Stars forward Brad Blake scored his sixth of the season in a two-point effort Friday, and now has three goals and five points over his last five games. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Nail-bitting finish

Stars fall 4-3 in Humboldt to open rivalry weekend

Jan 21, 2023 | 12:59 AM

For just the second time this season, the Battlefords North Stars were defeated in regulation time, falling 4-3 to the division-rival Broncos Friday night in Humboldt.

Josh Kotai gave the Stars a chance to win, and kept them close throughout the night, stopping 45/49 Humboldt shots, while Jackson Allan, Brad Blake, and Steven Kesslering scored for the team in the narrow defeat.

A 1-1 game at the end of the first, Broncos’ defenseman Quinn Myles opened the scoring early on a slapper through traffic for his first of the year, followed by the Stars’ response on Jackson Allan’s sixth, midway through the frame.

Picking up a one-touch pass from Brad Blake into the middle of the ice, Allan flew in on goal and – like a young Joe Sakic – ripped a dart of a wrister top-shelf far-side to knot the score 1-1.

Jordan Grill and Jackson Allan pictured here, Friday night in Humboldt. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

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In the second, Alec Saretzky’s 19^th made it 2-1 Broncos on a set-up from Lucas Ceccarelli on the forecheck, for the lone goal of the frame, despite a 17-6 Broncos’ shot advantage in the period, and 36-19 edge through 40 minutes.

After Broncos’ captain Ethan Zielke added an insurance marker to make it 3-1 Humboldt less than a minute into the third, the Stars would again answer back with a pair on a 5-minute major penalty for Goaltender Interference given to Humboldt’s Sam Marburg for crashing into Kotai in the Stars’ crease on a hard net-drive.

Brad Blake’s sixth of the season made it 3-2 midway through the advantage, on his sixth of the year on a jam-play at the side of the net. This was followed by Steven Kesslering’s 21^st, just over 1:30 later, to knot the score 3-3 on a wrister from the high slot.

With the potential for overtime looming, the Broncos scored their final go-ahead goal on the evening just seven seconds into a late power play, to make it a 4-3 final, withstanding some of the Stars’ best pressure of the night while pushing for the tying marker with the goalie pulled.

Despite the defeat, the North Stars remain 20-points ahead of the field, atop the league standings, with a 34-2-2-1 record through 39 games.

The North Stars and Broncos will now get just under 24 hours to rest and regroup, before returning to play for the second night of their home-and-home this weekend, as the scene shifts to Martensville, Saturday.

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

Scoring summary

First period:

3:58 HUM Quinn Myles (1) ASST: Cage Newans, Xavier Roy 1-0 HUM

10:42 BAT Jackson Allan (6) ASST: Brad Blake, Tynan Ewart 1-1 Tie

Second period:

1:46 HUM Alec Saretzky (19) ASST: Lucas Ceccarelli, Spencer Bell 2-1 HUM

Third period:

0:43 Ethan Zielke (13) ASST: Cage Newans (PP) 3-1 HUM

10:08 BAT Brad Blake (6) ASST: Steven Kesslering, Colby Bear (PP) 3-2 HUM

11:26 BAT Steven Kesslering (21) ASST: Keiton Klein, Tynan Ewart (PP) 3-3 Tie

17:21 HUM Cage Newans (13) ASST: Carsten Kayter, Ethan Zielke (PP) 4-3 HUM

4-3 Humboldt, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1