North Stars forward Jake Southgate set a new career high with his 24th and 25th goals of the season Tuesday night, in a three-point effort to lead the Stars to victory. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Captain Clutch

Southgate caps three-point night with O.T. winner over Hawks

Mar 8, 2023 | 12:39 AM

Jake Southgate brought the Battlefords’ crowd to their feet with jubilant celebration Tuesday night at the ACC, scoring the overtime winner in a three-point game to deliver the North Stars a 3-2 victory over Nipawin.

A 1-0 Hawks lead at the end of the first on Carson Dobson’s 19^th of the year, the Stars flipped the script in the second, cashing in for a pair to take a 2-1 advantage of their own through 40 minutes.

Justen Maric made 31 saves to backstop the Stars to victory Tuesday, and is now 15-1 on the season with a 2.48 goals against average and .933 save percentage. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

First, Wilson Steele cashed in for his fifth on a three-on-one that saw Southgate feed Kian Bell, then to Steele driving the backdoor post to knot the game 1-1 on a tap-in.

Southgate’s first of the night then made it 2-1 Stars, following up a Holden Doell rush chance driving the front of the goal, to pot the rebound and set a new career high for goals with his 24^th of the year.

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Chase Visser’s fourth of the season answered the bell, again knotting the score 2-2 in the opening minute of the third, on a gorgeous deke move to reach around the goalie and tuck the puck home.

Despite a combined 21 shots in the final frame (11-10 Stars) that is the lone shot that would find twine in the third.

After stopping 38/40 North Stars’ shots into the late stages of the third period, with about seven minutes to go, Hawks’ goalie Damon Cunningham left the game with what looked to be an apparent upper-body injury.

In place, Jackson Fellner came in, stopping five of six shots in relief, including a cannonading Southgate one-timer on Fellner’s first shot against in the third.

Scoreless through the first 4:17 of the three-on-three overtime period, and with the shootout looming, Southgate’s goal came on a highlight-reel play all the way around.

Holden Doell and Jake Southgate connected for a pair of goals Tuesday, including the game winner. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

With just over 40 seconds to go in the overtime, Stars’ defenceman Tynan Ewart won a puck battle deep in the defensive zone, and sprung a pass beating two defenders to Holden Doell at centre.

Taking just a second for a quick stride, Doell then fired another stretch-feed to send Southgate in alone on goal with a defender on his back.

Racing down the right-wing side as a left-hand shot like a modern-day Maurice Richard, Southgate then snapped a quick wrister top shelf, off the back bar-and-out like a strike of lightning for the winner, to bring his teammates out in a swarm to celebrate the moment.

With the win, the North Stars extend their league leading record to 46-5-2-1 this season. With 95 points, the team sit just two back of tying the franchise record (97) set back in 2016-17, heading into their final weekend of play with a home-and-home against Kindersley.

Friday’s game will be played in Kindersley, with Saturday’s in North Battleford to cap the regular season. The NAPA Auto Parts North Stars Hockey Broadcast will be available both nights on 1050 CJNB, with the Ultra Print Pregame Show at 7 p.m. and puck drop to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Scoring summary

First period:

7:25 NIP Carson Dobson (19) ASST: Alex Ochitwa 1-0 Hawks

Second period:

11:03 BAT Wilson Steele (5) ASST: Kian Bell, Jake Southgate 1-1 Tie

18:06 BAT Jake Southgate (24) ASST: Holden Doell, Kian Bell 2-1 Stars

Third period:

0:57 NIP Chase Visser (4) ASST: None 2-2 Tie

Overtime:

4:17 BAT Jake Southgate (25) ASST: Holden Doell, Tynan Ewart 3-2 Stars

3-2 North Stars, the final

—

Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1