The Mintos and the Stars have gone head-to-head twice this season, serving as solid matchups to watch. For being one of the best teams in the SMAAAHL, the Mintos seem to have trouble putting away the black and white.
Thursday was a different story.
Coming off a pair of 7-2 losses, Lance Alm and the Battlefords had a tough time in Prince Albert, coming out on the wrong end of a 6-2 contest.
Alm stopped 16 of 22 shots before Jake Taylor took over in the final frame, stopping three of three.
Owen Lamb fed Keelan Saworski with five minutes left in the first to put the AAA Stars on the board with an early one-goal advantage.
The Mintos rattled off six unanswered tallies until Saworski, in the final frame, scored his 12th of the season. With the mark, the forward now leads the Battlefords in goals. He and Lamb, who assisted on his second as well, have created a nice duo on the top line. Veteran Tanner Brewster isn’t far behind them with 17 points.
Despite having 13 rookies, the Stars still have a legitimate shot at a nice playoff run. They have shown throughout the season that they can contend with the best in the league. There has been a nice balance of scoring and the ability to roll lines. Jayden Nachtegaele leads all first-years with 15 points.
The Stars look to get back on track Saturday at home against the 8th place (12-14-0-0) Saskatoon Blazers. With a win, they could leap frog them in the standings, putting them in a good position to take over the Blackhawks.
