The Battlefords North Stars clashed with the Estevan Bruins Saturday night at the Civic Centre, looking to further their dominance in the SJHL and the Finning Division.
Coming into the tilt the North Stars were riding a four game win streak. Two unanswered goals and the Darcy DeRoose line got the best of them in a 4-3 loss, putting the first blemish on their record in 2016.
The Bruins got on the board early in the opening frame with their first shot on net from Lyndenn Pastachak. After taking a pass from leading scorer DeRoose, Pastachak busted down the left wing before firing a shot far side on Ryan Rewerts, just under the goaltenders’ blocker. It was a tough angle to shoot from but he was able to get enough on it to narrowly beat number 35.
Rewerts came back to keep the deficit to one with a nice breakaway stop on Keegan Allison. Fresh off his two minute penalty, the forward stepped out of the box and was sprung for a clear cut one-on-one with the netminder. Rewerts gave him the five-hole then took it away in an instant to keep the Bruins at bay.
Coby Downs tied the game up with a quick release from the left slot. Number 16 walked into scoring position and snapped a shot that beat Tyler Fuhr on the far side and under the glove to tie the game up at one. The power play worked tremendously Saturday night, including here. Braydon Buziak made a nice feed to set up Downs for the opportunity.
The North Stars would get on the board once again, scoring two unanswered, this one courtesy of top scorer Igor Leonenko. The forward from Belarus extended his point streak to five games Saturday, this time beating Fuhr on a two-on-one. Jake McMillen found Leonenko deep in the Bruins zone, dropping to his knees to rifle a shot into the back of the net, beating the Estevan netminder glove side. With the assist, McMillen also extended his point streak to six games.
Zach Paxman brought the Bruins back, tying the game with a shot from the right hashmark. After receiving a pass from Kaelan Holt, a missed assignment allowed Paxman to walk in untouched, snapping the puck just under the blocker of Rewerts.
Estevan took the lead five minutes later. Number 14 corralled a pass from Josh Rieger and danced through three North Stars from the left half wall and into the slot. After transitioning the puck from forehand to backhand he delivered a backhand shot, crossing the goal line, finding an opening through the pads of Rewerts. The goal was his 18th, he would later get his 19th of the year.
The top line for the Battlefords had a night, combining for five points between the three of them. Their biggest goal came in the second to tie the game at three a piece. Reed Delainey, Leonenko and McMillen broke into the Bruins zone on a three on two. Delainey busted in on the right side, stopping up to find Leonenko in the high slot. As the defence collapsed, number 25 held the puck on his stick before firing it far side, bar and in. The tally hit the milestone for the elite scorer, giving him 30 on the season.
Coby Downs and Dustin Gorgi almost restored the lead for the North Stars with 5 seconds left in the middle frame, shorthanded. Downs found Gorgi breaking down the right wing who took the puck on his backhand, using his body to skate into the front of the net with a Bruin on his back. Fuhr was up for the challenge, making a big glove save as the clock hit zeros, stopping a big chance for the Battlefords to take the lead.
The lone goal in the third came from the DeRoose line, which was the eventual game winner. Tyson Predinchuk found him in the slot, giving DeRoose a wide open look. The forward buried a shot through the wickets of the North Stars netminder, giving Estevan the lead and the victory.
Fuhr came up big for the Bruins down the stretch, stopping the onslaught of offence from the North Stars, kicking away 37 of 40 shots.
The special teams was great for the North Stars, scoring two power play goals and killing off all four penalties. For Head Coach Kevin Hasselberg, it was the even strength play that needed to be better.
“I couldn’t ask anything more from the specialty teams, five on five, we let each other down, and that’s just the way the game went.”
On deck are the La Ronge Ice Wolves. Last time these two faced off it was the Battlefords taking a close 1-0 victory at Pinehouse in a physical game. Expect to see more of that come Wednesday. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.
News-Optimist THREE STARS
1) Darcy DeRoose - 2 G, 2 A
2) Igor Leonenko - 2 G
3) Tyler Fuhr - 37 SVs
