The Battlefords Midget Stars were 1-1 over the weekend, losing, then winning in two games against the Tisdale Trojans Saturday and Sunday at the Civic Centre.
Saturday, the Stars started off slowly, with two goals scored in the first period from the duo of Rylan Freed and Wyatt Hinson. Hinson scored the first, assisted by Freed on the power play about 13 minutes in, and Freed scored the second assisted by Hinson four minutes later at regular strength.
The game only looked worse for the Stars after Tisdale's Tyler Olsen deked past Ryan Rewerts to make it a 3-0 game less than one minute into the second period. Despite some good chances and a five-on-three, the Stars couldn't make it onto the board. The Trojans continued to control the game offensively, firing 32 shots in the first two periods to the Stars' 22.
Everything changed in the third period, as the Stars' offence exploded, starting the scoring with Josh Bly's breakaway goal eight minutes in. Quickly grabbing the puck off of a turnover, Bly snuck the puck by Matt Cresswell with a goal that finally put the Stars ahead in shots for the first time all game. The Stars' more aggressive play also drew more Tisdale penalties; Tisdale went to the box five times in the third period and the Stars didn't go once. All those penalties were sure to take their toll on Tisdale and they did around the half-way mark, as Stars assistant captain Austin Duzan fired a picture-perfect shot past Cresswell 30 seconds in to a Stars' power play.
The offensive assault continued, with the Stars ending up with 18 shots in the third period to Tisdale's two. But the Stars couldn't beat Cresswell a third time, and the game ended 3-2.
Sunday, the Stars had their revenge, scoring the game's first tally nine minutes in with Ryan Frehlick's goal and never looking back. Connor Bucsis would tie the game with seven seconds to play in the first, but two more Stars' goals, from Ashton Clark and Terrin Belosowsky, would put them ahead by two. Despite four Stars' penalties in the second and one in the third, the Trojans couldn't capitalize, and the game ended 3-1.
Stars goalie Rylan Toth faced 34 shots in the win, with the Trojans' Cresswell seeing 29.
