It was a third period goal from Keelan Saworski that led the Stars over the Legionnaires in a Sunday matinee game at the Civic Centre. The notch was his second tally of the weekend and second game winning goal of the new year.
After a dominant 6-2 win over Swift Current Saturday, the Battlefords found the back of the net three times in a 3-2 victory to sweep the two-game series, and go 3-0 on the week.
Jake Taylor got the nod in between the pipes after two straight wins from Lance Alm to start 2016. Swift Current welcomed him to the net the only way they knew how.
The black and blue beat Taylor on a two-on-one early in the opening frame. Number 35 made the initial save but the puck was left on the goal line for Ethan Regnier to pick up and give the Legionnaires the early lead.
A nicely designed tic-tac-toe play tied the game for the Stars on the power play. Their man-advantage has been stellar so far in the new year, converting four of ten opportunities after Tanner Brewster found the back of the net. From the left half wall, it was Mason Mullaney finding Jayden Nachtegaele at the right post, who then made a crisp feed to Brewster who stared at a wide open cage, scoring his 13th of the campaign.
Despite the score being tied after one, the Stars kept the pressure on Swift Current and had them chasing the puck, leading to an advantage in puck possession and shots, 15-7.
They continued the pressure in the second period with Luke Reid scoring his fifth of the year after taking a pass from Nayte Zip. Brewster registered his second point of the tilt after making the initial feed. The goal was Reid’s second of the two-game series.
Swift Current continued to exchange blows with the Battlefords, not allowing them to gain a large lead like they did Saturday afternoon. Drieden Gauthier scored after releasing a one-time shot from the slot. Regnier teed him up for his seventh goal. The assist was Regnier’s third point of the weekend which set the stage for an interesting third period. Shots were 27-18 in favour of the AAA Stars heading into the final frame.
A clutch penalty kill late in the final 20 minutes gave the Stars the boost they needed to go 3-0 in 2016 and continue their rush for the playoffs in the second half of the season.
Taylor came up big for the Stars throughout the tilt, kicking away 28 of 30 shots from Swift Current.
Next up is a date with the Saskatoon Contacts Thursday before coming back to the Civic Centre for the weekend where they take on the Moose Jaw Generals.
The black and white are 1-1-0-1 against the (12-17-0-1) Contacts this season.
