The Battlefords Stars hosted the Saskatoon Blazers Saturday for some afternoon hockey at the Civic Centre.
It was a big game in terms of standings, with the Stars given the opportunity to tie the Blazers and put themselves in a three team deadlock for eighth place.
Late period penalties would end up costing the black and white down the stretch, blowing a two-goal lead and falling 5-4.
The first provided the crowd with extensive neutral zone play, with both teams making the most of their rare chances.
A rebound kicked away by Jake Taylor, but cleaned up by Benson Thorpe on the fourth shot of the game, gave the Blazers an early 1-0 lead nine minutes in. Jake Chartier had the initial shot. Thorpe was waiting on the doorstep for his first of the year.
A drop pass from Owen Lamb to Ben Hiltz tied it all up three minutes later. Hiltz hit the back of the net with a nice wrist shot from the right hash mark past a screened Joel Grzybowski. His sixth of the season was a result of a clean breakout that began with a crisp Keegan McBride pass from the Stars’ end.
Saskatoon would get back on the board in the second period after a partial breakaway gave them a 2-1 advantage. A feed from Brayden Camrud sprang Landon Markovich down the right wing, who released a snapshot short side, and under the glove of Taylor. The tally was his fifth of the year.
A carbon copy of the Blazers’ first goal brought the Stars back just a minute later. Dawson Bacon had the initial shot that bounced off the pad of Gryzbowski, right onto the stick of Jordan Mish who had a wide open net. Kenzie Arnold registered the second assist.
The AAA Stars kept coming, scoring back-to-back goals, the first tally being a strange one. Tanner Brewster scored his 12th of the season after taking a wrist shot through the defenceman trying to knock it down with his glove, just beating the netminder.
A shorthanded breakaway goal by Owen Lamb in the opening minute of the final frame gave the Stars a 4-2 advantage. After the original shot was stopped, Lamb took his time to find the short rebound, eventually beating a sprawling Gryzbowski. Keelan Saworski was there to provide the chance.
A pair of five-on-three chances and some undisciplined hockey gave the Blazers just what they needed to crawl back into the game.
Saskatoon made it 4-3 after Mitchell Zambon scored on a wide-open cage off a rebound. Braden Krzak made the initial shot from the right hash mark.
Then it was Camrud scoring his seventh with an absolute blast, firing it top right corner through moving bodies. Rookie Jordan Hudson teed up the one-timer.
Blazers made it three unanswered goals in the final five minutes of the game to take the 5-4 lead with just 1:30 left on the clock. Taylor stood tall on a breakaway chance before a big scramble in front of the net led to Thorpe scoring his second of the game, poking the puck past the goal line.
Pulling the goalie solved nothing. The Stars had their chances but couldn’t get a puck through the sacrificing bodies of the Blazers to tie the game up.
For two and a half periods, this was the Stars game to win. Out-working and out-skating Saskatoon for the puck. Penalties put the final nail in the coffin.
The Battlefords now break for Christmas and are back in action Jan. 7. Their record reads 10-15-0-3 in 2015.
— See more at: http://www.newsoptimist.ca/sports/local-sports/third-period-meltdown-leads-blazers-over-stars-1.2136762#sthash.O60rC41L.dpuf
