The Battlefords AAA Stars started off 2014 with three straight wins this past week in SMAAAHL action. Josh LaFramboise was the star of the weekend with five goals and six assists in the three games.
The Stars opened play in 2014 Thursday night in Swift Current with a 6-2 win over the Legionnaires. LaFramboise led Battlefords with two goals and three assists.
After a scoreless first period, LaFramboise opened the scoring 7:08 into the second period. Stars forward Spencer Bast, fresh off his appearance at the World Under 17 Championships, tallied a power play marker with eight minutes left in the second. With 27 seconds left in the period, Josh Bly beat Swift Current goaltender Kyle Zinger on the power play to make the score 3-0 heading into the intermission.
In the third, LaFramboise added his second of the game about three minutes into the period. Swift Current forward Tanner Brewster snapped Rylan Toth's shutout midway through the period. The Legionnaires cut the lead to two when Kolby Johnson scored on the power play with six minutes to go in the game. Bly put the game out of reach for the Legionnaires with 2:53 to play. Dawson Bacon added a goal with one second left to play.
Toth stopped 18 out 20 shots to earn his sixth win of the season. Zinger made 30 saves in a losing effort for Swift Current.
The Stars travelled to Wilcox Saturday to take on the Notre Dame Hounds. Battlefords beat the Hounds 4-1 behind LaFramboise's two goals and an assist.
The Hounds struck first when Egor Popov beat Stars goaltender Ryan Rewerts with 2:53 left in the opening period.
In the second, LaFramboise scored two goals 10 seconds apart starting with 5:24 left to play in the period. Bast added a goal with 2:02 remaining to make it a 3-0 game after two periods.
Battlefords sealed the game with Brandon Lesko's unassisted goal 4:25 into the third period.
Rewerts made 32 saves en route to his 14th win of the season. Clarke Fiegel was saddled with the loss after stopping 28 shots.
The Stars ended the weekend with a 5-0 win over the Notre Dame Argos. Toth made 34 saves in his first shutout of the season.
Bly got the Stars off to the perfect start with a goal 16 seconds into the first period. That goal would turn out to be the only offence in the first.
In the second, the Stars got off to another quick start. Bly scored 37 seconds in, giving Battlefords a 2-0 lead. LaFramboise continued his hot play with a goal 2:49 into the period.
Kaleb Dahlgren added a goal with 13:21 left to play in the game. Troy Gerein scored into an empty net with 4:12 left.
It was Toth's seventh with of the season. Dylan Ferguson stopped 28 shots while dropping his third game of the season.
The three wins allowed Battlefords (21-6-4-1) to jump to second in the SMAAAHL standings with 47 points.
Bast is second in the SMAAAHL with 46 points this season. After earning 11 points this weekend, LaFramboise is eighth in the league with 38.
The Stars' next game is Jan. 18 in St. Walburg against the Beardy's Blackhawks as part of Hockey Day in Saskatchewan. Puck drop for the game is 4 p.m. at the St. Walburg Arena. Battlefords return home the Civic Centre Jan. 19 when they play host to the Saskatoon Contacts at 2 p.m.
