With the Global Ag Risk Solutions Division already tight, the Battlefords North Stars have three important divisional games in four nights this week.
They looked to gain ground in the division in their first game, against the first-place Kindersley Klippers. The Klippers already have two wins already over the North Stars from the start of the season.
It did not take long for the North Stars to get on the board Wednesday night: Ryan Gil scored just 11 seconds into the game, with MacGregor Sinclair and Matthias Urbanski getting the assists.
It proved to be a chippy first period between the two longtime archrival teams. A huge fight erupted with 5:52 left in period one as the North Stars’ Kaden Boser dropped the gloves and exchanged blows with Tyson Laduke. Both went off for major fighting penalties.
Not long after Kindersley tied it at 1-1 on Josh Fletcher’s goal. That would be all the scoring through one. The Klippers led in shots through one, 13-12.
There was no scoring in the second period but the Klippers dominated in shots, outshooting the North Stars 12-3. They also outshot them 19-6 in the third period.
Despite that, it was the North Stars who took a 2-1 lead on Cody Spagrud’s goal early in the third period. But the Klippers tied it on Tyler Traptow’s unassisted marker with 17 seconds left in regulation time, forcing the game to overtime.
In that three-on-three session the Klippers outshot the North Stars 3-1, but the game remained deadlocked and headed to a shootout.
With the Klippers up 1-0 in the shootout period on Caden Benson’s goal, the North Stars needed MacGregor Sinclair to score to keep their shootout hopes alive. Fortunately, he beat Justen Close to tie it up. Unfortunately, the Klippers still had one shooter left and it was Austen Nault who scored lifting the Klippers to the 3-2 final score.
Adam Dmyterko stopped 44 of 46 shots in regulation time and overtime, but his heroics in net failed to bail out the rest of the team on this night. The Klippers outshot the North Stars by a grand total of 47 to 23.
The North Stars dropped to 8-4-0-2 on the season and are now five points back of Kindersley for first. The North Stars must now put this game behind them as they head back to the Civic Centre for two more divisional contests against Notre Dame Hounds on Friday night and then the Humboldt Broncos on Saturday night.
