After picking up six straight victories at home in October and moving to second nationally in the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Top 20 rankings, the Battlefords North Stars saw their winning ways come to a screeching halt Tuesday.
In their first road game since the first game of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season on Sept. 15, the North Stars saw their eight-game win streak come to an end at the West Central Events Centre as they dropped a 4-1 decision to the archrival Kindersley Klippers.
The victory for the Klippers marked the first time in 13 head to head meetings that they had won over the North Stars in a streak that dated back to March 24, 2016 when they won Game 4 of a quarter-final series in Kindersley.
The Klippers also snapped a 22 game regular season losing streak to the North Stars and ended a 13 game regular season losing streak on home ice against their biggest rivals.
Eddie May led the way for the hosts on offence with a goal and an assist, while Curtis Peck dished out two helpers.
Cameron Shorrock and Nikolas Malencia also scored in the victory and Justen Close made 32 saves for the Klippers, who sit in fourth place in the Olympic Buildings Division with an 8-5-2-0 record and are three points behind the North Stars and the Humboldt Broncos.
Dakota Huebner had the lone goal for the North Stars, who now have a 10-1-1-0 mark and also suffered their first road setback in nine games in a streak that dated back to last February.
Goaltender Kolby Matthews suffered his first SJHL loss after turning aside 23 shots.
The North Stars will look to get back on track tomorrow night in Humboldt as they’ll take on the Broncos in a battle for first place in their division at 7:30 p.m.
