The odds were stacked against the Battlefords North Stars after dropping two straight heartbreaking games at home. A 3-1 loss and a 5-4 overtime bout paved the way in this series as the black and white travelled to Flin Flon to play inside one of the more hostile environments in the SJHL, the Whitney Forum.
“We have heart,” Coby Downs said following the game two loss. Heart is what the Battlefords were going to need if they wanted to take game three in an arena where they had yet to win in all season.
Well, they walked into unfamiliar territory and dominated. The attack from the North Stars was absolutely relentless throughout the game, capping off a three-goal first period with a 4-0 win.
“When Flin Flon comes on the ice you can’t even hear yourself. It’s just a tremendous atmosphere and I really like the composure of our team to play under those circumstances,” Hasselberg said following the victory. “We have an amazing atmosphere at the Civic Centre as well, so, the longer this series goes the more exciting it’s going to get for the fans and the more intense it’s going to get for the players.”
The North Stars’ play echoed the words from Downs early on. Just five minutes in, the black and white looked to catch the Bombers on a bad change. Braydon Buziak was able to corral the puck in the offensive zone before firing a drag shot from the left faceoff circle and into the back of the net for his second goal in as many games. For the first time in the semifinals, the Battlefords opened the scoring.
Layne Young scored his first of the series and fifth of the playoffs five minutes later. Downs spotted the rookie of the year in the offensive zone before he cut into the slot, sniping a shot just under the bar to make it 2-0 North Stars. The black and white were capitalizing on their opportunities, beating Brenden Newton twice on seven shots.
You would think the previous two games left a bad taste in the locker room of the North Stars, as they kept coming. This time it was Dustin Gorgi getting in on the fun, potting his third of the playoffs, rifling a shot from a sharp angle on the goal line. The wrister beat Newton over the blocker, making it three unanswered goals for the black and white. Baxter Kanter and Rory Davidson collaborated on the tally. The mark chased Newton from the game after allowing three goals on nine shots. Zac Robidoux took over in between the pipes.
Shots were 19-9 in favour of the North Stars through 20 minutes of play.
Flin Flon tried to battle back quickly in the middle frame. Off the draw the Bombers worked the puck into the offensive zone but Tyler Fuhr was equal to the task as Flin Flon jammed away at his pads. Brandon Switzer later had a great opportunity to cut the deficit to two but his wrister bounced off the post. Joel Kocur stared down an open net minutes later but was unable to capitalize.
Going the other way, Gorgi solved Robidoux for his second goal of the night on the power play. Davidson extended his point streak to three games with a great feed. After cutting down the wing and into the slot, Davidson found Gorgi down low, who finished off the play by picking up a rebound and depositing a backhander. 4-0 North Stars. Kanter drew his second helper of the tilt on the goal.
Shots after 40 minutes were 35-22 in favour of the black and white.
In the final frame, Fuhr came up with his biggest save of the night. Through traffic, the North Stars netminder found a way to stop a Nick Shumlanski wrist shot, keeping the Bombers off the board with just over 12 minutes remaining.
The frustration from the Flin Flon Bombers was on full display in the third period as Adam Wilson jumped Kanter after he delivered a punishing hit. The two exchanged jabs before the North Stars enforcer laid an absolute bomb of a right hand hook to the jaw of Wilson, dropping him to the ice.
“Heart” is what the Battlefords needed and it’s what they played with. Fuhr backstopped the North Stars to a 34-save shutout and, like his offence, performed at an elite level in the biggest game of the season.
“When the pressure was on, our guys didn’t buckle. Fuhr came up with some huge saves for us. We slowly got momentum in each period and we hung on to it … That’s one down and we got to get one more in this rink,” Hasselberg said after the game.
The man advantage came back with another solid night, scoring twice on seven attempts, keeping the crowd quiet for most of the tilt.
The black and white look to tie the series tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.
News-Optimist THREE STARS
1) Tyler Fuhr (34 saves, SO)
2) Dustin Gorgi (2 G)
3) Baxter Kanter (2 A)
