It was a wild, penalty-filled evening at the Civic Centre Tuesday night as the Battlefords AAA Stars were taking on the Beardy's Blackhawks.
The Stars went in looking to get back into the win column following a 3-1 road loss to Saskatoon Blazers Friday. But the game was punctuated by mayhem on the ice midway through the second period when tempers immediately boiled over and the fights erupted.
Early on, it seemed like it would be a calm evening, with penalty killing figuring prominently. Midway through the period Beardy's had a two-man advantage on the Stars, but the Stars managed to kill it off.
Still, Beardy's took the play to the Stars and with 3:30 remaining in the period were able to score first. Isaac Jackson scored from Josh Sielsky and Bryton Fels, beating Lance Alm in net to make it 1-0 Blackhawks.
That would be the score through one. Beardy's had 15 shots to the Stars' nine.
In the second, Beardy's continued to outshoot the Stars but the Stars caught a break. Owen Lamb moved in on Beardy's goaltender Kody Kushniruk and tied the game at 1-1. The goal was unassisted.
It was with 8:33 to go in the period that an all-out brawl broke out between the two teams, with several players involved from both.
It wasn't clear what exactly provoked the mayhem, but the Stars' Mason Mullaney was involved in one of the incidents, while another fight broke out between Dawson Bacon of the Stars and Brody Madarash of the Blackhawks.
It took some time for the officials to figure out the penalties. Bacon was assessed instigator, aggressor, fighting, and game misconduct penalties. Mullaney got two minutes for cross checking and Beardy's Madarash was assessed four minutes for head contact.
Stars coach Martin Smith was visibly upset when he spoke with officials, having found out they had assessed a nine-minute penalty to the Stars while the Blackhawks got only four minutes. Finally, after a further discussion, it was only the five minute major penalty that was put up on the scoreboard, and the Stars had to go on the penalty kill.
The Stars managed to get through those five minutes unscathed, and even had their own chance to score shorthanded as JC Dubecky missed an open net.
Shots on goal through two were 22 to 20 for the Blackhawks.
In the third period it would be all Blackhawks.
At the 5:43 mark, the Blackhawks took the lead as Graehme Fiolleau scored to make it 2-1.
With Brandon Griffiths in the box for a head contact penalty, Jackson scored a power play goal from Tyrell Wenig with 8:42 left to make it 3-1 Beardy's.
Tempers flared again in the third period as penalties began to mount. Smith vented outrage at the referees again over an interference penalty to the Stars' Dubecky late in the period that put the Stars briefly down two men again.
It was back to a 5-on-4 situation when Billy Trarback's goal with 2:51 left made it 4-1, and that marker clearly seemed to deflate the Stars' bench for the rest of the game. Dawson Boehm got the assist.
That would be all the scoring, and the Blackhawks went on to win an intense contest 4-1. Final shots on goal were 43-25 Blackhawks.
The Stars now have a few days of much-needed decompression after this effort before they hit the ice again Sunday against the Notre Dame Hounds. Game time is 2 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
