Delmeny's Easton Adrian has been a force at both ends of the ice for the AAA Stars this season, finishing tied for third in team scoring with 35 points in 38 games from the defence position. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

U18 SMAAAHL Playoffs

AAA Stars tie series with Hounds with 4-3 win at home

Mar 15, 2022 | 3:03 PM

The Battlefords U18 AAA Stars are making some noise in their first-round playoff series with the top-seeded Notre Dame Hounds.

Monday night the Stars topped Notre Dame 4-3 in Game 2 of their quarterfinal series, headlined by a 44-save performance by their goaltender, Rhett Harktot, and a two-goal outing from leading scorer, Zane Normand.

AAA Stars forward and Battlefords local, Treycen Wuttunee scored Monday and has now picked up at least a single point in each of his last five games dating back to the regular season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Forward Kobie Anderson also picked up three assists on the night, while forwards Wyatt Wurtz and Treycen Wuttunee added another goal apiece, proving vital for the team in the win.

Head coach of the AAA Stars, Dale Grayston said seeing so many contributions throughout their lineup was key in the team’s success, as it was a full-group effort.

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“We had good contributions throughout the different lines and I think that was a big key,” Grayston said. “Obviously in the playoffs your goaltender’s got to be one of the stars of the game and Rhett was great for us, and we had a good game plan with another level of effort from the players which really paid off for us in the end.”

Goaltender, Rhett Harkot, stopped 44 of 47 Hounds shots Monday to backstop his team to victory. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

The Stars will now get set for Game 3 of the best-of-five series as the location shifts back to Notre Dame. Game 4 will return to the ACC in North Battleford Sunday, Mar. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Grayston said the team will be looking to build on the momentum gained from Monday’s win moving forward into the coming games.

“Now it’s a best-of-three,” he said of the series. “We got that win, and it gives us a little bit of confidence, so now it’s about continuing that as the series has gone from a best-of-five to a best-of-three.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1