Jake Southgate pictured here in the handshake line following the series, with Flin Flon's Lucas Fry. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Playoff run concludes

Stars see season come to an end with Game 6 loss in Flin Flon

Mar 28, 2022 | 2:40 AM

The Battlefords North Stars saw their season come to an end Sunday night in Flin Flon, as the team fell 6-2 in Game 6 of their first round playoff series with the Flin Flon Bombers.

The loss closes out the teams’ first round series as the Bombers take a 4-2 series win, bringing the start of the summer for the Battlefords, following what was a hard-fought matchup.

Following the night’s game, head coach of the North Stars, Brayden Klimosko said despite the first round exit, the team this year was ‘a special group.’

“It’s obviously tough right now, but this was a special team,” Klimosko said. “You feel especially for the 20s right now as they were such a big part of this team and really played well for us all year, and it’s always tough to go out, but this was a really special group.”

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The Bombers opened the scoring just over seven minutes into the first when Drew Kuzma scored on a wraparound to make it 1-0, followed by a second Bombers goal by captain Zak Smith on a laser wrister to make it 2-0 Flin Flon.

Dylan Esau then cut the Stars’ deficit in half a power play goal for his fourth of the playoffs, on a shot from the top of the right circle with just under five minutes to go in the frame, to make it 2-1 at the first intermission.

Midway through the second, Keiton Klein added his second of the series to knot the score 2-2 on a deflection in front of the goal, off a centering feed from Zane Florence.

However, despite carrying the bulk of the play in the second, the Stars would see the Bombers pull away with two-straight prior to the end of the period, as Jacob Vockler scored his fourth of the playoffs on a wraparound to make it 3-2 Flin Flon, followed by another by Brett Wieschorster who scored for the fourth-straight game to make it 4-2.

In the third, Gabriel Shipper added his fourth to make it 5-2 just over a minute in. Despite strong pressure by the Stars throughout the final frame – and a total 42 shots on the night to the Bombers’ 36 – Lucas’ Fry’s first into the empty net was the only other to find pay dirt, making it 6-2 Flin Flon, the final.

The Bombers will now await word on their second round opponent in one of the two league semifinals series. The (#3) Melfort Mustangs and (#6) Yorkton Terriers will play Game 7 of their series Tuesday night, with the winner joining (#1) Estevan, (#2) Humboldt, and (#5) Flin Flon in the final four.

If the Melfort wins, they will play Humboldt while Estevan plays Flin Flon. If Yorkton wins, they will play Estevan while Humboldt get Flin Flon.

The North Stars roster features seven 20-year-old players who will graduate from the junior ranks this year, including forwards Dylan Esau, Dace Prymak and captain Ryland McNinch, defenceamen Riley Little and Sam Witt, and goaltenders Michael Harroch and Austin Schwab. Stay tuned to battlefordsNOW in the coming days for a special feature on the team’s graduating players.

Scoring summary

First period:

7:25 FF Drew Kuzma (2) ASST: Jacob Vockler (1), Kylynn Olafson (1)

7:50 FF Zak Smith (2) ASST: Jaxon Martens (6), Gabriel Shipper (4)

15:15 BAT Dylan Esau (4) ASST: Emmett Wurst (2) (PP)

Second period:

9:29 BAT Keiton Klein (2) ASST: Zane Florence (1)

17:03 FF Jacob Vockler (4) ASST: Drew Kuzma (3)

18:21 FF Brett Wieschorster (4) ASST: Mason Kaspick (4), Rylan Thiessen (4)

Third period:

1:05 FF Gabriel Shipper (4) ASST: Reece Richmond (1), Rylan Thiessen (5)

18:46 FF Lucas Fry (1) ASST: None (EN)

6-2 Bombers, the final. (Bombers win series 4-2)

Series breakdown North Stars vs Bombers Round 1:

Game #1: Stars win 7-3; lead series 1-0

Game #2: Stars win 4-2; lead series 2-0

Game #3: Bombers win 4-2; Stars lead series 2-1

Game #4: Bombers win 4-3 OT, Series tied 2-2

Game #5: Bombers win 3-1; lead series 3-2

Game #6: Bombers win 6-2; win series 4-2

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1