North Stars goaltender Ryan Rewerts made 32 saves in relief and stopped all four Mustangs shooters in the shootout to give Battlefords a 4-3 win Wednesday night in Melfort.
Jake McMillen won the game for the North Stars with a goal in the fourth round of the shootout. It snapped the North Stars' two-game losing streak.
The Mustangs got out to a dream start in the first period by scoring on their first two shots of the game. Less than a minute into the game, Melfort broke into the North Stars' zone on a two-on-one rush. Tristan Frei kept the puck and snapped it past Tremblay for the opening goal. Adam Fauchoux was given the lone assist on Frei's fifth goal of the year.
Then, 1:38 into the game, North Stars goaltender Spencer Tremblay turned the puck over to Landon Robin. The Melfort forward bounced a shot off of Tremblay's skates and into the net to put the Mustangs up 2-0 early in the game.
The second goal ended Tremblay's night early after two quick goals. Rewerts took the net in his first game action since Oct. 22 in Kindersley.
He was tested often in the remainder of the first period. The North Stars had trouble getting the puck out of their own zone early in the game, forcing Rewerts to make a couple of saves.
After two big hits from North Stars forward Baxter Kanter, Battlefords started to get some chances on offence. Melfort netminder Zach DeGraves robbed Matthew Saharchuk in the slot to keep it a 2-0 game for the Mustangs.
The North Stars' 11th-ranked power play got them back into the game. With Riley Boomgaarden in the box, Reed Delainey snuck in from the right point, took a pass from Brady O'Sullivan and snapped the puck past DeGraves to make it a 2-1 game with 6:53 left in the opening frame. Saharchuk also picked up an assist on Delainey's sixth goal of the season.
Later in the first, the North Stars erased the memory of the slow start with a tying goal. Boomgaarden turned the puck over at the North Stars' line to Nick Fountain, who chipped the puck towards centre ice. Jackson Bond picked it up and was in alone on a breakaway. He froze DeGraves with a quick fake before snapping the puck past the Mustangs goalie with 2:15 to play. It was Bond's third goal of the year.
It was a more balanced second period, but Melfort still outshot the North Stars 7-5 in the middle frame. The North Stars had a late chance in the period off an attacking zone faceoff. Saharchuk recovered the puck and threw a shot on net, but Delainey was unable to redirect the puck on net.
Melfort outshot the North Stars 22-10 after two periods.
In the third, the North Stars were able to generate more pressure offensively. The intensity of the game picked up late in the frame. With 5:57 left, North Stars defenceman Jake Calverley dropped the gloves with Mustangs Teal Sobkowicz after an altercation behind the play. Calverley landed three punches and knocked Sobkowicz to the ice. Both players received majors for fighting and game misconducts.
The North Stars took their first lead of the game with less than five minutes left. Jake Erickson's shot from the point hit someone in front of the net. Jordan Townsend picked up the puck at the side of the net and roofed it over DeGraves for a 3-2 Battlefords lead.
The lead did not last long as Melfort tied the game 36 seconds later. Luc Lemire took a shot from the point Rewerts had trouble locating the puck through traffic. It got past the North Stars netminder to make it a 3-3 game, forcing an extra period.
This marked the ninth time the North Stars played in overtime this season. However, overtime solved nothing and the game went to a shootout for the extra point.
Rewerts and DeGraves each stopped the first three shooters they faced, sending the shootout into sudden death. In the fourth round, McMillen skated into the zone and snapped it over DeGraves' blocker in a similar fashion to Bond's goal earlier in the game. Nick Hermary's attempt to tie the shootout on Melfort's next shot went wide to give the North Stars the win.
Rewerts improved his record to 3-1 on the season with the win. DeGraves stopped 17 shots for Melfort in the loss.
The North Stars are in action again Friday night. They welcome the Yorkton Terriers into the Civic Centre for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop. In the only meeting between the two teams earlier this season, the North Stars edged the Terriers 3-2 in a shootout.
The North Stars (9-4-3-0) head back on the road for another game Saturday night. They travel to La Ronge to take on the Ice Wolves. Game time is set for 7 p.m. The season series is currently tied with each team winning 4-3 overtime games on the road.
