Coming off a 5-4 shootout victory over La Ronge to open the back-to-back Friday, the Battlefords North Stars completed their weekend sweep of the Ice Wolves, topping the visitors 7-4 in the rematch Saturday night at the ACC.
Six different North Stars scored for the team in the win, as Alex Izyk and Kian Bell each posted two goals and four points apiece, Brad Blake added a goal and two helpers, and Jackson Allan, and Riley Girod also scored for the team.
In goal, Logan Cunningham stopped 19/23 to backstop the team to the win, while Ice Wolves’ puck-stopper Eric Kahl went 18/23 at the other end through 30 minutes, before being replaced by Topher Chirico who stopped seven/eight in relief.
A 3-2 North Stars’ lead at the end of the first, Blake’s 18th of the season opened the scoring on a post-and-in shot to put the Battlefords in front just over five minutes into the contest.
Allan’s 15th then followed, converting a Josh Medernach dish for a quick-snap release, to put the home-side ahead 2-0 on his second in as many nights as well.
After back-to-back goals by La Ronge’s Dylan Handel and William Forsberg knotted the score midway through the frame, Izyk’s first of the night re-established the Stars’ lead on a wicked wrister from the blue line to make it 3-2 at the end of the first.
Izyk’s second of the game came on a power play early in the second, deflecting a Blake shot from the slot to stretch his team’s lead to 4-2, followed five minutes later by Bell’s 28th, and Girod’s 11th, to suddenly expand the advantage to 6-2 Battlefords.
However, La Ronge would continue to stick around with a pair of their own to get back in the game by Seth Dragan and Parker Layton (on the power play) to make it a 4-2 game after 40 minutes.
Despite combining for 10 goals through the opening two periods, the offenses on both sides would mellow out in the third, with the lone tally coming on Bell’s second of the night and 29th of the season to make it a 7-4 North Stars’ final.
Capping his four-point night, with the performance, Bell becomes the first player in the SJHL this season to eclipse the 70-point mark. With 71 points (29 goals, 42 assists) in just 29 games, Bell now has a nine-point lead on Flin Flon captain Justin Lies, who sits second in league scoring with 62 points (32 goals, 30 assists) in 38 games.
With the victory, the North Stars are now 31-8-3-1 on the season through 43 games, having won 12 of their last 14 overall.
The North Stars will return to action Tuesday night for the sixth-and-final game on their current home-stand, when the team host Yorkton at the ACC. Tuesday’s game will be available on 1050 CJNB with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Scoring summary
First period:
5:15 BAT Brad Blake (18) ASST: Kian Bell 1-0 BAT
9:27 BAT Jackson Allan (15) ASST: Josh Medernach, Tanner Gold 2-0 BAT
9:58 LAR Dylan Handel (11) ASST: Lleyton Shearon, Mason Beuckert 2-1 BAT
14:10 LAR William Forsberg (8) ASST: Ty McKay, Sage Roberts 2-2 Tie
15:02 BAT Alex Izyk (13) ASST: Evan Waldie, Colton Getzlaff 3-2 BAT
Second period:
5:48 BAT Alex Izyk (14) ASST: Brad Blake, Kian Bell (PP) 4-2 BAT
10:16 BAT Kian Bell (28) ASST: Alex Izyk, Ben Portner (PP) 5-2 BAT
11:37 BAT Riley Girod (11) ASST: Brayden Sinclair, Treycen Wuttunee 6-2 BAT
12:03 LAR Seth Dragan (5) ASST: Cole Thomas, Max Henderson 6-3 BAT
18:13 LAR Parker Layton (13) ASST: Ethan Andrews, Mason Bueckert (PP) 6-4 BAT
Third period:
18:56 BAT Kian Bell (29) ASST: Alex Izyk, Brad Blake 7-4 BAT
7-4 North Stars, the final
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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1
