After he was pulled in the third period against the Flin Flon Bombers at the Civic Centre Wednesday, Battlefords North Stars goaltender Joel Grzybowski rebounded in a huge way Saturday night.
The rookie netminder from Hafford made 20 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season, which is the most in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League this year, as the North Stars edged the Yorkton Terriers in a 1-0 affair at the Farrell Agencies Arena.
Grzybowski was locked in a duel with Terriers goaltender Nathan Hargrave, who made 37 saves on his way to earning first star honours.
Hargrave’s only blemish came just 91 seconds into the game, when Coby Downs scored his 15th goal of the year.
Levi Kleiboer and Ben Allen had assists on the play.
Thanks to the win, which improved their record to 29-7-0-0 for the season, the North Stars now have a 17-point lead over the Humboldt Broncos in the Finning Division and have a nine-point cushion over the Estevan Bruins for first place in the SJHL standings.
They’ll look to win their last game before Christmas Sunday in Melville, when they take on the host Millionaires at 6 p.m.
