After a long wait, fans of the Battlefords North Stars finally got to see their team back in action Wednesday night.
The team had played three preseason games already, but none at home and Wednesday's game against the Vikings was a thriller.
After losing the first matchup to Augustana of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference 5-2, the hometown North Stars weren't about to let it happen again. Kevin Hasselberg's club must have learned something from game one, because they had the Vikings' number from opening puck drop. Unfortunately for the North Stars, the resilient Augustana club didn't let the early pressure faze them and battled all game despite the slow start.
"Our guys got caught in quicksand a little bit and it was a lesson," said North Stars' head coach and general manager Kevin Hasselberg. "This was a valuable tool for us moving forward to make us a better team."
The game wasn't meant to be easy for the SJHL's North Stars taking on a university team, but Battlefords proved they were up to the challenge.
"I think the North Stars are gonna have a very successful season," said Vikings' head coach, and former North Stars' coach Blaine Gusdal.
Both teams were hesitant to start the first period, neither wanting to be the first to make a mistake. The forwards had their feet moving, but good defence at the blue line from the North Stars and Vikings meant no scoring chances and plenty of chip and chase hockey for the first five minutes.
Blake Young broke the trend with 15 minutes left in the first when he showed off his puck control skills, breaking through a pair of Vikings' defenceman and was alone against goaltender Chase Martin from the hash marks. The speedy Young let a quick wrister go and beat Martin over the shoulder, leaving him no chance. Ryne Keller registered the lone assist and the goal gave a clear momentum boost to the North Stars.
In what was a back-and-forth game, Young's goal energized the club and they racked up the possession minutes in the Vikings' zone. When Augustana was able to rush the puck up the ice they elected for shots rather than the dump-in game and the North Stars' defenceman stood tall at the blue line, blocking most of the shots.
With a little over five minutes left, Scott Aucoin of the Vikings faked like he was going behind the net, pulling Casey Parker off the post, leaving Adam Johnson open for the tap in at the side of the net to tie the game at one.
Jeremy Beirnes and Dean Prpick took back-to-back penalties for the Vikings and the North Stars made them pay quickly. With the five on three advantage, Joren Johnson let a hard wrist shot go from the point and rang it off the crossbar and in to restore the lead. Latrell Charleson and Jack Petrino got assists on the second goal for the North Stars.
Battlefords outshot Augustana 18-8 in the first period as they commanded play for most of the frame.
The first half of the second period was all North Stars all the time with the exception of a two-minute Vikings power play after an Igor Leonenko slashing penalty.
Five minutes in, Young showed his wheels once again, beating the Vikings' defence, but got hooked. It looked like the North Stars might get a penalty shot, but instead a two-minute penalty was handed out.
The North Stars still got the result they were looking for, as Jake Erickson ripped a shot from the point that was tipped in by Braden Lacoursiere. The other assist came from Travis Marit.
Around the halfway point of the second period, each team swapped their goaltenders. Joel Danyluk took the crease for Augustana and Darren Martin came in for the North Stars, but the timing couldn't have been worse.
With Dillon Forbes in the box for interference, the Vikings scored quickly on the powerplay. Godric Tham tipped in a Brad Bourke point shot top shelf, leaving no chance for Martin on just his second shot of the game.
Two shots and a couple minutes later, Adam Johnson got a step on the North Stars' defence and was tripped, but it didn't stop him from going top corner to tie the game at three.
Boyd Wakelin, another former North Star, struck with less than four minutes left in the period. He finished off a pretty passing play to give the Vikings the lead going into the final period.
Less than five minutes into the third, Wakelin found Scott Aucoin wide open at centre ice and sent him in alone. After making a nice move, Aucoin was able to beat a sprawled out Martin to make it 5-3 for Augustana.
Six minutes later, Zaine Walker scored on another sharp pass to make it 6-3, which would stand as the final score.
The loss was in front of an announced attendance of 437 hockey-hungry fans, but Hasselberg is ecstatic for the season to start and he has high hopes.
"As a staff we're excited. We've got some very difficult decisions to make. Some … that's gonna hurt our hearts … but we did that for a reason," he said.
Last year's brief playoff stint is still fresh in Hasselberg's mind as he looks to lead the team to redemption with the 2013-14 season just a week away.
"It was a long summer for this organization. I feel very responsible for the three game series loss to the Melfort Mustangs last year and that's been eating at me all summer. I know as a staff that we're committed to providing an excellent product on the ice and I know with the players that we do have in camp right now, they're committed to the same thing and we're gonna right the ship."
The team will be in Dauphin, Man. Friday and Saturday to take on the Kings. That's the final pair of preseason games for the team with the season opener Sept. 20 in Kindersley. The first home game is the following night, Sept. 21, which is also against the Klippers.
