
The North Stars took a penalty for too many men on the ice in the final minute of overtime.
However, Kaleb Dewar got the best chance after blocking a shot and taking it the other way for another breakaway.
He elected to shoot, but Stevens stopped it with the pad to keep his team alive.
After overtime: Tied 4-4, shots 5-2 North Stars, 37-29 Red Wings overall
The North Stars sent out Linken Fisher and Michiel Leenders in the shootout, while the Red Wings went with the trio of Aeden McCarry, Ryan Gibbs and Kiran Fedun.
None of those shooters scored. Owen Nelson then beat Stevens with a backhand to put the game away and snap the North Stars’ nine-game skid.
The two teams go to battle once again for a Halloween clash on Saturday.
It’s an earlier game than normal. The Ultra Print pregame show will begin at 4 p.m., with the puck dropping for NAPA Auto Parts North Stars hockey at 4:30 p.m. on 93.3 Beach Radio.
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