The North Stars took on the Klippers for the fourth time this season since being knocked out of the playoffs by them last year.
The black and white have had some success, sporting a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring them by double, 14-7.
Tonight, the Battlefords made it four straight wins against Kindersley, beating them 3-2, while stringing together three victories on the week.
North Stars dominated the pace of play in the opening 20 minutes, outshooting Kindersley 14-3 but were not able to capitalize on chances from Igor Leonenko and Dustin Gorgi.
The Klippers wouldn’t be so lucky in the middle frame. Leonenko made due with a pass from Jake McMillen, exchanging it from his backhand to forehand before blasting a shot past Nathan Hargrave. Reed Delainey registered the second assist on the goal.
Daniell Lange continued his four game point streak against the North Stars, scoring his 14th of the season after batting a rebound out of the air and into the twine.
Reed Delainey answered right back. Ryan Rosenberg fed Leonenko a pass, who fired his shot just wide from the right wing. Delainey happened to be at the right place at the right time, jamming the puck into the net off the rebound from the boards. The goal puts him in double digits for the year with 10.
Not to be outdone, Tanner Thompson deadlocked the game at two, scoring his 5th of the season just 30 seconds later from Carson Pickett and Branden Scheidl.
After 40 minutes of play this season, the North Stars carried a 6-0-0-1 record while tied.
Make it seven wins. All it took was a slash and a broken piece of fibreglass.
On a 57 second, five-on-three power play, Leonenko registered his 20th goal of the season after corralling a back-door pass and snapping a wrist shot into the back of the net. The tally was his second of the game, and would go on to be the eventual game winner.
The forward from Belarus is officially on a hot streak, registering 11 points in the last five games, while scoring eight in that span.
On the other side of the ice, Landon Gross of Kindersley was shut down tonight. Coming into the game the forward had 10 goals in his last five games, scoring three of those against Humboldt on Wednesday.
Taryn Kotchorek picked up another win on the season and has still yet to lose in regulation. His record reads 9-0-1-2.
The three goals could have been much more if it weren’t for the outstanding play of Hargrave, frequently making big stops on quality opportunities.
The Battlefords host the Weyburn Red Wings next Friday at the Civic Centre. They are 1-3 against them this year, but did win 7-0 in their last matchup.
News-Optimist THREE STARS
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Igor Leonenko (2 G, GWG, 1 A)
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Reed Delainey (1 G, 1 A)
- Nathan Hargrave (39 SVs, 3 GA)
