North Stars teammates gather around goaltender Justen Maric following Friday's 6-1 win in their return to home ice. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Extend league-leading record

Stars prove top dog in victory over Hounds

Dec 3, 2022 | 12:32 AM

The Battlefords North Stars scored three unanswered in the third period Friday night against Notre Dame, en route to a 6-1 win over the division rival Hounds.

For the Stars, the game marked their first on home ice since Oct. 28, and first game overall in two weeks.

Five different players chipped in for the team’s six goals on the night, as Holden Doell tallied a pair in a three-point effort, while Tynan Ewart, Brad Blake, Steven Kesslering, and Kian Bell also scored for the team.

Steven Kesslering (#24) scored his 13th of the season Friday to move into a tie for seventh in league goals this year. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

In goal, Justen Maric stopped 34/35 to improve to 6-0 this season, while the Stars fired 53 shots the other way on Hounds ‘tender Johann Tremblay-Kau who stopped 47/53 in the defeat.

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A scoreless game at the end of the first, the Stars pulled ahead 2-0 midway through the second on Doell’s 13^th of the season followed closely by Ewart’s fifth, just under three minutes apart.

After Hounds’ forward Davis Sato scored his team’s lone goal of the evening, shorthanded for his first in the SJHL, the Stars again answered back on Blake’s third of the year scored while playing the night’s contest from the blue line.

The goal re-established the team’s insurance marker to make it 3-1 Battlefords heading into the third.

Kesslering’s 13^th and Doell’s 14^th came less than 15 seconds apart early in the third period to crack the game open at 5-1 Battlefords, before Bell capped the night with his league-leading 20^th on the team’s second power play goal.

Holden Doell (#16) added to his league-leading point total with another two goals and an assist Friday. He now has 40 points in 20 games played this season for a 2.0 points per game average. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Each of Ewart, Kesslering and Bell scored a goal and a helper on the night, while captain Jake Southgate tallied three assists.

With the win, the Stars remain undefeated in regulation through 24 games. The team is now 21-0-2-1 on the season, adding to their league leading record while snapping the Hounds’ three-game point streak.

The Stars will now return to the road Saturday for their second game of the weekend, as the team travel to Melfort to take on the Mustangs.

Saturday’s game will be available on 1050 CJNB. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will begin with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m., and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

No score

Second period:

6:42 BAT Holden Doell (13) ASST: Jake Southgate, Zane Florence (PP)

9:34 BAT Tynan Ewart (5) ASST: Jake Southgate, Jordan Gibbs

10:45 ND Davis Sato (1) ASST: Antoine Saint-Onge, Connor O’Keefe (SH)

13:19 BAT Brad Blake (3) ASST: Steven Kesslering (12), Easton Rask (3)

Third period:

5:31 BAT Steven Kesslering (13) ASST: Jordan Grill, Keaton Klein

5:44 BAT Holden Doell (14) ASST: Jake Southgate, Kian Bell

12:37 BAT Kian Bell (20) ASST: Holden Doell, Tynan Ewart (PP)

6-1 North Stars, the final

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1