Dawson Gerwing and his AAA Stars teammates are playoff bound, following a big win over Tisdale in their final game of the regular season, Sunday. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)
Postseason Bound

AAA Stars clinch first playoff berth in six years

Mar 1, 2022 | 1:01 PM

It was a thrilling come-from-behind victory that solidified a playoff berth for the Battlefords AAA Stars, Sunday in North Battleford.

Down 4-0 to the Tisdale Trojans late in the second period, the team would storm back to win the game in overtime on Jakin Lawrence’s second of the game, to bring the crowd to their feet with ferocious applause and punch the Stars’ ticket to the postseason.

AAA Stars forward, Kobie Anderson (#7) has been playing his best hockey of late, with a goal and two assists versus Tisdale in the team’s playoff-clinching win. In his last 14 games dating back to mid-January, Anderson has nine goals, 23 points. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The first playoff berth for the AAA Stars since the 2015-16 season (six years ago), head coach Dale Grayston said he couldn’t be more proud of the group.

“It means a lot for the program and for the individual players,” Grayston said. “The playoffs are another chance to develop as a player. It’s another level of commitment, and I think the win yesterday allows us to go a little farther and just see the type of character we can show.”

Finishing the regular season as the eighth seed, with an 18-22-0-4 record, the Stars will meet the first-place Notre Dame Hounds in the first round.

Notre Dame are coming off a 35-8-0-1 season, and boast a high-octane offence featuring two of the league’s top-three scorers, in Cole Wirun (69 points in 44 games) and Ethan Look (68 points in 43 games).

Standing tall at 6’2, 191 lbs, Stars captain Nate Monchuk has been a tower of strength on the blue line for the Battlefords all season, and will be relied on heavily against the high-flying Hounds. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Grayston said facing the top seed is a challenge the team is looking forward to.

“They are a very talented team and they roll four lines with depth at every position, so we’ll have to counter that with some really strong team play, but our players are ready,” he said. “The Hounds finished first for a reason, but the playoffs are a brand new series and the records are 0-0, so we’ll put together a good plan, and it’s an exciting time.”

The Stars will open their best-of-five series versus Notre Dame March 11 in Wilcox. The team will return home for Game 2 at the Access Communications Centre, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

Full Round 1 schedule versus Hounds:

March 11 at 7:30 p.m. @ Notre Dame

March 14 at 7:30 p.m. @ ACC, North Battleford

March 17 at 7:30 p.m. @ Notre Dame

*March 20 at 7:30 p.m. @ ACC, North Battleford

*March 23 at 7:30 p.m. @ Notre Dame

*As needed.

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1

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