North Stars teammates celebrate following Keiton Klein's second period tally, Saturday. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Rivalry weekend concludes

Stars win 14th straight in weekend sweep of Klippers

Jan 8, 2023 | 2:21 AM

Josh Kotai stopped 46/47 and Kian Bell scored a pair in a three-point night, to lead the Battlefords North Stars to a 5-1 win in Kindersley, Saturday.

The victory follows a 5-1 win Friday night in North Battleford, sweeping the weekend series with the Klippers to extend the Stars’ winning streak to 14 straight.

Holden Doell tallied the eventual game winner in a two-point night, while Keiton Klein added his third goal of the weekend, and Emmett Wurst notched his fourth.

With another 46 saves Saturday night in Kindersley, Kotai extends his league-leading record to 22-0-2-1, while pacing all goaltenders with a 1.99 goals against average and .944 save percentage. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Bell’s first of the game made it 1-0 Stars midway through the first on a 2-on-1, converting on a perfect pass from Doell to become the first in the league this season to hit the 30-goal plateau, in just his 31^st game.

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Doell’s 18^th made it 2-0 Stars midway through the second, as the finishing touch on a netmouth scramble to give the Battlefords an insurance marker on his second point of the game.

Prior to the end of the middle frame, Klein added his 15^th on a backhand pass from Bell from behind the net, to stretch the lead to 3-0 heading into the final frame, and giving him three goals in his last two games.

Emmett Wurst’s fourth made it 4-0 Stars on a quick shot from the slot, with Bell’s second of the game following Kindersley’s lone tally in response, to cap the night’s scoring on a breakaway for a 5-1 final.

With the win, the Stars extend their league leading record to 31-0-2-1 this season. With 65 points, the team now sit 18 points up on the field for top spot overall.

The North Stars will now get the better part of a week off before returning to play for a three games in three nights southern road swing against Notre Dame, Weyburn and Estevan, Thursday-through-Sunday.

All three games will be available on 1050 CJNB. Thursday’s game in Wilcox will begin with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7:30 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 8 p.m. on the NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast.

Scoring summary

First period:

9:17 BAT Kian Bell (30) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate 1-0 BAT

Second period:

9:58 BAT Holden Doell (18) ASST: Zane Florence, Jake Southgate 2-0 BAT

18:05 BAT Keiton Klein (15) ASST: Kian Bell 3-0 BAT

Third period:

6:17 BAT Emmett Wurst (4) ASST: Jordan Grill 4-0 BAT

12:09 KIN Brock Evans (4) ASST: Tylin Hilbig 4-1 BAT

12:55 BAT Kian Bell (31) ASST: Holden Doell 5-1 BAT

5-1 North Stars, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1