Tuesday night's game versus the Kindersley Klippers was surely proof that the Battlefords North Stars had earned their "cardiac" label.
Down 4-3 late in the third period and staring at another loss to their Kramer Division rivals, the North Stars' Blake Young put the puck in the net with just one second left in the game.
It was then left to Reed Delainey to score the winner on an assist from Young early in overtime, capping a thrilling 5-4 North Stars victory in what has to be the most entertaining game of the season.
The celebration that followed seemed reminiscent of the Stanley Cup. As it turned out, this was just the first win for the North Stars in their season-long "Rivalry Cup" with Kindersley, snapping a four-game Klippers winning streak against them.
It was also yet another in what has been a long line of close finishes for the North Stars as of late, although this time the team didn't wait for a shootout to settle the contest.
Such a wild finish didn't seem possible early on. The North Stars played so well in the first period it looked like they were going to run Kindersley right out of the Civic Centre.
A shorthanded goal by Jack Petrino (his first of the year, from Brenden Heinrich) was followed up by a marker from Igor Leonenko from Jake Erickson to make it 2-0 North Stars after one. Shots on goal were overwhelming for the North Stars: 18 shots to the Klippers' nine.
The North Stars then made it 3-0 on a second-period power-play goal by Blake Young from Ryne Keller and Latrell Charleson, at the 3:45 mark.
That was enough for Klippers coach Rockie Zinger, who pulled netminder Evan Weninger and replaced him with Tyrell King.
It looked as if the North Stars were in complete control at that point. But it was not long before they returned to being the Cardiac North Stars that fans have become accustomed to.
The Klippers comeback started with Tristan Sieben from Marc Dubeau at the 6:25 mark, followed at 8:15 by Colby Daniels' seventh of the season from Shaw Watkins. Then at 9:52 on the power play, Watkins tied it from Conner Veroba and Daniels.
That three-goal onslaught was enough to prompt the second goaltending change of the game. North Stars starter Casey Parker was pulled, with coach Kevin Hasselberg replacing him with Darren Martin.
The goaltending change settled things down for the North Stars for the rest of the game, but penalties proved to be the story in the third period.
At one point the Klippers had a brief 5-on-3 opportunity with Nick Fountain gone due to a blow-to-the-head penalty and then a costly too-many-men penalty as well.
That led straight to a power play goal from Brandon Lauder from Jared Pilet and Colby Daniels, and suddenly the Klippers were in front for the first time, 4-3.
But with 2:14 remaining, it was the Klippers' turn to head to the penalty box. Connor Garden was called for tripping, and suddenly the North Stars had a golden opportunity to force the game to overtime.
The North Stars swarmed the Klippers' net, and with goaltender Darren Martin pulled for the extra attacker in the final minute the Stars had six skaters to the Klippers' four.
The North Stars had some good chances but the Klippers were able to kill off the penalty. Still, there was one last chance for the North Stars right after the final faceoff, as Young finally slipped one by Tyrell King in front of the Klippers' net for his eighth of the season, with Erickson assisting.
The crowd of 492 erupted into bedlam when they realized the puck had gone in, as did the North Stars players on the ice and on the bench.
The overtime period was settled quickly. Young and Charleson set up Reed Delainey's goal just 47 seconds into the frame to put an end to what was a thrilling night of hockey at the Civic Centre.
For Young, it was a two-goal night, plus an assist on the winning goal. Delainey's goal was his fifth of the year and Leonenko notched his seventh of the year. Jake Erickson had two assists on the night.
Shots on goal were overwhelmingly in favour of the North Stars, 50 to 30.
In the end, the North Stars had found a way to earn a crucial two points to stay in the thick of things in the SJHL this season. The North Stars record moved to 9-13-0-2 for 20 points, which tied them for seventh with Flin Flon and La Ronge. They moved one point ahead of Melfort and two ahead of Notre Dame in the overall standings with the win.
Next action for the Battlefords North Stars is at home Friday night against Kramer division rivals Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m.
