The Battlefords North Stars' furious comeback attempt in the third period fell short. The North Stars were edged 6-5 by the visiting Melfort Mustangs Wednesday night.
Battlefords scored three times in the final two minutes, but were unable to find the equalizer with the goaltender pulled. Travis Mayan had a hat trick for the Mustangs in the win.
In the first period, the North Stars controlled play for the first half of the frame. Melfort goaltender Austin Rediron made a big stop on a cross crease one-timer to keep the game tied at zero.
Melfort opened the scoring despite Battlefords controlling play. North Stars defenceman Dillon Forbes' bad pinch led to a two on one and Jacob Bonin beat Battlefords goaltender Darren Martin on the rush midway through the first.
The Mustangs extended the lead to two on the power play a minute later. Justin Boyer's blocked shot found the stick of Preston Eshenko who snapped it into the open cage.
The second period opened with Melfort extending their lead to three. Two minutes into the period, Cole Hyrsky threw a shot on Martin who lost sight of the rebound. Mayan was at the side of the net and finished into a wide open net to put the Mustangs up 3-0.
The North Stars got on the board shortly after. Following his penalty, Reed Delainey was sprung on a breakaway and beat Rediron with a backhand.
Melfort restored their three-goal lead with five minutes left in the period. Riley Boomgaarden's shot from the faceoff circle found its way through Martin. The Mustangs kept the pressure on the North Stars until the horn went to end the period.
Martin made a mental mistake early in the third period, costing the North Stars a goal. While behind the net, Martin cleared the puck to his right without checking for players. Hyrsky was there to intercept the puck and centred for Mayan who buried his second goal of the night into the empty net.
Battlefords cut into the lead midway through the period. Ryne Keller's shot hit the post and beat Rediron on the short side.
Mayan finished off his hat trick with five minutes to go. He impressively kicked the puck from his skate to his stick and snapped the puck through Martin to give the Mustangs a 6-2 lead.
The North Stars pulled their goalie with 2:30 left in the third and started their comeback. Captain Kyle Schmidt collected a rebound and beat Rediron who was on his stomach.
Nick Fountain cut the Mustangs' lead to two on a two-man advantage with 1:13 left. He deflected home a Dillon Forbes point shot to drag Battlefords back into the game.
Battlefords drew closer with another power play goal with 55 seconds left on another rebound. Jake McMillen found the puck near the side of the net and snapped in the top corner on the glove side past Rediron. The North Stars did not come any closer as the Mustangs hung on for the win in the final seconds.
Martin, the reigning SJHL goaltender of the week, stopped 24 shots in a losing effort. Rediron earned the win despite the shaky ending. He made 33 saves for the Mustangs.
The North Stars' next game is at home Friday night against the La Ronge Ice Wolves. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
