Jack Petrino scored with 2:21 left to play to give the Battlefords North Stars a 2-1 win against the Notre Dame Hounds in St. Walburg as part of SaskEnergy Hockey Weekend.
The North Stars have now won eight games in a row. The win moves Battlefords (25-16-0-2) into second place in the Kramer Division.
Notre Dame had the first chance of the game less than two minutes into the opening period. Sam Aulie and Ram Brar entered the North Stars' zone on a two-on-one, but Brar was unable to beat Battlefords goaltender Darren Martin.
Dillon Forbes had a couple of good point shots during a North Stars power play, but Notre Dame goaltender Alexi Thibaudeau kicked each shot away with his pads.
Battlefords opened the scoring with 5:15 to play in the first. Taylor Reich redirected Tanner Quinn's centring pass past Thibaudeau for Reich's seventh goal of the season.
The North Stars were outshooting the Hounds 10-2 before North Stars captain Kyle Schmidt was given a penalty for holding. Notre Dame capitalized 20 seconds into the power play as Brar beat Martin for his third goal of the campaign.
In his first game back after travel issues extended his holiday break, Igor Leonenko made a dangerous check. He was penalized for boarding after hitting Kyle Salmon from behind. Notre Dame did not score on the power play. The Hounds outshot the North Stars 4-1 in the closing minutes of the first period.
With the two teams playing each other on back-to-back nights, the bad blood between the teams started to show in the second period. With Notre Dame forward Logan Saworksi already going to the box for slashing, Forbes retaliated and was given a two-minute minor for roughing.
The undisciplined play almost cost the North Stars six minutes into the period. Blake Young was sent off for roughing when he knocked down Jared Martin after the whistle. On the ensuing power play, Martin stopped Dillion Schwartzenberger on a two-on-one.
Brar tried to get under the skin of the North Stars during this period as well. After a whistle midway through the period, he knocked off North Stars defenceman Kendall Fransoo's helmet while the two players were exchanging pleasantries.
The North Stars had two chances shortly after Brar's antics. Thibaudeau stopped Reed Delainey's shot from the slot. Later, a nice passing play ended up on Cameron Blair's stick, but he was also unable to beat Thibaudeau.
Aulie had the best chance to break the deadlock. On a Notre Dame power play, Martin was down looking for the puck with traffic in the crease. Aulie found the puck, but his shot hit the cross bar despite having the top half of the net open.
During the scrum in front of the net, Fransoo was given a penalty for cross checking Schwartzenberger with 4:49 left in the second. After getting up Schwartzenberger was enraged and threw his helmet against the boards in front of the Notre Dame bench. He was given a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and started yelling at the referees.
In the third, Reich had a chance early in the period to break the tie, but his backhand attempt on a partial breakaway missed the net.
Schwartzenberger was in the centre of the action once again 3:28 into the period. He and North Stars forward Blake Young got tangled up after a body check along the boards. Young took exception and the two started shoving. Schwartzenberger dropped his gloves and started throwing punches at Young, who didn't want any part of it. Young was given a two-minute penalty for instigating, five minutes for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct. Schwartzenberger was penalized for cross-checking and received a five-minute major for fighting.
The North Stars broke the tie late in the third. With 2:21 left to play, Petrino's low slap shot from the right wing fooled Thibaudeau and got past the blocker of the Hounds' goaltender.
Notre Dame pulled their goalie with 1:30 left in the game, but were unable to get consistent pressure in the North Stars' zone. Battlefords were able to kill the remaining time on the clock, finishing with a faceoff win and a scrum in the corner.
After the final buzzer, Schwartzenberger got involved with a group of North Stars. After some shoving, the referee gave Schwartzenberger a 10-minute misconduct.
The win was Darren Martin's ninth of the season as he made 27 saves in the win. Thibaudeau stopped 28 shots en route to this 13th loss of the season.
Battlefords are now two points up on the Humboldt Broncos in the Kramer Division standings, but the Broncos have played three fewer games.
The North Stars are in action Tuesday night against Humboldt in an important division match-up at the Civic Centre. Battlefords can create some separation with the Broncos and tie Kindersley for first in the Kramer with a win. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
