It was a strong showing by the Battlefords North Stars' rookies Monday afternoon in Kindersley.
The North Stars scored three power-play goals en route to a 5-1 victory over the Klippers.
With Kindersley's Dryden Hebert in the box for roughing early in the first period, Tom Dakers opened the scoring for the North Stars 2:41 into the frame with a power-play marker. Kevin Bendall and Rob McLean tallied assists on the play. Approximately a minute later, Keaton Holinaty beat Klippers goaltender Justen Close to make it a 2-0 game.
In the second, Kyle Becker extended the North Stars' lead to three 2:11 into the period with another power-play goal assisted by Matthew Leniuk. The Klippers got the goal back 1:15 later when Bryton Fels scored an unassisted goal on Taryn Kotchorek to make it 3-1 after two.
The North Stars restored their three-goal lead in the third period. Quinton Cubban beat Brett Pongracz with assists from Becker and McLean.
Tensions boiled over between the rival franchises later in the third. Tyrone Kipling and Dakers squared off four minutes into the frame. They both received game misconducts for fighting.
Late in the third, Pierce Pleumer tallied the North Stars' third power-play goal with just over a minute left in the game. Bendall and Wes Morales assisted on Battlefords' fifth goal of the game.
Ryan Rewerts played the first and third periods for the North Stars, stopping all 15 shots he faced in 40 minutes of action. Kotchorek made four saves in the second period.
The Klippers split the time evenly between their two goalies. Close made 11 saves during his 30 minutes on the ice. Pongracz stopped 19 shots while closing out the game.
The North Stars and Klippers will be seeing each other often during the month of September. The two teams have a home-and-home exhibition series this weekend, beginning Friday night in Kindersley.
They will meet again to begin the regular season as the North Stars host the Klippers Sept. 19 at the Civic Centre for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop. The two teams then play the next night in Kindersley.
