After dropping their first game of the season in Kindersley at the hands of the division-rival Klippers Friday, the Battlefords North Stars were looking for redemption on home ice Saturday.
The Civic Centre ice was tilted early as the North Stars dominated the first few minutes of play and got a quick 1-0 lead. Luke McColgan scored four minutes and 14 seconds into the first period after a rebound found his stick and he beat Klippers' netminder Tyrell King. Blake Young and Ryne Keller had helpers on the play as the team looked to jump all over Kindersley early.
While the North Stars continued to control play, the Klippers were working their way back into the game. Goaltender Casey Parker caught a case of bad luck for the second half of the period. Colby Daniels opened the scoring for the Klippers with 11 minutes and 30 seconds left in the frame. He redirected a Shaw Watkins point shot to fool Parker.
Two minutes later, North Stars' defenceman Dillon Forbes took a tripping penalty and Kindersley made him pay. On a similar goal to the previous one, Eric Pouliot was hit by a Cody Thiel point shot that fooled Parker once again. Daniels got the second assist on the goal.
With a little less than four minutes left in the frame, Kindersley forward Sean Naish backhanded it from in tight and it appeared to go off a defenceman's stick to make it 3-1 for the Klippers. Then 44 seconds later the onslaught continued as Stefen Seel made it 4-1. That marked the end of Parker's night as Darren Martin, who had to make the drive to North Battleford from Calgary, Alta., Saturday, took over.
The North Stars had a two-man advantage for more than a minute-and-a-half near the end of the first, but they couldn't capitalize despite getting solid chances.
The period ended mercifully with the North Stars leading 14-11 in shots, but behind 4-1 on the scoreboard.
Whatever Kevin Hasselberg, head coach of the North Stars, said during the intermission worked. His team came out flying in the second. Kindersley scored early on a five-on-three advantage when a Cody Thiel point shot made it through some bodies and found the back of the net, but from there on out it was all North Stars.
The home team was hitting everything that moved on the ice and had all the energy. Eventually Blake Young cut the lead down to 5-2 on a Klippers miscommunication. The two Kindersley defenceman left the puck sitting behind their net for Young, who took it out front and beat King five hole.
The North Stars kept the pressure going, but couldn't cut the lead down any further and went into the locker room trailing 5-2, but still held the lead in shots with 28 to Kindersley's 20.
The third period was identical to the second. The North Stars dominated physically and outshot Kindersley 11-4 in the period, but couldn't score. The Klippers added to their lead in the second half of the period as the North Stars dropped their home opener 6-2.
"Tonight, in front of our home town crowd, we gave them no reason to come back and watch us and support us," said Hasselberg following the loss.
The team is quickly 0-2 on the year after losing 3-1 Friday.
Hasselberg said it's time to go "back to the drawing board" as they began thinking about Tuesday night's game in Melville. The next home game for the North Stars is Friday as they play host to Melville.
