It was the third straight weekend of Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League action in which the Battlefords Stars earned a split.
This time the Stars were in Tisdale taking on the third place Trojans. After losing Saturday, they doubled up on the Trojans Sunday. The Stars kept pace for the first period in Saturday's game, but eventually lost 8-4. Sunday, the Stars responded with their fourth win of the season, as they earned the 4-2 win thanks to a strong second period.
Sunday, Tisdale struck first with a Brayden Geisinger goal in the first period. In the second, Tyson Empey scored shorthanded 37 seconds into the period. Empey's sixth of the season was followed by Brock Weston scoring his second of the season on a power play from Kihisis Derocher and Reece Fenrich two minutes later.
Derocher added his eighth of the season later in the second period from Carter Danczak and Blake Young.
Derocher's goal held up to be the game-winner, as Tisdale's JJ Coleshaw and Battlefords' Austin Duzan traded goals in the third period. Duzan's even strength marker was his second goal of the season.
Tisdale put 36 shots at Nigel Detbrenner-Rempel in the Stars' net as he picked up his third win of the season.
The Stars were 1/5 on the power play while the Trojans were 0/5 Sunday.
Saturday, Coleshaw and Danczak scored in the first period, as Derocher and Young had the assists on Danczak's goal.
In the second, Tisdale scored five of six second-period goals to take control of the game. Jordan Ross, Kyle Bird, Connor Venne, Wyatt Garagan and Coleshaw scored for the Trojans while Danczack added his 12th of the season from Young and Weston.
In the third the Trojans scored two early goals to put the game out of reach, but the Stars scored twice in the final five minutes to pull the game to an 8-4 deficit. Jordan Braun scored shorthanded from Duzan for his fourth of the season and Derocher scored from Zach Nedelec to round out the Stars' offence.
Blair Mahon was in net for the Stars for nearly 43 minutes and stopped 24 of 32 shots while Detbrenner-Rempel stopped all 10 shots he faced. The Stars put 33 shots at Austin Rediron in the Tisdale net Saturday and were 0/6 on the power play. Tisdale was 4/6 with the man advantage Saturday.
The last place 4-21-0-0 Stars face the first place 17-4-1-0 Beardy's Blackhawks Thursday in Meadow Lake before wrapping up their December schedule with home games against the Yorkton Harvest Saturday and Sunday.
The Stars have played .500 hockey as of late, as they are 3-3-0-0 in their last six games dating back to Nov. 27. The Saskatoon Blazers, who hold the eighth spot in the SMAAAHL standings, have an 8-11-3-2 mark, meaning the Stars could gain some ground before entering the Christmas break.
