Latrell Charleson scored the decisive goal in the shootout as the Battlefords North Stars beat the Weyburn Red Wings 2-1 Saturday night.
North Stars' goaltender Darren Martin made 36 saves and stopped all three shooters during the shootout.
In the first, both teams traded chances in a period with few stoppages. The North Stars put pressure on Weyburn in the final minute of the period, but did not find a goal. They outshot the Red Wings 16-6 in the frame.
The second period also saw both teams have great chances. On an early power play, North Stars' forward Nick Petrino fanned on a one-timer. Martin made a key stop for Battlefords, but gave up a big rebound the Red Wings did not capitalize on.
Battlefords' forward Igor Leonenko had the best chance of the period. He collected a loose puck at the side of the net and forced Red Wings' goalie Rylan Parenteau to make a great diving save to keep the score tied at zero.
The North Stars broke the deadlock midway through the first period. Blake Young stripped Parenteau of the puck behind the net and centred for Dillon Forbes who was playing forward for the game. Forbes made no mistake and buried the puck in the empty net to give Battlefords the lead.
Weyburn responded less than a minute later on the power play. Martin made a great save but gave up another big rebound. This time, Brendan McKay was able to find the puck for the Red Wings and slid it home as he was falling down, forcing the game into overtime.
Battlefords outshot the Red Wings 41-31 during regulation.
There were chances for both teams during the extra frame. Coaches and players were vocal on the ice as they felt the referees put the whistles away for overtime.
In the shootout, Charleson beat Parenteau through the five-hole. Martin stopped Weyburn's final shooter McKay to win the game for the North Stars.
