There were some anxious moments for fans at the Civic Centre Friday as the Battlefords North Stars almost let a 3-0 lead slip away.
In the end, however, the North Stars were able to snap the Flin Flon Bombers six-game win streak as they held on for a 3-2 victory in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League play.
“I thought we played a full three periods,” North Stars head coach and general manager Nate Bedford said. “They got a couple of goals late, but we kept their shots down and did a really good job defensively.
“We played with intensity and heart, and we never quit.”
The Bombers ended Taryn Kotchorek’s shutout bid at the 7:46 mark of the third period when Nick Shumlanski scored a shorthanded goal.
Troy Williams blasted a shot from the point into the back of the net with 1:51 left in the game during a six-on-five situation, but that would be as close as the Bombers would get.
“On the shorthanded goal I need to make sure that we have the right guys on the ice instead of having four forwards out there,” Bedford said. “The guys were communicating as they were criss-crossing, which was good to see, but it was a little too late and their guy made a really good play.
“We just needed to block that shot like we usually do on their second goal, and I’m sure Taryn probably wants that one back.”
Unlike Wednesday’s 4-2 home loss to the Bombers, the North Stars played a physical brand of hockey for the entire game and did a great job of slowing down the Bombers’ forecheck.
“When you get into games like that, it can be very exciting,” Bedford said. “Now we need to do that every single night, and we’ll have similar results.”
Layne Young led the way on offence with a goal and an assist, while Coby Downs helped to set up goals for his linemates Young and Ben Allen.
“I think that the harder our line works, it allows us to play well together as a group,” Downs said.
“Personally speaking, I know that the harder that I’m working out there, it allows me and my linemates to have more scoring chances. Plus, our defensive zone play as a team has also allowed us to play well on offence.”
Logan Nachegaele got things going for the North Stars in the first period, as he was wide open in front of the net and redirected a pass from Bryce Hall.
Defensive zone breakdowns were one of the biggest issues for the Bombers Friday, as Reed Delainey and Connor Logan were also left alone in front of the net in the opening frame.
“I thought it was a pretty poor effort until the last eight minutes of the game,” said Bombers assistant coach Gary Childerhose, who is filling in for Mike Reagan while he’s coaching with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.
“We came out of the gates slow once again. We were able to find our legs after the first period Wednesday, but we did a poor job of getting back on track tonight.”
Zac Robidoux made 39 saves in the loss, while Kotchorek turned aside 23 shots.
The North Stars, who have a SJHL best 28-7-0-0 record, will travel to Yorkton Saturday night to take on the Terriers.
They will face the Melville Millionaires on the road Sunday in their last game before Christmas.
