North Stars teammates celebrate with goalie, Josh Kotai following Friday night's win. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Take Second Straight

Stars double up Terriers for 4-2 win in Yorkton

Jan 28, 2023 | 12:46 AM

Kian Bell scored a pair to extend his league leading goal total to 37 in 37 games, and Josh Kotai made 35 saves, to lead the Battlefords North Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Terriers in Yorkton, Friday.

Brad Blake also scored his eighth of the season, and third in his last two games to stay hot, while Emmett Wurst added his fifth, and Holden Doell and Tynan Ewart each pitched in a pair of assists apiece, in Ewart’s 100^th career game.

With another two assists in his 100th career SJHL game Friday, Tynan Ewart now has four points over his last two games, and 15 points in his last 12 games. Ewart’s 39 points in 41 games lead all blue liners this season. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

A 1-0 Yorkton lead early, Terriers’ veteran Greg Nelson opened the scoring on his 11^th of the year just under six minutes into the first period, before Wurst’s tying goal answered back, off of a gorgeous setup from the point.

Evan Waldie found Wurst cross-seem from the right point, on a dart of a pass deflected home to the top corner, as the W-W-DOT connection struck to bring the Battlefords back to even at 1-1.

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From there, back-to-back Stars’ power play goals from Blake and Bell reversed the lead entirely, on similarily-lasered shots from the left of the slot.

In the second period Terriers’ winger Pavel McKenzie cashed in for his ninth just under a minute in, for the lone goal of the middle frame, thanks to an 18-save period from Yorkton’s Caleb Allen to keep his team within a single, trailing just 3-2 into the third.

Allen’s excellence would continue with another 16-stops in the third period – en route to a 48-save evening – before the Stars eventually broke through into the empty net, late.

Bell’s second of the game gave his team a much-needed insurance marker at 4-2, set up selflessly by Holden Doell, who passed up a yawing cage to feed his linemate to seal the night’s action.

With the win, the Stars extend their league-leading record to 36-3-2-1 this season. With 75 points, the Stars now have a 19-point lead atop the league standings, heading into the final stop on their road trip Saturday in Melville.

The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will begin slightly earlier than usual again Saturday. The Ultra Print Pregame Show will begin at 6:30 p.m., with puck drop to follow at 7 p.m. on 1050 CJNB.

Scoring summary

First period:

5:44 YOR Greg Nelson (11) ASST: Tyson Perkins 1-0 YOR

11:39 BAT Emmett Wurst (5) ASST: Evan Waldie, Easton Rask 1-1 Tie

13:34 BAT Bradley Blake (8) ASST: Keiton Klein, Tynan Ewart (PP) 2-1 BAT

16:02 BAT Kian Bell (36) ASST: Holden Doell, Tynan Ewart (PP) 3-1 BAT

Second period:

0:58 YOR Pavel McKenzie (9) ASST: Cohner Saleski, Dylan Ruptash 3-2 BAT

Third period:

19:26 BAT Kian Bell (37) ASST: Holden Doell, Jake Southgate 4-2 BAT

4-2 BAT, the final

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1