The Battlefords North Stars allowed five unanswered goals in a 7-2 loss to the Humboldt Broncos.
It was the fourth straight loss for the North Stars, marking the first time they have dropped four consecutive games in two seasons.
“We just couldn’t get anything going and our bench died down. I don’t know what else to say. It was very frustrating,” North Stars head coach Connor Logan said after the game.
“The way I look at it is we’ve played a lot of good hockey and didn’t get the results. Tonight was not one of those nights. Tonight was a night where we didn’t play good hockey and lost. So, some changes have to happen.”
The North Stars got off to a hot start when Cole Hines buried his first goal of the season. After Hines’ initial shot was blocked, Finlay Klippenstein grabbed the puck, went around the net and found Hines in front to make it 1-0 at 4:27.
With a few minutes left in the first period, Kasey Russell Jr. slid the puck through the five-hole of North Stars goaltender Nathan Claydon from the outside hash marks to tie the game at 17:17.
After one: Tied 1-1; shots 16-8 Broncos
After an even first period on the scoreboard, the middle frame belonged to Humboldt.
The Broncos got things started 3:44 into the period when Leo Seitz found Connor Miller driving to the net. Miller went to his backhand and tucked the puck past Claydon to put the Broncos up 2-1.
Just over a minute later, on a two-on-one, Oliver Phillips’ pass hit the tape of Cody Farrell, who one-timed the puck home to extend the Broncos’ lead to 3-1 at 4:46.
“It started as a really sloppy game and credit to Humboldt. They managed to turn that sloppiness into a bit more composure and make more plays. For us, we just looked like we were using a tennis ball out there,” Logan said.
Humboldt wasn’t done in the second period. At 12:57, Jack Sears scored top shelf from the slot to put the Broncos up 4-1. It was Sears’ fourth goal of the season, all of them against the North Stars.
Logan pulled Claydon after the third goal allowed in the second period in an effort to spark the team.
“It’s always to spark the guys. There were plenty of opportunities and plenty of chances for our team to get going and take the game back. We scored first, thought that was going to get us going and we just were flat.”
Jack Martin kept pouring it on with less than five minutes to go in the frame. After leaving the penalty box following a successful Broncos penalty kill, Martin brought the puck around the net and scored on a wraparound to give his team a four-goal advantage at 15:47.
After two: 5-1 Broncos; shots 18-9 Broncos, 34-17 Broncos overall
The North Stars got one back early in the third period when a scramble in front resulted in Michiel Leenders scoring his third goal of the season to cut the lead to 5-2 at 2:05.
However, the North Stars couldn’t get anything going. Farrell scored his second of the game for the Broncos on a rebound at 11:41.
Ryan Ulmer made it 7-2 Broncos at 18:22 to seal the game.
Final: 7-2 Broncos; shots 13-7 North Stars, 41-30 Broncos overall
In the loss, the North Stars’ power play continued to struggle, going 0-for-3. The man advantage is now a league-worst 6.7 per cent at 2-for-30. They haven’t scored a power-play goal since Sept. 19 against Nipawin and are 0-for-20 since then.
“Way too many skilled players to be in the situation we’re in with the power play. You’ve got your rush game, your end-zone game and your power play. Right now, we’re struggling in all three areas,” Logan said.
“We just got to get to throwing pucks in the right areas and getting more bodies there, being more willing to play dirty hockey. That’s the bottom line.”
The North Stars’ bench boss hopes the blowout loss serves as a wake-up call at the end of a four-game losing streak.
“Enough’s enough. There are too many players on this team that have gone far in the playoffs. It’s been embarrassing, to be honest with you,” he said.
“If you’re an elite player, you have to bring it. You can’t be sitting here through eight games wondering what we’re bringing to the table. How many more games do you have before you go, ‘All right, maybe it’s time to change things up’?”
The North Stars will have a week to reflect on their recent struggles before returning to action Oct. 17 on the road against the Warman Wolverines.
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