The Battlefords AAA Stars looked to stay on top of the SMAAAHL standings this weekend as they welcomed the Moose Jaw Generals into the Civic Centre for two games.
The Stars came out flying Saturday afternoon, carrying play for most of the first period. Spencer Bast opened the scoring for the Stars when he beat Generals' goaltender Colby Entz from the slot halfway through the period.
Moose Jaw came out strong in the second period as the physical play picked up. The Generals tied the game with four minutes left in the period as Riley Cannon beat Stars' goaltender Ryan Rewerts on the short side.
The game remained tied until late in the third period. Generals' forward Braydon Delorme's shot from the faceoff circle found its way through Rewerts to put Moose Jaw up 2-1. The Stars put pressure on the Generals, but could not tie the game up late in the game.
Entz stopped 34 shots en route to the victory. Rewerts made 24 saves in a losing effort for Battlefords.
Sunday's rematch started with the goaltenders showing off their skills. Rewerts and Moose Jaw goaltender Grant Naherniak stopped all the shots they faced in the opening period, which featured fast-paced, end-to-end play.
The Stars opened the scoring 35 seconds into the second period. Spencer Bast collected a rebound in front of the net and put the puck past Naherniak. Battlefords continued to dominate possession of the puck in the period as most of the play was in the Moose Jaw end.
Mason Benning extended the Stars' lead to two five minutes into the third period. He redirected Bast's shot past Naherniak and into the back of the net.
The Generals cut the lead in half with eight minutes left to play. Jared Dmytriw beat Rewerts off a scrambled rebound in front of the net.
Moose Jaw continued to apply pressure throughout the third period, resulting in a Battlefords penalty with 1:29 to go in the game. The Generals capitalized on the opportunity. With the goalie pulled, Rykr Cole buried a rebound into the top of the net seven seconds into the power play to tie the game at two and force overtime.
Extra time solved nothing as the teams finished the game in a 2-2 tie. Rewerts made 31 saves for the Stars. Naherniak stopped 38 shots for Moose Jaw.
Battlefords (13-4-4-1) remain on top of the SMAAAHL, tied with the Notre Dame Argos at 31 points. The Stars' next game is Wednesday in Saskatoon against the Blazers.
