The Battlefords Stars continue to dominate the rest of the SMAAAHL, winning two of three in February, after edging the Saskatoon Blazers 6-5.
The black and white got off to a hot start, scoring two unanswered. Tanner Brewster tallied his 17th of the season, corralling a pass from Mason Mullaney before snapping a shot past Matthew Flath.
Mullaney wouldn’t be done there, finding Kenzie Arnold for his 6th of the year, making it 2-0 Battlefords.
Ashton Heidt cut the deficit to one after beating Lance Alm. Jaden Shewchuk and Noah Bankowski collaborated on the goal.
Mullaney continued his big night in Saskatoon, scoring his 10th of the year on the man advantage late in the opening frame. The tally would chase Flath from the game, bringing in veteran Joel Grzybowski for relief.
Leading scorer Landon Markovich made sure the game wouldn’t fall too far out of the hands of the Blazers, burying his 11th of the campaign. Brayden Camrud and Braden Krzak registered the assists. It was 3-2 Stars after 20 minutes.
Brewster restored the two-goal advantage in the middle stanza, netting his 18th of the campaign, unassisted. The goal came just five minutes in, giving the big forward three points on the night.
Benson Thorpe and Jake Chartier scored two unanswered, deadlocking the tilt at four heading into the third period.
Ben Hiltz and the top line continued their successful season, breaking the deadlock, making it 5-4 Stars. Keelan Saworski found Owen Lamb before feeding Hiltz for his his 11th of the year.
Ian Hillis may be a reserve for the black and white, having only played two games, but his first goal as a member of the Stars couldn’t have come at a better time. After corralling a pass from Karstin McDonald, Hillis was able to beat Grzybowski, giving the Battlefords a 6-4 lead. The goal would eventually be the game winner.
Camrud found the back of the net late in the third period, but the Stars held on, coming out on the winning side of a one-goal game.
Alm registered his 12th win, stopping 22 of 27 shots on the night.
The Battlefords now have a two-game homestand against the fifth place Tisdale Trojans. Yet another big test for the Stars, who continue to chase down Prince Albert for 6th place.
