The Battlefords North Stars (27-20-6-2) played their final two regular season home games of the year over the weekend with both games needing extra time.
Friday the Weyburn Red Wings (21-24-7-3) came to town looking to secure a playoff spot.
Jake McMillen got the North Stars on the board first when he scored from below the goal line.
After Michael Statchuk intentionally shot the puck wide, McMillen picked the rebound up off the boards and fired the puck off the back of Red Wings goalie Jack Burgart and into the net for his 10th of the year.
Despite a 1-0 lead, the shots were 15-8 in favour of Weyburn after the first.
The Red Wings tied the game nearly 14 minutes into the second on a scramble in front of the net.
It appeared Spencer Tremblay had the puck covered under his pad, but the Weyburn players kept whacking away and the puck squeaked over the goal line to tie the game.
Tucker Neuberger was credited with his seventh of the year, with the assists going to Donovan Lumb and Braden Mellon.
The North Stars special teams were tested as they were penalized seven times, but killed all seven Weyburn power plays.
Sixty minutes wasn’t enough as neither team was able to solve the goaltenders after Weyburn’s tying goal.
In overtime the Red Wings didn’t register a shot after outshooting the North Stars 36-27 through three periods.
Bryce Hall sent a pass across the blue line to Brock Weston and he one-timed the puck, which hit something on the way to the goal, past Burgart to give the North Stars a 2-1 win.
All three of Weston’s goals this season have come against Weyburn.
The North Stars had a tougher test Saturday when the Notre Dame Hounds (37-14-1-4) came to the Civic Centre.
The first period ended scoreless with the North Stars doubling the Hounds in the shot department 12-6.
Early in the second McMillen was called for boarding, giving the Hounds their first power play opportunity.
It was the North Stars capitalizing however, as Brendan Heinrich got a short-handed breakaway and beat Alexi Thibadeau five hole to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Just 2:05 later McMillen picked his second goal in as many days when he put home a centring pass from Jordan Townsend over a sprawling Thibadeau. Townsend also assisted on Heinrich’s goal.
The Hounds called a time out after McMillen’s goal, and it worked to perfection as just 56 seconds later Spencer Trapp sent a cross-ice pass onto the stick of Jared Martin to cut the North Stars lead in half.
It was the Hounds out-shooting the North Stars 14-8 in the second as the teams headed to the third tied at two.
The physicality escalated in the final frame as a pair of fights occurred.
After a hit in the neutral zone by Baxter Kanter on Notre Dame leading scorer Sam Aulie, 6’6’’ defenceman Nathan Walsh stepped in and dropped the gloves.
Despite being four inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter, Kanter held his own in the fight, much to the delight of his teammates.
Not even three minutes later, Brady O’Sullivan dropped the gloves with Ian Williams.
O’Sullivan, not known for his physical play, threw plenty of punches in the tilt and ended up with a large cut on his forehead as he headed off the ice to the dressing room.
Just 1:28 after the fight, Jake Erickson beat Thibadeau on a slap shot from the point that managed to squeak under his pad with 2:30 remaining on the clock.
The Hounds didn’t give up, however, and 1:04 later Andrew Cummings swept the puck from his knees and beat Tremblay five hole to tie the game.
Overtime solved nothing and the two teams headed to the shootout.
Thibadeau stopped all five North Stars he faced, and Cummings played hero once again as he faked to the backhand and scored the game winner.
The North Stars wrap up the regular season in Kindersley Tuesday before beginning their quest for the Canalta Cup against the Estevan Bruins in the survivor series.
Games one and two are at the Civic Centre Friday and Saturday, before the North Stars head to Estevan for games three and four Monday and Tuesday.
Game four might not be necessary as the survivor series is a best-of-five matchup.
Should a deciding game five be necessary, it would be next Thursday at the Civic Centre.
