Anytime a hockey team fires more than 40 shots on net, they should have a good chance to the win the game.
The Battlefords North Stars put 42 shots at Nipawin's Davis Jones, but beat him only twice and fell 4-2 to the Bauer Conference leading Hawks.
In the first period, the recently changed lines for the North Stars played well, but couldn't find the back of the net after 17 shots.
Boyd Wakelin admitted the next day a lot of those shots came from the perimeter, but Jones played well Tuesday night.
In the second, Mitch Doell started the scoring for Nipawin with a power play goal on Connor Creech.
The North Stars responded with a goal from Kyle Hall who scored on a shot off the rush. Hall's second of the season was assisted by Curtis Toneff and Tim Rollins.
Doell struck again for the Hawks to retake the lead in the second, but late in the third period, Blake Tatchell scored. The goal was his sixth of the season evening the score at 2-2 heading into the third.
Nipawin was able to out shoot the North Stars in the second period and continued with that momentum in the third, scoring two more goals. The first by Michael Lambert then Tad Kozun scored in the empty net to finish off the North Stars.
Creech made 30 saves in the loss while Jones stopped 40 shots to help Nipawin improve to 10-1-0-0. The loss drops the North Stars to 6-4-0-1 and 4-2-0-1 on the road this season.
According to Wakelin the North Stars felt they were the better team for the majority of game, but didn't put in a full 60-minute effort and had some defensive lapses, which was their demise in Nipawin.
The North Stars will be looking to improve on their road record with games in Estevan as part of the SJHL Showcase. Friday, the North Stars will be the home team as they take on Yorkton and Saturday morning they will be the visiting team against the Melfort Mustangs.
Fortunately for North Stars' fans after 17 days away from the Civic Centre, the North Stars will begin a stretch of five straight home games Tuesday against Melfort. That home stretch also begins a span of the North Stars playing 10 of their next 11 games in North Battleford.
