The Battlefords North Stars opened their exhibition schedule with a split of a home-and-home series against the Kindersley Klippers over the weekend.
The North Stars began the weekend by dropping a 7-3 decision to the Klippers in Kindersley.
Robin Yew opened the games's scoring 5:11 into the first period with a power-play goal. Three minutes later, Igor Leonenko redirected Matthew Havens' pass past Klippers goaltender Evan Weninger to give the North Stars a 2-0 lead. Before the end of the first, Leonenko skated slowly off the ice holding his wrist. He went to the dressing room and did not return.
Early in the second period, North Stars defenceman Kendall Fransoo dropped the gloves with Kindersley's Ty Lindberg. Both players received five-minute majors and a game misconduct, removing two North Stars' veterans from the game.
The Klippers got on the board midway through the second when Owen LaClare beat North Stars goaltender Spencer Tremblay on the power play. The goal ended Tremblay's night. He stopped 13 of 14 shots faced in nearly 30 minutes of action.
After Michael Cullen took the net for the North Stars, Tyler Anderson scored the Klippers' second power-play goal to tie the game at two. With less than six minutes to go in the second, Kindersley struck again on the power play. Carter Hill beat Cullen to put the Klippers up 3-2 heading into the third.
The North Stars tied the game 1:02 into the third period as Regan Yew tallied the equalizer.
The rest of the third period was dominated by the Klippers. Cody Young broke the tie 6:48 into the frame. Then, the Klippers scored three goals in 35 seconds. Young, Joel Webb and Riley Cardinal all found the back of the net to give the Klippers a 7-3 win.
Cullen allowed six goals on 17 shots in the final 30 minutes of the game. Weninger stopped 14 of the 17 shots fired his way over the course of the game.
In the return match Saturday night at the Civic Centre, the North Stars downed the Klippers 3-1.
Matthew Havens got the North Stars on the board less than a minute into the game.
In the second, the North Stars took a 2-0 lead for the second straight game. Jordan Townsend stole the puck in the Klippers' zone and beat the goaltender with a backhand shot. Tremblay, who started in net on back-to-back nights, gave way to Ryan Rewerts Tremblay stopped all eight shots faced in the first 30 minutes of the game.
The Klippers broke the shutout late in the third period. With 7:10 remaining in the game, Stefen Seel beat Rewerts to make it a 2-1 game. Late in the game, the Klippers pulled their goaltender. Ryne Keller iced the game for the North Stars by scoring into the empty net with less than 30 seconds left to play.
The split gives the North Stars a 1-1 record in the pre-season. Their next exhibition action is Tuesday night at the Civic Centre against the Humboldt Broncos. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
