The Battlefords North Stars started their SJHL playoff run the same way they began their regular season: badly.
The seventh-seeded Estevan Bruins, fresh from a gruelling five-game series against the Flin Flon Bombers, found enough gas left in the tank to shock the North Stars 4-1 in game one.
But as usual, the North Stars were able to bounce back with a strong effort in game two to beat the Bruins 2-1 and even the series 1-1. The series now shifts to Estevan for two games.
Even though the North Stars put together a solid 60 minutes on Sunday night, coach Kevin Hasselberg knows the North Stars are in for a tough series.
"Estevan did their part. They came in and took the first game from us," said Hasselberg Sunday. "I thought tonight's game was a good hockey game by both teams. We pushed the pace, and now we've got to go up there and look to win one game for sure."
The North Stars had just been on a two-week break after their victory in Kindersley to end the season, clinching the Kramer Division title.
But the division champs seemed to revert back to the exact same form they showed during the early part of the season when they started 4-12 during the first game.
That spell was typified by missed opportunities, defensive lapses at the worst possible time and plenty of trips to the penalty box. All of that was on display Saturday in front of over 1,300 surprised fans at the Civic Centre.
The North Stars did get the first goal as Cameron Blair scored from Regan Yew and Dillon Forbes at the 7:05 mark to make it 1-0 after one. The North Stars also dominated on the shot count early on. Shots were 13-5 North Stars after one.
Despite that, Estevan tied it in the second on a Tanner Froese power play goal with Brenden Heinrich in the penalty box for high sticking at the 17:57 mark.
The third period unravelled quickly for the North Stars as Keegan Allison and then Cory Kosloski scored to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead.
That lead held up, and whatever comeback hope the North Stars had disappeared when Latrell Charleson was slapped with a five-minute major for boarding plus a game misconduct. Charleson was suspended for Sunday night's game.
Froese finished the North Stars off at the 17:38 mark with a power play goal, and the Bruins had a win on enemy ice to begin the quarter-finals.
"We lost a step in the second and third period and let the game get away from us," said Hasselberg.
Shots were 40-30 overall for the North Stars, but Estevan goalie Matt Gibney stood on his head making 39 saves in the series opener. Estevan also outshot the North Stars in the third 15-8. Battlefords had nine penalties to the Bruins five.
Just prior to the start of the game Sunday night, league president Bill Chow presented goaltender Michael Gudmandson with the Kramer Division most valuable player award for 2013-14.
That seemed to spur him on in game two as Gudmandson and Gibney put on an old fashioned goaltenders' duel in the game.
There had been some chances by both teams to score in the first period. At one point the North Stars thought they had a goal but it was waived off due to a high stick. Later, a scramble in front of Gudmandson somehow resulted in the puck trickling over the line into the net, but that was also waived off as play had been called due to a penalty to the North Stars.
Ominously, the Bruins got on the board first in the game. Austin Roesslein scored a short-handed goal for the Bruins. But Blair got his second of the playoffs from Jake Erickson and Kyle Schmidt to tie it at 1-1 after one. In the second period Nick Fountain scored the game winner unassisted at 7:18.
Despite some opportunities, both goaltenders slammed the door shut. Gudmandson stopped 26 of 27 shots while Gibney stopped 39 of 41.
Overall, Hasselberg was pleased. "We took steps in the right direction to have composure with the puck and make plays and as long as we get better at that, our game will still improve as the series goes on."
He was also pleased with Gudmandson's better performance Sunday night.
"He's a bounce-back goalie. If he has a performance he's not happy with, generally in the next game you can count on him being extremely good."
The series shifts to Estevan Tuesday and Wednesday. Hasselberg says the team plans to get in a day early and establish a routine, with the preparation for those games starting immediately.
