The Battlefords North Stars penalty killers took over Thursday night's game against the Nipawin Hawks.
Blake Young and Jack Petrino scored shorthanded goals in the North Stars' 4-2 win over the Hawks in front of the largest crowd of the season.
"They work hard in practice," said Battlefords coach Kevin Hasselberg of the penalty kill units in Thursday's game. "It's a very proud group. They take their job seriously and it's an opportunity for those guys to contribute to the hockey team. Each player's got a specific role on our hockey team and tonight the penalty killers pulled through for us."
The Hawks had the first scoring chance three minutes into the game. Hawks forward Blake Fournier's shot wasn't controlled by North Stars goaltender Michael Gudmandson. The puck bounced back to Fournier, but he could not slide it through Gudmandson's pads.
Taylor Reich had the first great chance for the North Stars. He took the puck from the corner and snapped it through Hawks goaltender Joe O'Brien's five-hole. However, the puck slid through the crease and missed the net. Luke McColgan followed up with another chance for Battlefords on a two-on-one with Ryne Keller. McColgan kept the puck and shot, but O'Brien turned him away.
Dillon Forbes broke through for Battlefords with nine minutes left in the first. His shot from the point found its way through traffic and barely got off the ice. The puck beat O'Brien low on his blocker side to give the North Stars a 1-0 lead.
There was a nervous moment for Gudmandson after the goal. He went behind his net to play the puck but turned it over. Hawks forward Carter Danczak collected the loose puck. Gudmandson scrambled back into net in time to make the save.
Late in the first period, the North Stars extended their lead while shorthanded. Young picked off a cross-ice pass at the blue line and had a clear path to the net. He was hauled down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Young made no mistake on the penalty shot. He deked to his left and beat O'Brien high over his blocker.
In the second, Battlefords took another penalty 50 seconds into the period. However, it was the North Stars that capitalized. After Battlefords forward Darcy Greenaway put pressure on the Hawks' defence, he recovered a loose puck in the neutral zone. He skated the puck back into the Hawks' zone and passed to Petrino, who jumped behind the defence. Petrino had room in front of the net and beat O'Brien to extend the North Stars' lead.
Midway through the second, the Hawks cut the North Stars' lead in half. Jivan Sidhu's point shot fooled Gudmandson, who was sliding to his right. The puck found the open left side of the net to bring the Hawks within one.
The Hawks then found themselves with an extended two-man advantage. McColgan was sent off for elbowing with 10:04 to play in the period, followed by Reich being penalized for roughing 41 seconds later.
Nipawin capitalized on the power play time just as Reich's penalty was about to expire. Danczak fanned on his first shot, but knocked the puck out of the air to beat Gudmandson with 7:27 remaining to tie the game.
The tie did not last long. 27 seconds after the Hawks' goal, McColgan gave the North Stars the lead again. He carried the puck over the blue line and put the puck on net. The shot fooled O'Brien and found the top corner over the goaltender's glove. It was McColgan's sixth point in three games.
"When the stick's hot, you got to keep throwing pucks that way and that's what Luke's doing," said Hasselberg. "He's come back after Christmas a new player and he's been rewarded for his efforts."
Gudmandson carried the North Stars through the rest of the game. He stopped all 10 shots he faced in the third period to preserve the North Stars' two-goal lead. Hasselberg said they ride Gudmandson at the end of games, but it's a part of hockey.
" You need good goaltending to be successful in any league," said Hasselberg. "It definitely provides a new level of confidence for the players to play in front of him when he's playing as well as he is."
Gudmandson made 28 saves to earn his 15th win of the season for the North Stars. O'Brien made 31 saves to pick up his 11th loss on the year for Nipawain.
Battlefords took over first place in the Kramer Division with the win, giving the team a one-point lead over Kindersley. The Klippers are in action Friday night and have played three fewer games than the North Stars.
Battlefords (29-16-0-2) have a week off before their next game. They host the Nipawin Hawks again Feb. 7. The North Stars play the Estevan Bruins at home Feb. 8. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
