After a lacklustre effort on home ice against the Melfort Mustangs Dec. 5, the Battlefords North Stars played a much more inspired game Friday in Melfort.
The North Stars remain tangled in the middle of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Bauer Conference standings, as they were two points back of Nipawin, two points up on La Ronge and three points up on Melfort after the weekend's action.
In the first period of Friday's game both teams had several shots and quality scoring chances, but the goaltenders stood tall. Connor Creech stopped 14 shots in the North Stars' net in the first period while Patrick Johnson stopped 12 for the Mustangs.
In the second frame, the two teams finally found the back of the net - it was the North Stars who started the scoring. Brody Luhning wired a point shot by Johnson on a power play. Kyle Hall and Brandon Long assisted on Luhning's eighth of the season.
Two minutes later, Braeden Johnson scored his sixth of the season on a breakaway, as Luhning and Luke McColgan earned the assists.
The Mustangs cut into the North Stars' lead later in the second period when Regan Wilton scored on power play.
After Brandon Formosa went after Blake Young for a hit he didn't like on the his teammate, the North Stars ended up with a five minute power play and made Formosa and the Mustangs pay. Keenan Martens scored his third goal of the season from Johnson and Betinol to make it a 3-1 game.
In the third period, Young got more redemption besides the earlier power play goal, as he assisted on two McColgan goals. McColgan scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season while Betinol also drew an assist.
The Mustangs' Jarrett Zentner scored a power play goal in the third period, but the North Stars were in control and held on for the 5-2 win.
Creech made 31 saves while Johnson had to make 31 saves in the Mustangs' net.
The North Stars are now in the midst of a short break and will be back in action Thursday on home ice against Nipawin.
