First place. That’s what was on the line Tuesday night as the North Stars hosted the Humboldt Broncos at the Civic Centre.
The Battlefords came in with 84 points, needing two to clinch the SJHL regular season crown over the Melfort Mustangs. They were also looking for their ninth straight victory against a team they have beaten six times over the course of the year.
Another banner will be heading up to the rafters for next season, as the North Stars walked away with a 5-2 win on the back of a Jake McMillen hat trick.
“It was a nerve wracking game in the second period, they put some pressure on us,” Head Coach Kevin Hasselberg said after the game, “I think it’s only fitting that Jake scores three goals tonight, he’s been here four years, he’s been here as long as I have been, and it’s a very proud effort.”
Taryn Kotchorek also pitched in with a solid night of goaltending, shutting the Broncos out in the first and third period. Kotchorek now holds a 15-4-1-2 record after his 20-save performance.
“He’s Mr. Consistent this year. He hasn’t given us a poor effort in practice or in games and that’s all we ever asked from him. Since the beginning of the year I think he has kind of been the underdog, and he hasn’t let anybody stomp his spirits down,” Hasselberg said, “This is a young man that’s going to be a star goaltender at this level. He already is.”
The first half of the opening frame saw neither team come out and control the pace of play until Igor Leonenko gave the North Stars a 1-0 advantage at the eleven minute mark. A crisp breakout saw Layne Young hit Coby Downs in stride before finding Leonenko down the right wing. Number 25 found an odd angle on the back hand, slipping the puck under the glove and over the pad of Carter Seminuk for his 44th of the year. The goal extended his point streak to 10 straight games, while also extending Downs’ to 10 and Young’s to 12. The assist for Young was a milestone, as he now has 50 on the season.
McMillen scored his fifth goal against Humboldt and 32nd of the season five minutes later. Dustin Gorgi fed Jordan Townsend in the slot, who then feathered a pass onto the tape of McMillen, tipping it home for a 2-0 advantage.
After 20 minutes of play, shots were 15-6 for your North Stars.
Regardless of their positioning in the standings, the Broncos refused to go away, scoring two unanswered early in the second. Trevor Posch cut the lead in half after stepping over the blue line with speed. Posch cut into the slot before snapping a fire bomb of a wrister over the glove of Kotchorek, scoring his 16th of the year.
Coming over from the Weyburn Red Wings, Chris Van Os-Shaw has found himself a home on the top line of the Broncos. He showed his effectiveness with his 10th goal of the year since being acquired by Humboldt. The forward tied the game after gathering a bouncing puck at the North Stars blue line. Like Posch before him, Os-Shaw slid into the slot before wristing a shot under the glove of Kotchorek to tie the game at two.
The North Stars came into the tilt leading the SJHL in short handed goals, and McMillen showed us why. After receiving a pass from Connor Sych, McMillen busted down the right wing, firing a shot far side and hearing the ring of the post before watching the puck cross the goal line for his second of the game, restoring the lead.
The top line then continued their dominance of the SJHL, giving the North Stars their two-goal advantage right back. On the power play, Downs corralled the puck at the left half wall before finding his counterpart in Young parked at the right goal post. Young wristed a shot that banked off a defender and in for his 24th, making it 4-2.
It was all about defensive hockey in the final 20 minutes. Kotchorek came up with some big saves and held the Broncos off of the scoresheet. McMillen later netted an empty net goal for his second hat trick in three games.
The Battlefords now have a home-and-home series against Kindersley to round out one of the most successful campaigns in franchise history.They are 6-0 against the Klippers this season. But, they are a team you cannot take lightly.
“When you put Kindersley and the Battlefords in the same rink across from each other, it’s a war, and we’re not going to have it any other way,” Hasselberg said after the tilt.
The North Stars will hold their team awards before the game on Friday, so get there early. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
News-Optimist THREE STARS
1) Jake McMillen (3 G)
2) Layne Young (1 G, 1 A)
3) Coby Downs (2 A)
