The Battlefords North Stars' recent success during the early part of the SJHL campaign is starting to earn the team some provincial and national attention.
Oct. 20, the SJHL Source Embroidery Power Rankings were released and the North Stars took first place, just ahead of the Melfort Mustangs.
As well, the CJHL Top Twenty rankings were released and the North Stars were ranked 13th in Canada. Still ahead of them were SJHL rivals Nipawin in eighth place and Melfort in ninth. The Powassan Voodoos of the NOJHL topped the rankings.
All this good news came as the North Stars looked to keep their win streak going on the road in Melville and Yorkton starting Tuesday night.
North Stars 5 Melville 4
The Battlefords North Stars did not get off to a good start against the struggling Melville Millionaires.
It was the Mills who got on the board first with goals from Dalton Menke at 10:01 and then a power play goal from Kirk Bear at the 19:19 mark in the first period.
But the North Stars’ Coby Downs scored just eight seconds after that with Jake McMillen and Cody Spagrud assisting, making it 2-1 after one.
In the second period, power play goals by Igor Leonkenko, the first one from Layne Young and Spagrud at 8:01 and the second one from McMillen and Young at 18:32, gave the North Stars the lead. Then Connor Sych added to the lead with a power play goal at 19:18, with Rylan Freed and Dustin Gorgi assisting, and it was 4-2 after two.
A power play goal by Tyson Predinchuk cut the margin to 4-3, but Baxter Kanter got his first of the season at 10:19 from Downs and Gorgi to make it 5-3. A goal from Mitch Foyle at the 13:34 kept it close at 5-4, but that would be all the scoring for Melville as the North Stars won their fifth in a row.
The North Stars outshot Melville 37-22 but 18 saves from Ryan Rewerts were enough for the win.
North Stars 7 Yorkton 1
It was a fast turnaround for the North Stars the next night in nearby Yorkton, but they showed no sign of fatigue as they blew out the Terriers in a rough, fight-filled contest.
The North Stars struck first in the first as Gorgi scored his seventh of the season from Downs and McMillen to make it 1-0.
Dexter Robinson tied it at 1-1 soon after, and that would be the scoring through one.
In the second, the North Stars exploded. Layne Young scored a power play goal and Kendall Fransoo scored his first of the season. Jake McMillen scored as well to make it 4-1 on the power play, and then scored an even strength goal to make it 5-1. That goal was his 11th of the season.
Goals in the third by Jordan Townsend, his second, and Leonenko, his ninth, rounded out the scoring.
It was a rough contest. There were four fights in which the North Stars were involved.
Baxter Kanter had a couple of fights in the second period. One was against McKenzie Welke where Welke took an instigator penalty and was kicked out of the game. Another was with Corwin Stevely who received a similar boot.
In the third, Braydon Buziak and Brandon Sookro got into a fight with Sookro getting kicked out as well. Cody Spagrud and Jordan Evans also scrapped l with less than five minutes left in the third.
Shots on goal were 39-26 North Stars with Rewerts again getting the win.
The Yorkton result extended the North Stars win streak to six in a row and moved their record to 12 wins and two losses on the season, going into their home game against Nipawin on Friday at the Civic Centre.
